The Opera House and Circular Quay

 

Sydney
The capital city of New South Wales and the site of Australia's first permanent European settlement.
Sydney is, certainly to its residents, one of the world's most beautiful cities. Set on a large harbour it has the natural advantages of walks around the harbour foreshores, spectacular views bayside parks and gardens and the architectural magic of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.

The English writer Anthony Trollope, when he visited Australia, wrote of Sydney: 'I despair of being able to convey to any reader my own idea of the beauty of Sydney Harbour. I have seen nothing to equal it in the way of land-locked sea scenery.'

The best way to understand the greater Sydney region is to think of it as a huge saucer-like bowl with drowned river valleys in the north (the Hawkesbury River-Broken Bay area), the south (Port Hacking) and in the middle (Sydney Harbour). These three fine waterways were formed during the last ice age when the sea was more than 100 metres lower than its current level. When the sea level rose the river valleys were drowned. These drowned valleys can be easily seen if you fly over the city.

The centre of the greater metropolitan area is a low-lying plain which stretches west for nearly 50 kilometres until it reaches the eastern edge of the Blue Mountains. The westerly extremity of the city is drained by the Nepean River which flows along the base of the Blue Mountains and joins the Hawkesbury River near Windsor. In turn the Hawkesbury cuts a valley until it reaches the sea at Broken Bay.

Lying to the north and south of the entrance to the harbour are more than twenty excellent beaches all of which are ideal for swimming, surfing and sun-baking in the summer months.

 

 

Sydney Harbour Bridge

 

History of the City
Prior to the arrival of Europeans, a number of different groups of Aborigines lived peacefully and successfully around the harbour. Captain James Cook sailed up the east coast of Australia in 1770. He entered Botany Bay and thought it suitable for a colony. He did not enter Sydney Harbour and, seeing it only from the ocean, did not recognise its unique deepwater facilities.

On 13 May 1787 a fleet of eleven vessels left Britain bound for Botany Bay to establish a penal colony. The flagship of the fleet, the 520 ton HMS Sirius, was captained by Arthur Phillip who was to become the colony's first governor. The vessels arrived at Botany Bay on the night of 19 January 1788.

Phillip quickly determined that Botany Bay was unsuitable. On 21 January, accompanied by a small detachment of marines, he rowed north. On the afternoon of 21 January, Phillip entered Port Jackson. He was later to write that it was 'one of the finest harbours in the world, in which a thousand sail of the line might ride in perfect security'. On 26 January Phillip led the fleet north to Sydney Harbour. By the middle of the day convicts were cutting down trees around the edge of Sydney Cove and, as the day came to an end, Phillip and his officers raised the Union Jack of Queen Anne and toasted the British royal family and the future of the colony.

The settlement started with nothing. Houses had to be built, streets and lanes carved out of the slopes on either side of the Tank Stream, quarters constructed for the soldiers and convicts, fields planted and the countryside explored. This was the true origin of Sydney. A dirty and desolate penal colony at the end of the world.

Conflict between Aborigines and Europeans occurred within months of the landing. As early as May 1788 a convict working beyond Sydney Cove killed an Aborigine and shortly afterwards two convicts were speared and killed while gathering rushes at the place now known as Rushcutters Bay.

The history of Sydney from 1825 until the 1860s is that of a prison slowly evolving into a society where free settlers and emancipated convicts worked together. The turning point occurred in May 1851 when Edward Hargraves brought 120 grams of gold to Sydney triggering the goldrushes. Overnight workers in Sydney downed tools and headed for the goldfields. Miners and prospectors from all over the world passed through Sydney eager to try their luck on the goldfields.

 

Luxurious waterfront homes in Middle Harbour

 

The city continued to expand throughout the 1870s and 1880s. The post-World War II development of the city has seen the construction of the Opera House, the creation of efficient urban transport, the enormous growth of suburban Sydney so that it is now a city similar in size to Los Angeles, and the modernisation of the city centre.

Modern Sydney suburbia is remarkably similar to American suburbia with large shopping complexes, huge parking lots, the majority of people driving their own cars, freeways abound and most people live in single-storey brick bungalows on neat suburban plots.

Sydneysiders enjoy the city's excellent wine bars and coffee lounges, they range widely across the city's diverse ethnic restaurants, and they display an easy tolerance towards the immigrants who have so significantly altered the city's lifestyle over the past fifty years.

 

Things to see:  

 

Kirribilli and North Sydney with the Harbour Bridge and city centre in the background

 

The Harbour Bridge
No visit to Sydney can be considered complete without a leisurely walk across Sydney Harbour Bridge. Entry to the pedestrian walkway is via the southeast pylon which is reached by walking up Argyle Street in the Rocks, ascending the Argyle Steps, crossing Cumberland Street and following the signs marked 'Bridge Stairs'. The view is spectacular at any time of the day but is particularly impressive in the early morning or late afternoon.

The Bridge is Australia's most famous and distinctive construction. It took nine years to build, weighs 60 000 tonnes and, at its highest point, is 134 metres above the harbour. The bridge forms a vital link between Sydney's northern and southern suburbs. Prior to its completion people living on the North Shore either caught ferries to the city centre or made the long journey to Parramatta where the harbour could be crossed by a number of small bridges.

It is now possible to walk over the top of the bridge. The adventure is not cheap, and not for the faint-hearted but it does offer the best views of Sydney and it also offers the cachet of being able to say that you have done it.

 

The Rocks
Although now predominantly a tourist attraction consisting of historic pubs, restaurants and chic gift shops, it is still possible (particularly if you explore beyond the main streets) to see that, in the 18th and 19th century, this was the centre of the city¹s wild military and convict night life.

The Rocks remain Sydney's most concentrated area of historic significance. The Sydney Cove Authority recognises twenty important nineteenth century buildings in the area bound by the Cahill Expressway, Sydney Cove and Cumberland Street.

A sensible walk through The Rocks starts on George Street at the Cahill Expressway, moves down to the Mercantile Hotel, turns back along the walkway below Cumberland Street, descends the stairs at the Argyle Cut and cuts back through Playfair Street to the Rocks Square. This walk, which could take as little as half an hour, would include the old Police Station (1882) on the western side of George Street, the Museum of Contemporary Art over the road, John Cadman's cottage (1816 - a stone cottage built by the superintendent of boats which is Sydney's oldest building) which is next door to the Rocks Visitors Centre (the largest information centre in Sydney - open every day between 9.00 - 5.00) which is located in the old Sailor's Home.

Further along, on the Quay side of George Street, steps lead down to the Mariner's Church which was built in 1856 and the ASN Co. building (1884). Continuing along George Street, past the Old Sydney Park Royal Hotel there is the Merchants House Museum on the left and the impressive stores on the right which contain both the Rocks Weekend Market and the Earth Exchange, an excellent geological and mining museum which is open from 10.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m. every day. The entrance is from Hickson Street.

Turning the corner at the Mercantile Hotel there is a pleasant walk back to the Argyle Steps which go down to the Argyle Centre and The Rocks Centre.

The area has a wide range of free shows, a number of interesting galleries (particularly the Aboriginal Art and Tribal Centre at 117 George Street.

 

 

The central business district rises behind Circular Quay

 

Circular Quay
Circular Quay is the hub of Sydney. It was the centre of Australia's first European colony and, even today, it is still the place where Sydneysider congregate on special occasions. On a warm, sunny Sydney day there can few greater pleasures than idly wandering around the foreshores of Sydney Cove. Lying at anchor in Campbells Cove is the tall ship Bounty, a faithful replica of Captain Bligh's 18th century vessel which was built for the Mel Gibson film Mutiny on the Bounty.

Beyond lies the gracious sandstone Customs House which has recently been turned into the Museum of Contemporary Art. It is well worth a visit. It has travelling exhibitions as well as an excellent permanent collection of important international contemporary art works.

Circular Quay itself is a major transport node. It still provides a wide range of ferry services to Manly, Taronga Zoo Park, Cremorne Point, Mosman, Neutral Bay, Darling Harbour, Balmain and a number of other destinations. It is a delightful way to see the harbour, the bridge, the Opera House and the harbour foreshores.

 

Opera House
John Douglas Pringle, an editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, wrote: 'There it stands, like Santa Maria della Salute on the lagoon in Venice, a perfect symbol linking the city to the sea, welcoming incoming ships with its wide open arches, shining brilliantly in the summer sun or gleaming palely by moonlight, contemporary in feeling yet reminding us of other ages when great buildings were built to the glory of God or the splendour of princes and not simply for utilitarian purposes. I believe it is a building of which all Australians may rightly be proud, perhaps the only true work of architecture on this continent.'

The design for the Sydney Opera House was determined by a competition which was announced in 1955. There were over 230 entries from 32 countries. The prize of £5000 was awarded to a 38-year old Danish architect, Joern Utzon.

The actual construction took 14 years and cost over $100 million. The project was funded by a state lottery. The buildings famous 'wings' or 'shells' required extraordinary engineering skills. People often think of the Sydney Opera House as just a single opera theatre. In fact it has a five theatres - a concert hall, an opera theatre, a drama theatre, a cinema and a recording hall - as well two restaurants, a number of bars, six lounges, a library, five rehearsal studios and 65 dressing rooms.

There are regular Guided Tours of the building which are conducted daily between 9.00 a.m. - 4.00 p.m. and Backstage Tours occur on Sundays between 9.00 a.m. - 4.00 p.m.. For more information contact General Information on tel: 9250 7111.

 

Botanic Gardens
Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens are a truly beautiful and cool retreat in the heart of the city. These magnificent gardens became a Botanic Garden in 1816 when Governor Macquarie had a road constructed to Mrs Macquarie's Chair and appointed Charles Fraser as the superintendent of the gardens. Over the years the 29 hectares have been laid out so that there is now an Upper, Middle and Lower Garden through which nearly 2.5 million visitors stroll each year.

The gardens have over 4000 trees and plants from all over the world. There are specialist collections in the herbarium and the pyramid glasshouse where the heat and humidity support an outstanding mixture of tropical and sub-tropical plants.

The gardens contain a Visitors Centre, Gardens Shop and Gardens Restaurant and there are free guided walks which leave the Visitors Centre on Wednesday and Friday at 10.00 a.m. and on Sunday at 1.00 p.m.. The gardens are open from 6.30 - sunset. For information contact the Visitors Centre - tel: 9231 8111 and 9231 8125.

 

Mrs Macquarie's Chair
To the east of the Royal Botanic Gardens is Mrs Macquarie¹s Chair (often called Lady Macquarie's Chair) where the wife of Governor Lachlan Macquarie used to sit and enjoy the view across the harbour. For over 150 years it has been one of the most popular of all the harbour vantage points with excellent views across to the island of Fort Denison. The construction of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge have meant that the westerly view, particularly at sunset, produces the dramatic effect of having both buildings silhouetted against the setting sun. It is become a popular haunt for photographers.

 

Art Gallery
The Art Gallery of New South Wales has representative examples of art works ranging from a substantial Aboriginal collection to modern Australian masters and excellent examples of the country's finest colonial artists are all on display. Of particular interest are the works of Conrad Martens (Australia's answer to J.M.W. Turner). The gallery also contains works by European masters including Picasso and Rembrandt.

The gallery often has visiting exhibitions. Admission to the gallery is free. It is common to pay for entry to the visiting exhibitions. The Gallery is open from 10.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m. daily. There are eating facilities and an excellent bookshop. For information telephone either 9225 1744 or 9225 1790.

 

Mitchell Library
Known to Sydneysiders as the Mitchell Library, the State Library of New South Wales is the state's major repository of historic documents, sketches and information. The centrepiece of this interesting combination of old and new buildings is the Mitchell Library, the largest collection of colonial Australiana in the world. The core of the collection - the initial 61 000 volumes - was donated by David Scott Mitchell, an avid bibliophile. It is open from 9.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m. Monday - Friday and 11.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m.on Saturday and Sunday. Entrance is free. Telephone 9230 1414 for further information.

 

Macquarie Street
Macquarie street runs from the Opera House to Hyde Park passing through the city's medical specialist area and being edged by the Royal Botanical Gardens, the Conservatorium of Music, the state's parliamentary complex and such historically significant buildings as the Mitchell Library, Sydney Hospital, the old Sydney Mint and the Hyde Park Barracks.

Of particular interest are the handsome 19th century townhouses and Georgian buildings (one of which houses the Royal Australian College of Surgeons) at the northern end of the street. These are a reminder of a time when Macquarie Street was home to Sydney's high society.

To the south is Sydney Hospital, built in 1880, and the elegant building which houses the New South Wales houses of parliament. Near the hospital is Martin Place the centre of the city's banking district. At the bottom of the Place is the city's cenotaph and the huge and stolid General Post Office building. Built in 1810 Parliament House in Macquarie Street is one of the city's most elegant historic buildings. It is open between 9.00 a.m. - 12.00 and 2.00 p.m. - 4.00 p.m. Monday - Friday with guided tours being available when parliament isn't sitting. For more information: tel: 9230 2111.

Next door are the Hyde Park Barracks. Built in 1819 they are now a tourist attraction focussing on the working lives of the early convicts. The highlight is an evocative soundscape designed to create the life of convicts.

 

Hyde Park
Hyde Park is the city's central open space. Originally the site, in the early 19th century, of the city's first racecourse, it was established as Hyde Park in the early years of the 20th century. Spread over 16 hectares it is divided by Park Street with the dominant feature of the southern section being the New South Wales War Memorial and the dominant feature of the northern section being the Archibald Fountain.

The War Memorial is an art deco construction which stands 30 metres above the Pool of Remembrance. There is a Hall of Memory and a Hall of Silence. The war memorial is open during the day. There is an exhibition of photographs of Australians at War in the exhibition space underneath the building. For more information contact (02) 9267 7668.

 

St Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral and St Andrews Anglican Cathedral
St Mary's Cathedral, located to the east of Hyde Park, is still incomplete although the foundation stone was laid in 1868. The location has been used by Sydney's Catholics for more than 170 years. In 1821 a stone was laid on this site and the original Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built. It was destroyed by fire in 1865 and three years later the foundation stone of the present cathedral was laid. The building is classically Gothic in design. Today it is the centre of Sydney's large Roman Catholic community. It is currently having the spires, which have waited over 100 years to be completed, to be installed.

St Andrew's Anglican Church, located in George Street next to Sydney Town Hall, is Australia's oldest cathedral. The foundation stone was laid by Governor Lachlan Macquarie on 31 August 1819 and the original plans for a typically Gothic cathedral were drawn up by the great convict architect, Francis Greenway. Unfortunately there was a shortage of funds at the time and the cathedral got little further than a foundation stone until 1837 when it was redesigned by Edmund Blacket (he was the architect responsible for Sydney University's central buildings) in a style which was based on St Mary's Church in Oxford, England. It was eventually completed and consecrated on 30 November 1868 - St Andrew's Day.

 

Queen Victoria Building
Pierre Cardin, the famous French couturier, is reputed to have described the Queen Victoria Building (known to Sydneysiders as 'the QVB') as 'the most beautiful shopping centre in the world'. The building which connects Town Hall railway station with Market Street in the city centre is architecturally magnificent. Built in 1898 and designed to resemble a Byzantine palace it spent decades in a state of serious disrepair. Threatened with demolition in 1959 it was restored at a cost of $75 million and opened in 1982. It is open seven days a week. Contact tel: 9264 9209 for general information.

 

 

View of the harbour and bridge from Waverton

 

Centrepoint Tower
One of those tourist 'things' that everyone visiting Sydney should do is take the lift to the top of Centrepoint Tower. The views from the Observation Deck are remarkable and give every visitor an understanding of the structure of the city with views to the north across Sydney Harbour, to the west across to the Blue Mountains, to the south across Botany Bay and Sydney Airport towards the Royal National Park and east to the Harbour Heads and the Pacific Ocean. Located at 100 Market Street it is open every day and night. Tel: 9229 7444 for more information.

 

Australian Museum
The Australian Museum, the nation's oldest and largest natural history museum, is located at 6 College Street near Hyde Park. Its displays of Australian flora and fauna are considered the finest in the country and some experts have rated it as one of the world's top natural history museums. It is the repository for over 8 million pieces. Of particular interest to the visitor are the permanent exhibitions on Aboriginal Australia, local mammals, birds and insects. There is also an excellent, and hugely popular, dinosaur display. The museum is open seven days from 9.30 a.m. - 5.00 p.m. For details of current exhibitions the Museum's Alive Line is 0055 29408.

 

 

Clock at the Powerhouse Museum

 

Powerhouse Museum
Powerhouse Museum is an outstanding science, arts and technology museum with exhibits ranging from New South Wales' first steam train to the huge Boulton and Watt steam engine which was built in 1780 at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. The museum also includes exhibitions of furniture, clothing, aeroplanes and it has special areas for children, regular specialist exhibitions and a restaurant decorated by the popular Australian artist Ken Done.

The museum's decorative arts displays include historic costumes, a Wedgwood collection and some fine examples of Thomas Hope furniture. The space technology display combines pieces from the USA, USSR and Chinese space programs including a Saturn V rocket launcher and a replica lunar lander module.

 

Australian National Maritime Museum
Located at the northern end of Darling Harbour, the Australian National Maritime Museum is designed as a comprehensive overview of Australia's relationship with the sea. The museum is organised with sections devoted to six themes in Australian maritime history: (a) discovery of the continent from the earliest Aborigines to the arrival of Captain Cook (b) passengers and the long sea voyages that were involved in reaching the continent (c) the commercial value of the sea and its working, economic potential (d) the sea and leisure with an emphasis on sun, surf and sails (e) the Australian Navy - the difficulty of protecting Australia from outside invasion. It is possible to climb aboard a Navy destroyer (f) Australia and the USA - the links across the Pacific. As well there are a number of changing exhibitions. For more information contact either tel: 9552 7500 or the Infoline on tel: 0055 62 002. The museum is open from 10.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m. every day.

 

Museum of Contemporary Art
Located in the old art deco Customs Building on the western side of Circular Quay, the Museum of Contemporary Art offers an excellent cross-section of international contemporary art. Acknowledged masterpieces in the collection include Roy Lichtenstein's Crying Girl and Robert Indiana's Love. It has become one of the city's cultural centres holding lectures, films and, occasionally, concerts. As well the MCA shop has an interesting collection of gifts and pieces of art.

For more information contact tel: 9252 4033. The museum is open from 11.00 a.m. - 6.00 p.m. every day.

 

 

Darling Harbour

 

Darling Harbour
Darling Harbour is Sydney¹s equivalent to San Francisco¹s Fisherman¹s Wharf. It is a large complex of hotels, museums, gift shops, restaurants, fast food eateries and a constant parade of entertainments all set against a backdrop of the harbour.

When it opened in 1988 the Darling Harbour complex was the biggest urban redevelopment ever undertaken in Australia. A rundown collection of wharves and warehouses were converted into a place which now is one of the city's premier tourist attractions.

The major attractions include the Monorail, the National Maritime Museum, the Sydney Aquarium, Jordan's Seafood Restaurant, the Exhibition Centre, the Chinese Garden, the Sydney Entertainment Centre, the Harris Street Motor Museum and the Powerhouse Museum.

Built amid much controversy and public debate, the Monorail runs a circuit from Darling Harbour (there are four stops in the complex) to the city centre. It is a moderately-priced and efficient way to visit Darling Harbour. If you intend making more than two trips make sure you purchase a Monorail Day Pass.

At the northern end, near the Aquarium, a ferry service runs every thirty minutes. It completes a circuit stopping at Balmain, McMahon's Point and Circular Quay. It is a pleasant short journey around to the Rocks and the Opera House.

A sensible first stop at Darling Harbour is the Visitors Centre where maps, daily information and information about special 'deals' are provided. It is open from 8.30 a.m. - 5.00 p.m. For details contact: tel: 9286 0111.

 

Darling Harbour and the Aquarium at night time

 

The highlight of Darling Harbour is the Sydney Aquarium, an outstanding collection of exhibits which provide a comprehensive overview of Australian aquatic life with everything from seals and crocodiles (they can remain so motionless that many visitors think they are stuffed) to sharks, stingrays and the wide range of fish which live in Sydney Harbour. The exhibits include fish from the Far North of Australia, fish and crustaceans from the Murray-Darling River system, brightly coloured fish from the Great Barrier Reef and a touch pool where visitors can make contact with the crustaceans and molluscs that live on the shoreline. It is open from 9.30 a.m.- 9.00 p.m. every day. For details contact: tel: 9262 2300.

 

Chinatown
Just beyond Darling Harbour is Sydney¹s Chinatown. Chinatown is a popular centre for Australian Chinese and for more recent immigrants and students from south-east Asia. In the past decade large numbers of Asians, many of them refugees from Indo-China, have arrived.

Chinatown, which centres around Dixon Street, is a showpiece for Chinese and Asian culture in Australia and offers the visitor a range of outstanding restaurants which include cuisines from Vietnam and Thailand as well as regional varieties of Chinese cooking.

The Chinese Gardens at the northern end of Chinatown and at the southern end of the Darling Harbour complex are a symbol of the involvement of Chinese in Australian life. This traditional Chinese garden, reputedly the largest of its type outside China, is based on gardening principles which date back to the 5th century. It is designed as a place of peacefulness and tranquillity with miniature mountains, lakes, waterfalls, forests and flowers. It has been constructed so that each vantage point offers an image of China in miniature. It is open daily from 9.30 to sunset.

 

Kings Cross
The most famous, or 'infamous' of all the inner city areas is Kings Cross - Sydney's equivalent to London's Soho. In the 1930s Kings Cross was the centre of the city's bohemian community. This continued up to the 1960s when 'the Cross', as it was affectionately known, was still a strange and wonderful mixture of high class hotels, bohemians, prostitutes, strip clubs and classy nightclubs and quality restaurants.

Today 'the Cross' is still a tourist attraction with many excellent hotels and fine restaurants. In the daytime the leafy parks and tree-lined streets, the smell of coffee from the numerous excellent coffee lounges and eateries and the attractiveness of the El Alamein fountain are all magnets. Victoria Street to the south of the Kings Cross tunnel has some outstanding places to eat and its cafes offer some of the best coffee in Sydney.

 

Oxford Street
Oxford Street is what Kings Cross used to be. It is the heart of Sydney's nightlife. A wonderful strip of hotels, nightclubs, restaurants, late night bookshops, cinemas and coffee lounges where those people who have no trouble partying until dawn gather, promenade and generally enjoy themselves.

Historically the street has long been associated with the city's large gay community. A decade ago it was an almost exclusively gay domain with hotels like the Exchange and the Albury being well known gay hangouts.

 

The Harbour Islands
There are thirteen islands on Sydney Harbour. Access to the islands varies greatly with some - notably Glebe Island which is now a container terminal and Garden Island which is a naval base - being restricted to the public. The most popular and accessible is Fort Denison, sometimes known as 'Pinchgut' or 'Rock Island', which has regular guided tours at 10.15 a.m., 12.15 p.m.and 2.00 p.m. Tours can be booked by contacting the Maritime Services Board on tel: 9240 2036.

The island was originally used as a place of punishment for difficult convicts. As early as 11 February 1788 a convict named Thomas Hill was sentenced to a week on bread and water in irons on 'the small white rocky Island adjacent to this Cove'. By 1796 a gibbet had been installed on the island and convicts who were sentenced to death were left to hang until their bones turned white. The most famous of these was Francis Morgan who arrived in the colony on the Sugar Cane from Ireland in 1793. He had been tried for the murder of a man at Glassneven in Co Dublin, and was caught wearing the murdered man's watch. Capitally convicted, his sentence was commuted to transportation for life. After his arrival here, he was again charged with murder, having bashed a man named Simon Raven to death on the north side of the harbour on 18 October 1796.

By the 1840s the colony, fearing invasion, had converted the island into a fort and by 1857 the fort was manned and there were two ten inch guns and twelve 32 pounders. The guns have only been fired during ceremonies and on special occasions.

The island offers an interesting insight into Sydney's past and an excellent and unusual vantage point to view the city and the harbour foreshores.

 

 

The start of the Sydney-Hobart yacht race

 

Harbour Cruises
There are over thirty cruises offered on Sydney Harbour. The cruises depart from Circular Quay and Darling Harbour starting from 9.30 and continuing throughout the day until the night time cruises which leave at 20.00 and return at around 21.30. They range from no frills, no need to book, tours around the harbour foreshores in well-equipped purpose-built cruise vessels to catamarans, paddle steamers, hydrofoils, a 1902 topsail schooner named Solway Lass and a re-creation of the sailing ship Bounty which was used in the Mel Gibson version of Mutiny on the Bounty.

The sensible way to book is to contact the Quayside Booking Centre either at Jetty 2 at Circular Quay (open 7.30 a.m. - 7.00 p.m.) or Shop 208 on Manly Wharf (open 10.00 a.m. - 6.00 p.m.). They are booking agents for all the major cruise operators and they do not charge a booking fee. Both locations are open seven days a week and can be contacted on tel: 9247 5151.

 

Cruises up the Parramatta River
Most of the ferries operating on Sydney Harbour move from one deepwater wharf across the harbour to another deepwater wharf. For a true change of pace, and something very different, take the RiverCat from Circular Quay to Parramatta. This is a journey which was commonplace for the early explorers and settlers who, without good roads, preferred to sail west up the harbour and enter the Parramatta River. The journey has become so popular on weekends that, if possible, it is better to make the trip during the week. Apart from the RiverCat, Matilda Cruises provide a leisurely journey up the river which includes both morning coffee and lunch. More details are available from tel: 9264 7377.

For timetables and the best times to travel on the RiverCat contact either the Parramatta Visitors Centre (tel: 9630 3703) or the State Transit Infoline (tel: 13 1500). It is possible to buy a Sydney Pass for three, five or seven days on Sydney public transport which includes journeys on the RiverCat.

 

The Olympics Site
Sydney was awarded the 2000 Olympics in Monte Carlo on 23 September 1993. The games are scheduled to be held between 15 September and 1 October 2000 at a number of venues around the city including the main Olympic complex at Homebush Bay (all athletes will live in one village on the site - all venues are within 30 minutes of this central site) as well as Penrith, Ryde, Blacktown, Bondi, Darling Harbour and a number of other venues. 10,200 athletes will visit the city during this time and it is expected the games will be watched by 3.5 billion people around the world. The purpose-designed Homebush Visitors Centre has a comprehensive display featuring the history of the local area and the history of the Olympics site. It is open from 9.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m. every day. For more details contact (02) 9735 4800.

 

Unique Australian Furniture
Click on the heading above to check out a unique range of fine pieces of Australian furniture which can be inspected near the Olympics site at the Harvey Norman store at 250 Parramatta Road, Auburn. Australia has some superb woods and fine materials (both wool and leather) and there are only a few locations around the country where the products of the Australian-based Timber Country Australia furniture can be inspected. Timber Country use high quality Merino wool and A1 Australian Outback Avanti dark brown leather steer hide when they make their distinctive Walkabout rockers. They also make foot stools and coffee tables. The timber used is Jarrah hardwood which is strictly managed by the Australian Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM), a board based environmental agency which protects the growth of new trees. Jarrah is widely recognised as one of the most beautiful and distinctive hardwoods in the world.

 

 

Vaucluse House
Vaucluse House is 10 kilometres from the city centre. Set in gracious grounds, the original house was built in the early years of the nineteenth century by Sir Thomas Henry Brown Hayes, a larger-than-life character who had been transported as a convict because he had kidnapped the woman he loved, the daughter of a wealthy Irish banker.

The house was taken over by Captain John Piper (after whom Point Piper was named) in 1822 and in 1827 it was purchased by the famous explorer, William Charles Wentworth (he was one of the trio who first crossed the Blue Mountains) who carried out extensive renovations and modifications and lived in the house until 1853. It is likely that the first cabinet meeting of the newly enfranchised government of New South Wales was held at Vaucluse House in 1856.

It is a beautifully preserved Sydney colonial residence. The rooms are furnished with superb pieces from the period. Visitors can experience the luxury of the house and its gardens and walk through the gardens to the edge of the harbour. The grounds are open from 8.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m. daily. For more information: tel: 337 1957.

 

Taronga Zoo
Taronga Zoo which can be reached by either bus or ferry. Voted the best international zoo in 1992, Taronga Zoo has superb views over Sydney Harbour and a substantial collection of Australian native fauna. The zoo can be reached by ferry from Wharf 2, Circular Quay (the journey takes 12 minutes) or by bus from the bus termini at Wynyard or St Leonards railway stations. There are two government transport travel passes available - the Zoopass which combines ferry, bus and zoo admission and is available at Circular Quay and Zoolink which includes rail, ferry, bus and zoo admission and is available from suburban railway stations.

 

 

 

 

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