Sydney

A very wet but warm day in Sydney. A walk down to Paddy's Market where you can buy anything from a boomerang to a banana. A vast indoor market, close to Sydney's Chinatown & just a few minutes from where we're staying.











On past the Chinese Gardens, beautiful & serene in the centre of the busy city.

Along Cockle Bay Wharf at Darling Harbour to get the ferry to Circular Quay. Past all the bars & restaurants - a lovely area. Along here are the Aquarium & Wildlife Centre & across the Pyrmont Bridge is the National Maritime Museum.

  Ferries are to Sydney what gondolas are to Venice, they are part of everyday life & thousands of people commute to work on  them daily.

SYDNEY - A  CITY OF CONTRASTS!

 Out on the ferry to Circular Quay & our first sight of the two Sydney icons - the Harbour Bridge & the Opera House.





The Sydney Opera House tour proved to be fascinating. An inspirational piece of architecture designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon that was deemed to be a $7million, 3 year project in 1957. By 1966 construction was still proceeding slowly & the design was fraught with difficulties, Utzon was forced to resigned. The building was opened by the Queen in 1973, 15 years after the project was started & at a cost of $102 million. Utzon never returned to see his completed masterpiece, before his death 4 years ago, but he & his son were invoved in designing future upgrades to the Opera House. The building contains a Concert Hall & 5 theatres & has wonderful views over the harbour.

An evening walk to the Queen Victoria Building, built in 1898 & now completely renovated & housing designer shops & cafes. A lovely building  inside & out. On to Hyde Park, where the fruit bats were flying around the trees at dusk - huge - easily the size of a large crow! Sydney Festival has events on around the city over a 3 week period in January & we spent a pleasant hour having a drink & listening to a singer called Ngaiire, who has a unique jazz style voice.