Justin had a last minute work trip to Sydney recently and Bron was able
to go with him for a change, yay! When one thinks of Sydney, images of Sydney Harbour
with the Opera House and Harbour Bridge and Bondi Beach come to mind. Walking
an average of 18 km a day for the 6 days we were there, Bron set out to
discover these iconic sights and everything inbetween.
Sydney Harbour Bridge
Sydney Opera House
Sydney is situated on the East Coast of Australia in the world’s largest
natural harbour. The city is the capital of New South Wales (NSW) and the most
populated city in Australia and Oceania. Sydney was founded in 1788 as a penal
colony for the British Crown and was the first European settlement in Australia.
Captain Arthur Phillip arrived with the First Fleet at Botany Bay on 18 January
1788 but decided to settle at Port Jackson instead on 26 January 1788 and named
the fledging colony Sydney in honour of Thomas Townshend, Lord Sydney. The 26th
of January has since become Australia Day in remembrance and celebration of the
founding of Sydney and Australia. Approximately 4 300 convicts landed at
Sydney between 1788 and 1792. Transportation of convicts to the colony halted
in 1850; at that time the city had a population of 35 000. Port Jackson is
a ria or drowned river valley that remains open to the sea making it the
perfect natural harbour. It has a treelike outline typical of rias meaning it
has many heads and bays many of which have beaches. Port Jackson consists of
the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour, Lane Cove River
and Parramatta River. A fresh water tributary in the harbour that provided
water to the colony was named Tank Stream but has since become a storm water
drain in the CBD. Today the population of Sydney is about 5 million with about
a third born overseas and about 250 different languages spoken making Sydney
one of the most multi-cultural cities in the world.
We flew from Perth to Sydney late on Monday afternoon arriving in the
late evening. Our hotel was located near the Haskoning office in North Sydney,
a convenient two train stops from the city centre. While Justin was in the
office for the rest of the week, Bron crammed in as much sightseeing as
possible.
Bondi is the best known of the Sydney beaches but most locals will
recommend visiting other beaches above Bondi. An often recommended beach and
day trip out of the city is Manly. Located on the North Head at the entrance to
Sydney Harbour, Manly is a popular seaside resort with beautiful white sand
beaches and a laid-back beachside atmosphere. On the Tuesday morning after
working out how the public transport works, Bron took the train to Circular
Quay and from there a 30 minute ferry to Manly Wharf at Manly Cove, the easiest
and most scenic way to get there. I picked up a map at the info centre and
enjoyed the warm and sunny day exploring. One can do a circular walk passing
through the shopping district of The Corso, along the beaches, and through the bushland
of Sydney Harbour National Park with many interesting and beautiful viewpoints
along the way. My favourites were Manly Beach, Shelly Beach, the Fairfax
lookouts at North Head, and Spring Cove. Along the way I met Jonathon, a
Malaysian chef living in Sydney. Thanks for a fun day, letting me tag along on
your walk and making sure we didn’t get lost! This was just a taster of Manly
and next time it would be good to spend some time relaxing on Manly Beach and
walk in the other direction to Spit Bridge.
Manly Beach
Views of Sydney Harbour and CBD from North Head
Views at Fairfax lookouts
I saw loads of these monitor lizards on my North Head walk
On Wednesday Bron started exploring the city centre starting on George’s
Street going past (and sometimes in) historic buildings such as Town Hall, St
Andrew’s Cathedral, the Queen Victoria building (or QVB), and down past Paddy’s
Markets to the Chinese Garden of Friendship. I enjoyed some quiet time at the
tranquil Chinese Garden of Friendship, a beautiful oasis of green in the middle
of the busy city. From there I continued to Cockle Bay and Darling Harbour, a
vibey harbourside area with good eateries and where many of Sydney’s
attractions are located. Construction of new developments, such as the Sydney
ICC, is still underway in the area. I didn’t go to any of the attractions here
such as the maritime museum and aquarium, something saved for next time.
Statue of Queen Victoria outside the QVB
Inside the QVB
Chinese Garden of Friendship
Darling Harbour
I crossed the Pyrmount Bridge at Darling Harbour and continued up Kent
Street to the west end of Argyle Street and the edge of The Rocks. The Rocks is
a historical neighbourhood immediately west of Circular Quay. After the arrival
of the First Fleet in 1788, this area became the convicts side of town and the
narrow lanes and homes were built higgledy-piggledy mostly from sandstone found
in the area. The colourful history of The Rocks continued through the Gold Rush
of the 1850s, the bubonic plague epidemic of 1900, the demolishing and
rebuilding of the entire waterfront area in the 1920s and 1930s, the building
of the Cahill expressway in the 1960s, The Battle for The Rocks in the 1970s,
and more recently, redevelopment into a tourist area and preservation of its
heritage as the birthplace of a nation.
It is beautiful, rustic and rich in history and locals and tourists alike are
glad the area was preserved and not flattened.
My exploring started with Windmill Steps up to the Lord Nelson, one of
two pubs claiming to be Sydney’s oldest surviving pub, and a (bring-your-own)
snack break under a grove of at least 100 year old Moreton Bay Fig trees at
Observatory Hill Park overlooking the ‘other’ side of the bridge. With its
gorgeous trees, beautiful views and calming atmosphere, I could see this park
becoming one of our favourite hangouts if we spent more time in Sydney. From the
park I went through the Argyle Cut into The Rocks proper, down Argyle Street,
Harrington Street with Susannah Place Museum, Nurses Walk with quaint shops and
cafés, back to The Rocks Square, down to the waterfront to Cadman’s Cottage and
Campbell’s stores, and round Dawes Point for views over Sydney Harbour and the
Opera House and close-ups of Harbour Bridge and its southern pylon. The Rocks made
for great exploring on a hot sunny afternoon up and down stairs and through
narrow lanes, I only missed my travel buddy and resident photographer. The
Rocks is a definite must-see and do Sydney experience and we would return on
Sunday morning to retrace my steps together.
The Lord Nelson Pub and Hotel at the top of Argyle Street
Views over the harbour from under 100 year old Moreton Bay Fig trees at Observatory Hill Park
Thursday was cloudy and cool with some showers and a day exploring the
green spaces of the city and immediate surrounds ensued. From Museum Station at
the bottom of Hyde Park, I stopped in at the Anzac War Memorial, walked to the
end of Hyde Park, popped into the beautiful St Mary’s Cathedral, continued on
to the Domain, past the Art Gallery of NSW, and back onto the road to find
Harry’s Café de Wheels at Woolloomooloo or Finger Wharf. I was hoping to grab a
snack here but nothing caught my fancy so I continued back to The Domain and up
to the Royal Botanic Gardens. After a quick lunch at the café overlooking the
main pond, the rest of the afternoon was spent exploring the beautiful botanical
gardens. The gardens are well-laid out and divided into sections such as the
herb garden, the oriental garden, the rose garden, the succulent garden, and
the fernery each with different interesting plants. Another interesting part of
the gardens is the First Encounters Display that tells the story of the Cadigal
people, the traditional Aboriginal custodians of the Sydney city area, and of the
First Farm, the first European agricultural crops that were planted by the
first settlers of the colony in Farm Cove (where the botanical garden is).
Another garden must-see is Mrs MacQuaries Chair at the end of Farm Cove with
amazing views over Sydney Harbour; it is the only place in the city I found to
see and photograph Harbour Bridge and the Opera House in the same frame.
Anzac War Memorial in Hyde Park
St Mary's Cathedral
Exploring the Royal National Botanic Gardens
Mrs MacQuaries Chair
Harbour Bridge and the Opera House from Mrs MacQuaries Chair
A special mention of the garden collection is the Wollemi Pine, one of
the world’s oldest and rarest trees with only 100 mature trees in the wild and considered
extinct for many years since it was only seen in the fossil record. Until it was
discovered by chance in 1994 in a rainforest gorge in the Wollemi National Park
in the Blue Mountains in NSW by park ranger David Noble. The tree is now the
focus of intense world wide research and propagation to ensure its survival.
One can purchase a Wollemi sapling from the garden nursery; they are hardy
plants and this programme for the home gardener ensures there is a pool of
trees to draw from to reintroduce to the wild in the event of a natural
disaster.
The Sydney Royal Botanical Gardens are truly beautiful and provide a
tranquil oasis in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city. In all our
travels and visits to gardens and green spaces, this is the first one that
could rival Kirstenbosch in our affections if we were to have more time to get
to know it better and form memories there. I exited the botanical gardens at
Palace Garden Gate and made my way down MacQaurie Street past the NSW State
Library, Parliament House, Sydney Hospital, the Mint and Hyde Park Barracks and
to St James Church. The remainder of the afternoon and early evening until I
met Justin was spent window shopping through Martin Place, the Pitt Street
Mall, and the Strand Arcade.
Wollemi Pine
So many spiders in massive communal webs all over the gardens!
Il Porcellino in from of Sydney Hospital
Friday was equally gloomy with a few more showers and since I had
already achieved most of what I wanted to see that week, I took up a
recommendation to take the ferry to Cockatoo Island. The largest island in Sydney
Harbour and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Cockatoo Island initially operated as
a prison for repeat offenders in the colony before transformation into one of Australia’s
largest shipyards. The docks operated between 1857 and 1991 building new ships
and also played an important role in the Australian war effort modifying boats
in both the World Wars. Evidence of past activities on the island have been
well preserved and recorded and a walk around the grounds is very informative
with information boards on all the buildings. The island is also one of the venues
of the 20th Biennale of Sydney, a contemporary visual arts event. One
can also stay on the island, either camping or glamping or in one of the 3
renovated governors cottages. The island also has impressive views of Sydney
Harbour and Harbour Bridge from its eastern end. It was an interesting and
different perspective of life in Sydney gone by and definitely worth the visit.
The remainder of the day was spent further exploring and enjoying the
old buildings of the city centre. I walked along Phillip Street, George street,
Elizabeth Street, Martin Place and the Pitt Street Mall.
What's left of the two slipways at Cockatoo Island
Views toward the harbour from Cockatoo Island
Looking down Martin Place
Looking up Martin Place
Inside Strand Arcade
The AMP Tower
The Tank Stream Fountain in Herald Square near Circular Quay
Justin and I met in town every evening after work and enjoyed the city
at night together. We spent a lot of time around Circular Quay enjoying the
Opera House and Harbour Bridge lit up at night and an ice cream of course. On
Wednesday evening we met at the Art Gallery of NSW in Domain Park for a quick
squiz around since that is the only day the gallery is open late (to 22:00). Friends
had suggested a few places to eat and we highly recommend Chat Thai for good
Thai food and Palmer & Co., a prohibition era bar with 1920s flapper
waitresses; it has a good swanky and fun atmosphere and is good for a snack
too. And they will let you in even if you are wearing shorts and runners! We
also enjoyed a traditional Spanish paella one night with Feliciano, a friend
from Perth. And we squeezed in a pint and pork knuckle at the Munich Brauhaus
at The Rocks on Friday.
Sydney Harbour by night
A different massive cruise ship was parked outside Circular Quay every day
Since we were only flying back on Sunday evening, we had the whole
weekend for sightseeing together. We took the bus to Bondi Beach on Saturday
morning and enjoyed the 6 km Bondi to Coogee coastal cliff top walk in
Sydney’s eastern suburbs. The walk goes past the beaches of Bondi, Tamarama,
Bronte, Clovelly, and Coogee and a number of coves and bays. One can also
continue for 1.5 km to Maroubra. After two cloudy and rainy days it cleared up
into a lovely sunny day perfect for this beautiful walk. In Coogee we met up with
Gol for lunch, a friend Bron met on Contiki in Europe in July 2004. It was
really great to catch up and share some laughs after so many years.
Congratulations on your wedding this past weekend Gol and Jenny! Wishing you
many happy years together. From Coogee we made our way back to Circular Quay
for our daily ice cream and Sydney by night.
Boibs at Bondi!
Bondi Beach
Bondi Icebergs Club
The Bondi to Coogee coastal walk
Clovelly Beach
Interesting rock formations along the way
A memorial to Surf Live Saving near Bondi Beach
A memorial to the victims of the 2002 Bali Bombings at Coogee Beach
Eastern Suburbs Bali Memorial overlooking Coogee Beach
Sunday was another hot and sunny day and we walked from the hotel in
North Sydney to Milsons Point and over Harbour Bridge on the harbour side. One
can also do the Bridge Climb and walk over the very top of the bridge, not for
the faint-hearted! Nicknamed the Coathanger, it is the tallest steel arch
bridge in the world measuring 134 m from water level to the top. Building
commenced in July 1923 with work on the arch starting in October 1928 and the
two halves touching and joined in August 1920. The bridge was formally opened
on 19 March 1932. Once on the southern end, we retraced Bron’s steps from
Wednesday around Observatory Hill Park and The Rocks. In the afternoon we met
with Matt who we met on the plane to Bali in Dec and enjoyed a final walk
through the botanical garden to Mrs MacQuaries Chair together followed by a GnT
in the new Barangaroo precinct near Darling Harbour.
Views of the harbour and Opera House while walking over Harbour Bridge
View of Harbour Bridge from Observatory Hill Park
Argyle Cut
Susannah Place Museum
Cadman's Cottage
Harbour Bridge from Dawes Point
Harbour Bridge from Mrs MacQuaries Chair
Harbour Bridge and the Opera Hosue from Mrs MacQuaries Chair
Justin, Bron and Matt!
And then it was time to collect our bags and head to the airport and
home to Perth.
All in all it was a great week getting to know this amazing bustling and
vibrant city. It is no wonder that the cities on the east treat Perth and WA
like a backwater. But coming home to Perth we also appreciate how convenient
and chilled life is here. There is no traffic and parking issues and we
definitely have better beaches (sorry Bondi). Next time we hope to explore some
of the areas we missed this time such as Paddington and hopefully get out to
the Blue Mountains and/or the Hunter valley.
See you on the other side of this Anzac Day long weekend in Augusta!
