Friday 25 January Watsons Bay and Manly

South head lighthouse

After a week of boat jobs we awarded ourselves a day off the boat. The forecast was for hot and sunny to where else to go but to the coast to escape the heat of the city. When I lived in Sydney we used to go to Watsons Bay at South Head and visit the Watson Bay hotel for a cold beer and a fishy bite to eat at Doyle's so I thought it would be a good place to go. At Circular Quay we hopped on the fast ferry and 15 minutes later we were alighting at Watsons Bay, closest point of access to the South Head. There's a path which leads from the beach, past Camp Cove and up to original lighthouse on the headland with views out to sea, back to the City and across to North Head. It was a month ago we sailed in through the Heads and I realised a life long ambition. The last four weeks have gone so fast.

Back at Watsons Bay we had to take the short walk from inner bay to outer cliff and a place known as The Gap. Well known for the views and sheer cliffs popular with jumpers.

It's mandatory to have fish and chips at Doyle's before you can leave and we happily obliged. However, as somewhat expected hype exceeded reality – not the best fish and chips we've ever had.

We've been to South Head so where to now? Manly and North Head seemed fitting. A fast ferry back to Circular Quay and then a slower traditional ferry back out to the north shore. Travelling by ferry feels most civilised. Manly is a big beach resort and it was full today; shoppers, dinners and trendy young things clutching surf boards on their way to the ocean beach to catch a wave or two. A helpful lady in the tourist office suggested a visit to the historic sites on the north head, formerly a military defence base going back to the time of the first colony.

Britannia State coach

Jim Frecklington, maker

inlays from famous ships

Edinburgh glass lamps

The afternoon was getting hotter and our simplified tourist map wasn't as clear as it could have been (or we were ignorant). We'd found the lookout and seen the south head where we'd been earlier in the day and walked along the Memorial Path, a tribute to every Australian soldier who's fallen in battle in the last 200 years. When we came back to a cluster of seemingly disused buildings we found some shade to stop and look at the map. While I was doing this David noticed something of interest inside the shed – an ornate horse drawn carriage. Being naturally curious we had to go and investigate...

Drawing nearer we realised this wasn't just any coach with so much gold leaf, top carving and coat of arms on the door this was for someone of importance but why here in this disused barn in a former military base? Two men were working on it fixing lights inside. We asked the question and it's a new state coach for the Queen. To be called the Britannia State Coach it has a bit from each of her UK castles, small pieces of each of ships of the realm like wood from Nelson's Victory has been carved to make the top crest, inlaid marquetry of wood taken from Mary Rose, Discovery. The man we were talking to is the maker, Jim Frecklington, used to be the coach master for the Royal household before returning to his native Manly to build coaches.

A Google search when we got home revealed some controversy over this coach. Jim Frecklington took the initiative to make a coach to be presented to the Queen on her 80^th birthday. It wasn't finished in time but he did receive a grant of £180,000 from the then Australian government. The next anniversary opportunity was to present it on her Diamond Jubilee year and that has now passed. Jim has asked for AUD$5m / £3.7m payment from the Oz government for them to give it to Queenie on behalf of the Australian people. They've said no. I don't know if he's received private money but when we saw him today he said they were doing the final work ready for it to be flown to London.

As you can see from the photos we stumbled on a rare opportunity to see something which might pass into the historical pageantry of our country and even rarer I was allowed to take photos of the exterior and interior on the promise on not touching anything for fear of leaving oily finger prints on the highly polished surfaces.