Sydney

A huge yacht-studded harbour with numerous bays and beaches (over 100!), the city is dominated by the Sydney Harbour Bridge, one of the longest steel-arch bridges in the world, and the Opera House, with its glittering white sail-shaped roofs (actually tan tiles). Full of culture, museums and parks, Sydney unites city life with beach/boating life, which gives the area a relaxing atmosphere despite the skyscrapers and traffic.

Sydney is an easy city to get around with its public transportation system of trains, buses, ferries and light rail plus cycling and walking paths. To get a good lay of the land, we first hopped on a ferry up the Parramatta river as far as we could go and back down to The Heads – the entrance to Sydney Harbour where we first sailed in. We were at the right place at the right time to watch part of Sydney’s SailGP Races, “the most exciting racing on water powered by nature”. SailGP is an international sailing competition that features high-performance F50 foiling catamarans, where teams compete across a season of multiple grands prix around the world. Winner of today’s event: Australia.

Did you know…that Australia began as a prison colony? Between 1788 and 1868 more than 162,000 convicts were transported to Australia as punishment for crimes (often quite minor) committed in Britain and Ireland (they sent them far far away; a 9 month prison boat voyage!)

We ferried to Cockatoo Island, a UNESCO Heritage Site and the largest island in Sydney Harbour. In 1839, when the island was chosen as the new site for a convict goal (jail), it was named 'Cockatoo Island' after the flocks of cockatoos congregated in its large red gum trees. We have seen many wild cockatoos flying around Sydney but didn’t see even one on Cockatoo Island. There is now a marina and rent-a-tent glamping on the island.

A prison from 1839-1869 for the “worst of the worst” repeat offender convicts, it housed as many as 500 men crammed into inadequate dormitories. It then became an Industrial School for Girls and reformatory for women, and later became a prison again in 1888 for male and female offenders - vagrants, drunkards and prostitutes. The island was also a major shipbuilding and repair facility from 1857 to 1991, supporting the Allied powers during both World Wars. Construction of the dry dock began in September 1848. It was anticipated the dock would take only 470 days to complete; however, it would not be completed for nearly a decade as the convict laborers were unruly and poorly treated. They also built several buildings and dug a long tunnel through the island. By the 1970s, due to int'l competition, shipbuilding on the island had sharply declined and the dockyard’s main role was the refit and maintenance of submarines. (That's actually a small submarine in the "dry dock".)

On a HOT 104F day we took a morning “walk about” in the Royal Botanical Garden, the oldest botanical garden in AU, then appreciated some cool AC during a guided tour of the Sydney Opera House. Designed by Jorn Utzon from Denmark, construction began in 1959. It was expected to take 4 years and cost $7 million. It finally opened 14 years later at a final cost of $102 million, largely paid for by a State Lottery. With 7 performance spaces, there are 2 main side-by-side theaters – the Joan Sutherland Theater, a world-class opera house and performing arts center and the large Concert Hall, used mostly for full orchestral concerts featuring its organ and seating in the round. After a recent $150 million 2-year renovation it can now boast its state-of-art acoustics and automated stage changes to accommodate all types of concerts.

Again, we were in the right place at the right time and were able to get tickets to attend the season opening matinee of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. The opening piece was a rhythmic acknowledgment of ancestral Australia (my favorite part) with the entire orchestra taking part in the percussion tribute. Next was a violin concerto written by Camille Pepin (a young 34 years old) featuring French violinist Renaud Capucon – a very ambitious performance. Chief Conductor Simone Young then led the orchestra in Maher’s Fifth Symphony. (TMI? Well, maybe my sisters are impressed?) Not the kind of music we often listen to, the amazing talents of the composers, conductor, each and every musician plus the skills and expertise in creating the amazing Sydney Opera House, all made this truly a once in a lifetime phenomenal experience.

As part of our continuing search for the best craft breweries around the world (isn't that what this circumnavigation is all about?!), we visited several breweries in and around Sydney. One day we walked to Newtown and Marrickville in the “Inner West” to visit the many breweries there, including the renown Bob Hawke Beer and Leisure Center (they also had delicious Prawn Toast), Batch Brewing Co. (Elsie the Milk Stout), and several others including Wildflower with all wood-barrel aging. Had a pint of bitter at Bald Rock Hotel and met a guy with a National Guitar, handcrafted in California. The most beautiful, artistic and mellow sounding steel guitar I’ve ever seen or heard. True guitar envy. The winner of the most impressive brew house is Squires Landing – do the really make beer up there or is it just for looks? Our favorite Sydney brewery is the Lord Nelson Brewery, Australia’s oldest pub brewery. We liked both the Nelson’s Blood Porter and the award winning Old Admiral Dark Ale – and their tasty potato wedges. Four Pines in Manly is also a favorite stop - good beer, good burgers, good music with a beach nearby. Liking some refreshing Hazy IPA's, too, especially on these hot afternoons!

Tho’ we missed some of the 100+ beaches, we didn’t miss the top 2: Bondi and Manly. So much sand and surf, surfers, surf-jumpers, swimmers, sunbathers, beach tennis & volleyball – even the Youth Surf Life Saving Competition. Plus, every bay is always busy with kayaks, rowing & dragon boat teams, sailing lessons & races, sailing/fishing/power boats of all types and sizes including numerous super yachts, ferries, cruise ships & navy ships.
There is soooo much to see and do in and around Sydney! We anchored in various bays, took many ferries to go places, walked a lot (& up & down lots of steps), thru several parks and gardens (including Luna Park, an amusement park, and Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Garden), visited several museums and art galleries, appreciated all the architecture and public art, shopped at the historic Queen Victoria Building, had fish & chips at Doyle’s (Australia’s oldest F&C shop since 1885), heard and saw lots of birds, and enjoyed lots of ice cream and gelato.
XOXOXO Gma & Gpa