Sydney

October 8th

Virgin Australia - HOBART, TASMANIA to MELBOURNE to SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES

3 hours 40 minutes

 

Sydney, a city of 4+ million people, is the capital of New South Wales.  The Circular Quay section is often referred to as the ‘birthplace of Australia.’  In January of 1788, the First Fleet from England – two men-of-war and nine transport ships – arrived here with its cargo of 750 convicts, 210 marines and 40 women and children.  The new British colony of New South Wales was born. These first settlers were woefully unprepared for survival in a virtually unknown, remote land.  There was not a farmer in the group!  They were forced to survive on local wildlife and the much anticipated rations sent from England.  Their passage to Australia was virtually a life sentence for all of them since no provisions were made for anyone’s return trip to England!

Circular Quay is still a popular gathering place for Sydney.  Its New Year’s Eve festivities take place with the iconic Harbour Bridge and Opera House as a backdrop for the fireworks.  The Quay is lined with wharves for the many excursion boats and colorful ferries that bring workers and visitors to the city from distant suburbs.  An international cruise ship terminal dominates The Rocks side of the harbor.  Restaurants and cafes cater to every taste imaginable.

Our hotel, BreakFree on George, is an ideal location for exploring the city.  George Street is the main bus thoroughfare downtown – a big plus considering that one of us may have a broken toe after a run in with his rolling duffle bag L

Over the weekend, the South Sydney Rabbitohs won the National Rugby League Grand Final for the first time in 43 years.  (Actor Russell Crowe is a part owner of the team.)  A large crowd had amassed at Town Hall where the team was scheduled to hold a fan meet-and-greet later that day.  We met Danica from I’m Free Sydney Sights Tour nearby and spent an enjoyable three hours following her around the city.



It is hard to believe that the beautifully ornate Queen Victoria Building began life as the Sydney produce building in 1898.  It is now a magnificent shopping gallery with over 190 shops. 

QVB Building

 

The interior of the QVB
 looking down from the third level

The city has many of these huge sandstone buildings and one has to wonder why they were built on such a grand scale.  Did Sydney really need such a huge produce market or post office??  Guess they couldn’t think of any other way to spend the money from the gold rush days!

The Royal Clock

Suspended from the QVB ceiling is the Royal Clock featuring part of Balmoral Castle above a copy of the four dials of Big Ben.  Every hour on the hour a royal fanfare is played along with scenes depicting the lives of English monarchs.

Outside the Sydney Hospital is a bronze boar called Il Porcellino, a replica of a 17^th century fountain in Florence.  Rubbing the boar’s snout is supposed to bring good luck.  The hospital is known locally as the Rum Hospital because in 1810 then Governor MacQuarie gave its builders a monopoly on the importing of rum provided they built a grand hospital with the profits. 

Frank and Il Porcellino

 St. Mary’s Cathedral is a giant sandstone construction that may just have the record for the longest time between the start and completion of construction.  The foundation stone was laid in 1821.  Work on the cathedral began in 1868 but remained unfinished until 2000 when the two spires were completed in time for the Sydney Olympics.

St. Mary's Cathedral

The Sydney Tower, standing at 984 feet tall, is the tallest building in the city.  The section of the tower with red lettering visible in this picture is a 35,000 gallon water tank that acts as a stabilizer on windy days!



Sydney Tower and St. James Church -
the current tallest and the once tallest

 Sydney Tower dwarfs the nearby St. James Church, once the tallest building in the city.  The church, constructed with convict-made bricks, was designed as a courthouse but converted to a church in 1820.

These sacred ibis birds are nearly as common a sight around the city as the Ugg storefronts are!
 

The most anticipated highlight of our visit to Sydney was Bridge Climb Sydney.  This ultimate Sydney experience entails a climb up the outer arch of the Sydney Harbour Bridge for spectacular views of the city.  We chose an early twilight climb and arrived at the climb base on Cumberland Street at 4:30PM.  (We had a hard time finding the climb base as a large wedding party was blocking the Argyle Cut stairway to Cumberland Street – the stairway entrance looked like a church doorway!) After passing the breathalyzer test (no wine at lunch today) and signing waivers stating that we were of sound mind (debatable) and body (Frank fibbed), we began a well-orchestrated process to prepare our group for the climb.

We were outfitted with stylish jumpsuits that blend in with the metal work of the bridge so as not to distract the drivers below.  We were instructed to leave all loose objects (watches, keys, cameras, jewelry, hats) behind in the lockers.  Everything given to us had to be attached to the triangular hooks on the back of our jumpsuit – we were given eyeglass tethers and tethered hats and even handkerchiefs secured to our wrists with an elastic band!

We then proceeded to an equipment-filled room where we were fitted with bulky ‘tool belts’ that held our radio/headsets, fleece jackets packed in a parachute-type pouch, and, most importantly, our tether cords.  We ran a practice drill climbing ladders to get the feel of the tether cords movement along the railings.  By 5:30 we were ready to venture out on the bridge.

Fourteen climbers from around the world and a knowledgeable guide who spoke encouraging words to us through our headsets were now loose on the Sydney Harbour Bridge at rush hour!  We nimbly crossed the narrow catwalks below the road deck to the massive southeast stone pylon and then proceeded to climb four steep ladders to the start of the arch on the Opera House side of the bridge.  From there we climbed hundreds of steps along the outer arch (yikes!) to the summit.  A celebratory group photograph was taken by our guide with the Opera House behind us and the flapping flags of Australia and New South Wales just above our heads.  The view of the city and its sprawling suburbs was spectacular.  Below us on the water, we could see a Celebrity cruise ship leaving the wharf and the bright lights of an amusement park coming to life on the other side of the bridge.  It is hard to believe, but twenty weddings have taken place at this bridge summit!

 

With the roar of rush hour traffic buzzing far below us (and looking more like matchbox cars than full-sized vehicles), we made our way across the catwalk to the Darling Harbour side of the arch.  The sun was beginning to set and the sky was aflame in brilliant orange.  Time to stop for more pictures!  Down hundreds of steps, four steep ladders and across the catwalk under the road deck – we were back at the climb base and ready to rid ourselves of our gear and jumpsuits by 8PM.  After changing into our own clothes and collecting our stuff, it was time to find a bar and celebrate.  What an experience!  We had joined the ranks of 3.2 million climbers including such notables as Prince Harry, Oprah, the cast of Modern Family, Bruce Springsteen, Bill Gates, Nicole Kidman, Robert DeNiro, and new rugby champs Rabbitohs who had climbed the day before.

Sydney Harbour Bridge from the Sydney Opera House -
we climbed as high as the flags at the top of the arch!

A few facts about the Sydney Harbour Bridge – construction started in 1923; it was completed in 1932; it is assembled with 6 million hand-driven rivets (making the bridge “twice as riveting as the Eiffel Tower” according to our guideJ); it holds eight lanes of traffic and two railway lines; and it has 1,332 steps to climb and we climbed every one of them!

 

Sydney Harbour Bridge from the evening Manly ferry

 

Sydney Opera House, the Australian city’s most famous landmark, commands a spectacular harbor view from its perch on Bennelong Point.  Within its walls are five theaters housing the Australian Ballet, the Sydney Dance Company, the Australian Opera Company and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. 

In 1955, a young Danish architect named Jorn Utzon (along with 232 others) entered a competition launched by the Australian state premier to find a suitable plan for the building of an opera house.  Utzon’s modern plans captured the attention of the judges and construction of the iconic building began in 1959.  Originally projected to take four years to build, it took fifteen years; originally projected to cost A$7 million, it cost A$102 million, proving that major cost overruns are not unique to the United States!  Queen Elizabeth II presided at the official opening in October 1973.

Distinctive vaulted sail-like shells of glazed white tiles comprise the roof which sits atop a huge earth-toned terraced platform.  Construction of these shells required revolutionary engineering and building techniques never used before.  The shells glisten in the sunlight and glow at night.

In 2007 the Sydney Opera House was added to the World Heritage List by UNESCO.  The committee called it “one of the indisputable masterpieces of human creativity”, “a great architectural work of the 20^th century” and “a great urban sculpture carefully set in a remarkable waterscape.”


Sydney Opera House

Before leaving Portsmouth, we reserved seats for the October 12^th performance of The King and I.  How fortuitous that this production is playing here the month before we will arrive in Thailand!  And what a production it was - elaborate sets, glittery costumes, fantastic singing - an afternoon to remember!