Friday 23 February

Up very early for some reason, before 7, and we have a swim in the rooftop pool, which we have to ourselves. Sunny today. Another massive cruise ship is moored up obscuring the view of the opera house! Swift hotel breakfast then to Cabrito for flat white, excellent. A tour of the early 20th C Westfield area, now a smart shopping area, and then we catch the ferry to Watson's Bay. We sit on the right side to get the best views of the opera house. We walk through old colonial style buildings to reach Camp Beach, and have a dip.....very hot now. At 1 pm we have our table booked at Doyle's Fish Restaurant, right on the harbour front with distant views of the skyscrapers of Sydney and the bridge. We share some Bass Starit scallops, then I have some delicious large barbecued prawns, better then lobster. They have been spatchcocked and griddled ( tip for you to try Ellie.....the spatchcoked way of cooking them I mean). C has barramundi fish and chips. Some unoaked Hunter Valley Chardonnay to wash it all down. Great recommendation Ellie!

As a result of our fabulous lunch we doze on the beach nearby, and mean to keep an eye out for our approaching ferry. However we both nod off and  have to make an undignified last minute scramble to get on board. Once back at base we walk across the Harbour views with spectacular views of the city and the Parramatta a long way below. Then to the opera bar where we feel conspicuously ancient , and ( in my case) very untrendily dressed. Huge bats , the size of crows, like the flying foxes in Adelaide, fly over form the botanical gardens spookily towards the half moon above the harbour bridge. Wood fired pizza for supper.