We slept in until 9:00 am, and then packed a lunch and were out the door by 11:00 am. We caught the Sydney Rivercat down the Parramatta River to Circular Quay, the hub of Sydney Harbour. From there, we took a ferry to Manly. We ate lunch beside the beautiful beach, which was closed for swimming (as were most of Sydney's beaches) because massive waves were predicted along the coast.

After we left Manly, we took two ferries to get to the Aquarium. As we were short on time, we considered skipping it, but the kids had really looked forward to it, so we decided we'd just have to do it quickly. It was an excellent decision. Margaret and Elaine got in for free because they were teachers and Elaine had a 2 for 1 coupon, so the visit was cheap, making it less painful to rush through. It was a great aquarium and we were very glad we'd taken the time to visit it.

When we tried to catch the Sydney Rivercat back up the Parramatta River, we discovered the last run had been cancelled. This was not good, as the car was parked up-river. Elaine marched over to head office to complain and was told that a replacement ferry was on route and would get us to the car. During the return trip, Margaret and Barry sat outside and enjoyed the scenery, despite the cool evening air. We then went out for supper at a restaurant called "Pancakes on the Rocks" and enjoyed a delicious meal together.

Back at Elaine's, we watched the "Schools Spectacular "program that Elaine was involved in. Since 1984, the annual Schools Spectacular has showcased the singing and dancing talents of approximately 3,000 students from across the New South Wales public school system. Months of practice culminate in a combined dance rehearsal in late October, followed by three public performances in late November, which attract audiences in excess of 30,000 people. It is the world's biggest youth variety event. The show was amazing and the kids had to be ordered to bed, considering that our next day would be so busy. We went to bed excited and nervous about the next day.