Thank you for a great holiday, Sydney
Oct 20th, 2012, 03:40 PM
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Thank you for a great holiday, Sydney
Oh, what a great city Sydney is. How could I ever have thought it was uninteresting? We had a wonderful, very busy fortnight there, discovering even more activities than I had planned for, meaning we will just have to return!
For the first four days we stayed in a hotel in Park Road, between Elizabeth and Pitt Streets, with a great view of Hyde Park and the Night Noodle Markets from the bathroom window! The hotel was centrally located for transport to Darling Harbour and Circular Quay, very necessary for me as I was still on antibiotics and had not fully regained my strength and energy.
The weather while we were there was warm (one day reaching 30°C) and sunny apart from a couple of days in the second week when it was cool and/or wet for part of the day. That didn’t stop us though.
We arrived in Sydney at 7:20am on Sunday 30 September (daylight saving start in NZ) and by the time we were through Customs, etc, my sister was waiting for us. She drove us to the hotel where we left our bags in storage as it was too early to check in, then we went to Bondi Beach for breakfast, a wander along the beach and a quick look inside the Pavilion. Even at 9:15am Bondi was humming. We had planned to go back but ran out of time!
Once we had checked in and had a wee rest – no time for a longer rest! – we headed out to the beautiful Queen Victoria Building, and spent a couple of hours wandering around in there. There was an amazing Lego train and track set up which attracted many observers, both old and young. From there we walked through to Pitt Street and the Mall complete with street entertainers. We made several trips to Pitt Street and Mall during our fortnight.
So what else did we do?
A day at Darling Harbour. The Monorail to Darling Harbour and a walk across the Pyrmont Bridge, musing on the reason for two sets of gates that were locked open (watch for the revolving section in the middle), brought us to the Australian Maritime Museum. We wandered around the displays outside the Museum – the submarine HMAS Onslow, an oberon class sub is permanently moored alongside the HMAS Vampire, a daring class destroyer, and the HMAS Advance, an attack class patrol boat plus a mixture of smaller boats that were involved in the war efforts in some way. The Endeavour replica is also on display here as are the “James Craig” (a barque built in 1874 in Sunderland, England, originally names Clan MacLeod, renamed James Craig in 1905) and the “Carpentaria” (one of 4 lightships built 1916 / 1917 at the Cockatoo Island Dockyard). Parents and children were looking through the Cape Bowling Lighthouse which has been moved here.
Inside the Museum there are some interesting displays, too although I found the external display more interesting.
Back across the Pyrmont Bridge to Wildlife World. This is a place I spent a good two hours in last year, and this year was no different. However, there have been some changes while they are introducing new exhibits, and some of the birds I wanted to see again we were unable to access. My DH was amazed to see koalas, wallabies and a wombat so close to the CBD! The Aquarium was next, and it too seems to have undergone/is undergoing changes. Once again I didn’t see the platypus but we did get to spend some quality time watching the Dugong!
A cruise on the Parramatta River. A friend at school recommended this trip, so we headed to Circular Quay and bought tickets. You can only purchase one-way tickets which seemed a little strange, and I couldn’t quite figure the explanation. This is an interesting trip, passing some incredibly large and imposing properties on the waterfront, past Goat and Cockatoo Islands before entering the Parramatta River and its many mangroves. Of course you can see other trees, housing and factories, too. There are stops along the way such as Kissing Point and Meadowbank but the first stop we made was at Rydalmere, about 10 minutes from Parramatta. Once at Parramatta we were required to disembark. You are able to join the back of the queue for a return trip if there is room, or wait for the next ferry. Sometimes, as we discovered, the water level is too low for the ferry to leave from Parramatta so a bus takes you to Rydalmere to connect with the ferry.
Circular Quay and The Rocks. We just loved this area, spending time over several days just strolling around or sitting watching people while licking a Royal Copenhagen ice-cream. We explored The Rocks area - the beautiful old buildings which include the old warehouses which now house an Aboriginal Art shop and the Ken Done Art Gallery amongst others (there is a great clock-tower atop these warehouses that is still functional), the tri-sculpture representing the first people to arrive in The Rocks, Cadman’s Cottage, and so many old buildings that make up the shopping area.
We wandered to the Opera House and as we had both been inside before, we walked right around this time. Alterations are being made to the outside at present, but we were still able to go in at a lower level to look for the plaques that commemorate the opening of the Sydney Opera House – 39 years ago yesterday, the same day as our son was born!
We ran out of time to go through the Royal Botanic Gardens - next time.
Ferry to Manly. We were a bit late in the day to do more than spend an hour or so over here, but it is a great place to visit. We walked along The Corso to the beach, very populated by families, young teenagers, and the odd older couple. We have collected several brochures with things to do for next time.
For the first four days we stayed in a hotel in Park Road, between Elizabeth and Pitt Streets, with a great view of Hyde Park and the Night Noodle Markets from the bathroom window! The hotel was centrally located for transport to Darling Harbour and Circular Quay, very necessary for me as I was still on antibiotics and had not fully regained my strength and energy.
The weather while we were there was warm (one day reaching 30°C) and sunny apart from a couple of days in the second week when it was cool and/or wet for part of the day. That didn’t stop us though.
We arrived in Sydney at 7:20am on Sunday 30 September (daylight saving start in NZ) and by the time we were through Customs, etc, my sister was waiting for us. She drove us to the hotel where we left our bags in storage as it was too early to check in, then we went to Bondi Beach for breakfast, a wander along the beach and a quick look inside the Pavilion. Even at 9:15am Bondi was humming. We had planned to go back but ran out of time!
Once we had checked in and had a wee rest – no time for a longer rest! – we headed out to the beautiful Queen Victoria Building, and spent a couple of hours wandering around in there. There was an amazing Lego train and track set up which attracted many observers, both old and young. From there we walked through to Pitt Street and the Mall complete with street entertainers. We made several trips to Pitt Street and Mall during our fortnight.
So what else did we do?
A day at Darling Harbour. The Monorail to Darling Harbour and a walk across the Pyrmont Bridge, musing on the reason for two sets of gates that were locked open (watch for the revolving section in the middle), brought us to the Australian Maritime Museum. We wandered around the displays outside the Museum – the submarine HMAS Onslow, an oberon class sub is permanently moored alongside the HMAS Vampire, a daring class destroyer, and the HMAS Advance, an attack class patrol boat plus a mixture of smaller boats that were involved in the war efforts in some way. The Endeavour replica is also on display here as are the “James Craig” (a barque built in 1874 in Sunderland, England, originally names Clan MacLeod, renamed James Craig in 1905) and the “Carpentaria” (one of 4 lightships built 1916 / 1917 at the Cockatoo Island Dockyard). Parents and children were looking through the Cape Bowling Lighthouse which has been moved here.
Inside the Museum there are some interesting displays, too although I found the external display more interesting.
Back across the Pyrmont Bridge to Wildlife World. This is a place I spent a good two hours in last year, and this year was no different. However, there have been some changes while they are introducing new exhibits, and some of the birds I wanted to see again we were unable to access. My DH was amazed to see koalas, wallabies and a wombat so close to the CBD! The Aquarium was next, and it too seems to have undergone/is undergoing changes. Once again I didn’t see the platypus but we did get to spend some quality time watching the Dugong!
A cruise on the Parramatta River. A friend at school recommended this trip, so we headed to Circular Quay and bought tickets. You can only purchase one-way tickets which seemed a little strange, and I couldn’t quite figure the explanation. This is an interesting trip, passing some incredibly large and imposing properties on the waterfront, past Goat and Cockatoo Islands before entering the Parramatta River and its many mangroves. Of course you can see other trees, housing and factories, too. There are stops along the way such as Kissing Point and Meadowbank but the first stop we made was at Rydalmere, about 10 minutes from Parramatta. Once at Parramatta we were required to disembark. You are able to join the back of the queue for a return trip if there is room, or wait for the next ferry. Sometimes, as we discovered, the water level is too low for the ferry to leave from Parramatta so a bus takes you to Rydalmere to connect with the ferry.
Circular Quay and The Rocks. We just loved this area, spending time over several days just strolling around or sitting watching people while licking a Royal Copenhagen ice-cream. We explored The Rocks area - the beautiful old buildings which include the old warehouses which now house an Aboriginal Art shop and the Ken Done Art Gallery amongst others (there is a great clock-tower atop these warehouses that is still functional), the tri-sculpture representing the first people to arrive in The Rocks, Cadman’s Cottage, and so many old buildings that make up the shopping area.
We wandered to the Opera House and as we had both been inside before, we walked right around this time. Alterations are being made to the outside at present, but we were still able to go in at a lower level to look for the plaques that commemorate the opening of the Sydney Opera House – 39 years ago yesterday, the same day as our son was born!
We ran out of time to go through the Royal Botanic Gardens - next time.
Ferry to Manly. We were a bit late in the day to do more than spend an hour or so over here, but it is a great place to visit. We walked along The Corso to the beach, very populated by families, young teenagers, and the odd older couple. We have collected several brochures with things to do for next time.
Oct 20th, 2012, 04:43 PM
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Glad you enjoyed it. For a city, it is not too bad, given its short history by world standards.
If you look up my profile you will see a thread I started called "Sydney or Melbourne". You should enjoy it now that you have been. It is quotes from a traveller in 1883. None too flattering, though.
If you look up my profile you will see a thread I started called "Sydney or Melbourne". You should enjoy it now that you have been. It is quotes from a traveller in 1883. None too flattering, though.
Oct 20th, 2012, 05:37 PM
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Will look that up, Peter. I have also been to Melbourne many times so will enjoy the comments - I hope!
The second instalment:
Hyde Park. A lovely place to just leisurely stroll through but also to access other sites such as the Anzac Memorial – my DH found an interesting display inside, The Hyde Park Barracks museum – definitely worth a visit to learn about the building’s (and Sydney’s) history from being built in 1817 -1819 as a Male Convicts Barracks through Female Immigration Depot, an Asylum for aged, infirm and destitute women through to use by the Courts and Government Offices, to finally becoming the Museum it is today, St Mary’s Cathedral, The Mint Museum, and even the Law Courts. Of course, it is also a peaceful place to just sit and people-watch, eat some lunch or simply relax.
Art and About photographic displays were on either side of the path from William Street to the fountain, and children’s photos were displayed under the pergolas in the Sandringham Gardens.
From here we walked through to Pitt Street Mall, and found a pleasant place to eat in Sydney Arcade – Chrysler is the name of the place.
Police and Justice Museum. Located at the bottom of Phillip Street, the block up from Circular Quay. It takes about 1 ½ to 2 hours to go through. Very interesting displays well presented.
Cruise from Cronulla up Port Hacking to weir at Audley. This trip was a 3-hour cruise on the Tom Thumb III, a small ferry built and commissioned in 1946. (Another ferry moored at Cronulla was the Currunulla, built and commissioned in 1938, and the oldest ferry still in use in Australia. It transports passengers between Cronulla and Bundeena [although on Sunday 7 October the crew were not guaranteeing the boat would be running all day because of the big waves and swells being whipped up])
The cruise hugs the coastline of Bate Bay into Port Hacking and around the shores of the river. There are some amazing properties with a colourful history through here, some great boatsheds, and some interesting boats with history. The Nimbus is the oldest boat in Port Hacking, built in 1883; the Seawind was in Australia, and was once stolen by a Kiwi who thought he’d sail it to NZ even though he had never sailed before; the Imogen which is one of the oldest steamboats in the world, and the 5th to be fitted with steam turbine.
The cruise passes by/through the Royal National Park which was formed in 1879, and is the 2nd oldest in the world behind Yellowstone. It became the Royal National Park in 1955.
We were lucky to be able to go through to the Audley Weir.
The names of a couple of the bays we passed through; Yowie Bay, Leg of Mutton Bay.
The commentary was fantastic, and there was continual access to tea and coffee during the three hours. There were also toilets on board! Would recommend this cruise.
Cockatoo Island. A short ferry ride from Circular Quay takes you to this island steeped in some of Sydney’s earliest history. Prior to 1839 it was frequented by sulphur-crested cockatoos, and the local Aboriginal people. In 1839 it was chosen as the site of a new penal establishment to take excess convicts from Norfolk Island. From 1880 to 1930 it became shipyards which in 1913 became the Commonwealth Naval Dockyard. Shipbuilding and repairs continued until 1992. Since 2007 the public have been allowed to visit the island, which is 500 metres long, 360 metrtes wide and 18 hectares in area. On the lower level of the island is the slipway, and the remains of the PowerHouse, the Sewerage Treatment Plant, and wharves with their disused cranes. On the upper level is where the housing was, and still is. There are several well-maintained homes that appear to be rental properties or weekenders, plus a couple that seem worse for wear. The remains of the military barracks are still standing, as are many buildings related to industry on the island. We found it a very interesting place to visit.
Kings Cross. On my first visit to Sydney in 1987 I stayed in the Springfield Lodge, and then again a few years later with DH we stayed there. DH wanted to see around the area again. It has been cleaned up considerably and places have changed. When I stayed in 1987 there was a restaurant on the corner where my friend and I had pumpkin soup for breakfast just because we could! It’s not there anymore. Even the restaurant at the end of Darlinghurst Road near El Alamein fountain, where we had a couple of very enjoyable dinners and saw Richard Attenborough on one of our visits, was closed for refurbishment.
The British Lolly Shop was a good find.
Watsons Bay. I had to take DH here and have some grilled barramundi after enjoying the ferry trip last year, and the meal at the hotel. Unfortunately our shopping took longer than expected and so we were later getting to the ferry terminal than intended. In fact we caught the last outbound ferry for the day, and so only the Fisherman’s Wharf was open. We did manage to get some lunch there though including my grilled barra. After eating we walked up to The Gap, had a look around and caught the bus into Circular Quay.
Coast South from Cronulla. We were going to have lunch further down the coast but unfortunately just as we headed through Cronulla it started to rain. My sister decided to carry on, but unfortunately the weather became worse – rain so heavy it was almost impossible to see through the windscreen, and winds. At Thirroul we decided it was coffee time, and we made the decision to head back towards Sydney via the Illawarra Escarpment. The coast will still be there next trip.
Sydney Harbour Bridge. Among other things I have a fear of heights, and especially those over water, so I was not going to do the Bridge Climb. Thankfully DH didn’t want to, but did like the idea of walking the lower/street level, so it was with fear and trepidation I joined him. What a woose I am! However, I just LOVED the walk, and although I didn’t look down over the side very often I did take lots of photos using the gap between the railings on top of the wall to get clear pictures. When we had had a bite to eat DH suggested we walk back across but sadly my feet and legs were too tired – during the morning we had walked up and down about a million steps before even reaching the bridge stairs! – so we caught the train back. Next time we will walk both ways.
Cafes / restaurants where we enjoyed good food:
Chrysler Café in Sydney Arcade, at the top of Pitt Street Mall
Freckle Face Café in Milsons Point
Max Brenner – for dark hot chocolate!
Fratelli del Mare in Cronulla
Gianni’s Italian restaurant, also in Cronulla – my favourite
Rossini’s on Circular Quay – loved their omelette, coffee, hot chocolate
A little café in next to Cole’s in Southgate Mall – their melts are so delicious
A selection of photos to come, probably tomorrow.
As I said at the beginning, I had planned a lot but so much of it didn’t happen because of other possibilities presenting themselves unexpectedly. We will be back, Sydney.
The second instalment:
Hyde Park. A lovely place to just leisurely stroll through but also to access other sites such as the Anzac Memorial – my DH found an interesting display inside, The Hyde Park Barracks museum – definitely worth a visit to learn about the building’s (and Sydney’s) history from being built in 1817 -1819 as a Male Convicts Barracks through Female Immigration Depot, an Asylum for aged, infirm and destitute women through to use by the Courts and Government Offices, to finally becoming the Museum it is today, St Mary’s Cathedral, The Mint Museum, and even the Law Courts. Of course, it is also a peaceful place to just sit and people-watch, eat some lunch or simply relax.
Art and About photographic displays were on either side of the path from William Street to the fountain, and children’s photos were displayed under the pergolas in the Sandringham Gardens.
From here we walked through to Pitt Street Mall, and found a pleasant place to eat in Sydney Arcade – Chrysler is the name of the place.
Police and Justice Museum. Located at the bottom of Phillip Street, the block up from Circular Quay. It takes about 1 ½ to 2 hours to go through. Very interesting displays well presented.
Cruise from Cronulla up Port Hacking to weir at Audley. This trip was a 3-hour cruise on the Tom Thumb III, a small ferry built and commissioned in 1946. (Another ferry moored at Cronulla was the Currunulla, built and commissioned in 1938, and the oldest ferry still in use in Australia. It transports passengers between Cronulla and Bundeena [although on Sunday 7 October the crew were not guaranteeing the boat would be running all day because of the big waves and swells being whipped up])
The cruise hugs the coastline of Bate Bay into Port Hacking and around the shores of the river. There are some amazing properties with a colourful history through here, some great boatsheds, and some interesting boats with history. The Nimbus is the oldest boat in Port Hacking, built in 1883; the Seawind was in Australia, and was once stolen by a Kiwi who thought he’d sail it to NZ even though he had never sailed before; the Imogen which is one of the oldest steamboats in the world, and the 5th to be fitted with steam turbine.
The cruise passes by/through the Royal National Park which was formed in 1879, and is the 2nd oldest in the world behind Yellowstone. It became the Royal National Park in 1955.
We were lucky to be able to go through to the Audley Weir.
The names of a couple of the bays we passed through; Yowie Bay, Leg of Mutton Bay.
The commentary was fantastic, and there was continual access to tea and coffee during the three hours. There were also toilets on board! Would recommend this cruise.
Cockatoo Island. A short ferry ride from Circular Quay takes you to this island steeped in some of Sydney’s earliest history. Prior to 1839 it was frequented by sulphur-crested cockatoos, and the local Aboriginal people. In 1839 it was chosen as the site of a new penal establishment to take excess convicts from Norfolk Island. From 1880 to 1930 it became shipyards which in 1913 became the Commonwealth Naval Dockyard. Shipbuilding and repairs continued until 1992. Since 2007 the public have been allowed to visit the island, which is 500 metres long, 360 metrtes wide and 18 hectares in area. On the lower level of the island is the slipway, and the remains of the PowerHouse, the Sewerage Treatment Plant, and wharves with their disused cranes. On the upper level is where the housing was, and still is. There are several well-maintained homes that appear to be rental properties or weekenders, plus a couple that seem worse for wear. The remains of the military barracks are still standing, as are many buildings related to industry on the island. We found it a very interesting place to visit.
Kings Cross. On my first visit to Sydney in 1987 I stayed in the Springfield Lodge, and then again a few years later with DH we stayed there. DH wanted to see around the area again. It has been cleaned up considerably and places have changed. When I stayed in 1987 there was a restaurant on the corner where my friend and I had pumpkin soup for breakfast just because we could! It’s not there anymore. Even the restaurant at the end of Darlinghurst Road near El Alamein fountain, where we had a couple of very enjoyable dinners and saw Richard Attenborough on one of our visits, was closed for refurbishment.
The British Lolly Shop was a good find.
Watsons Bay. I had to take DH here and have some grilled barramundi after enjoying the ferry trip last year, and the meal at the hotel. Unfortunately our shopping took longer than expected and so we were later getting to the ferry terminal than intended. In fact we caught the last outbound ferry for the day, and so only the Fisherman’s Wharf was open. We did manage to get some lunch there though including my grilled barra. After eating we walked up to The Gap, had a look around and caught the bus into Circular Quay.
Coast South from Cronulla. We were going to have lunch further down the coast but unfortunately just as we headed through Cronulla it started to rain. My sister decided to carry on, but unfortunately the weather became worse – rain so heavy it was almost impossible to see through the windscreen, and winds. At Thirroul we decided it was coffee time, and we made the decision to head back towards Sydney via the Illawarra Escarpment. The coast will still be there next trip.
Sydney Harbour Bridge. Among other things I have a fear of heights, and especially those over water, so I was not going to do the Bridge Climb. Thankfully DH didn’t want to, but did like the idea of walking the lower/street level, so it was with fear and trepidation I joined him. What a woose I am! However, I just LOVED the walk, and although I didn’t look down over the side very often I did take lots of photos using the gap between the railings on top of the wall to get clear pictures. When we had had a bite to eat DH suggested we walk back across but sadly my feet and legs were too tired – during the morning we had walked up and down about a million steps before even reaching the bridge stairs! – so we caught the train back. Next time we will walk both ways.
Cafes / restaurants where we enjoyed good food:
Chrysler Café in Sydney Arcade, at the top of Pitt Street Mall
Freckle Face Café in Milsons Point
Max Brenner – for dark hot chocolate!
Fratelli del Mare in Cronulla
Gianni’s Italian restaurant, also in Cronulla – my favourite
Rossini’s on Circular Quay – loved their omelette, coffee, hot chocolate
A little café in next to Cole’s in Southgate Mall – their melts are so delicious
A selection of photos to come, probably tomorrow.
As I said at the beginning, I had planned a lot but so much of it didn’t happen because of other possibilities presenting themselves unexpectedly. We will be back, Sydney.
Oct 27th, 2012, 08:59 PM
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Had a bit of a hiccup trying to insert photos on world is round but hopefully all is now okay. Below is the link to some photos taken on our trip to Sydney. Dot
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/375202/index.html
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/375202/index.html
Nov 11th, 2012, 07:33 AM
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It does indeed sound like a great holiday Dotty! Every time I read one of these reports I want to get back to Sydney. I find it a very accessible city, loved it. I also found the Hyde Park Barracks to be one of the more interesting museums that I have visited.
The Parrametta cruise and the Tom Thumb cruise just got added to the list of things I would like to do should I ever get back
The Parrametta cruise and the Tom Thumb cruise just got added to the list of things I would like to do should I ever get back
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