It's been some time since we've enjoyed the unspoiled sands of the Northern Beaches. Let's go.

Avalon Beach

Having just enjoyed a good couple hours bushwalking with a friend at Ku Ring Gai Chase National Park, we'd worked up a proper appetite. Fish and chips seemed like the go, and so where better to head than twenty minutes up the road to the Northern Beaches?

The road into Avalon Beach takes you through the winding, cliffside Barrenjoey Road. One interesting thing about this road is that it seems to be a local tradition to leave signs for family members driving through. It wasn't possible for me to get any shots myself, but here's one the Google Car captured on Google Street View, revealing an 18th birthday, and the engagement of Claire and Michael circa March 2020.

Sadly, we weren't invited to the engagement party, and so the quest for lunch meant parking in Avalon Beach's commercial centre.

You can learn a lot about a place by what's on its community noticeboards. In Avalon Beach, there are ads for people who will draw your dog for you, couples counselling, and essential oils, as well as a mother-daughter menstruation themed island retreat. Fascinating.

The rest of Avalon Beach town centre? Cafes and buildings with white exteriors,

an independent cinema,

as well as the regular general services you'd expect.

Having looked up on the map where two hungry lads could get some fish and chips, Google pointed us to a spot called "Oceana Traders - Seafood Merchant". In my absent-minded hunger, I forgot to take a shot of the place, so here's, yet again, Google's Street View offering. Immediately, this seemed like a great choice, being the kind of fish and chip shop that has counters full of fresh seafood on ice. Exciting.

After putting in our orders, I left my friend to wait for our meal while I went in search of the perfect accompaniment to fish and chips on a sunny day - a milkshake. After asking the chicken shop across the road if they did milkshakes, the friendly lady inside said no, but recommended I go to the chemist two doors down.

I assumed I'd misheard her when she said to go to the chemist, but I figured if there's a milkshakery two doors down, I'm not going to miss it. But indeed, head inside the pharmacy,

and for some reason, there's an ice cream shop inside. Two milkshakes were in order, of course.

Milkshakes in hand, and reunited with my buddy and my lunch-to-be, we headed the couple blocks to the shore in order to inhale our well-earned meal.

Avalon Beach has a bit of a strange layout. In most beachside 'burbs, the shops are right across the road from the beach. In Avalon, however, you walk through the shops,

and reach a big and wide road that's actually quite annoying to cross to get to the shores.

Regardless, we made it across safely and found a picnic table. For lunch we shared salt and pepper squid (left) and whatever their name is for a seafood basket (right). All were served with chips and some coleslaw. All were also really damn incredible. The prescription milkshakes were okay.

So what about the beach itself?

With golden sands, crashing waves and cliffs in the background, you can't complain can you, especially on a clear skied day like this.

Sadly, my friend had an appointment that evening, so we had to head back and couldn't spend much more time exploring this interesting little Northern Beaches Pocket.