A great start to our last day in Australia. We were up early to make the 8am start of the Cooks River Parkrun with Maggie and Mark taking place at the Mary Mackillop Reserve in the suburb of Canterbury.
It was so hot! Despite the early start and some shade from the tree-lined course that ran alongside the Cooks River, the early heat was brutal and would only increase during the day with the temperature topping out at 41 degrees in the afternoon.
I hadn't really taken much notice of parkruns before - it is quite a cool concept, designed to get people taking part in their local community while improving their fitness. They are organised by volunteers and occur weekly. The course is 5kms and it is free to participate. Despite its name, there were quite a few walkers - including us!
The first ever parkrun was in Bushy Park, Teddington, UK, with 13 runners, 3 volunteers, and a stopwatch on 2 October 2004. It has grown and is now in well over 20 countries around the world with hundreds of volunteers and hundreds of thousands of parkrunners. www.parkrun.com
A pre - dinner drink with Maggie in her Gin Garden - Fabulous! One day I will too will have a gin garden...
Then we went out for dinner and a movie with Maggie and Mark - but with a difference...
The dining and viewing location was in the Sydney Domain at the Fleet Steps, Mrs Macquaries Point, adjacent to the Royal Botanic Garden and it just has to be the #worldsmostbeautifulcinema
We enjoyed dinner Harbourside with stunning views over the Sydney Opera House, Harbour Bridge and the city skyline. And then at dusk a giant screen majestically rose from the harbour to provide a truly breathtaking cinematic experience.
A magical evening and what a fabulous finale to our amazing time in Australia.
Thank you so much Maggie, Mark, Seamus, Ruby and Paddy for your hospitality and especially Maggie for being our local host extraordinaire!