OMG, is there anywhere like Balmoral Beach on a sunny, bright blue Sydney day?
So off we went, I was fully accessorised with twins, picnic, cossies, towels, sunscreen, flippers, hats drinks etc
We met up with some boy/girl twin pals, their mum and and extra added bonus, their grandparents who are over on a visit from the UK.
It was just spectacular, the sand, the gorgeous old Bathers Pavilion, the green-blue water, Manly ferry sweeping past out to see, darting sail boats. How lucky are we to live here, how grateful are we?
Our usual haunt at Balmoral is the south end, where the sailing clubs are, near the playground and the cafes and kiosks. But this trip was to the north end,and it’s paradise for littlies.
There are rockpools with fish, crabs and wiggling periwinkles, big rocks to jump from. The beach feels wilder, more remote at this end, plus there is shade under trees.
But the great revelation was that four year olds love snorkelling. Who knew? Actually my friend did, she’d brought all the snorkels and masks; two for kids and two for adults.
The little girls went first, zipping over to check out the weeds and rocks and then shrieking with a mixture of joy and horror; ‘Fish! Fish.” And there are loads of fish there, great big ones as well.
The boys were not quite so bold, but they flippered and floppered around, looking down, ducking under. A first for my kids, but not a last.
But the best bit…
The four kids went scampering off to play and we two mums went for a snorkel ourselves, leaving granny and grandpa on twin patrol. Oh, it was bliss to bob in the waves, to wait and watch little schools of stripy, darting fish, to get a fright at the odd huge one. It was a wee bit of an aquatic adventure within a big huge city, a 30 minute drive from home. Wow!
So even as summer fades, we can still enjoy the surprises of this gorgeous city. On a blue sky, shiny Sydney day, I am so grateful that we live here; clean, safe, free and wearing flippers.
I’m linking this post to Maxabella’s weekend grateful blog hop, my first hop there, hope it works!
Read full descriptions of all the beaches at Balmoral here.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
What a beautiful day out! I have never thought to try snorkelling with my kids at Balmoral! Sounds like a great idea. Thanks for Rewinding x
I love Balmoral too. In the summer, we do the double – a trip to the zoo & fish chips for tea before heading home. But I go to Nielsen Park more often, so I’ll wave across the harbour next time I’m there!