Yaaaayyy! Our eldest child finally turned 15 so we can take the family out together kayaking at…read moreMiddle Harbour ... children under 15 need to be accompanied by an adult, so the maths simply never worked out for this to be a family event until now. What a great spot. Pick up your craft at the southern end of the bridge - complete with all the safety gear - and head out for some fun and exercise up the harbour. Some sleek and sporty kayaks are on display at the site - one of which is now in our garage! - but for rentals the options are a little less ambitious: plastic or composite. Fine for family fun though, and probably a lot safer for the kids than the less stable alternatives. We're happy to rent on our own, but you can also join classes or group paddling tours, learning the basics or up-grading your skills to get out on a touring or sea kayak. In fact some of the tours almost work our cheaper than straightforward rentals, but you're dependent on moving at other people's pace.

I feel like paddle boarding has been trendy for a while now, and it took me until now to try it for…read morethe first time. Since I spent the afternoon last week on the Spit to Manly walk, I wanted to have my first time paddle boarding on the calm waters of the area by Clontarf beach. So I chose to rent my paddleboard from Sydney Harbour Kayaks. Another plus of renting from here is that they are the least expensive when compared to other rental outlets around the city. It's $20 for a one-hour rental and $30 for two hours. I decided to take advantage of the sunny weather as much as possible by choosing two hours. I was given a very short introduction by the kind staff about how to paddle and then I was on my way. The wind was actually really strong that day, making paddling a more arduous task than usual. Blowing against the direction I wanted to go, the wind constantly pushed me towards the shore and pushing me off the board twice. Finally I made my way to the beach and chilled there for a while. Right before they closed, I struggled to paddle myself back to shore. Though my struggles at sea weren't their fault, I kind of hoped that I would have been briefed more thoroughly on how to maneuver the board in strong winds. I'll definitely be hiring a kayak next time.

Who knew that there was a dam in Manly, let alone one in which you can swim with ducks and swans!…read moreThis gorgeous spot has pretty much everything you want in a bushwalking spot - walking tracks, picnic areas, wood fired BBQ pits, play equipment, swimming, a waterfall... there's even what looks like a water ski jump ramp in the middle of the lake! Stay late enough and you might get some furry visitors, particularly if you have food out. We had to chase away a greedy possum, but were also lucky enough to see a heavily pregnant bilby! If you ever visit do go for a swim. The water's gorgeous and you might even find an orange frisbee at the bottom of the lake, lost during what seemed like a genius idea of playing water frisbee. Who knew that frisbees didn't float! Let me know if you find it, yeah?

Build a viewing tower!…read more Hello .... did you hear me? BUILD A VIEWING TOWER This lovely bushland walk in the hills above Manly has so much potential. It's a circuit walk of just under 7.5km, accessible from various points but most commonly reached from the park near the dam wall off King Street. You can complete the circuit in either direction, following red arrows that keep you on track. Be warned that these are a little intermittent and there are cross paths that share access with various mountain bike routes of the Manly Warringah War Memorial Park, but if you keep the dam consistently on one side of you, you can't go far wrong. It's certainly a blessing to be able to feel this far from civilisation so close to the city. The track is unsealed and you do not come across buildings, roads or cars for its entire length. It is just such a shame that there is no point at which you are high enough or sufficiently clear of the tree-tops to see the view across the dam and down to the coast, which I am sure would be magnificent. An aesthetically thought-through viewing tower would add a great deal to an already pleasant outing. At the park near the dam there are picnic facilities, toilet blocks and barbecue pits that can be booked through the council. It is possible to swim in the dam, and it is used by kayakers, stand-up paddle boarders and so on. I would hate to be unlucky enough to land there on a day that the ski jump was in use though - the power boat noise would be ruinous.