Since I’ve been to Sydney twice before I’ve seen many of the typical tourist spots, I was so pleased when my lunch dates chose a spot off the beaten path, and at a place I hadn’t been before. David Peattie and Roz Fisher were colleagues from Hasbro, having worked in the company’s Australia business for many years. We set off by noon, headed for the North Head area of Sydney National Park.
The Sydney Heads form the two-kilometer-wide entrance to Sydney Harbor. North Head and Quarantine Head are to the north; South Head and Dunbar Head are to the south; and Middle Head, Georges Head, and Chowder Head are to the west and within the harbor. The heath-covered clifftops at North Head reveal unending ocean views and a spectacular panorama of the harbor and Sydney skyline. It is situated on the northern-most edge of the harbor within sight of Hornby Lighthouse on South Head. The nearby Inner North Head clifftops have many inscriptions from the quarantine period as well as the remnants of 1940s coastal defenses in the form of two gun sites, a range-sighting post, four ammunition storage bunkers and a fortified outhouse.
After dining at a lovely cafe with amazing views of the Harbor and Sydney, I opted for the ferry back to the CBD from Manly Wharf, saving David and Roz a long and trafficky trip into town, and giving me the chance to see Sydney from the water.
I so enjoyed catching up and re-connecting with David and Roz. After sharing decades at Hasbro we had so many memories and experiences and perspectives and people to chat about — conversations that can really only happen between those who had that time together. We’d forgotten some of the things we remembered, and had some really good laughs. A great way to (almost) end my time in Australia.
