My second review but a notch less. Came here for a nice lunch, sat outside on the patio and OMG was…read moreit noisy! Kids and more kids running around like its a daycare, teenagers phones on full volume, music blaring over the speakers.....great food, a little pricey but the noise! We had to leave because I was getting a migraine! Dropped from a 4 star to a 3 star.

The Australian train system is very efficient. The trains are also very clean. Lately, due to…read moreCovid, there aren't as many passengers as usual. Riders buy an Opal card and load money on it. Then whenever you use it, you "tap on" at a little device that records your fare and how much you have left before you top it up. You can also tap directly with your credit card for contactless payment if you have the symbol on your card. Hornsby is a larger town so it is has a number of trains passing through the smaller villages on the way to Hornsby. It's also a very popular stop because it's right across from Westfield shopping mall and the Hornsby outdoor mall. I have been getting on the train at Lindfield since it's about a 10 minute walk from my bnb. It's fun to look at all the interesting village names: Turramurra, Warrawee, and Waroonga for example. I enjoy riding the train because it gets me where I want to go so no driving is needed.

Some rotten staff members from back in the day that were just horrid human beings to school…read morestudents, including me. I literally was trying my best not to get attention but when I lost my transport card, they scowled me instead of helping. These days staff don't care what students are up to. Which I'm happy for students but like its also gone a little in the other direction now lol. Anyway thanks for making my life miserable back in the day!

Only 20 minutes out of Sydney, Glenworth Valley makes for an excellent day trip to get you away…read morefrom the hustle and bustle of the city. An amazing property set in a deep valley on the Central Coast, Glenworth Valley offers everything from horse riding, kayaking, quad biking, even camping. I have only ever experienced the horse riding here which is great fun. For $75 you're taken out for two hours on one of the three trails. The best trail is the 'waterfall trail' which on a hot day you can jump off and take a dip in. If you're an experienced rider they will let you take off on your own, which is very rare. I like doing this if I am alone as I can set the pace I want to go at. It gets a bit trickier if you're stuck with a group of people and you're forced to go at a pace you don't want to but that is sort of luck of the draw. You can always rejoin the group if this happens. The horses are pretty stock standard riding school horses that come with riding school attitude and tricks. When you first arrive they try to put you with a horse that matches your riding level but honestly I think this is a bit of a farce - I once asked for a particular horse who they said wasn't out on that day, but then another lady rode him on my ride! I got over it in the end, but I wasn't pleased at the time. If you can try to book in advance on a quieter day - check they have no tour groups that day as you'll be in for a long wait and pretty boring ride.

First time visitor to this awesome place where we decided to catchup over a bbq with friends…read more Access is by boat, ferry or water taxi. Unsure if you can drive here as I didn't see any cars. What struck me immediately is the local swamp wallabies that coexist with the visitors and rangers. Sightings on the day included kookaburras, various birds and reptiles. It is the only place in the Ku-ring-gai Chase where you can camp. Being part of a national park, ongoing conservation and preservation is by way of entrance fees ($3 per head), which is separate to camping fees. Restrictions applies to this beautiful place i.e. fires. The campsite is well maintained and very clean. Plenty of hiking opportunities for those who are keen as it is surrounded by hills and mountains There is a body of water that is safe for some water sports. Bbq facilities is also available which we took advantage of. Beechwood Cottage is a historical property which is available to hire for functions and events. This place is great if you want to get away for the weekends with or without the kids. It overlooks Pittwater and is just a beautiful place to hang and chill.

This is a great beach and camping area, with mountains all around. Access is by boat or trails…read more No vehicles allowed. It's not a pristine sand beach, more like sand based mud, but has nice calm clear water on the back harbour side. The place has lots of space to picnic and relax. Everything is clean. And the kids get to run after the wallaby(ies) when they hop by. We went in by boat, which is a great way to arrive. There are lots of tent campers, most of which seemed to arrive and bring their gear in by boat. Several ferries service the area.

As train stations go, Asquith is pretty nice. Its small and doesn't handle big crowds so waiting…read morefor a train here is a much nicer experience than many other stations. Except at school arriving/leaving time where students from the two high schools in Asquith pack the platforms. On the down side, there is very little cover so waiting for a train in the rain is a fairly damp experience. There is no connection between the two platforms so if you find yourself on the wrong side of the station, you need to leave the station, walk down the road a bit, up over the railway bridge (with not much footpath and much traffic) then down the road a bit to re enter the station on the other side. Not much fun for the elderly or those with mobility issues. The big downside to Asquith station though is that very few trains stop here. Its closer to home than Hornsby so I would much rather walk to and from Asquith but end up at Hornsby most of the time because there are something like 2 trains/hour at Asquith. Occasionally I luck out on the way home and get an Asquith train (and a shorter walk) but not often.

Great service, great food, wonderful atmosphere! Walk in and choose to sit in a cozy library…read moresetting, or head right up the pub style seating with high tops ,sorts in TVs, and local conversations. Large menus with lots of great choices. Had the oysters and they were sweet with a great minuet on the side. The wings were excellent, tender and tasty. Had the Bent Spoke Crankshaft beer and it was refreshing with a tropical vibe hitting the taste buds. The bartender was amazing, and the cook came out and served us our food, great guy. I would recommend stopping in and checking this place out. Cheers

First time to the Bayview and found it a good experience. Everything you would expect from a Modern…read morePub but with a twist of great water views from the semi open bar. Prices are reasonable and food, especially sea food very fresh and well presented. Side note ..... $12 cocktails ...... don't tell anyone as I don't want this venue too over crowded.

This is one of those pubs that are good, but not really all that great. In a way, it probably had a…read morelot to do with the rather disinterested service that I received. However, it was still rather nice, with the beer garden out the front, and the decent options with regards to the beers on tap. Yeah, it wasn't all that bad and would make a particularly nice local pub as well.

This is going to be a great review. Trust me! I am from US. I made a reservation here to stay 14…read moredays. When I got here, we discovered a number of things: 1) it is a pub/hotel , which meant that it is not a hotel proper. The rooms to rent are above the hotel and that is 40 steps and no lift to the rooms. Being 71 and my wife 62 with bad knees, this was an impossibility. You may think, " What so great about this review? " It is the owners. When we got there, we discovered our credit cards were not working (forgot to notify our bank before leaving) The young women helping us was trying to give us all kinds of solutions, but nothing was working. I, finally, got the cards working, but by then, the owner showed up and told us that we didn't want to stay there, telling us the story of the pub/hotel and the 40 steps. Then he sat down and started helping us find another hotel, then eliminating the current reservation. Afterward, we sat down had lunch, some of the best fish and chips we have ever eaten. I ordered a beer, which he comped me. Seriously!! We will be doing a miniature show across the street this weekend and I will be having more of those delicious fish and chips (and beer which I will pay for) These people are awesome!!

Several friends recommended this place, but I knew it would be difficult to book at last minute…read more Fortunately, my family & I were able to get a 2 bedroom suite due to a cancellation. We were there 3 nights! The suite had: * 2 bedrooms (1 room with 1 queen bed, 1 room with 2 single beds) * pull out coach in the living room * kitchenette w/ stove & microwave * 1 full bathroom with shower & tub, * 1 full bathroom with shower * washing machine * mini dryer * TV * balcony The room was very cozy. They provided standard amenities (travel toiletries, towels, tissue, dishes, soap, etc.) They don't do housekeeping until check out tho, that was a bummer. Majority of the staff were friendly at the front desk. Parking is free for guests, but space is limited! It's walking distance from the lagoon (perfect for my toddler niece & nephews), and the pool was nice! Next time, I may want a room with the pool & ocean view. It's also a couple blocks away from a mini shopping area in case you want to buy some groceries, got to a cafe/bar, etc. The nightly rate was quite expensive though, but we did go during summer (after Christmas), but it was work it. I'd suggest to book way in advance to secure your preferred room, and hopefully get a lower rate. I'd DEFINITELY come back =)

If you just go on face value you will be tempted to call this place way too expensive but you will…read morepay more if you go to the units at the camping ground nearby. We opted for a balcony room facing the "mountain" which also overlooks the carpark and village. There are no flyscreens but equally there were surprisingly no flies so we did enjoy wide open door to the balcony. The balcony is pretty big too. The Mantra is on top of the Ettalong Diggers but this was not a noise problem if you shut the balcony doors, The bathroom does not have an exhaust fan so you need to have the door open to have a shower. The shower can be fiddled with so that it will work properly. We had a spa but didn't use it. Kitchenette and laundry (plus powder) are also part of the room. Parking is undercover and shared with the Digger's club but there was no problems getting a park. You can get towels from reception for the pool and beach but don't lose them as it will cost $20.