Day One
With both Ian and Sarah at work early Lexi volunteered to take us to the Glenbrook train station. After driving us to what must be one of the loveliest train platforms around she made sure to stay with us as we waited and ushered us into the train bound for Central Station, waiting on the platform as we pulled away. While she may have been under strict instructions from her parents to “Make sure they leave the house!”, we prefer to think it was just her kind nature. Much appreciated Lexi!
Upon arriving in Sydney we had a short walk to our hotel on the edge of Chinatown, five minutes north of the Central Station. After an early check in we headed out, famished and in search of a bite to eat. I had read about the Big Bite on Pitt, a popular sandwich spot for the suits in the downtown core. Terrific decision- giant sandwiches on fresh bread ready in minutes. Our four foil wrapped sandwiches barely fit on the tiny table but we solved that problem in short order.
Fortified we started heading in the general direction of The Rocks where we were meeting Ian for a pub tour of this iconic Sydney neighborhood. We spent a little time wandering around the shops of the Queen Victoria Building.
We met up with Ian and our tour guide Robyn from Dave’s Tours for a four hour amble, history lesson and pub crawl through the historic Rocks area of Sydney. The Rocks is a trendy place with fabulous pubs, shopping and architecture. It’s also the last place in Australia to have a serious plague (bubonic, not COVID) and until the 1930s and the construction of the Harbour Bridge, was a poor and rough district. Featuring some of the oldest buildings and European-Australian history in Sydney it was a great place to explore!
The tour was certainly worthwhile and full of interesting tidbits about the gritty origins of the district, city and country at large. While details are a little fuzzy what really stood out was the shifting nature of bars and drinking culture in general as successive governments tried to repress workers and women with disastrous effect.
The title “Oldest pub in Sydney” also remains up for debate! Three of the four pubs we visited claim this honour!
Those of you who read the Adelaide blog posts will know about the naming conventions of Australian bars/pubs/hotels. Sydney is no different.
However the intricacy of the naming conventions of the local pub pale in comparison to the actual terminology used in ordering a drink. Please see the handy reference guide below:
So what was a schooner in Queensland became a pint in Adelaide, then a mega pot in Melbourne returning to schooner again in Yulara and Sydney. It’s amazing this country is still united.
Sarah joined us for dinner and we lucked out in having a rooftop table at the Glenmore Pub, with fabulous views of downtown and The Opera House.
After dinner we had a walk down to the ferry terminal to take in the skyline at night.
It is a breathtaking cityscape.
Day Two
Day Two featured the Big Bus Tour. No one ever does a Big Bus Tour twice in the same city. It is hamster wheel tourism in some ways. However it’s hard to beat a Big Bus Tour for hitting some highlights when you are pressed for time and getting a geographic sense of a place. Robin is an overt fan, I’m a begrudging one. So, we took the “blue line” out to Bondi Beach.
Bondi was very impressive. It’s a beautiful beach and it was very interesting to see how the flag system is used to keep swimmers safe. The waves are quite something, as are the rip tides. We would have the opportunity to find out for ourselves on day three!
After Bondi we took the blue line back into the city and joined the red line loop around the downtown core. There were lots of places we would love to explore the next time we are in this city.
The best part of the day would come that evening. Sarah and Ian made the trek in from Glenbrook and took us out to one of their favourite spots: the beach at Balmoral. We went for a swim in the area between the jetties which was protected with shark netting and then ambled down the beach, picked up some incredible fish and chips and had a marvellous picnic watching the sailboats and windsurfers in the bay.
Balmoral and its lovely beach aren’t on any Big Bus Tour. I hope it stays that way.
Day Three
Friday, March 10 was our last full day in Australia. The plan was to make our way to the ferry terminal early and take the Manly ferry out to the beach to meet Ian. Sarah met us at the ferry terminal for the twenty five minute trip out.
The ferry system is incredible. The harbours are thoroughly serviced with a network of ferries and terminals. There isn’t a better sightseeing deal than an $8 ferry ride across Sydney Harbour. The views of the skyline are stunning.
Manly was great! A nice little shopping and cafe area with an absolutely fabulous beach. We spent a good hour “between the flags” crashing in the waves and trying our hand at boogie boarding! Thanks to Ian for the boards and the boogie tips!
After a morning at Manly we ferried back into the city to meet up with new Grandma Patty (welcome Robert Ascough!) who flew in from Adelaide to join us for our last day in Australia!
Following a quick photo opportunity on the steps of the Sydney Opera House we jumped in the car and headed back to Bondi, stopping for lunch at a lovely cafe on Tamarama Beach. Stuffed with halloumi and toasties we set off on the spectacular Waverly coastal walk from Tamarama to Bondi.
With 60 000 km of volatile and enchanting coastline it is no wonder that this is a nation of swimmers. Swimming is part of the school curriculum and participation in Life Saving Clubs for ocean swimming and life saving competitions is a popular activity for young people. It is also a matter of survival: several hundred people drown in Australia each year.
After a tough day beaching it around Sydney it was time for a patio and a beer.
We made a beeline back to our hotel to change and headed out to Darling Harbour and the Barangaroo neighborhood with restaurants jammed in along the harbour. It’s is a trendy spot and a foodie dream. We hit Born, a Spanish and Mexican inspired tapas restaurant.
A great spot to celebrate the final day in this amazing city.
It has been a magical four weeks in Australia. Spending time with Graham and Patty and Sarah and Ian has been absolutely wonderful for Robin and me as I’m sure it has been for Lisa and Pete, who have been marvellous travelling companions (panic around lost luggage, lost phone, and missed tram notwithstanding). There hasn’t been a moment of awkwardness or discomfort in their company. The generosity of our Australian hosts has been very much appreciated but it is the natural ease in which we’ve fallen back into the rhythms of old friendships that has meant the most.
As for Australia itself, we had planned to make the most of this trip because we were sure we wouldn’t be back. Too far, too disruptive in terms of length of trip, too expensive, too many other places to go.
We spoke too soon.
Robin and I absolutely loved our time here and will most certainly be making a return trip. Ian introduced me to the iconic Australian poem “I Love a Sunburnt Country”, by Dorothea Mackellar on one of our drives through the Blue Mountains when we were talking about what it is about Australia that makes it special and unique.
I think I’ll leave this excerpt here to sum things up.
I love a sunburnt country,
I love a Sunburnt Country (1906) by Dorothea Mackellar
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of drought and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror –
The wide brown land for me!
We are off to New Zealand on our “solo” adventure! We will endeavour to keep this blog updated. Thanks for the positive feedback from so many of you!
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