Australia & Ashes 2017 - 2018 - Day 37 - 29th December

Day 37

Met Richard in the breakfast room at the hotel as planned the previous evening.  We were returning to Sydney, but by a circuitous route which was going to take us through Kangaroo Valley and on to the Pacific highway on the east coast of NSW.

The breakfast was all home cooked hearty fair which we thoroughly enjoyed.  We both opted for full cooked breakfast but Richard had the healthy option.  Eggs poached instead of fried. not me though.

We then packed our stuff into the car and set off for Kangaroo Valley.  It was not a great distance but part of the journey included a descent from a mountain top into a deep valley with many hairpin bends.

Beautiful scenery

Looked crazy from above but did not seem so bad as we descende

Gradually the descent flattened out

Looking back that was the mountain we descended from

As we entered the town of Kangaroo Valley we crossed the Hampden bridge and drove through the one street town.  As I have previously stated it evoked images of the American West with the buildings lining the road.

Hampden Bridge

After a short stop here with absolutely no sight of a Kangaroo we headed eastward towards the coast and the Pacific Highway along the Tasman Sea towards Sydney.

This was a most picturesque route with this road hugging the coastline and even crossing the water on elevated supports.  

After this spectacular journey we arrived in Sydney and headed for Crows nest for an early dinner.

Crows Nest was originally part of a 524-acre land grant made to Edward Wollstoncraft in 1821. The grant extended from the site of the present day Crows Nest to Wollstoncraft. Edward Wollstonecraft built a cottage, the 'Crow's Nest' and he chose the name "on account of its elevated and commanding position".  Later a more substantial Crow's Nest House was built on the estate in 1850, taking the name of the earlier cottage. This site is now the site of the North Sydnet Demonstration School. The gates of Crows Nest House still stand at the Pacific Highway entrance to the school. 

Crows Nest is a significant commercial district which is noted for its variety of shops and restaurants. It is centred on the junction of five main roads about 1 kilometre north by northwest of the original site of Crows Nest House.

We decided to visit the historic Crows Nest Hotel which was situated at the top end of the main street.

The Crows Nest Hotel has been an iconic landmark on the lower North Shore of Sydney for over 100 years as a much loved late night and live entertainment venue. Having recently undergone a major refurbishment in 2016, the two storey Crows Nest Hotel has preserved its heritage style and has been injected with a modern edge.

The food was first class but we underestimated the quantity and ordered much too much for just the two of us. Richard really enjoyed his pizza, massive bowl of wedges and a large garlic baguette.

When fully fed we headed home for a relaxing evening with the family.  The Manly ferry to look forward to tomorrow.