Thursday, January 21 – Getting Connected

Slowly we are getting over jet lag, acclimatizing to the heat and humidity, and learning to understand the Australian accent.  It amazes me that peoples who have developed from the same lineage have such different accents. Think of the Brits, the Aussies, the Kiwis, the Canucks, and the Americans. Each of them sounds “different” and even within these countries people from different areas have different accents. Why is this? I’ve sort of done a quick Google search on this and can’t really come up with any explanation other than that different people living together tend to speak the same way because it is easier to understand each other. Nonetheless it is a pretty amazing phenomenon.

On Thursday Sue and I went to get what we needed to get “connected”. First, the Opal cards. These are free smart cards that you load up with money to pay fares on the buses, trains, and ferries. When you travel you need to “tap” on at the beginning of your journey, and tap “off” at the end of the journey. The system automatically computes the fare for your journey and deducts it from your outstanding balance.

Next came the SIM cards. These I got at the Telstra store. Aus $2.00 per SIM card and the starter package is Aus $30 for a 28 day service. We have some brand new HTC unlocked phones that we bought in Canada before we left, and we are finding them very different from my Samsung and Ray’s LG!  Regardless, we feel better now that we are “connected”. Of course the only people who know the phone number are Alanna and Sue and Jim!

Sue on The Great North Walk

White Heron

After getting sorted in the morning we went for a walk with Sue and Jim on part of the Great North Walk. The length of the walk is 250 k and goes from central Sydney to downtown Newcastle and it was created in 1988. The part of the trail we did was mainly through the mangrove forest in East Ryde. We saw a white heron, which is a smaller version of the blue heron we had in Ontario, and ibis which is a long legged wading bird with long pointed beak

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Friday, January 22 – Circular Quay

On Friday morning Ray and I woke up early, around 7:00 a.m., and felt that we had whipped jet lag into submission and that we were ready to take off for our first run in Sydney, which we did. Even although it was early, it was hot and humid; we had to run down a considerable sized hill to get back to the Tarbin Cove trail that we had walked previously; and we got totally lost in the maze of residential streets. We soon realized that travelling 10,000 k two days previously and running in 30C temperatures after being used to running in 0 C – 5 C temperatures did not make for a stellar run. Nonetheless, we did about 6.5 k and crawled back to the house for breakfast. After some food and quick shower Sue drove us to the Woolwich Wharf for the 10:30 am ferry to Circular Key in Sydney’s CBD (Central Business District).  Here we got to use our brand new Opal cards. The ferry system is amazing.

It is an independent system of ferries in Sydney harbour and on the Paramatta River in Sydney. The two storey green and creamy yellow boats race in and out of the docks and across the river and harbour narrowly avoiding sail boats, motor boats, and other marine vehicles. They are very agile with their double hulls and add fun and vitality to the water scene just like Scuffy the Tugboat.

Once downtown, Ray and I began to feel the heat, the humidity, and the effects of our early morning run! But it was exciting to be there. We saw the Sydney Harbour Bridge which spans the harbour.

As we gazed admiringly at the bridge we realized that people were climbing the bridge and walking over the upper level of the arch. I recalled that I had heard someone talk about “climbing” the bridge. I checked this out, and yes you can do that for a basic fee of Aus $158 (weekday) and Aus $173 (weekend). Not sure I feel like spending that much money just to climb up the bridge, but it is a great idea!! Have since read that Lonely Planet suggests you can get just as much fun by running or walking across the bridge in the allotted pedestrian lanes!!

Next we went to the Opera House and walked all around the outside of this beautifully architectured music hall. The cloud-white, shell-shaped sails soar up into the blue skies creating an unforgettable image back-dropped by the Sydney Harbour Bridge and in stark competition to the enormous cruise ships that download their passengers into the streets of Sydney for a day’s sightseeing.

I recalled visiting the Opera House in 1993 to see Sue’s daughter perform in a school competition and thought this time we should take one of the tours, but once again we weighed up the cost of the two hour Backstage Tour at $165 times 2 so Aus$330 and didn’t feel like dropping that amount of money on the experience. Nonetheless we were in awe of the beauty created by the Danish designer Jorn Utzon in 1957 (building lasted until 1973 with much controversy along the way). So, we moved on with our walking tour to the Opera Café and lunch. We had to protect our lunch from the seagulls after we noticed one gull just about snatch the food out of the mouth of one of the patrons. They are very brazen!!

"Satyr" A Statue By Frank ‘Guy’ Lynch

Then it was off into The Royal Botanic Gardens. Here a natural beauty awaited us; 30 hectares of gardens squeezed between the ocean on one side and Sydney’s downtown skyscrapers on the other. We wandered around the pathways past beautiful sculptures, towering trees, and a kaleidoscope of colourful flowers. A sweet aroma from the flora filled our nostrils and made our senses swirl.

Our next stop was a guided tour of the NSW Government House built around 1836 to 1845 in a gothic revival architectural style. It was interesting hearing about the development of the house over the years, and seeing the beautiful state rooms with their elegant 19^th century furniture.century furniture. 

After the tour we chatted with an Australian couple who had visited Toronto and Vancouver with fond memories! Next we set off for the waterfront and Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair passing playful ducks dipping for food in the ponds, ibis whose long beaks could spear you like a hat pin if they confused your foot with a worm, and nesting seagulls who were squawking angrily at their rivals as they tried to oust them from their nest and the egg-hatching process.

An Ibis

Mrs Macquarrie's Chair

Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair is situated right on the point and is a sandstone rock hand cut by convicts in 1810 into the shape of a bench for Governor Macquarie’s wife. Tons of tourists must visit this site as we could hardly make our way past the rock and on down the peninsula. On the way, we passed the St. George OpenAir Cinema located near the point. This provides about 70,000 cinema-goers annually with first class cinema and new releases on the big outdoor screen as well as first class cinema in the background: the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Opera House, and city skyline.

And then it decided to rain….really rain! Of course Ray and I had ignored the weather forecast and had nothing with us for rain. We decided that we would have to cut our walk short and head back to Circular Quay and the ferry. So moving quickly, and enjoying the rain, we headed back through the gardens with fleeting views of the Sydney Fernery, the Palace Rose Garden, and the Palm Garden. By the time we reached Circular Quay, we were dripping puddles with each step….and getting cool.

Selfie in the Rain

We stopped for a cup of tea and coffee before catching the ferry...and to warm up. We weren’t heading home though. We were meeting Sue and Jim and a couple of their friends in the pub for dinner!! Thinking quickly, I phoned Suzie and asked her to bring a change of clothes for me and a sweater for Ray.  Of course, once we got a glass of wine in us, all memories of being wet and cold faded and we enjoyed our $10 fish and chips and another glass of wine!

Saturday, January 23 – Cockatoo Island

After breakfast on Saturday morning, Jim and Susan suggested we take advantage of a “free tour” which was advertised in the local paper “Sydney Morning Herald” on Cockatoo Island and Jim drove us down to the ferry at Woolwich Ferry Wharf for the next-stop ride across the Parramatta River to Cockatoo Island. I had heard of the island but had no idea what it was all about, and Jim and Sue had never been to the Island! Sometimes it takes a “tourist” to prompt locals to investigate their heritage!! We had a grand time! Prior to European settlement the island was populated by Aboriginal people. Then the British came along and between 1839 and 1869 the island was used as a “convict penal establishment primarily as a place of secondary punishment for people who had reoffended in the Colonies.”  Then between 1867 and 1991 it was the site of one of Australia’s largest shipyards. In 2010 the island was declared as a UNESCO heritage site. So needless to say it was an eclectic tour with a mix of different structures, ranging from the isolation cells in the prison to old machinery from the shipyards. Today, the island also has a “tourist” industry, as tourists flock there to learn about Australian development. In addition there are tents and a tent site which offer super luxury glamping, glamping, and  camping. Also, you can rent a four bedroom house, or an apartment. It’s not cheap, but rather neat to be able to do that right in the middle of the river overlooking the landmarks of Sydney.

Solitary Confinement Cells

Some of the old Shipbuilding Buildings

Is it Camping or Glamping??

They still have pull chain toilets

January 26 is Alanna’s birthday, and Australia Day. So we have decided to celebrate both albeit that it may be a day early to celebrate the birthday. Guess we will just have to celebrate it twice!! Happy Birthday Alanna!!! We love you and wish we could be with you to celebrate your special day. Love and hugs from us all!!

Stay tuned for Australia Day Activities!