Stunning Sydney

 Without doubt one of the highlights or our trip was Sydney. 

We managed to visit twice, once pre-planned and once on our cruise around New Zealand! More on that in later blogs. I`ll incorporate both sets of photos into this blog.  I know people visiting Australia often say they`d live there given the choice but Sydney was probably the only city we visited that I`d even think about and then possibly reject for the very humid weather we saw in parts of our trip. Just wasn`t prepared for that!

We arrived fresh from our train journey thankful for a comfortable bed and a solid night`s sleep.Our hotel was conveniently situated downtown and our first day we walked to Darling Harbour to get the ferry round into Sydney harbour. Wow! To go in under the bridge and see the Opera House that we`d seen so man times on TV was fantastic. Again we were amazed at the public transfer system and ferries in particular. A father and son on the wharf took us through the various options on paying and ended up having to use the ticket machine as we only had one card with us and needed a card each for the cheapest tap and go option. Travel was half price for the weekends too!

People were walking the bridge as we passed

As you can see from the pictures storm clouds were gathering and as we looked around the Opera House we heard a terrific peel of thunder. On exiting we found the rain was stotting 6 inches off the ground and Opera Bar tables, where of course we sheltered with a cocktail under the covered section.

Back at the hotel later after the storm finished and allowed us to walk through town we hit the bar happy hour before having a very good thali in a curry house virtually next door for a great price.

The next day was sunny and humid and it was off to Taronga Zoo to get that picture of Nana and Poppa with a kangaroo demanded by Jessica.Not the best zoo I`ve ever visited with some very small, bare compounds and some tired old looking animals. The lion section was still closed to the public after a recent escape by 2 cubs and an older male that got the city worried for a time!

Tasmanian Devil

I`d arranged a plane skywriter at great expense!

On getting back to Sydney Harbour we met up with old work colleague David, soon joined by partner Andrew. A few Opera Bar drinks later they invited us back to their gorgeous apartment complete with huge balconies  patios,  the use of 2 pools , a gym and magnificent gardens out in the suburbs. They were so kind and generously treated us to a lovely dinner in their local telling us what else we needed to do in Sydney.

Great day out. 

Driving across the Sydney Bridge twice with David and Andrew gave me an opportunity to compare it with the Tyne Bridge and whilst on the subject the definitive which came first and which was the original! Of course the Geordie myth is that the Sydney Bridge,3 x longer and nearly twice as high as the Tyne, was modelled on the Tyne Bridge which was completed 4 years before the Sydney Bridge opened. The Tyne Bridge will be 100 in 2028. Now the Australians, ncluding one man I discussed it with on the cruise, felt that JJC Bradfield designed it but it and have areas named after him declaring such. He was involved but everything I`ve read states that London firm Mott , Hay and Anderson ( Channel Tunnel later), designed it and both were built by Middlesbrough contractors Dorman Long & Co with Ralph Freeman (whose son, also Ralph Freeman, designed the Humber Bridge) as consulting engineer. The Sydney Bridge took over 8 years to build whilst the Tyne Bridge took only three. Thus although Sydney accepted and approved the final plans a year before work on the Newcastle one started and had started pre-digs the year before that. In that was Sydney Bridge was first but it`s how you finish and thus I could arguie that the Tyne Bridge came first having been completed by 1928, four years before the Sydney Bridge was finished. 

In reality the common company was able to use the Tyne Bridge as a trial run for the bigger job in Sydney. Getting up close to it there were a lot of differences in fact, with much more detail in the steelwork - no doubt due to the greater size. To the independent observer of course you`d have to accept the superiority of the Tyne Bridge given it`s location and proximity to the other bridges of the Tyne making it part of a whole! :-).

It was a lovely day and made such a difference seeing a typical suburb and talking to locals on their perceptions of the city as well as catching up on all the old work gossip and where people were now.

The next day in Sydney we walked in via Hyde Park and the Botanical Gardens. So beautiful and well maintained with staff everywhere. The Anzac Monument was one of the largest of the many many we`d seen and again immaculately maintained.

Sydney Anzac Monument

It didn`t happen!

One of the "dippers"

Then it was off to Manly Beach, as recommended by David and Andrew. Seemingly it has taken over as the beach of choice by most with Bondi being very much of the 70`s. It was certainly harder to get there with a one hour bus ride and infrequent service so half price ferry to Manly it was. Saturday was the wrong day to visit though! So full of people - especially stag groups / gangs of young people  we saw later struggling along with boxes of beer under their arms. So busy getting back to Sydney with the ferry queues!

When the sign came out it was everyone out of the water!

These lizards were everywhere

On the trip we woke up next day to head to Melbourne for a stay prior to our cruise but I`ll add photos of the day we unexpectedly spent in Sydney later in the cruise when things did not go as planned! Suffice to say that one of the benefits of the cruise going wrong was the opportunity to re-visit and dock in Sydney which we welcomed.

Back again with the ship

Coming back with the ship I was up early at around 5.30 am to ensure I did not miss the spectacle of sailing into Sydney Harbour. I`d expected to be alone but at least 70 people were there on deck before me ( whilst Sue slumbered) and I had to jostle for space at the rails to get some shots off. It was lovely later to spend time at night on the harbour where the scenes were spectacular and the Opera Bar again crowded! We were even able to get a video call in to the family for the first time in real time.

Loved watching people pay the $328 to walk the Bridge!

During that day we`d followed another tip from Andrew and David to visit Watson`s Bay using the ferry again. A lovely little bay that offered the chance for great views of the harbour as we sailed out and back in, weaving our way through the many sailing boats out for the day.

Loved Sydney so much. What we hadn`t appreciated about it was the range of bays and places you could go to by ferry from the harbour and how integral all the transport is to it. We hadn`t realised that the Opera House was in fact 3 different buildings rather than the one outline we always see here on tv!