Watsons Bay and Baseball in Sydney

Today was a much needed, fairly relaxed kind of day. We were off to see the Major League Baseball game between the LA Dodgers and Team Australia that evening. For that reason, we decided to hang around the city before catching the game and take it easy at Watsons Bay. We walked into the city from the apartment, passing the spectacular views of the Sydney Opera House once again.

Circular Quay, Sydney

We passed by the Guylian Cafe on Circular Quay, and couldn’t resist. Paul picked a Belgian hot chocolate. It’s probably the best I’ve ever tasted. Mum went for a blueberry muffin, and Paul and I shared a chocolate raspberry cheesecake. It was a mash of calories, but my goodness was it worth it.

I’m pretty sure everything tastes all the better for being eaten al fresco with Sydney Harbour Bridge in full view.

After we’d eaten, we wanted to walk off those extra calories, so we hopped over to beautiful Watsons Bay.

Watsons Bay, Sydney

Situated on the other side of the harbour, Watsons Bay is a pretty affluent region. It’s to the south of Sydney Harbour’s entrance, and is the first place Captain Cook would have dropped anchor as he sailed into Sydney. Watsons Bay is also Sydney’s oldest fishing village, so you can expect some good seafood around the area. It reminds me a little of Rushcutters Bay. That’s in the sense that it’s a beautiful area with serious property goals and great views of the city.

It’s a beautiful spot to simply relax and enjoy the amazing views. Enjoy a picnic, take a trail, sunbathe, or simply sprawl on one of the beaches. Watsons Bay has a bounty of famously classy seafood restaurants and bars. It’s also pretty traditional here to enjoy fish and chips next to the sea. Either dine at fancy Doyle’s, or get them with salt and vinegar in newspaper on Camp Cove Beach. It’s interesting to see the colonialism of fish and chips prevail in Australia. Although I was stuffed and couldn’t eat another thing, I was pretty gutted that I couldn’t manage any fish and chips from the ‘world class’ shack on the bay. They looked very good.

Watsons Bay is actually pretty easy to reach. You can either catch a ferry across, or just the bus like we did. Either way, it’s a very scenic journey, much like the ride from the Manly Ferry.

If you’re feeling active, you can take the trail walk to South Head Lookout. You’ll see the Hornby Lighthouse with beautiful views across the ocean. It’s easy enough to find a beautiful picnic spot in a wonderful location. On this occasion, we just rambled and took in the impressive views from the bay.

Baseball at Sydney Cricket Ground

By this point, time was cracking on so we headed up to Sydney Cricket Ground. I know to many of you it may sound a little strange that we were going to watch the baseball in Australia, but there’s a good reason for that.

Team Australia were playing the LA Dodgers at Sydney Cricket Ground. In fact, Sydney was hosting the biggest internationally recognized event in Australia since the 2003 Rugby World Cup Final. These opening Major League Baseball games are genuine competition fixtures, and we were lucky enough to get our hands on some tickets.

We were in good company – it was a packed out stadium, and even Nicole Kidman was in the crowd.

We had to take our eyes off the match just to catch the incredible sunset.

Even when there’s an exciting game on, Sydney still has to show off its incredible sunsets and take the attention off the game. Although, admittedly, I’m not a baseball pro, I do know there were lots of proud Americans in the crowd when the Dodgers had a 4-2 win. It was great fun and a good experience to see some world-class sport in Sydney.

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Do you love Watsons Bay too? Perhaps you too have tickets for one of the LA Dodgers vs Team Australia at Sydney Cricket Ground?