Sydney Australia 3/8/24

 Sydney, Australia



G’day mate, and welcome to Sydney, Australia! With so many things to see here and not nearly enough time it’s going to be tough to choose what to do. The iconic Sydney Opera House beckons with its unique architecture.   We started out our morning on the top deck of the ship as we sailed into Sydney harbor.  Watching the city skyline appear, the opera house, and the Sydney bridge was a wonderful experience, and we got some great pictures and videos.  We tendered in the bay and began our visit with a quick 10-minute tender that dropped us right at the Sydney Opera House, which is more impressive than the pictures!!  We did an hour guided tour of the Opera House and heard many details on the building and design.  The original architect, Jorn Utzon did not complete the work, as political forces took over and a new architect, Peter Hall, was brought in to complete the building.   Sadly, Utzon never did see his completed masterpiece, even though he was formally recognized when it became a UNESCO site.  Then a great lunch on the Quay before we met our guide for a walk about in the Circular Quay and The Rocks area, starting at the Custom's house.  The Rocks is a neighborhood of historic laneways in the shadow of the Sydney Harbor Bridge and home to the Rocks Markets, featuring some of the oldest pubs and many upscale restaurants with a view of the harbor. Saw the oldest bar in Sydney - meant to go back for a cocktail in the evening, but never got back there unfortunately. Facades and foundations of some of the earliest buildings and home have been preserved in the Rocks area underneath some of the new buildings.  Artifacts still wash up when rains come in.  Sydney is a very cosmopolitan city, clean, and the Aussie's made us feel very welcome.  It is also Australia's largest city with Melbourne close on its heels.  Population of about 5M.  Lots of beautiful park areas, plenty of shopping, and a variety of eating and drinking establishments.   Then, onto a water taxi for 1.5-hour ride around Sydney.  Saw the MuSEAum which featured restored sailing clippers along with other sailing and fishing vessels for public views.  Didn't get to see inside - so much to see here and just one day to do it.  Seeing the Skyline and all of the beautiful buildings, a naval base, the American and Russian former embassies, it was an amazing afternoon. On to dinner on the Quay - weather was just perfect for us that day and dining by the water is always a pleasure.  From dinner, Mickey and I walked to the botanic gardens which was by the Opera house and the water to stroll around in the evening (it was about 7 pm) but the park had just closed so that was a disappointment...We did not attend any Opera House events, as our original itinerary had us leaving at 8 pm, so could not fit it in. By the time the departure was moved to midnight, there were no bookings available.  I have included some other pictures that fellow cruiser Mary Ann posted - it looks like the aquarium was terrific, so I shared a few of those here. This is a city we need to get back to and hope to get back to someday...On to Newcastle tomorrow...

Cruising into Sydney

Sydney's Coney Island.


At the Opera House


The Opera House - throughout the day


Serenade tendered by the Opera House and inside the structure.


Afternoon adventures
Our tour began here

We made it to the Suez Canal in Sydney so even though our Mideast portion of cruise won't happen we can say we were there!  These are pictures from The Rocks





Our water taxi tour


Sydney skyline is magnificent



Sydney Harbor Bridge - hardy souls did the walk (3.5 miles), we got pictures...you can see the folks at the top of the bridge.



Sydney Aquarium
Some lovely shots of Serenade


Sydney at dusk to evening





Leaving Sydney




















Location: Sydney NSW, Australia

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