A happy crowd of HVB walkers gathered at Circular Quay to catch the Manly Ferry, as the weather smiled on us with sunny skies.
Hikers gather at the Quay 
Signatures all done! 
Kas on the lookout
At Manly we found a couple of hopeful strays that joined the group to bring a total of 19 walkers.
We briskly navigated The Corso to Manly Ocean Beach, to view the sparkling water. As ever the Manly beachfront is a busy place, with people walking (and running) up and down the pathway, and it was a great place to observe many, many dogs. The seas were extremely calm and the small number of surfers kept hopefully looking for some waves to catch.
Glorious Manly Beach! 
Beachgoers in action 
Be prepared!
As we walked, we admired the many Norfolk Pines that span the whole beachfront but started to see that not all of them were perfectly straight - puzzling as this is a well-known feature of Norfolk Pines. Some were curved or crooked, or even bi-furcated. The back-story is that the original pines, mostly planted in 1877, started to die-off in the 1960s due to detergent in the sea-foam that was blown back onto land, and the Council decided to replant. Fast forward to early 2000s and the curved and crooked trunks started to show. It was later determined that the new pines were actually not all Norfolk Pines, but included Cook Island Pines. Walkers were able to easily pick these out once they got their eye in.
Some Norfolk Pines 
Enjoying the sun at Queenscliff
Once we hit the end of the beachfront, we headed west along the southern side of Manly Lagoon. This area has a lovely park and we stopped for Morning Tea.
Morning tea ...... 
..... in the sunshine
Manly Lagoon
The Manly Lagoon was originally ten times its current size, and land reclamation for parks and development has now encroached on the lagoon. It has been a recreational hub for quite some time, prompting a letter to the Council in 1897 that complained about “scores of naked men that wallow in the shallow water all day like pigs”. Despite all our efforts we were unable see anyone wallowing in the lagoon, naked or otherwise.
After a short street walk we landed at the northern side of the lagoon in Aitken Park.
Narrow pathway & bridge ...... 
......on the northern side of the lagoon
The track became quite narrow in places, but allowed close up views of houses that cling to the rock formations along the lagoon. The group marvelled at the wonderful gardens and precarious looking staircases along this stretch.
Entrance to a home on top of the rock formation 
Grotto garden
We then returned to the beachfront path and back to Manly. Highlights along the way included watching people play Beach Volleyball (some, it was noted, in minimalist attire). We also noted the contrasts between buildings such as the Peoples Palace, a temperance hotel built in 1913 to provide safe, cheap and comfortable lodgings for travellers, and the opulence of the “Manly Castle”. The latter started as St Patrick’s Seminary, built in 1885, with many later additions and uses. It is now the International College of Management.
Back in Manly the group decided to go separate ways as we could not agree on whether to indulge in Gelato or coffee.
Leaders: Theresa & Kas
Walkers: Anne G, Anne R, Bert, Cherry, David S, Diana, Dorin, Helen R, Hye, Michael, Robyn Ma, Robyn Mi, Sue F, Suzanne, Wendy and visitor Eri
Tail-Ender: Thanks to David S; First Aider: Robyn M
Words: Theresa
Photos: Kas (4,8,9,10); Robyn M (12,13,14,15); Anne R (6); David S (1,2,3,5,7,11)