"Are
you guys here for the weekend," a waitress at the vibrant Mexican-style Cranky Fin
asked Prashant and me. The cafe, painted in psychedelic colors with quirky messages splashed
around, sits on top of Palm Beach, one of the prettiest oceanfronts in northern Sydney. It was a 45-km drive from our place through curvy,
at times terrifying, stretches. The latter part of the journey was along the
shores and through a massive, quiet lake where time seemed to have stopped.
Image source: Daily Telegraph; eatdrinkplay.com
The
plan was to reach Palm Beach, have some food and then walk up a couple kilometers
to the Lighthouse. "No,
we are here just for the day. We wanted to go to the lighthouse but wondering
if it's a good idea in this weather," I replied. The friendly waitress advised against the rainy walk but happily showed
off Instagram snaps of her at the lighthouse and the enticing views of Sydney's
northern beaches from the top calling on us to visit again. Magnanimous!
Image source:
While
we waited for the rains to stop, I had some steamed greens with ‘skinny cap’ --
Aussie for skimmed milk cappuccino -- while Prashant settled for some fries at
the cafe. The rain was unrelenting but we decided to still go ahead with our plan. Armed
with a big, black umbrella and a rainy jacket we marched towards the
lighthouse. The walk was harder than we had imagined: the winds made carrying
the umbrella a futile, almost laughable, exercise while Prashant's lower half
was almost completely drenched, thanks to the raincoat. As we walked, the sand
hit hard against our calves. It was punishing, to say the least. So half-way
through, we gave up only to start our journey back home.
While
it may seem like we shouldn’t have gone to the beach in the first instance as
it was raining, I still think it was a great trip. Here’s why –
1. The 45-something km
drive is a must do. I loved the Narrabeen lakes on the way and the views all
along. Long drives on rainy days are always romantic, for me!
2.
Made me nostalgic… As kids, my sister and I would look for excuses to
go play in the rains and escape school home-works.
3.
The ocean was still warm (remember, we are heading into winters in
the southern hemisphere) so it was very nice feeling the water as the moving
carpet swept under our feet.
4.
Cranky Fin is a lovely café albeit with a restricted menu. It has
many vegetarian food options and the waitress, as I said, was very helpful. The
greens were fresh and tender, the fries were just fine. We devoured our small
meals. Nothing like some hot food and a hot cuppa on a cold, wet day!
5. Palm Beach is not very
far from where we live so there can always be a repeat trip on a sunny day. So, we get to experience the best of both. All’s not lost!
6. We found out later that next time round we could also take a boat from Palm Beach to Patonga, a hidden gem at the southern end of the Central coast. Patonga boasts of a beautiful cafe that sells locally caught fish with chips. More here
