Harley Davidson holiday experience – Colleen 22.11.23

The Harley Davidson holiday experience was a memorable and fun one! From the USA, she is on extended holidays, checking out our beautiful country. Our Harley rider picked her up from Double Bay, an eastern suburb of Sydney. After a fabulous and scenic 1.5 hours, he dropped her at Manly. There she could explore the area and catch a ferry back into the city.

Double Bay

Double Bay is renowned for its designer shopping and is one of the prettiest suburbs in Sydney’s east. It has some of the most expensive real-estate in Australia and is colloquially often referred to as “Double Pay”, a term coined due to the high income of people living there.

In the early years of the colony, Double Bay was used as shelter for fishermen who would regularly fish around the harbour. Farming was mostly cattle and lettuce.

Chippendale

Firstly, they rode through the city to Chippendale, there was something Colleen wanted to see there. Much of it is covered with nineteenth century workers’ terraces and old industrial buildings. Chippendale is a dining destination thanks to Kensington Street, a vibrant lifestyle precinct in Central Park with over 25 restaurants, galleries and shops.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Next, they rode over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We always tell our passengers to look up and enjoy the unique view. The 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 construction of the new Port Mann Bridge in Vancouver was completed in 2012.

Admiralty House

Second stop was Admiralty House. It is the Sydney residence of the Governor-General and one of the most historic and important residences on Sydney Harbour. The house – originally called ‘Wotonga’ – was built in the mid 1800’s.

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. It’s where this photo was taken.

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.

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. So far, the Harley Davidson holiday experience was the perfect tour.

Spit Bridge lookout

Crossing the Spit Bridge is fun and then it was a fun ride up a windy hill to the lookout. From there, you can see great views of Middle Harbour. The Spit Bridge is a steel and concrete girder bridge with a bascule lift span. The Spit Bridge was listed on the Roads & Traffic Authority heritage and conservation register on 24 November 2003.

North Head

Finally, the rode to North Head which is part of Sydney Harbour National Park and consists of approximately 156 hectares. There is a variety of native animals and plants, as well as historic buildings and structures dating as far back as last century. North Head offers an impressive panorama of Sydney Harbour and the city skyline.

Manly

Back into Manly, 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.

However, the 1.5 hours was up so our Harley rider dropped Colleen off at a friend’s place in Manly. In conclusion, the Harley Davidson holiday experience was fun, scenic and memorable – for all the right reasons.

It was a variation of the North Shore Skimmer tour.