Day 288 - Friday 13 October - Sydney's Northern Beaches

Day 288

Friday –

13 October 2017 - Wildcats 74 V Hawks 64

Vineyard – Manly – Curl Curl –Dee Why – Brookvale

We had along day ahead of us today, in fact I have only just got home and unpacked and it is now 8.30pm and we are both beat.

The day started early, I think we were still wound up from yesterday’s excursion and we didn’t need an alarm to ensure we would be up and about on time.

After breakfast and showering, we packed ourselves into the car and made our way to Manly. Avoiding the toll roads, the GPS took us on a long slow journey through the suburbs, following the narrow, twisting, turning and hilly roads. 

We did eventually end up at the multi storey parking I had plugged in and it only took an hour and 45min to ravel 55km! Bit of a joke really.

Once parked, we took off for Manly Beach wandering along the foreshore path, taking in the view. It was quite overcast but it wasn’t due to rain. We walked the full length before crossing into the suburb, walking through a park along side the estuary inlet and then among the small, overcrowded homes that line the streets.

We eventually made it to the Manly Wharf, dodging the pedestrians that had just disembarked the ferry from circular quay. We checked out the water on this side before finally crossing the road and heading on to 4 Pines Brewing, the brewery has recently been bought out by a large multinational booze group after experiencing great success within the craft beer market over the past 10 years.

There were plenty of beers for Paul to try and while he was tasting I was taking pics and taking in the view over the wharf area from the upstairs balcony. When Paul had been through the beers upstairs, we ventured down stairs to the restaurant area where he was able to try a few more.

Following the tasting, we stopped at Coles for a few things and then returned to the car. Just before we left, Paul misplaced the parking ticket and w spent a frantic 10 minutes trying to locate it to no avail. Fearing we would be up for a large fee, Paul spoke to the attendant who was very understanding and gave us a blank card to get out. Phew.

We then headed for North Head where we could stop enjoy the view over Sydney Harbour and the city while we ate our lunch. It was beautiful and sunny and just a magic spot to hang out.

From there, we drove along the coastal strip of Sydney’s northern beaches, stopping in at Curl Curl for a quick walk and then onto Dee Why, where we stopped again and walked along the beachfront before returning to the car and making our way on to Nomad Brewing.

We met Kerrie, one of the owners who was happy to talk about the brewery and the beers as Paul tried them out. It is only small compared to 4 Pines, but they seem happy enough with production.

We finished up there and ventured down the street to 4 Pines Brookvale venue, where the brewery is somewhat larger than the one in Manly. We were told to come here by the Manly staff to check out the truck bar they have created. An old Bedford flat truck has been sliced and diced and outfitted with bar taps and benches and it is quite the novelty.

The place became packed after 4pm as the workers within the industrial area poured in, fluro becoming the key fashion colour for the afternoon. We chatted with the bar staff and patrons, before having to make our way on to our final brewery stop, Dad & Dave’s Brewery.

We had been invited to check the place out by Dave, the owner, via the Facebook page. This is only a small brewery, but it has a strong family bond. Unfortunately Dave wasn’t in, but we let him know on FB we were there and he was happy to see we had made the effort.

We chatted with the barman, who turned out to be a friend just filling in while Dave was away, non the less he was very good and kept us well looked after. By 6pm I was starving and my stomach was envious of all the great burgers coming into the brewery, so I ordered up a couple for us from the food truck Chefs Kitchen. Oh my goodness they were good.

Paul finished up his beer and then gave me the keys and we were ready to head home. I joined the traffic, following the GPS instructions to ensure we found our way back. We were taken a completely different way to the way we had ventured out in the morning, but I guess when you don’t know where you are it doesn’t matter what roads you take.

The last half hour of the drive was in the dark, but it was easy highway driving and as I said we made it home for 8pm, completely whacked and ready for bed. Paul didn’t last long before retreating with his book and after I completed this, I was there with him, knowing we have just as big a day ahead of us tomorrow. 

This map shows the direct route via the the toll roads, ours was a far more 'interesting' drive