It may well have been lunacy to book flights to Sydney the day after getting back from the UK, but my gamble paid off as I only seem to get jetlag going the other way. So, Thursday morning I set off for the airport once more. I was going on my own, partly for some time to myself, and partly because everyone who would have gone with me had already been and I wanted some time as a complete tourist without feeling guilty about dragging people around things they have already seen. And I now discover, a few days later, that it was a very good time to go, as a couple of days later (23rd Sept) Sydney was engulfed in a red dust storm which, whilst looking coolly apocolyptic, would have been a bit of a hindrance considering the havoc it has caused there!
I was only there for about 48 hours, but I managed to cram in a hell of a lot. I walked 'til my feet hurt and my shoes literally died. I took a stupid amount of photos, which have took me an age to sort out (as ever, they are on Flickr, and also in a slide show which I'll post separately). I really feel like I know the transport system and that map inside out! I actually did a first too... I read the guidebook. And not only that, I read it BEFORE I arrived. Jokes aside, this truly is the first time I have actually done that. And in doing so, I actually a) knew where I was going when I arrived; b) knew how the transport system worked; c) knew where things are; and d) knew what I wanted to see and do. It's amazing! Might have to do that again.
Coming in to land at Sydney airport is actually a little scary if you don't know the flight path. As far as I was aware, we were heading in a rapidly downwards trajectory in a definitely seawards direction. They bank steeply at what seems like the last minute. Panic over, I was overjoyed when the captain announced that it was 33 degrees out. Aside from a fleeting day in Melbourne in March, I haven't been that warm since summer in Toronto 2 years ago. Bliss!
I headed down to Circular Quay, to take a look at the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. After seeing so many photos both surprised me. The Harbour Bridge is huge, but so unbelievably similar to the Tyne Bridge that I think my brain scaled it down a bit for easy computation. The Opera House is tiny! And very beige (I was expecting it to be white). Well, not tiny exactly, just not as big as you'd think. Still, such an unusual and impressive building. I'd love to go inside some day.
I took a walk around Farm Cove, behind the Opera House at the edge of the Royal Botanical Gardens. There I discovered not only the flies, but also that the sea wall there isn't solid, and when the waves came up, they came THROUGH the wall! Since they shut the gates to the Botanical Gardens at 6, and I didn't want to get trapped on the other side I opted not to wait for sunset, headed back to Circular Quay, and up to The Rocks where the stairs to the Bridge are.
I never had any intention of doing the Bridge climb. Money aside, my increasingly severe vertigo meant that anything close to that was most definitely off the agenda! I saw a group on their way down the bridge through the binoculars up the Sydney Tower the next day and my stomach turned at the thought. I climbed the steps to the road level, and that was enough for me. The Opera House looked pretty all lit up, and I kicked myself for not taking my good camera with me and missing the opportunity for some cool long exposures (damn budget airlines and their check-in luggage charges). I'll just have to go back again. Oh dear, what a shame.
That night I discovered that just because the hostel has been voted best in Australia and has rave reviews, it doesn't mean there's not a (loud and bassy) nightclub in the basement. It also doesn't guarantee that your roommate isn't a complete moron (I'm too old and grouchy for hostelling these days). Still, the fact that she woke me up so early did mean that I had more day to adventure in. And a beautiful start it was too. I headed back to Circular Quay and checked out Mrs Macquarie's Seat at the edge of the Botanical Gardens. According to the guidebook, this is the best viewpoint in the city. I'm not sure whether they had their specs on or not, but you can't actually see anything from the seat anymore - there's a great big tree in front of it! There was a good view from around the corner though:
Next I hopped on the ferry to Manly. I had been told that one of the best ways to see Sydney is to catch a ferry, and that the Manly Ferry is one of the best. I had also had Manly highly recommended to me, so I obviously had to comply. Credit where credit's due, the Sydney skyline is rather stunning from that boat.
Manly is cute. I think the beaches would have been more idyllic had the clouds not come over and the wind not been so cold. I started to wish I could surf - I might have to give it a go some time. Preferably while no-one is looking. I didn't hang around for too long, both aware that time was ticking, and also getting colder by the second, and headed back to Sydney.
I wandered up to Observatory Hill, where the sun was warm, the views pretty, and the Observatory itself looked like something out of a children's illustrated book. I had a look in the Observatory, but I was met by a hoarde of school children, so that didn't last long!
I wandered back up into the CBD and on towards Haymarket, where I jumped on the monorail. I can't figure out exactly what use the monorail has, except for letting tourists get a better look at Darling Harbour and Haymarket, especially since it only goes one way. But it did give me some great views of Cockle Bay Wharf and all of the bits that I didn't go to - the aquarium, Paddy's Market, and the Chinese Gardens.
Next stop was the ANZAC memorial and pool of reflection in Hyde Park, which were nice, but understated, before heading to the Sydney Tower. Apparently you can see the Blue Mountains on a clear day. Evidently it wasn't clear enough! Or, at least, the glare from the setting sun obliterated that bit of the landscape. Still, the views of the Sydney area were great. I just wasn't too impressed by the broken pane of what seems to be very thin glass that separated me from the inside of the tower and a very long drop...
Next was Bondi. I caught a train to Bondi Junction, and the followed the hoardes catching the bus to the beach. It was only 9.30am but the beach was already full. The sun was shining and the surfers were out in droves. As one of the most famous beaches in the world, Bondi was smaller than I'd expected, and the view of it from the viewpoint rather unassuming. But I have to say, I am a fan - despite how busy it is. Maybe I was swayed by the beautiful weather, and the fact that I just love to be near the ocean. I could have happily stayed there all day. However, time was, once again, pressing, so I headed back into the city to take a final look around.
I was headed for the Domain, a section of greenery joined to the Royal Botanical Garden where the Art Gallery of New South Wales sits on one side, and the beautiful Sydney Hospital sits on the other. Mildly disturbed by the "Rock in a tree" outside the gallery, I checked out the inside, where I found a cool Aboriginal art section. I continued my wander on into the Botanical Gardens via the Woolloomooloo Gate, and promptly got lost! They are bigger and far more complicated than I was expecting! It being a Saturday, and a lovely day to boot meant they were heaving, so I didn't stay too long. I did stay long enough to see the bats however. Fruit bats I presume, hanging from the trees in broad daylight. I was shocked by how big they were, and how loud!
After heading back up to Haymarket to check out the Queen Victoria Building which is just as beautiful on the inside as it is out - originally built as a monument to QV in 1898 it has been a concert hall, library, and is now a shopping mall, housing some of the more up-market shops, I headed back down to The Rocks, to pay Dawes Point Park a quick visit. There I discovered that there is an awesome market on in The Rocks at the weekends, so I wandered around there for a while, wishing that I had more time (and of course, any money at all!). Finally, I got down to Dawes Point, and look what I found!
Pirates! Ah harrrrrr
Nice amusing conclusion to a jam-packed 48 hours. I don't think I could have done much more in the time allowed (I even managed to get some shopping in!). Sydney is beautiful, that's for sure. I definitely only scratched the surface. I want to go back and check out all of the beaches and beautiful coastline sometime, there's just so much more to see.
