The 20th anniversary trike tour was a great way to celebrate a special occasion. Our passengers are from Adelaide SA, in Sydney for a holiday and to make special memories. Our trike rider picked them up at their hotel in Circular Quay and took them on a 3 hour tour of the Northern Beaches.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Firstly, they rode over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We always tell our passengers to look up and enjoy the unique view. he more than 6,000,000 rivets are so interesting and the arch is so iconic. It’s nicknamed ‘The Coathanger’ because of its arch-based design. It is the largest steel arch bridge in the world. This bridge is the eighth longest spanning-arch bridge in the world and the tallest steel arch bridge, measuring 134 m (440 ft) from top to water level. It was also the world’s widest long-span bridge, at 48.8 m (160 ft) wide, until a bridge in Canada was completed in 2012.

Kirribilli

Next, they rode past Kirribilli House. Kirribilli House is the secondary official residence of the Prime Minister of Australia. After that, they rode around the corner to Jeffrey Street Wharf. From here, the views across Sydney Harbour towards the Sydney Opera House and the CBD are magnificent. In addition, it also has an up-close view of the side and underneath of the bridge. A perfect place to stop for photos. What a great view of the Sydney Opera House!

The Kirribilli Loop

They rode under the north side of the bridge and continued on their tour. The underside of the northern end of the SHB – Sydney Harbour Bridge – is very interesting. The Kirribilli Loop was finished by riding past Luna Park and the North Sydney Olympic Pool.

Mosman Wharf

Down to Mosman Wharf, with beautiful Sydney Harbour views. The first regular ferry service was arranged by property developer Richard Harnett in the early 1870s. A tram service to the wharf commenced in March 1897.

Balmoral Beach

Riding on, they rode past the lovely posh Balmoral Beach. Everyone who comes here loves it! Balmoral Beach is not so well known by visitors and tourists, but the stunning natural beauty of the beach and surrounds make it well worth a visit.

The Spit

Then, it was through Spit, which is a suburb in its own right. It protrudes off Beauty Point and is home to the Spit Bridge, a bascule bridge opened in 1958 over Middle Harbour. The bridge opens at set times to allow yachts with high masts to pass. Crossing the Spit Bridge is fun, it has great views of Middle Harbour.

Manly

Next, they rode past the main beach of Manly. Manly has several claims to fame; it was the birthplace of surfing in Australia, the first place to legalise all-day bathing in 1903 and one of the world’s first Surf Life Saving clubs. Manly Beach was the location for the first World Surfing Championships held in 1964.

Freshwater

Freshwater has a very interesting history. This is a very small part of the history:

In December 1914, Duke Kahanamoku, the world sprint swimming champion, was touring Australia. He selected timber from a Sydney firm to fashion a board modelled on those used in his native Hawaii. He gave a demonstration to the press of surf board riding at Freshwater Beach. It was the second recorded time that anyone had surfed the clean waves beyond the break in Australian waters using this Hawaiian-style surfing technique. The first known surf board rider was Manly local Tommy Walker who rode a board at the 1912 Freshwater surf carnival. (wikipedia)

Curl Curl

This is one of our favourite beaches in Sydney! The name Curl Curl may have been derived from a Dharuk Aboriginal phrase curial curial, meaning river of life. It’s such a lovely beach to ride past as it’s easily seen from the road. It was first settled by Europeans in 1858.

Dee Why

Further north, this is a very popular beach, it has been done up over the last decade. A park for concerts, a playground and restaurants across the road make it very popular with locals. It also has lovely clean sand and good waves. Already, the 20th anniversary trike tour has shown our passengers some beautiful beaches.

Collaroy

Following those beaches, they rode through Collaroy. The name Collaroy is aboriginal for “big reeds”. In 1881, the steamer “Collaroy” ran aground on Long Reef at the southern point of the suburb. Crowds came from all around the district to see the wreck that subsequently gave its name to the suburb.

Narrabeen

They rode further north to Narrabeen Beach. It is one of Australia’s iconic surfing and swimming beaches. Over 3 km of sand stretches from Long Reef in the south to the Narrabeen Lagoon entrance in the north, with 4 surf lifesaving clubs along the beach. Our Harley rider stopped for her to walk to the beach for a stretch and a look.

Narrabeen Lagoon

Next, they rode via a part of Narrabeen Lagoon (also referred to as Narrabeen Lake). It is Sydney’s Northern Beaches largest estuary system located just behind the world famous surfing beach at Narrabeen. It is a haven for wildlife.

Mona Vale

Further north, is Mona Vale. The main beach is 1 km long and very beautiful. The area was known as “Bongin Bongin” by the Aboriginals. The initial land grants in the district of Pittwater were not made until April 1813.

Newport

Continuing north, the 1.3 kilometres long beach at Newport has reddish golden sands and faces east. Love it! The 20th anniversary trike tour is still interesting and full of surprises!

Bilgola Beach

Bilgola Beach was next. The name “Bilgola” is derived from an Aboriginal term Belgoula meaning “swirling waters”, or perhaps “a pretty beach with steep slopes, studded with cabbage palms”. The word Belgoula was noted in Surveyor James Meehan’s records of 1814. It’s another fabulous beach and is 33 km NE of the Sydney CBD.

“Home and Away” – Palm Beach – Summer Bay

Palm Beach is the home of the long running TV series “Home and Away”. Home and Away has been on our TV screens since 1988 and the famous Aussie soap is set in a fictional town called Summer Bay. Did you know most of it is filmed here? Palm Beach is a beautiful location for the show and if you’re lucky, you may even spot the show being filmed!

We cannot guarantee it but many of our passengers have seen it being filmed. The narrow peninsular is surrounded by water on three sides: Pittwater, the Pacific Ocean, and Broken Bay, making it perfect for surfing, swimming, sailing and lots more.

Today, the rider stopped at Palm Beach and they all looked for the cast and crew. They weren’t filming today so they stopped for a coffee instead.

Whale Beach

Then they started heading south. Whale Beach is a 600 metres long, and one of our favourites. Between Whale Beach and Palm Beach is the Palm Beach Bible Garden. It has spectacular views over Palm Beach (next beach).

Warringah

Further south, they rode through the suburb of Warringah. Interestingly, Warringah is an Aboriginal Australian word which translates into English as “rain”, “waves” or “sea”. The area was proclaimed at the redistribution of 13 September 1922, and was first contested at the 1922 federal election. The word “Warrin ga” was recorded as the local name for Middle Harbour in 1832.

However, the 3 hours was up so the trike rider dropped them at Manly Beach. They had decided they wanted to explore the area and catch the ferry back in to the city. It was one of our suggestions, we do have some good ideas 😂.

In conclusion, the 20th anniversary trike tour was a fun, interesting and memorable experience.