Not a bad way to begin a sunny, winter day in Sydney. Rob and I grabbed a ‘hearty’ hike just south of Manly Beach. We posed for a quick shot at Shelly Beach, a beach full of sea shells and sand, then worked our way out to North Head.
View of downtown Sydney from North Head
Here is a view of South Head.
North Head and South Head create the only entrance into Sydney harbour. In the 1930s, North Head, South Head and Middle Head were used to set up military posts in case of attack. (http://www.harbourtrust.gov.au/visit-our-sites/north-head-sanctuary/history/index.html).
We did some whale watching along our hike and were lucky enough to see a few! According to the Sydney Wildlife website: “Humpback Whales are most likely to be seen between the months of June (Winter) and October (Spring).
They are known to swim very close shore where they will swim into large bays and Harbour areas in order to rest and gain protection during times of rough seas. In Autumn, as the water temperatures fall resulting in ice forming on the surface of the ocean, the Whales will begin their northward migrations up the East and West Coasts of Australia. This mass migration takes them to more temperate, sub tropical waters where Whales will mate, and the female Whales will give birth to calves. The Whales will then begin the migrations back south down the East and West Coasts of Australia at the end of spring.
By summer, the whales are seen in the freezing waters of Antarctica where they feed on the enormous quantities of Krill (a prawn like species) that makes up their enormous diets.“
We did an entire loop and ended up back at Manly Beach.
Rob and Linds 