Tristan and I took a quick hike to the cliffs that overlook Shelly Beach at Cabbage Tree Bay.

We started at the Marine Parade, and hit the walkway from Manly to Shelly Beach, along with walkers and runners on all sides. The Marine Parade itself is a small hike along a gorgeous breezy walkway that hugs the clear teal waters of the Tasman Sea. It overlooks tiers of shallow rock pools filled with water and all kinds of little sea creatures at high tide. The path has nonstop activity with runners, joggers, walkers and bike riders of all ages.

I’ve seen Scuba divers each time I’ve been there, and with all the organized local night dives, I’ve heard they’re there pretty much around the clock. Group dives, buddy dives and I think I even saw a solo diver – pretty gutsy considering that week there was a great white sighting nearby!

At the end of the walkway there’s a small cove and an off-beach social spot with a few high-end, industrial looking public grills. Aussies take their BBQ very seriously – and I’m jealous! I need to come back during the summer to fully take it all in.

Near the grills, there’s a path that leads to the sky-high walkways around the cliffs. It’s surrounded by eucalypt trees and like most of Sydney proper, smells like a fresh and revitalizing spa – like an outdoor Kabuki Springs (San Francisco) – but with real, live eucalyptus aromatherapy. Among the trees are random stairways that are carved from stone and seem to go in every direction. All this natural subtropical beauty is a just stone’s throw from the city! A tropical jungle with towering bluffs that drop sharply over glittering sea in one direction, and shimmering high rises beyond the cliffs in the other.