North Head
My revered father-in-law, Russell is down from Bellingen for a visit. We’ve been having a splendid time, and yesterday travelled out to Manly, where Sydney meets the Pacific head-on, to pun a little. The entrance to Sydney Harbour is flanked by headlands, North and South Head, and we spent a little time there watching ship traffic and bracing against the westerly wind that had kicked up overnight (and which has caused a bit of damage up and down the coast, but aside from one death, nothing too severe). The view was spectacular, the sun just past its noon height, with some sparse clouds adding dramatic effect to the skyline in the near distance. At the edge of our vision, we could even see the Blue Mountains, like a wall rising up from the horizon. The Harbour itself was churned into whitecaps by the wind, spreading the spray across a larger area than normally from the wake of the few vessels out there. Some might have thought of sailboats, but the wind was much too strong to be safe, and most people stayed home, although we did pass one adventurous soul making excellent progress with his jib at a minimal height. He was close enough to Manly at that point that I didn’t worry for him making land before New Zealand, although he was making nearly as much sideways progress as forward. There’s a great deal to see up Manly way, and scouting through the reserve on North Head, we located a nice little sheltered beach with a fall of fresh water and which didn’t appear to get much traffic, at least not at this time of year. As it turns out, this is where Captain Phillip caught a spearing from a local Aborigine – which became the source of the later town’s name, as he remarked without animosity that the fellow who attacked him was a “manly” fellow. Do I believe this bit of lore? It doesn’t matter; it makes a nice story. More adventures with Russell are sure to come, but if they just involve going down to the water, I’ll be more than happy. The Harbour is one of the loveliest places on the face of the earth. As for Manly, well, the surfing looks pretty good out there, and by the familial expert’s account, I needn’t worry over being short-sighted to have a go.