16 Nov 2010: After Watsons Bay

16 Nov 2010 (Tue):

With my camera that had its LCD screen damaged from a major fall, I took the following photos on my ride to Circular Quay. Thank goodness that Kodak cameras come with view-finders. That enabled me to have a fair gauge of what I was capturing using my camera. The photographs turned out alright, don't they?

There was still no ferry at that time of the day to Rose Bay. I was thinking I could get myself a new camera and if time permits, take a ferry to Rose Bay, unless my heart had decided to do otherwise. Afterall, 16 Nov was a day to be spontaneous.

My dear friend, RL, went the extra mile and offered to meet me in the city to pass me her camera. I was touched by her kind gesture.

Before meeting my friend, I did a sketch of the Sydney Opera House and started on a sketch of the Museum of Contemporary Art. RL met up with me when I was sketching part of the Museum of Contemporary Art. We had a hearty conversation and I appreciated our shared time together.

People and moments that I am grateful for:
1) Many thanks to my friend, RL, for the extra mile that she took to travel to the city to lend me a camera!
2) I took photos with a camera that was damaged, and the photos turned out alright.
3) A few encouraging folks came by to lend me some compliments when they saw me sketching the Sydney Opera House. 


New things that I did:
I did my first sketch of the Sydney Opera House.

My learning points:
Make time to share time with friends and family, this is a blessing.

16 Nov 2010: Once again, the beautiful Watsons Bay

16 Nov 2010 (Tue):

From Circular Quay to Watsons Bay: that was my first ferry ride during my vacation in Sydney for the year 2010. The breeze onboard the ferry was refreshing. I was enjoying every bit of the ride.

While I was on the ferry, my camera and its pouch fell more than twice. Thank goodness the pouch offered good protection to the camera.

Soon enough, the ferry reached Watsons Bay wharf. The sunlight during spring had a very welcoming quality. I was greeted by the seagulls and the tranquil waters. I walked leisurely along the beach admiring the sceneries. As I walked near a rocky part of the beach, I heard a loud sound. My camera had fell from the pouch! I picked up the camera and found that the LCD (liquid crystal display) screen had broke. I could possibly still take photographs with the camera but I could not see the images of the photographs that I had taken. I was disoriented for a split second. Interestingly and thank goodness, unlike some of the times in the past when unexpected events of loss happened, I did not feel upset or angry. I was simply shakened for a brief while. I wonder if this meant that I have advanced in my level of emotional management?

I decided that whatever happened, I shall be a happy tourist enjoying my vacation. I did a few sketches at Watsons Bay. Sketching was therapeutic in that somehow, it shifted my attention to admiring the beauty that Watsons Bay has to offer.

I did have a question on my mind. With the damaged camera, what would be the best thing to do? The  options I had in mind were as follow:
1) Sketch for the rest of the trip!
2) Buy a new camera.
3) Continue to use the damaged camera. While the LCD screen had broke, with the help of the view-finder, I could still take photographs with it. It was just that I can't see how the photographs turn out on the camera.

I had wanted to travel to Rose Bay. Yet with the damaged camera, I decided it would be a wiser choice to return to Circular Quay and find out where I could find a new camera. I sent my friend, RL, a text message when I reached Circular Quay. The unexpectedly good news came. My dear friend generously offered to lend me her camera. I was told that in Sydney, cameras are more expensive and there are limited choices. So I gave up on my plan to buy a new camera in Sydney. The next step was to learn to accept the gracious help from a friend. I thank RL for trusting me with her precious camera.

Here is a post of gratitude to remind myself to give thanks to the good things that come along even when some things may go wrong, and to celebrate the beauty of Watsons Bay.

***

People and moments that I am grateful for:
1) My friend, RL, graciously and generously gave me a loan of her camera when mine broke.
2) I am thankful for the beautiful sceneries that Watsons Bay has to offer.
3) My camera broke, yet it was still able to take photographs with the help of the view-finder.
Personally, I like Kodak cameras for its durability.

4) I am thankful that I have advanced in my management of emotions such that I remained in a balanced emotional state even when my camera broke unexpectedly.
5) I am thankful for the good weather.
6) Despite a broken camera, I am safe and alive!

New things that I did:
1) I travelled to Watsons Bay on a ferry for the first time in my life!
2) I did my first sketch of Watsons Bay on 16 Nov 2010.

My learning points:
1) Things may go wrong, we can still choose to take things at our stride and resolve the matter in positive ways.
2) The universe has a loving way to help us. There are times when the task at hand is to learn to be willing to accept help when it comes. This takes humility many of the times.
3) Pay attention. Sometimes, there are clues that give us early warning? I could be more careful with my camera when it kept falling down while I was on the ferry ride to Watsons Bay.

***
Sydney Ferries
http://www.sydneyferries.info

Watsons Bay
http://www.sydney.com.au/watsons-bay.htm

16 Nov 2010: The spontaneous tourist

16 Nov 2010 (Tue):

The day was set to be a day when I would be a spontaneous tourist and be where my heart would ask me to. The challenge that was set was to hear clearly what my heart wanted to go. That took practice.

I set off for Central station and purchased a MyMulti Day Pass for myself. The Day Pass allowed me unlimited rides on government buses, ferries and trains for the day. Then I set off for Circular Quay station, the train station that was nearest to Sydney Opera House. My intention was to collect tickets at the Sydney Opera House. On hindsight, after knowing a bit more about the transport system in Sydney and knowing that I would be spending eight days in Sydney, I could have purchased a weekly ticket instead. Whatever it was, I was happy that I had a great time in Sydney, irregardless of the type of ticket that I chose to use.

When I got there, I saw many people at the Sydney Opera House. I might have brushed shoulders with musicians from the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra without realising. The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra was to perform their first concert at the Sydney Opera House that very night. Being inquisitive, I subsequently realised that there was a rehearsal of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Invited guests could attend the rehearsal.

While I had other plans for the day, I decided to ask what it would take to attend the rehearsal. Afterall, it was the rehearsal of Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the best orchestras in the world! I politely asked one of the staff at the entrance of the walk-way to the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. She told me that the tickets to the rehearsal could not be purchased in any way. Admission to the rehearsal is by invitation. The invited guests were people who were in some ways associated with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. I wished that I could sit in the rehearsal if I were to tell her "I am associated with Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra because 'I like' it on my Facebook account!".

Anyway, I spent a much longer time at the Sydney Opera House and its vicinity than I had initially planned. My heart seemed to wish to sketch, and I spent about 30 minutes doing a sketch of the Harbour Bridge. Before doing the sketch, a gentleman from South America, I think, initiated a conversation about tertiary education in Singapore with me. I shared with him what little I knew, and was waiting for my chance to start my sketch after the conversation. Anyway, the weather was so wonderful for sketching that I did a sketch that was pretty decent considering that I took only about 30 minutes.

While I was sketching, I took time to enjoy the beauty of the Sydney harbour and the seagulls. Perhaps it was because I do not get to see seagulls as often in Singapore, the sights of them delighted me. The seagulls also brought back fond memories of my visit to Scotland many years ago.

I walked about the vicinity of the Sydney Opera House for a while before I decided I would travel to Rose Bay and Watsons Bay. However, there was no ferry to Rose Bay after 11.00 a.m. that day, and I decided to take a ferry to Watsons Bay. I was thinking of visiting Rose Bay later that evening when ferry services to Rose Bay resumes.

Before I board the ferry to Watsons Bay, I got myself a slice of pizza for my lunch. Off I went.

***
People and moments that I am grateful for:
1) The weather was good.
2) I had the inspiration to do a sketch of Harbour Bridge. The last time when I visited Scotland, I brought my sketchbook along but none of the pages were filled when I was back from the trip. I think it was good luck and a blessing that I felt inspired to sketch in Sydney.
3) I saw beautiful seagulls.
4) A nice lady volunteered to help me take a few photo with Sydney Opera House as the background.

New things that I did:
1) I learnt to read the schedules for the ferries. It became an important part of my travel as it ensured that I could catch the ferry in time.
2) I travelled to Watsons Bay by ferry for the first time in my life.

***

Delightful breakfast, everyday!

During my vacation in Sydney (13 - 21 Dec 2010), I look forward to breakfast, each and every day. Breakfast at the Novotel Rockford Darling Harbour Ceezens Restaurant was consistently delightful. I love their spread of organic jams, breads and fruit juices. 

Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day. At the very least, I believe it is important for one to have breakfast everyday. I make it a point to ensure that I have breakfast everyday, even if it was just a very simple serving of bread. Here is a link discussing the benefits of having breakfast.

When I was staying at Novotel Rockford Darling Harbour, breakfast was so delicious, healthy and delightful, except for the 15 Nov 2010 when I had to leave the hotel at 3 a.m., I had breakfast for at least an hour every day. I wanted to savour and enjoy the time for breakfast. I figured that the staff of the Ceezens Restaurant could have easily tell that I love the breakfast. They could recognise me by the fourth day of my stay in the hotel.

One interesting item on the breakfast menu was the pancake. The Ceezens Restaurant, where breakfast is being served, has an automatic pancake-making machine that makes pancakes. I think my dear friend, Mystic, will love it and have pancakes everyday if she knows of the pancakes. At a push of a button and a short wait of two minutes, the pancake-making machine makes two pieces of pancakes. The best part is that the Ceezens Restaurant provides delightful fresh cream, organic strawberry jam, rich chocolate fudge, golden honey and organic fruit jam that complements the pancakes.

Another thing that I like about the breakfast is its spread of fresh organic breads and organic jams. I miss the Vegemite too. With Vegemite, I know I can have my healthy dose of Vitamin B everyday.

My favourite beverage for breakfast at Ceezens Restaurant was the soy milk. The fresh milk there were fresher than those we have in Singapore. I prefer soy milk because I was told that people of my blood-type will do better with a diet that has minimal dairy product. The organic fruit juices were wonderful too. I helped myself to servings of organic watermelon juices on some of the days.

The muesli were also another favourite item of mine. I like the cruncy texture of the almonds. On the side, to ensure I have my daily intake of proteins, I had eggs and baked beans every day.

My initial choice of hotel for my recent vacation in Sydney was not Novotel Rockford Darling Harbour. Being prudent budget wise, I had opted for a three-star hotel along Pitt Street. However, I must have visited Sydney during a busy period of the year. All the three-star hotel available through my tour agent were fully booked. Novotel Rockford Darling Harbour was the available choice that my tour agent recommended me. It is a four-star hotel. I think Novotel Rockford Darling Harbour distinguishes itself with its wonderful breakfast. For its wonderful spread of healthy breakfast, I am most willing to consider it as my choice hotel should I visit Sydney again, provided my financial means allow me to afford so.

Ceezens Restaurant on the top left. Courtesy of my friend, RL.

I have good memories of the breakfasts in Sydney. Thanks to Novotel Rockford Darling Harbour hotel's Ceezens Restaurant.

***
Novotel Rockford Darling Harbour
17 Little Pier Street
2000 Darling Harbour
Australia
Tel: (+61) 2/ 82174000
Fax: (+61) 2/82174400
E-mail sydney@rockfordhotels.com.au

15 Nov 2010: Nelsons Bay and the whale-watching cruise

15 Nov 2010 (Mon):

It was about 8.50 a.m. when I reached Nelsons Bay, Port Stephens. I was feeling excited at the thoughts of being on a whale and dophin watching cruise later the day at 10.30 a.m. While waiting for the cruise to start, I took strolls about the d'Alboro Marinas and enjoyed the scenic landscapes. Inspired by what I saw, I did my very first sketch in Sydney. I had brought along a brand new sketch-book in the hope of making time to practise my sketching skills and to enjoy the pleasures of sketching. Sketching has a therapeutic effect and it requires the person doing the sketch to capture the essence of what is being sketched by first being observant and creative.

At 10.15 a.m., I headed to Dock "C" and boarded the Imagine Cruises for my very first whale & dolphin watching cruise in my entire lifetime. I have found Imagine Cruises while researching on whale watching cruise over the internet. I had wanted to check out another service provider but found out that its last whale watching cruise for the year was on 13 Nov 2010. I like the intimate and cosy set-up of the cruise. It was a comfortable size to watch whales and dolphins. Before the cruise departed, the captain gave everyone onboard a series of safety instructions to bear in mind. After that, we head off in search for whales and dolphins.

The captain and the crew onboard were very nice people. They gave out motion-sickness pills to anyone who would want one. I didn't think I would need one so I did not ask for one. That proved to be a mistake, thankfully a minor one.

I was simply excited to be out in the open sea. The winds got being chilling and I was glad that I had brought along a good windbreaker to keep me warm. The only thing was that I wore it only much later on the journey. That meant I had endured quite a bit of shivers before my windbreaker had came to good use. I was the only Asian onboard the cruise. I was quite lucky that there was a comfortable number of passengers onboard the cruise so everyone had enough space to catch a very good view of whales and dolphins if they should appear.

It was possibly about one hour out in the open sea when someone onboard the cruise sighted humpback whales. I did not manage to capture much of our sightings on my camera. If it helps, here are two videos courtesy of Imagine Cruises to share with you. May these entice you with the joy of whale watching.





Humpback Whales Spy-hopping! from Imagine Cruises on Vimeo.


Here is one simple photo that I took of a whale which was breaching (leaping out of the water). See if you can spot the whale.

I was awed by the wonders of Nature. The whales are huge! I was thankful that I saw whales on the cruise. I was also thankful that I had only started experiencing motion sickness after we had lost sights of the whales. For a good 20 minutes of the journey, I was merely resting and sitting down to cope with the effects of the motion sickness. I have learnt that if it was a journey that takes more than one-and-a-half-hours, I am likely to need the motion-sickness pills.

Anyway, the cruise head to search for dolphins. However, we did not manage to see any dolphin on the cruise. We headed back for Nelsons Bay. I was feeling a bit disappointed not to see any dolphin. Thankfully, I would be back at Port Stephens on 17 Nov 2010 for a dolphin watching cruise. When the cruise arrived at Nelsons Bay, Port Stephens, the weather was pretty gloomy. I was grateful for a generally good weather throughout the cruise.

To treat myself to something warm after my first whale watching cruise, I ordered Fish and Chips from Sandbars cafe. The chips were delicous. They were peppered with some spices and was crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. The fish was served nicely warm, and the batter made it crispy on the outside.

After lunch, I took some moments to browse at one of the shops. The shop sold mood rings. However, the size of the mood rings were too small for me so I did not get any.

At about 2 p.m., when I was about to leave Nelsons Bay, the rain started pouring. I hastened my pace to get to the bus-stop and began my five-hours journey back to Sydney via Newcastle. The photo below was taken from the bus-stop while I was waiting for bus service 130, of the Port Stephens Coaches.

I slept quite a lot on the Port Stephens Coaches bus to Newcastle, so by the time when I was on the train to Sydney's Central station, I had enough energy to enjoy much of the sceneries onboard.

People and moments that I am grateful for:
1) I reached Sydney from Port Stephens safe and sound!
2) I saw whales out in the wild!
3) The weather was very kind to me. It was good weather throughout the entire cruise.
4) I did two sketches while I was at Port Stephens.
5) My friend, RL, was looking out for me. She was kind and thoughtful to send me a message in the evening to check if I had reached Sydney safely.


New things that I did:
1) I travelled a more than ten-hour long journey on my own from Sydney's Central station to Port Stephens, and back to Sydney's Central station. The three hours whale watching cruise was worth the long travelling hours.
2) I had my very first whale watching experience.


My learning points:
1) There are some things in life which are simply worth making one time for. Make time for these things even if the travelling time may seem long. The experiences will be rewarding.
2) Make back-up plans. It helps to plan in extra visits so as to increase one's chances to be present for what one wishes to see. I felt very thankful that I had planned for a separate dolphin watching cruise as a back-up plan.
3) Be grateful for what Nature has to offer. I was lucky that the whales decided to show themselves to the people onboard the cruise.
4) Learn to make allowance that sometimes things do not fall within our control, and celebrate whatever shows up. I did not get to see dolphins. The good news is that I was delighted seeing whales out in the wild.


***
Imagine Cruises
http://www.imaginecruises.com.au

15 Nov 2010: From Sydney to Port Stephens

15 Nov 2010 (Mon):

This day was special. I embarked on a journey that I have never taken before, on my very own, from Sydney city to Port Stephens. My purpose was to be out in the open sea and to see whales and dolphins.

"Port Stephens is a large natural harbour located about 160 kilometres northeast of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. "(Source: wikipedia) It is a popular tourism destination. Many people visit Port Stephens for the aquatic activities such as whale and dolphin watching, fishing and recreational boating.

I think I was very excited to be at Port Stephens. I woke up at 12.40 a.m.!

Actually, I had already signed up for a dolphin-watching cruise at Port Stephens with the tour agency and that was scheduled to take place on 17 Nov 2010. The tour will get me to Port Stephens with way less hassle. However, my gut feel tells me that I am unlikely to see whales on that cruise. One of the reasons to visit Port Stephens at that time of the year was because the humpback whales are known to be sighted at Hervey Bay to play there from the months of August to November, before they return to Antartica. There are whale watching cruises setting off from Nelsons Bay, Port Stephens, that would get me closer to getting a glimpse of the whales in the wild.

I appreciate the truth that dolphins and whales are free on their own in the wild. We can only ask for good luck to be able to sight a few of them in the wild. There was no way we can control whether we would indeed see dolphins and whales even if we were to go for a dolphin and whale watching cruise. Wanting to increase my chances of sighting dolphins and whales, I decided I would book a whale watching cruise on my own since there was no tour agency in Singapore who could arrange one for me. Prior to my arrival at Sydney, I had done some research on ways to get to Port Stephens.

Here are the resources that I have found helpful:
- City Rail (Newcastle and Central Coast line)
- Port Stephens Coaches

After studying the resources that I had found in detail, I figured out a way to travel from Sydney city to Port Stephens on my own, with a car. I had the option of taking the Port Stephens Coaches' Sydney Express service. That did not serve my needs as it meant that I would have to find accomodation to stay overnight at Port Stephens and my tour agent did not have the service to help find accomodation at Port Stephens. I ended up deciding on taking City Rail from Sydney city's Central station to Newcastle station. Afterwhich, I would take a Port Stephens Coaches coach to Nelsons Bay, Port Stephens.

So here I go. At 12.40 a.m. I woke up very early to prepare to set off to Port Stephens. I took my time to shower and had a light bite of food. The hotel, Novotel Rockford Darling Harbour, was very thoughtful. The day before my trip to Port Stephens, I told one of the staff members at the reception that I had wanted to take a very early train to Newcastle and asked for help in the breakfast arrangement. At 3 a.m., just before I was about to set off from the hotel, I received a lovely packed breakfast from the hotel's reception!

As I walked from the hotel to Central station, the streets were rather quiet, with occasional sightings of people roaming about after a party and road-sweepers. I enjoyed the tranquility of the city streets at that wee hours of the day. When I reached Central station, I saw some people sleeping on the floor. All the counters were closed. Thankfully, there were automated machines which I could buy tickets from. I bought a return ticket to Newcastle that was AUS$15.60 per adult.

I was in time to take the very first train that would depart from Central to Newcastle at 3.45 a.m. There were only a handful of passengers on the train when the train set off for Newcastle.

On the train, I happily enjoyed my second helping to breakfast. I had a bun before I had left the hotel. The breakfast helped my body to ease into an awakened mode. Afterall, it was not even 4 a.m. Sydney time, and it was barely 1 a.m. Singapore time when I was enjoying the packed breakfast that the hotel had prepared for me. The sandwich with egg, ham and salad was wonderfully delicious. The packed breakfast also included orange juice, a pear and a mango yogurt. Admittedly, my body needed to catch naps on the train ride to Newcastle. If I was not eating and not watching the sceneries, I was probably resting with my eyes closed.

Although I was taking naps for a fair part of the journey, during the occasional times that I had opened my eyes to enjoy the sceneries, I was treated with views of the beautiful morning skies. I suppose the early birds do get the best worms.

At 6.52 a.m., I reached Newcastle station safely. Without much time to lose, I headed off to Stand 3 of Newcastle station to wait for the 7.10 a.m. coach from Newcastle to Nelsons Bay, Port Stephens. A one-way ticket to Nelsons Bay cost AUS$4.30. The journey took more than 1.5 hours. It was 8.50 a.m. when I reached Port Stephens.

One single trip from Sydney's city (Central station) to Nelsons Bay, Port Stephens, took more than five hours! The whale and dolphin watching cruise that I had signed up for was three hours in duration. So effectively, my travelling time to and fro Port Stephens was more than three times the duration of the whale and dolphin cruise. It was all worth it. I saw whales in the wild for the first time in my life. More about that in the next post.

***
People and moments that I am grateful for:
1) I reached Port Stephens safe and sound!
2) The driver of the Port Stephens Coaches was very kind and went out of his way to sketch a map of how I can walk from the bus-stop that I would alight at to the d'Alboro Marinas. That was what I needed to feel assured that I will get to the right place with confidence.
3) A nice lady who was a passenger on the Port Stephens Coaches bus that I had taken helped me confirmed the exact bus-stop to alight.
4) My friend, RL, was looking out for me. She was kind and thoughtful to send me a message that morning to check if I had reached Port Stephens safely.

New things that I did:
1) I travelled a five-hour long journey on my own from Sydney's Central station to Port Stephens. I like the experience of travelling to a new place on my own.


***

14 Nov 2010: Dinner in the city

14 Nov 2010 (Sun):

It had been a long yet very fulfilling day out with RL and her fiance. That marked a great start to my visit to Sydney. The day was concluded with dinner at Sydney city.

On our dinner place, I bought some buns from one of the confectionary shops and a piece of banana from one of the Chinese supermarkets along Sussex Street. About the Chinese supermarket, it sells Chinese medicine. I wondered if it was the same Chinese supermarket that one of my friends, XS, had brought me to consult a Chinese sinseh about two years ago?

Dinner was at the Supermeal Chinese Restaurant at 39 Goulburn Street. I was told that it serves one of the most delicious wanton in Sydney city. I was pretty full by the time that the wanton soup was served because I tried to finish the salad that I have bought earlier the day during dinner.

Whatever it is, many thanks to RL and her fiance for their lovely company and their delicious dinner treat.

***
People and moments that I am grateful for:
1) A marvellous day out with great friends in RL and her fiance. It was an inspiring day out.
2) Two wonderful friends and hosts in RL and her fiance.
3) I have my healthy servings of vegetables at the Supermeal Chinese Restaurant.
4) Good weather. It was so good that I was happily contented with the good luck. My friend, RL, remarked that I could have brought sunshine to Sydney with my arrival. That was a compliment.

New things that I did:
1) I ate wanton for the first time in ages, in a foreign land furthermore.
2) I visited a confectionery in a foreign land and got myself delicious buns.

***
Supermeal Chinese Restaurant
39 Goulburn Street
Sydney, NSW 2000
Tel:  +61 (02) 92111568

14 Nov 2010: Beautiful Watsons Bay

14 Nov 2010 (Sun):

My dearest friend, RL, was very thoughtful to pick up that I would like a visit to Watsons Bay and she planned for a trip there. I had visited parts of Watsons Bay about two years ago and I enjoyed its scenic landscapes. In the company of good friends, where I was did not matter as much. I was very delighted and grateful to enjoy both the company of good friends and the beautiful landscapes of Watsons Bay on 14 Nov 2010. Watsons Bay has this interesting charm. It is both awesome and tranquil.

We took a stroll from the lovely yellow-colour building, Dunbar House, to the Sydney Harbour Nature Park, Gap Bluff. I was proud of myself to be able to manage the climb and the walk up to the higher end of The Gap Bluff. I was treated to an awesome view. Imagine being on the top of the cliff admiring the crashing wavers, the views of the ocean and the distant landscapes. I was inspired by the works of Nature.

Under such fine weather and the company of good friends, I think I could spend hours at Watsons Bay. It was simply beautiful, without being overwhelming.

While at Watsons Bay, I thought of one of my friends, XS, who was the first person to visit Watsons Bay with me two years ago. May she be blessed with beauty and happiness wherever she is.

Similarly, I wish my dear friend, RL, happiness and love. Many thanks to RL and her fiance for taking me to Watsons Bay. It is one of my favourite places in Sydney.

***
People and moments that I am grateful for::

• A very thoughtful and intuitive friend in RL who took me to just the very place that I would wish to visit in Sydney for this trip. Thank you very much, RL.
• RL's fiance for making time to drive us to Watsons Bay and for being a wonderful host. He helped me take a number of photographs.
• A visit to Watsons Bay to enjoy the marvels of Nature.
• A lovely weather to be thankful for.

One new thing that I did:

•  I saw Manly at North Head from The Gap. I learnt a bit about the South Head and the North Head (which is at Manly). The Gap sits nicely between the South Head and the North Head. The names of the various natural structures gave me a sense of the poetic capacity of the people in this part of the world.