Years before people were talking about Sydney's Great Coastal Walk, American in-flight magazine Delta Sky was exploring Sydney's wild side.

Sydney Coast Walks founder Ian Wells spoke to journalist Elaine Glusac about Sydney's best natural beauty, while out on a full-day Spit to Manly Walk with her in 2014. This is some of Elaine's take on the day:

But from the flight approach across Botany Bay to the airport, the city’s natural good looks – wave-pounded cliff walls, beaches that stretch for miles strafed by Pacific surf, narrow inlets that gateway vast harbours – make a lasting first impression.

“Sydney is so blessed with natural space,” says Ian Wells, founder of Sydney Coast Walks and my guide on a day-long bush walk that takes place far from the madding crowds—but only in Sydney’s nearby suburbs of Mosman and Manly—to meet the blue-tongued lizard. “There’s an abundance of beaches, bays and bush land. You can be the only person out on that particular walk or beach at any time of day despite four and half million people living in the area.”

Click the image to read the full article in Delta Sky Magazine, entitled, “Sydney's Wild Side”: