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Published: November 3rd 2006
As we flew into Sydney our immediate surprise was just how vast and dominated by water the city was. Sprawling suburbs as far as the eye could see were all separated by weaving waterways in every direction. After catching a shuttle bus from the Airport to Kings Cross we easily found my good friend Becky's (who was a dedicated member of the Shoreham-London commuter club!) apartment in Elizabeth bay and were welcomed in by her partner Simon who bizarrely has moved to Sydney with Becky all the way from Steyning, Sussex.
After Simon had welcomed us in to their beautiful apartment and Becky arrived home from work, we spent a fantastic evening drinking, talking, playing Uno and drinking until we decided to go out to the nearby Empire club at 2am for well more drinking! Having spent the previous 3 weeks waking up at 6 and going to bed about 8pm this was a bit of a shock to system to be going to bed about 6am but it was I suppose a rather appropriate re-introduction to city life.
Waking up the next morning and feeling as though we had spent most of the night licking snooker tables, the
three of us (Becky had kindly taken the day off to be our tour guide!) somberly set out on a walk to get our first taste of Sydney. Dropping down the hill from Kings Cross we struggled through Woolloomooloo and the famous Harry's pie shop at Finger Wharf (home of Russell Crowe; finger wharf that is not the pie shop) before rising again into a beautiful park where scores of school kids sat around in circles with typically Aussie hats on whilst pre-historic looking Ibis walked among them trying to swipe their vegemite sarnies.
After a lifesaving hangover sausage roll we ventured north in the heat into the incredible Botanical Gardens and its huge variety of native trees on which noisy Ibis perched and hundreds of fruit bats hung from. For Claire and I it was a surreal feeling to be in the midst of a city and be surrounded by swooping bats and Jurassic looking Ibis the like of which we've never seen before. Walking through the gardens and out around the waters edges we were amazed to note how many people were out jogging or doing sit-ups on their lunch breaks many with personal trainers. In the
The Ibis Bird
..have never seen such a prehistoric looking bird.heat of midday and after the night before, the thought of doing anything other than sitting in a fridge was turning our stomachs but our mood was greatly improved by the fabulous first glimpse of the Sydney Opera House.
This incredible structure is just one of those buildings that it doesn't matter how many photos you've seen of it, seeing the shell like sections with your own eyes cannot fail to amaze, especially when you consider its age and the modernity it still possesses. Up close we were surprised to find its surface made of millions of what appeared to be small kitchen tiles! It is incredible to consider that Jorn Utzon a Danish architect had his designs accepted back in 1955. Today it still looks as modern a building as can be found anywhere and appears to have aged stunningly well.
From Circular Quay we caught a ferry (Sydney's most popular form of public transport) east down river toward Manly which gave us great views of Harbour Bridge and took us past the opera house from the front and Fort Denison, a tiny island used as a prison much like a mini Alcatraz. Arriving at Manly we
spent the rest of the afternoon sitting on the esplanade eating Fish and chips (a good old Magic Sausage for Claire) with the accompliment of Chicken Salt which is a rather tasty and typically Australian seasoning. We already knew that when it comes to life saving on the beaches Australians were no slouches but sitting on the beach at Manly we were astounded at just how informative the beach lifeguards can be. Over a loud tannoy the packs of swimmers and surfers were informed that (in your best Aussie accent please)
There is currently a trench forming between where the main group of swimmers in between the yellow flags and the beach front and a strong rip WILL be developing over the next half hour. On your way back in, I must warn you that young children WILL lose their footing and WILL be in danger. I must also advise that the lifeguard service will be ending in 18 minutes so you are advised that beyond that point you are swimming at your own risk.Thank you.
By late afternoon we headed back to the ferry terminal and on the way all spilt ice cream down out t-shirts and traveled back towards Circular Quay just in time to watch the sun setting behind the Harbour Bridge. Deciding to walk back to Kings Cross we strolled through the central business district stopping at the Channel 7 news building where we watched Chris Bath read the news live on air through the street front window before heading to the Deutsch Bank building where Becky works and where she managed to persuade the security guard to allow us up in their super fast lifts for a fabulous view
The Opera House...
...did you know it was covered in small white ceramic tiles? We were surprised to discover this as we imagined it would be a metal structure. over Sydney. Back at ground level having speeded past the internal office windows where people were still working at 8 o clock (ha), we walked through Hyde Park and down William street to the huge Coca Cola sign which blinks drivers arrival in Kings Cross. Back at the apartment the fatigue from the huge walk and of course the hangover had well and truly set in. Loafing on the couch in front of the TV we became gripped by the Rugby League Grand Final Qualifier between Brisbane Broncos and Sydney Bulldogs which was actually one of the most entertaining games of sport we've witnessed (The Broncos won in style having come back from a whopping deficit) and decided to take a rain check on another evening out.
Feeling spectacularly better the next morning we demolished a
bacon sandwich bought from a nearby organic market and walked to Pitt street mall for (to my delight) a morning of shopping! Adopting the familiar man dragging his feet behind two girls shopping stance, it was actually quite a pleasant morning taking in Pitt Street Mall and the impressive Queen Victoria building, an imposing and grandeur shopping mall with a huge stained glass
Chalk the Walk
Temporary street art domed roof. Outside one of the malls we all stood around watching a team of Asian kids doing an impressive skipping routine as street entertainment but ended up taking more interest in a guy who was clearly off his face on something who slouched on the floor in his stained shell suit next to the skippers, grinning from ear to ear in delight at the performance and failing miserably to hold onto a Coca Cola cup. Heading down beneath the monorail we walked around Cockle Bay and stopped for a drink at a harbourside bar called the Watershed. Whilst sitting and enjoying a lemon lime bitters a huge glass awning over the bars doorway shattered into millions of pieces above eating diners. Although nobody seemed to care in the slightest, shards of glass we sprayed on every ones tables, under their feet and all over the esplanade.
Moving on around Darling Harbour we went to Chalk the Walk an annual pavement art festival on the swiveling Pyrmont Bridge where artists with multicolored chalky knees carefully applied their designs to the floor. After a bite to eat we continued our walk down to "The Rocks" a charming area of tight
streets and old colonial buildings which was the first settlement established in Sydney where there remains a strong British feel with old sandstone buildings and a collection of Irish drinking establishments. Through the rocks we walked the steps onto the Cahill Expressway and walked all the way over Sydney Harbour Bridge to the Northern side passing incredible views of the city and the Opera House from the massive bridge. At 52,800 tonnes and containing no less than 6 million hand driven rivets, the bridge is an awesome feat of engineering by any standards. Finished in 1932 it is according to the Guiness Book of records, the widest long span bridge in the world and the largest steel arch bridge with the peak of its arch some 134 meters above the water level. On the other side and the affluent suburb of Kirribilli (home of the PM John Howard) we walked down and under the bridge to Luna Park, a luminous theme park around which we saw about 3 wedding couples having their photo shoots done. Refreshing to not be working this time, I found a shot that the official photographer missed in the reflection of the Opera House in the
grill of their shiny Rolls Royce.
After ferry back and a stroll through the Botanical Gardens once more, we popped into the excellent "World bar" in Kings Cross for a drink before returning to watch the second rugby league qualifier between Melbourne Storm and St George Dragons and watch Becky yelping and biting her nails being an avid Dragons fan! Sadly the Dragons lost to an impressive Melbourne side but the star of the game was the hilarious commentator who after a try had been put down between the posts said
That's it, stop running, just put the ball down you Big Unit!
and shortly after a punch-up dissipated said
Why is there always a little guy in the middle... Little guys, jeez they get angry!
Catching the train and then a bus the next morning we headed over to the famous Bondi Beach where only the day before the entire beach had been evacuated for the afternoon because 3 large Tiger Sharks had entered the bay and were prowling the shallows. When we arrived however it was clear that big deadly sharks weren't going to stop people having fun as the beach and the water were packed. Were it not for the hot gale force gusts of wind which sand-blasted our backs we probably would have stayed on the beach but in the
end placed hope in safety in numbers and entered the water to body surf the constant stream of waves. Retreating with all six of our legs to a swanky beachfront bar we watched the glitzy crowd of young beautiful people swarm the streets and sip champagne in their unbeachy party dresses. Bondi is a place to be seen more than anything but despite the pretension it still has an air of grace and a buzzing party vibe at the same time.
That evening being our final night in Sydney Claire and I went for another walk to the surprisingly quiet Circular Quay at night to see the Opera House and Harbour Bridge beautifully lit up. After contemplating our fantastic stay in this great city we grabbed the modern double Decker train back to Kings Cross on which I got rather excited about the seats which flipped over so you can choose which way you face and when we arrived back we met up with Becky once more for a really good meal at Tropicana's. Becky and Simon had been superb hosts during our stay so a huge thank you to them for making our stay so enjoyable and for
Sydney Opera House reflection...
...in the front grill of a Rolls Royce wedding car. taking the time to show us their city. Although it was only a fleeting visit for the sake of our budget, we know we will return in the future to beautiful sunny Sydney.
Setting off in the morning and saying our goodbyes we headed for the airport and our flight to Melbourne, everyone who lives in Sydney tells us it's rubbish but let’s see for ourselves!
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Graham & Barbara
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WOW
Graham and I cant wait to visit New Zealand, your photos are great. Glad you enjoyed Sydney it's a fantastic city and brings back many lovely memories. Love to you both. Alls well with the Johnson clanxxxxxxxxxxxx