Sensation - Smiths Swim Sharkless in Sydney

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Days 19-23 Monday 16 - Friday 20 Feb Sydney

When we hit the western suburbs of Sydney it was about 10 degrees warmer. An instructive way in to the city. Part motorway, part clogged urban road, the Paramatta Road looked everything affluent, waterside Sydney is not. Run down, often boarded up shops. Scrapyards and ‘automotive’ products. Graffiti and rubbish. Motels (‘clean and affordable’ surely means filthy and cheep??) you wouldn’t want your kids to stay in. Goodbye western suburbs, sorry we can’t stay - we want the Sydney of everyone’s imagination.
We got it. The weather improved over the week and for three days the sky was clear and blue. We dinged our go anywhere but Manly bus and ferry tickets ($34 for a week - a bargain. Tip: Avoid the tourist Explorer buses. Get yourself bus maps. Eastern and Northern sections are enough, unless you want a used car and a dodgy pub in Paramatta. Our 11th floor hotel balcony (Cambridge Hotel, Riley Street) gave us views across the CBD and a glimpse and a glint of the Opera House and the water.

They’ve done their best to mess up the waterfront on Sydney, or at least to cut the city off from it. The Cahill Expressway comes off the Harbour Bridge and, Bournemouth-like, hovers over Circular Quay, the best city transport hub I know. Get a bus to anywhere from here. Even better, get a ferry to most places from here. Undecided about your next move in Sydney? Get a ferry or two. Get on the next ferry at random. As long as you don’t pick one going to Darling Harbour, you won’t be disappointed. To be fair on Darling Harbour, it’s impressive till you get up close and personal and it does have the wonderful Aquarium where you can walk through a glass tunnel and watch sharks wishing they were chasing surfers at Bondi. Bit too concretey and Novotelish for me, but the water and sky make anywhere in Sydney at least OK, particularly when you’re watching others grabbing a sandwich by the water during a working day.

We explored Milsom’s Point and walked past the rich people’s waterside houses around Mosman Bay. We took a ferry to Watson’s Bay with beach kit in the bag. All the other European (and Australian) baby boomer wrinklies were doing the same that morning. A walk to South Head lighthouse, a dip in Camp Cove. Try not to look down as you walk past Lady Bay - gay, nudy beach. A snooze and a read on the grassy headland where the First Fleet first landed in Sydney Harbour in 1788 (‘Scuse me, mate, is there anywhere we can get some decent fish and chips round here? We’re knackered from all this bloody sailing and exploring and some of the lads have got a bit of scurvy.... Convicts? Yeah, we’ve brought some with us, but I promise they’ll behave. They’ll be as good as gold once they’ve had a plateful of barramundi and chilli sauce.) Luckily for Governor Phillip, there is the famous Doyle’s at Watson’s Bay, who sell (very good) fish and chips to takeaway and to white tablecloth customers 24/7. Apart from the fishnchip business, the Doyles own most of Watson’s Bay, it seems, including a hotel where you can stay, eat, drink and bet. Horses, dogs, football or pokies (=fruit machines)- the choice is yours. Mr Doyle has other outlets across Sydney, including one on the city waterfront, without the pokies. A bit like Harry Ramsden’s at Scarborough……but only a bit. Compare and contrast South Bay, Scarborough and Watson’s Bay, Sydney. I dare you.

Friday. Last day in Sydney. Perfect day. Rosie’s Aussie perfect paradise spot on perfect weather day. Balmoral Beach. Bus across city just post rush hour. An hour in Museum of Sydney - more Captain Cook and Harbour Bridge, amongst other things. Walk to Circular Quay - breakfast. Ferry to Taronga Zoo. Bus from Zoo to Balmoral Beach. Find a spot on sand shaded by rocks. Snooze, read, dip. Try to look as if not bothered about sharks. Notice that shark net (it was there in 2005) has been removed. Try to look as if don’t really need a shark net. We never had them at Filey. Why here? Sharks absent. Patronise Bathers’ Pavilion for cold drinks and panini (one each). Get feet slightly burnt. Can feel hole in ozone layer on legs. Notice most people in shade, apart from red Brit family. Idyllic ferry ride across to city for final Sydney food and trying to cram all extra acquired bits of stuff into golf bag. Succeed. NZ here we come.

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Comments

[Alan]

I liked the plural of panina
You ticked that in rather neatly at the end, I noticed. Having just declined to shop at a place in Newbury that would have offended Mike's Italian instincts, I instantly noticed the connection. (I'm sure there's a big word for that but then shucks, I'm an engineer not an English or Italian graduate). So it all looks pretty good down there, does it? I hope that the Milford Sound in NZ produces another good blog. Great to hear from you both