Week 5
Week 5
Went to
Maroubra this week. It always seems to be the best place to witness good
surfing. Maroubra Beach is one of
Australia’s best surfing beaches, recognised in the National Surfing Reserves
as a place of intrinsic value. Nicknamed the Bra, the 1 mile curved strip of white
sand in Sydney East is famous for consistent waves. You’ll also find a lovely
beachside park for picnics.
In 2006, Maroubra Beach became the second Australian beach to
be named a National Surfing Reserve (the first beach being Bells Beach in
Victoria). It is also an
incredibly popular place for people learning to surf due to its
beginner friendly conditions.
It was a
bit disappointing this time because there was not a lot of activity on the beach, just a few beginners and learners. It was a nice day for
walking along the beach though, the
weather was glorious. Sunny, not too hot
and a gentle breeze blowing in from the
sea. There are also a handful of shopping districts nearby, including the areas surrounding Maroubra
Beach. McKeon Street and Marine Parade are home to multiple cafes and
restaurants, and other retail facilities such as surf shops, yoga schools, a
chemist and newsagent, the Maroubra Seals Club
and The Bay Hotel.
Major
residential development only began here in the 1910s after Herbert Dudley, a
real estate developer, subdivided the land into residential blocks. He also lobbied
for the extension of the tramline to Maroubra Junction in 1912, where he had
built Dudley's Emporium which has just recently been redeveloped.
In 1918
sixty-five allotments on Crown Lands bordered by Maroubra Bay Road, Cooper
Street and Broad Road were auctioned by Stanton and Son Limited. The tram line was eventually extended to
Maroubra Beach in 1921.
Later I
went to the Southern side of Botany Bay to find Kurnell and the actual landing
place of Captain Cook on Silver Beach on the afternoon of Sunday 29
April 1770.
Kurnell is
a suburb in Sydney, in the state of New South Wales,13.3 miles south of central
Sydney along the east coast. Cronulla and Woolooware are the only adjacent
suburbs. La Perouse is located opposite, on the northern headland of Botany
Bay. The Cronulla sand dunes lie on the south eastern headland of Botany Bay.
The eastern side of the peninsula is part of Botany Bay National Park, and
Towra Point Nature Reserve is located on the western side of the suburb
Instead of
going straight to the Captain Cook memorial, I decided to go up to the cliff
tops of the National Park to take in the views across the bay. This was quite spectacular but I had to cut
my visit short when it started to rain and at the same time I injured my leg
when I slipped and got it caught in a small crevasse at the cliff top.
 |
| There's where my left leg slipped down |
Friday
evening it was another trip to the Opera, this time with Amy, to see Turandot. We drove into the city and had a really nice dinner
at the Opera Bar before heading up to the Opera House itself. After the obligatory glass of bubbly we made
our way up to the viewing gallery before taking our seats for what was to be a
most enjoyable yet lengthy performance.
There is a lot more to Turandot than Nessun Dorma, even though that is
what brings people in.
On
Saturday I was back in Circular Quay, this time with Cerys while Alfie had
taken Dylan to a party and Amy was at the hairdressers. We crossed on a ferry from Milsons Point and
I let Cerys decide what we would do so first stop was Buckley’s for lunch.
Then it
was off to the Botanical Gardens. After
this we had a walk inside the Opera House and stopped at the Lounge for some
refreshments.
We then
circumnavigated the exterior of the Opera House looking out to the Harbour
Bridge, Luna Park and all the activity on the water.
Then it was time to make our way to the train station where we caught a train to North Sydney to meet up with Amy before our homeward journey.
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