John and Bev are early risers and long before we had crawled out from our bed, they had been for a walk and John had departed for work. Having had breakfast Bev took us to a nearby train station and we boarded the train bound for Sydney. Great trains out here; they’re like the ones in Holland i.e. double deckers. They also seem to run on time and are very frequent. Clearly they learnt nothing from the UK. Just about 35 mins and we were pulling into Sydney Central station, but to get to our first destination of the Sydney Tower we had to get another city train to St James. Exiting the station we soon found the tower, found our way to the entrance and in just a few minutes we were heading for the observation deck. Just a little shorter than the Auckland Sky Tower this one still offers fantastic views across the city.
The only disappointment was that the view across to the Harbour Bridge and the Opera house has been somewhat obscured by high rise office blocks. As it was a clear sunny day we could see a long way and it was crystal clear. This tower also caters for those who seem hell bent on staining their undies as you can walk outside on a clear glass platform. I don’t think so!!
After leaving the tower we headed back to the railway station to catch another train for the short journey to Circular Quay and the ferry terminals. Time for morning coffee, so we headed for a vendor on the quayside and contemplated our next move. We opted for walking back round the Circular quay and into the Rocks area, where many of the old warehouses have been turned into trendy restaurants, wine bars and art galleries. One of the galleries specialised in art based on original Aborigine designs. Many of the pictures and some of the jewellery were absolutely fantastic and must have taken ages to complete with such complex patterns.
The Rocks is steeped in history and is a really interesting part of Sydney to explore. Whilst in the area, we thought we would find the entrance to the Bridge Walk so that I knew where to go the following day. We wandered back through the Rocks to the ferry terminal where we caught a ferry that went under the Harbour Bridge and across to Lunar Park and Mc Mahons Point. From this vantage point it’s possible to get a photo of the Opera House framed in the Harbour Bridge. You can also quite clearly see the people taking the bridge walk across the top of the arches. From sea level, they look pretty small and I was going to be up there tomorrow.
Returning to Circular Quay, we took afternoon tea then walked round to the Opera House, but unfortunately we were running out of time for a conducted tour, so we opted to walk inside as far as we could and stroll all around the outside. There is a tour that takes you backstage, but it only takes place at 07.00 in the morning and costs over £100!!!
Heading back to the station, it was time to return to John’s as we had been invited out to dinner with a number of people with whom he plays golf. Apparently they all meet once a month at an agreed venue, which this month was to be at Cronulla a beautiful spot on the coast SW of Sydney.
We were soon at Engerdine and Bev was at the station ready to taxi us home. It wasn’t long before we were on the move again and heading off to Cronulla to meet up with the other golfers and their wives. Talk about small world; there was another British couple their visiting old friends and it turns out that the wife came from New Addington and went to the same school as John and I. Spooky or what!! It was a great evening as we were made to feel very welcome and the food and drink was very acceptable.
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