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Published: February 13th 2006
The Opera House
This is the view of the opera house from the large windows of the concert hall.Back in September, when I was finalizing all of my flight plans to get back home from Antarctica, I discovered that to get to Hawaii, where I was planning to meet my family for Thanksgiving, from Christchurch I had to fly through Sydney, Australia. The plane ticket that I was flying home on was a government issued one and the rules that came with it said that I would only be able to make one stopover without dramatically increasing the cost of the ticket (which I would have had to pay for myself). Working with the travel agent that was assigned to the Antarctic Program, I discovered that I would be able to have a long layover in Sydney without any additional expenses with the exception of the visa fee. That was great news, because I would be able to spend just under fourteen hours on the ground in Sydney, arriving in the morning and leaving in the evening. I sent an e-mail to my friend Kate, who lived in Sydney, and asked her for some help regarding what to see and do there. In the end I decided to see the opera house and the Rocks in the morning and
The Winning Photo
This is a similar photo to the one that beat my photo many years ago in the photo contest. meet up with Kate for a long lunch in Darling Harbour (it was a work day for her) - I was going to Sydney for Lunch!
My plane landed on time and I made my way through customs without any major problems - They did want to wash the bottom of my boots off since I had been on the farm in New Zealand a few days before, but they then rewarded me by letting me bypass the long line. I bought a roundtrip train ticket into the city and I was off. The train made quick work of the journey into town and I got off at the Circular Quay between the Rocks and the Sydney Opera House. I headed straight for the opera house enjoying the waterfront activity as I went. There were lots of tourists, much like myself, slowly strolling along the sidewalks, there were business people making their way to work from the ferry terminals and there were flies - Lots of them. At first I thought the flies were the same voracious sand flies I had encountered in New Zealand and I actively shooed them away, but when I realized they didn’t bite I
Beautiful Tile Work
The tile on the opera house appears to be white from a distance, but it is actually two different colors. stopped paying attention to them.
The opera house itself occupied most of a narrow peninsula of land called Bennelong Point. The building was designed by Jørn Utzon, an architect from Denmark, who was inspired by the spectacular location and came up with a strange and unique design that complimented the surrounding maritime landscape - I have even heard some people describe the towering roof structure as sails. When I arrived at the opera house, I walked around the outside admiring the “sails” and the beautiful views of the harbor. There was a lot of commotion outside as a large workforce disassembled the stage from a performance that happened the previous evening - I learned later the set was from the Australian version of the Idol TV show (I’m glad I missed that). A long search led me to the ticket counter where I signed up for the next tour and I enjoyed a fresh squeezed orange juice that came with the ticket while I waited for it to start. The first thing I learned about the opera house was that it was more than one venue, more than just an opera house - Before I took the tour, every
The Roof Structure
The roof structure of the opera house is impressive - It would have been a lot of fun to build. time I saw a picture of the building I would sit and try to imagine what the inside looked like with the strange, multi-sailed roofline (my engineering mind let me down on this one). Our well-spoken guide led us through the different venues and explained all of the intricate design details and the types of performances that could be enjoyed in each. He also shared several of his most memorable experiences from his many years associated with the opera house - Stories that only an insider could have. Our first stop was the concert hall, which was the largest venue, where we took in the spectacular view of the harbor from the big windows in the reception area at the back of the hall. When we went into the concert hall itself, we were treated to a small rehearsal by part of the orchestra. We took our seats in the back of the hall and listened to the symphonic sounds of the rehearsal while our guide quietly told us about the hall - He told us that the materials, which were uniformly used throughout the opera house, were carefully selected for their acoustical properties. He pointed out the large performance
The Rocks
The Rocks is the historic district of Sydney. The narrow streets are filled with colonial buildings and trees. area and the giant pipe organ that occupied the wall behind it. The lines of the concert hall’s golden-orange walls and ceiling seemed to radiate from the pipe organ in a way that lent a comfortable atmosphere to the hall and ensured that there was not a bad seat in the house. After our brief semi-performance, we stepped outside, between the two main roof sails, where I was confronted with a familiar sight - Several years ago I had entered a travel photography contest where a detail picture of the opera house won over my surreal, stormy Andean landscape photo (It is still one of the most magical vistas I have ever seen). Standing there with the same view in front of me helped me to understand the judges’ decision a little better. As the tour progressed through the remaining venues, our guide pointed out the unique concrete structure of the roof sails, the tiles covering the outside of the building and new construction that was being done under the watchful eyes of Utzon and his son - Utzon resigned prior to the completion of the original construction due to major budget problems, but has now been re-engaged for several
A Narrow, Shady Road
One of the many shady streets in the Rocks. projects at the opera house. As the tour ended, I left the opera house wishing I had enough time to see a full performance, but that would have to wait until next time.
From the opera house I headed into the Rocks, which is Sydney’s historical district at the foot of the Sydney Harbor Bridge. I walked back and fourth along the narrow streets enjoying the colonial architecture and the park-like setting as I went. Not having time to cross the bridge, I decided to walk to Dawes Point Park by the south pylon of the bridge. From there I enjoyed a spectacular view of the opera house across the harbor and watched a flock of noisy, multi-colored birds (lorikeets?) play in the trees. I slowly made my way along the waterfront back to the Circular Quay enjoying what had turned into a beautiful, sunny day.
As planned, I met my friend Kate at the ferry terminal and we boarded a boat to Darling Harbour (Australian Spelling). We picked a nice spot in the sun on the rear upper deck of the ferry and took a seat. From the back of the boat, we could see excellent views
Palm Trees
Palm trees along the waterfront of Sydney Harbor. of the opera house as we headed under the harbor bridge. We passed the Ferris wheel and the giant, somewhat creepy carnival face at the entrance of Luna Park and, as we entered Darling Harbour, we passed the tall ship Bounty that was used in the movie, ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ along with several others at the Maritime Museum. Shopping, dining, museums, the aquarium and a great nightlife meant Darling Harbour had something to offer everyone. We were there for lunch, so we followed the wide, active sidewalk along the edge of Cockle Bay to Harbourside where we grabbed sandwiches and watched all of the waterfront activities - There were small, colorful, rubber-tired trains collecting people to take them to the aquarium, there were a lot of people, like us, who were eating their lunch in the sunshine and there were the accompanying flocks of seagulls comically working the crowd, looking for their next meal. After lunch, we headed across Pyrmont Bridge and into the business district of Sydney, where Kate worked. We said our farewells in front of the grand, columned façade of No. 1 Martin Place and I headed back to Darling Harbour and the Maritime Museum.
A Sydney Resident
This gull was sitting there enjoying the view of the opera house across the bay. My main reason for wanting to see the Maritime Museum was the working replica of Captain Cook’s Bark Endeavour - The boat he used on his first voyage of discovery (1768-1771) when he visited Tahiti, New Zealand and East Australia. The replica at the museum has circumnavigated the world twice, so it is an accurate and fully operational wooden sailing ship. I toured the ship’s deck and cramped living quarters and I wondered what it would be like to actually go on a long voyage of discovery - I have been considering taking an eight week cruise from S. America to Africa via Antarctica on a bark built in the early 1900’s and being on the Endeavour made me want to go even more! I left the Endeavour with dreams of climbing through the rigging, fighting wild, tempestuous oceans and spotting new, mysterious lands. I made my way down the harbor to where the Bounty was moored and studied it briefly before heading into the museum to see an Antarctic photo display and a large collection of maritime artifacts.
From the museum, I headed back into the city to Hyde Park and its grand fountains and towering fig trees.
The Sydney Opera House
This is the view the gull was seeing. Actually it is the view from the ferry as we went under the harbor bridge. I walked along the shady pathways through the park for about half an hour and then I made my way over to St. Mary’s Cathedral, which was a magnificent gothic structure of yellowish stone. Regrettably, I didn’t have time to explore the church, because it was time to head back to the airport. Walking back through the park, on my way to the train station, I stopped at the impressive Archibald Fountain and I took one last look around the city - I will definitely have to come back and stay awhile. Later that evening I sank into my seat on the 747 bound for Honolulu and drifted off to sleep knowing that I would wake up in the morning of November 22nd for the second day in a row.
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Kate
non-member comment
I Heart Sydney
So glad to hear that you enjoyed the day in Sydney. I did my best to fit in what I could in the space of two hours. Your photos turned out well too! Hope you're keeping well, K