Manly- A New Beach Spot!

By Mia Campbell, University of New South Wales, Australia

Moving to the other side of the world, it is easy to become a sheep; following the tourist hot spots which Bondi and Coogee have to offer. Since I have been here, by meeting new people and becoming more integrated with the local community this has opened me up to other less typical treasures Sydney has to offer.

Just a twenty minute ferry ride from Circular Quay I made my way to Manly. North of Sydney, with pleasant boutiques and less of a ‘city feel’ which was widely refreshing. This new environment had worked up a sweet appetite. It may seem bizarre to you, how excited I was about these freshly made cookies from ‘Butter Boy,’ I was literally looking through the menu in bed (a few examples shown below) like a child does feeling up their presents under the tree on Christmas Eve.

However, allow me to familiarise you with ‘Golden Gaytime Brownie Sandwich,’ an appropriate name referring to the Australian ice cream ‘Golden Gaytime’ I have become strongly familiar with this whilst being here (maybe too familiar regarding to health concerns). But how could you go wrong with caramel, biscoff crumbs and buttercream? A perfect invitation into a food coma, followed by a relax on the beach. I may be 8$ down (4£) but I can confidently say my sugar and serotonin levels do not reflect this in the same way.

Manly beach contrasted to the surf beaches of Bondi/Coogee, warmer and with a still breeze- not a jumper in site on only the first day of Spring! To our pleasant surprise one of my friends I had met at the hostel sited a pod of dolphins in the distance to accompany our beach view. It is weird to me to think a spot like this, on a day like this, would have been crammed with people like sardines in a jar back home, yet we had it almost entirely to ourselves.