A Day to Get Away

When I stepped off the bus in Palm Beach on Sunday, I was hit with a noontime breeze and the immediate thought "It's so nice to get out of Sydney!"

This thought amused me for a couple of reasons. The first one was that we had not technically left Sydney, just traveled to the Northern Beaches. The second was that I love Sydney so far and hadn't even been in it for three weeks, so how could I need a day away?

Still, our Sunday away felt like an adventure. Six of us had come to Palm Beach - an almost two-hour trip on a bus - to seek out a park Sarah heard about where wallabies roamed free. I had been the one in charge of figuring out how to get there, so I was feeling pretty proud as we stepped off the bus.

I won't describe the adventure we had meeting Chip the Wallaby, except to say that it was magical and there are probably at least a couple of blogs dedicated to our new friend this week. Instead, I'll describe Palm Beach itself.

Meeting Chip for the first time.

Palm Beach may still technically be Sydney, but it feels a world away. It's quiet, small and peaceful. It teems with natural life. Looking out the window of the bus we rode to get there, I watched the high-rises of the CBD turn into streets that looked like they lined a small city anywhere in the world. Those streets didn't look all that different from the streets in my hometown, except for the word "beach" everywhere.

Palm Beach had about four businesses, one of which mostly sold ferry tickets, and everyone there was clearly doing nothing but enjoying a weekend in the sun. The park where we made our wallaby friend was filled not just with wildlife but with families having fun. How quiet it was made me realize how LOUD I have gotten used to Sydney being.

We ended our day in Palm Beach by taking the hike up to the Barrenjoey Lighthouse. The view from the top was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes. It didn't look like Sydney anymore. Just wild, sacred land and ocean as far as the eye could see.

While we rode a crowded bus back to urban, loud Ultimo (a place I am also coming to love with all my heart), I thought about how happy I was that I had taken a Sunday away. Planning a day trip made me feel capable and comfortable in my new home. Life here is settling into a routine, and I like that routine a lot.

But boy, it was nice to have a day away.

Everyone feeling happy to have conquered the lighthouse walk.

Palm Beach was the first of many travel adventures to come. Follow me on Instagram @soapydenise to keep up with my treks Down Under!