Today, 10 January 2026, I found myself thinking back to one of the more defining personal challenges of last year – the long coastal walk I did on 1 November 2025, from Manly Wharf all the way to Palm Beach.
At the time, it was my longest walk to date. Looking back now, it still stands out not just for the distance, but for what it represented. Working in IT means so much of my mental energy is spent indoors, staring at screens and solving problems in a digital world. That day, being outside – moving along the coastline with nothing but the ocean beside me – felt like a reset. Coastal walking has always helped clear my head, but this walk did something deeper.
Music played a big role in carrying me through the distance. On long walks like that, I often listen to full discographies, letting albums unfold without skipping. I remember doing this once with Michael Jackson, discovering tracks that never hit the charts but felt like hidden gems – a reminder that even the biggest artists have quieter, overlooked moments.
Somewhere around Newport, I stopped at 4 Pines Brewery Newport for a well-earned late lunch. A beer and a club sandwich never tasted better, not because it was fancy, but because I’d walked far enough to deserve it. Newport itself left a strong impression on me – one of my favourite beaches from the entire stretch, though there were many that came close.
What that walk really gave me, in hindsight, was a sense of contrast. Seeing each beach one after the other helped me understand how different they all are. Manly is vibrant and iconic, but also completely packed with people. The quieter beaches further north felt like secret oases – calmer, more reflective, almost as if they were waiting to be noticed rather than demanding attention.
By the end of the walk, I was exhausted. Doing the whole thing solo was physically demanding and, at times, lonely. If I were to do it again, I’d probably only tackle sections of it, or share parts of the journey with others. Still, there was something important about doing that one alone. It gave me uninterrupted time to think – to reflect on my past, assess my present, and quietly imagine my future as 2025 was drawing to a close.
Now, standing in 2026 and looking back, that walk feels less like a fitness challenge and more like a marker in time – a day when I slowed down enough to listen to my thoughts, the music in my ears, and the coastline of Sydney unfolding step by step beside me.