Part 4 : Sydneysiders
12 January 2020
Itinerary Change 2
80% of Blue Mountains World Heritage Site, devastated by wildfire
After our wonderful road trip in North Sydney with our very kind friends and an excellent meal in their beautiful woodland home, we didn't get back to Bondi until after midnight.
We had already packed overnight bags for our trips to the Blue Mountains and Camberra before we left Newtown so we were all set for another early start the following day.
Unfortunately, this was another trip that was not to be.
I noticed that I had received an email from our travel company just before going to bed that night, informing us that our bus tour to the Blue Mountains had been cancelled due to wildfires which were now raging uncontrollably even through this extraordinary world heritage site.
I had actually received it on Friday evening but as it went to my Junk box I didn't pick it up until I checked late on Saturday evening.
When you are travelling abroad always make a point of checking your junk mail box every day as booking confirmations and ticket attachments often end up there.
On two occasions in New Zealand they went straight into the deleted folder which had never happened to me before, so make sure you check that box as well.
It was a very apologetic email offering to reimburse us in full or reschedule our trip to a later date when the fires had abated.
As this was now our second cancellation in less than a week we started to fear that we would not be able to embark on any of the trips on our travel itinerary, though we decided we wouldn't dwell on that too much at that point.
I read more about the Blue Mountain fires online throughout that week and was surprised to discover that 80% had suffered serious fire damage by mid January.
According to a Guardian article by Lisa Cox and Nick Evershed from 16 January 2020:
"At least 80% of the Blue Mountains world heritage area and more than 50% of the Gondwana world heritage rainforests have burned in Australia’s ongoing bushfire crisis.
The scale of the disaster is such that it could affect the diversity of eucalypts for which the Blue Mountains world heritage area is recognised, said John Merson, the executive director of the Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute.
The data is based on a Guardian Australia analysis of areas burned in New South Wales and Queensland and was confirmed by the NSW government".
Fire in the Blue Mountains Photograph: CPOA Brett Kennedy/Commonwealth of Australia/PA
"Guardian Australia reported in December that 20% of the Blue Mountains world heritage area had been affected by fire in the early months of the crisis.
Four times that amount had burned by mid January in what Merson said were fires on a scale that “has never been seen before”.
The Blue Mountains world heritage area covers one million hectares of national park and bushland and is dominated by temperate eucalypt forest.
The area is renowned for the diversity of its vegetation and is home to about a third of the world’s eucalypt species.
Merson explained that though eucalypts are fire-adapted and can regenerate, many of the species depend on long intervals between fires. “We had a very large fire in 2013. It’s only six years after that,” he said. “The eucalypts can be very badly reduced in diversity if fires come through in too short and intense intervals. Their numbers will virtually collapse.”
He said the full impact on tree species and wildlife would not be known until more assessments were done as more fire grounds became accessible".
"Mega-blaze covering 460,000 hectares spread from Gospers Mountain through to the Blue Mountains, destroying an estimated 20 homes” (photo courtesy of Matrix News for Daily Mail Australia)
Bleach, disinfectant and floor cleaner
The cancellation of our Blue Mountain and Camberra trip left us a little winded.
After our Goulburn house sit had been cancelled, we were a little surprised that a trip to the Blue Mountains and Camberra was still being advertised and that we were able to book it, so we weren't too disappointed when we received that email.
With all the news reports focusing on fires in bush land around Camberra that week, I think I would have been more surprised if it hadn't been cancelled.
But nothing was lost as our money had been reimbursed in full even before I saw the email.
We then wondered if we could take a train to Camberra for an overnight trip later that week, but unfortunately that wasn't possible either as all trains to Camberra from Sydney had been cancelled until further notice.
It was clear now that we would need to stay in that accommodation for the foreseeable future, or at least until we were able to travel somewhere else.
But before even thinking about what we would do next, the first thing we needed to do as a matter of urgency, was give our living quarters a very thorough clean.
Fortunately cleaning products, mops and brooms had been provided by the landlords, even if they hadn't been used prior to our arrival, so we filled the bucket with hot water, bleach and disinfectant and scrubbed surfaces, windows, walls, floors, under the bed, furniture, the bathroom and even the luggage room which wasn't so bad to begin with.
We rolled up the dirty, sticky rugs and put them in bin liners outside the door (we would return them to the sleeping area on departure).
We opened windows and doors to let in fresh air and although I cannot claim that we totally transformed the place, we did improve it considerably.
While we were cleaning it, we realised how easy it would be to transform that studio into a very pleasant holiday apartment.
Obviously all the musty, damp smelling bedroom furniture and all the antiquated, rusty bathroom fittings would need to be scrapped and replaced with new if inexpensive options.
A compact kitchen unit could be installed in the luggage room and hey presto - a lovely pied à terre for the modern traveller.
As soon as we finished cleaning, we laid down insect repellent in key areas of the entire unit so as to ensure that we would have no further unwelcome visitors.
At that point we were satisfied that we would be able to tolerate a slightly longer stay than originally planned in that studio accommodation; on the plus side it was very cheap and, of course, it was a short walk from Sydney's iconic Bondi beach, so maybe now that it had been thoroughly cleaned we may even learn to like it there.
With that in mind, we decided to walk to the Bondi Beach area where we treated ourselves to a delicious brunch in an excellent but very packed café overlooking the bay.
It was at this point that we formulated our plan for the rest of that week.
Our newly cleaned accommodation would now be perfectly acceptable as a base, but we agreed that we would spend as little time as possible there and see as much of beautiful Sydney as we could.
Excellent pancake brunch in Bondi Beach café
Smoky view of the bay from our brunch venue
Walking Tour 1:
The Queen Victoria Building (https://int.sydney.com/destinations/sydney/sydney-city/city-centre/attractions/queen-victoria-building)
After brunch we toyed with the idea of sitting on the beach for a while but as air quality was so poor, we decided to go to central Sydney instead.
We had with us a little tourist guide book which we had picked up at the airport on arrival so we decided to adapt one of their suggested walking tour itineraries starting with George street and the Queen Victoria building.
The Queen Victoria Building is a heritage-listed late-nineteenth-century building designed by the architect George McRae.
It occupies an entire block on Sydney's George Street, and has over 180 of Sydney's fashion boutiques, jewellery shops, elegant tea rooms and restaurants.
This beautiful grand building, built in the 1890s was erected as a Municipal Market on the scale of a Cathedral.
The QVB was beautifully restored and re-opened in 1986, and quickly became Sydney's most popular and prestigious high end shopping centre.
The dominant feature is the mighty centre dome, which during the Christmas period is occupied by a giant Christmas tree which we just missed seeing unfortunately.
Glorious stained glass windows and splendid architecture endure throughout the building and an original 19th century staircase sits alongside the dome.
To say I fell in love with this building may be a slight overstatement. It is just a shopping centre after all, but it was a wonderful way to spend a few hours on a Sunday afternoon.
The magnificent QVB Sydney
The QVB Clocks
There are two clocks in the QVB: The Royal Clock (which goes on the hour), shows six English royalty scenes, paired with the trumpet voluntary of Jeremiah Clarke.
Then there’s the Great Australian Clock, which shows 33 scenes from Australian history, as seen from both Aboriginal and European perspectives.
The Aboriginal hunter circles the outside all the time, to represent the passage of time.
Watching these fascinating clocks while sipping tea and enjoying a delicious pastry from one of the wonderful patisseries on the upper gallery of the QVB would be an excellent addition to anyone's holiday itinerary.
Beautiful stained glass windows in the Queen Victoria building
Pianist Gallery in the QVB Sydney
The Town Hall, Sydney
Our next stop that afternoon, was the Town Hall in Sydney also located in George Street.
According to Time Out online, Sydney Town Hall was built on a graveyard and completed in 1889.
It is a High Victorian building, topped by a clocktower with a two-ton bell.
It has retained its original function and interiors, including the council chamber and lord mayor’s offices.
The stunning vestibule, its colourful domed ceiling hung with a huge crystal chandelier, includes some of the earliest examples of Australian-made stained glass.
Behind this, the Centennial Hall is dominated by a magnificent 8,000-pipe organ: with a capacity of 2,048, it was once the largest concert hall in the world, and it is still used for organ recitals and other musical events.
The Vestibule in Sydney Town Hall (photo courtesy of sydneytownhall.com.au)
Sydney Town Hall Grand Organ (photo courtesy sydneyorgan.com)
'To Sail, To Stop' sculpture outside the Town Hall in Sydney
'To Sail, To Stop' sculpture - Town Hall, Sydney https://www.cityartsydney.com.au/artwork/to-sail-to-stop/
Sydney is not short of beautiful artwork which is available for all to see and admire free of charge on walking tours in the city centre.
Outside the town hall is a very large bronze anchor designed to represent a sailing ship. It is wedged into a four-sided marble base and surrounded by bollards.
The Sculptor Ingrid Orfali was born in Sweden in 1952 and studied in Paris. In 1983 she became an Associate Professor in French Literature at the University of Lund. Several museums in Sweden feature collections of her work.
The monument was commissioned to mark the Chinese communities' long association with the City of Sydney as a gift during Sydney’s sesquicentenary. It represents both an anchor and a ship with sails furled.
It seeks to convey in modern style the concept of the First Fleet leaving England and arriving in Sydney Cove as well as being a memorial to Lord Sydney of whom no monument exists.
Many now see it also as representing the extraordinary feat of the early Aboriginal people who had the skill and dexterity to sail to an unknown land at least 50,000 years before anyone else even thought of anything remotely resembling such an ingenious and courageous maritime undertaking.
On a plaque embedded into the pebble pave, an inscription reads:
“'To Sail, To Stop'
This celebrates the initiative of Viscount Sydney who sent the First Fleet in 1787 and after whom the City is named.
It also commemorates a settlement that had reached the status of a City in 1842, adopting the sailing ship and the anchor as its Coat of Arms.
This statue has been produced and erected with the financial support of the Chinese Community to mark their contribution to Australia since the early days of the City.
In a wider sense, 'To Sail, To Stop', symbolises all those who have travelled to Australia and who have chosen to stay".
Alderman H. Tsang, OAM, JP
Artist: Ingrid Orfali
Mr. King Fong OAM, JP Deputy Lord Mayor - Sesquicentenary Commemorative Artwork Committee”.
Above and below, this same inscription, is written in Chinese.
At the bottom of the plaque is the crest of the Sydney Open Museum.
We found Sydney to be as international, multicultural and multiethnic as any modern city could be so this sculpture and the message it conveys is the optimum emblem for it.
We saw posters like this on several occasions during our time in Australia. This one was at the station in Newtown
We ended that day's walking tour back in Circular Quay where we had a Happy Hour drink at Buckley's Bar overlooking the ferry and cruise liner port.
We then had a First Table meal at Appetito in the Rocks where we had been with our daughters and their friends on their final evening in Sydney.
It was the perfect end to a perfect day which was totally unplanned and unexpected.
We did not go to the Blue Mountains and we certainly would not be going to Camberra any time soon but we realised that afternoon that there was still so much we hadn't seen and done in Sydney which we would definitely enjoy rectifying that week.
Cruise liner leaving Sydney Harbour at the end of the day
Appetito Italian restaurant in the Rocks area of Sydney with Harbour Bridge in the background
Harbour Bridge view of cruise port and Opera House in smoky Sydney
13 January 2020
Whinging Poms or Sydney Siders?
Our Sydney walking tour had proved so successful the day before, that we decided to proceed in this manner for the rest of this week.
Although our now clean though still musty smelling studio in Bondi was beginning to feel a little more like home, we decided not to eat any of our meals there and not to spend any more time there than was necessary; especially when there was so much else to see and do in this wonderful city.
Having said that, the past few days were probably the smokiest we experienced in Sydney throughout our entire trip.
The mornings always appeared to be worse.
The sky on that particular morning was dull and overcast and the air was so dense with smoke that our clothes reeked of it within a few minutes of leaving the house.
Our eyes watered and we both found ourselves sneezing and coughing at various points throughout the day.
We were seriously worried about our health at one point and whether we should be breathing those fumes in at all; we were in no doubt that they were toxic.
On one occasion we even saw white specks of ash raining down on us late one evening so we started fearing that the fires were closing in on us.
We had read that the winds spread the fire at night so we did wonder whether we should leave that area altogether and go somewhere completely different.
But we then remembered that this was not an option; at least not that week as many trains and internal flights had been cancelled and quite a few regions were in a sort of lockdown, so as advised by our friends the previous Saturday, we had to stop being such 'whinging poms' and adopt a more robust Sydney-sider attitude to the wildfires and the smoke infested air.
We walked stoically to the beach area for breakfast but decided against the many trendy and popular cafés opposite the bay; we thought we would look for a more modest eatery, possibly without such a favourable view, but undoubtedly with a far more favourauble price tag.
Sadly we found no such venue; we walked the entire length of the smoky bay and back again and failed to find anywhere that we both agreed on.
Having resigned ourselves to that fact, we decided to hop on a bus and make a start on that day's tour.
It was at that point that we noticed a kiosk not too far from our bus stop selling coffee and other beverages so we thought we would pick something up from there and take it away with us.
When we approached it, we realised that it wasn't a kiosk at all but a hatch in a wall which led to a mini eating area on the right.
It could be accessed via a small entrance next to the hatch; we liked the look of it immediately so without any further contemplation, we went in.
It was a clean if modest little café with wooden benches and fashionable tree trunk tables as well as normal wooden ones.
We sat at a normal one on that occasion and perused the menu for a few minutes before deciding.
We noticed that it wasn't crowded and didn't appear to be too pricey, comparatively speaking of course; after all, this was still the Bondi Beach area.
The food and coffee when it came was excellent, the waitress was friendly and efficient, the atmosphere was quietly fashionable but not ostentatious and the clientele charming.
We felt that we had found our perfect breakfast café for our remaining time in Bondi.
What we didn't know then is that this would become our favourite breakfast venue on our entire trip; one we would return to every time we were in Sydney, and one we would miss terribly even once back in the UK.
It fitted us perfectly; you always know when you find somewhere that is a perfect fit for you.
When we left on that, our first visit, we noticed that the smoke had lifted a little and the sun was able to break through.
This comforted us considerably as at that point our stoicism was beginning to wear thin.
We could not understand though why we hadn't seen this café before, so we turned around to check its name and it didn't appear to have one.
There was just a massive sign on the building above it announcing that this was actually the Noah Backpackers hostel, so it isn't surprising at all that we hadn't spotted it.
All that surprised us at that moment when we saw that sign, was the fact that we liked it as much as we did
Best brunch venue in Bondi
Walking Tour 2
Sydney Tower Eye and Shopping Galore
The Sydney Tower Eye is a must see if you like city views and tall towers.
The Wikipedia entry on this explains that The Sydney Tower stands 309 m above the Sydney CBD on Market Street, between Pitt and Castlereagh Streets and it sits above the Westfield shopping centre.
The tower is the second highest structure in the Southern Hemisphere after Auckland's Sky Tower which we would see in early March.
We went to the tower twice and on both occasions, I managed to end up in one of the many shopping centres instead.
Of course I had a good reason for that at the time: the Sydney mid-summer sales were a powerful draw and I had to find something to wear at our daughter's wedding later that year.
We vowed that we would not be sidetracked when we went back in mid March as we had heard that the views from its wonderful observation deck were extraordinary.
Sadly all our mid March activities were cancelled as soon as Sydney entered the pre-lockdown period but we were blissfully unaware of that in early January alas!
I cannot deny, however, that shopping at the Westfield shopping centre in both central Sydney and Bondi Junction was excellent.
If you enjoy a little retail therapy now and then or just window shopping with the occasional cuppa, then Sydney is the perfect city for you.
I found many wonderful outfits which would have been perfect for our daughter's wedding; but as a stunning Luisa Spagnoli dress had caught my eye in the Queen Victoria building the day before, it was difficult to settle for anything else, even though I knew that it was $$$$ above my price range.
Sydney Tower Eye in the Sydney CBD (photo courtesy of klook.com)
Westfield Shopping Centre and Tower Eye Sydney (photo courtesy of dreams time.com)
St Andrew's Cathedral Sydney
Our next stop was St Andrew's Cathedral in George Street.
St Andrew's is a cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney but on a board in the church's vestibule it describes itself as: 'a diverse church, that welcomes people from all walks of life and backgrounds in its many congregations'.
My husband is a church organist and our daughters have both been choral scholars at various points during their student years so we have attended many Evensongs in churches and cathedrals all over the UK and occasionally furthermore afield.
We were hoping to attend one sometime that week at St Andrew's but sadly for us, Evensong at St Andrew's does not take place during their summer holiday as the Cathedral School children in their various choirs would not be available to sing.
We were surprised that there were no visiting choirs booked into the Cathedral during the summer break as most Cathedrals and large churches do in the UK, especially as that location attracts so many visitors.
We both felt that summer Evensongs and recitals would prove very popular indeed at St Andrew's and could even provide the Cathedral with an extra source of income.
But regardless of all that, it is a very beautiful church and should definitely be visited.
Wikipedia states that St Andrew's was designed primarily by Edmund Blacket on foundations laid by James Hume.
The cathedral itself was built from 1837 to 1868, thus making it the oldest cathedral in Australia.
St Andrew's is one of the city's finest specimens of Gothic Revival architecture.
Joan Kerr described the cathedral as "a perfect example of the colonial desire to reproduce England in Australia in the mid nineteenth century."
We thought that immediately as soon as we walked through its door.
It all felt so familiar to us, at times we actually forgot that we were not in a church in the UK but 10,000 miles away on the other side of the world.
How they managed to reproduce such a magnificently authentic English structure in Australia in the 1800s is totally mind boggling.
St Andrew's Cathedral Sydney
Beautiful central aisle at St Andrew's Cathedral Sydney
Stained glass window at St Andrew's Cathedral
Magnificent organ at St Andrew's Cathedral Sydney
Beautifully ornate organ pipes at St Andrew's Cathedral Sydney
The Great Bible 1539
Plaque at St Andrew's Cathedral Sydney in memory of Rev Richard Johnson who travelled as Chaplain with the first fleet of settlers in Australia in 1788
Where the Ordinary meets the Extraordinary
It's very easy for British travellers in Australia to forget just how far away from home they are at times.
One of many such moments for us was when we visited St Andrew's Cathedral in Sydney's George Street.
Ordering a perfect cup of tea in one of the many tea rooms all over the country is another, especially when you can order British tea cakes or scones with strawberry preserve and clotted cream to boot.
Then there's the pubs, often very authenticity British or Irish pubs with good old fashioned British ale or Guinness; not to mention the fish and chips, the meat pies, the doughnuts, iced buns and so much more.
When in Sydney, Melbourne and occasionally even in Perth, you can go for hours without feeling that you are abroad, let alone on the other side of the world.
But then you see something so completely alien that it jolts you into the immediate realisation of the fact that you are actually in the Southern Hemisphere, not in France, Italy, Spain or even the US but as far away from home as you could possibly be.
It could be an exotic animal, bird or unusual flower, a clear view of the Southern Cross in the night sky, a street sign maybe or the sudden realisation that it is summer in January or that just a few miles from where you are sipping your Earl Grey afternoon tea, a wild fire is raging and camels are struggling to find water as their desert watering holes are all dry.
There is nowhere quite like Australia anywhere else on earth.
It's the one place where the familiar and the exotic live side by side and often fuse into one, rendering a very ordinary activity, immensely extraordinary in an instant.
In the words of Bill Bryson: "the greatest luxury of all is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted".
That is how life in Australia felt for me
Ibis pecks at rubbish in a bin outside the metro station
Exotic ibis on a bin
Chinatown and Darling Harbour
We found ourselves in Chinatown quite by accident in early evening that day.
We had wandered over to Darling Harbour for our Happy Hour drinks at Cyren bar then we walked all around the harbour admiring the National Maritime Museum display boats and the wonderful views of Sydney CBD from that perspective.
Whilst walking, we noticed a lot of little girls with ribbons in their hair walking with proud parents towards the large Darling Harbour conference centre.
We wondered if they were all going to a mega birthday party or massive summer ball for 8 to 10 year olds but as neither of these seemed that plausible, I asked one of the mums who was all too happy to tell me that her daughters had both been invited to the girl power convention in the Darling Harbour conference hall.
From what I could gather this was a motivational exercise aimed at raising confidence and self esteem in girls to help them face later life in a male focused world.
A nice idea though it would have been interesting to see exactly how they did this in a one-off evening event.
I deduced that it must have been part of a rolling programme of talks and activities throughout the academic year at school which would then culminate in a party 'convention' during their long summer break, in this glamorous area of central Sydney.
As a teacher myself, I found this fascinating. I am all for any confidence boosting motivational activities in schools.
It is while we were contemplating this and speculating exactly on how the evening would be laid out that we realised that we had walked from Darling Harbour to Chinatown.
We had wandered over the Darling Harbour Bridge and before we knew it we were in Haymarket in Dixon Street, the heart of Sydney's Chinatown.
Chinatown in Sydney appears to be far more established than any that I had seen before.
This was a Chinese infrastructure that went beyond the usual restaurants, and cafés as tourist attractions.
In this Chinatown there was an entire three storey shopping mall with boutiques, a department store and a huge food court on the upper level, all aimed at the Chinese community in Sydney.
There were wonderful Chinese patisseries where you could sample the delicate Chinese millefeuille pastries and so many different types of freshly baked breads which were totally impossible to resist.
Next door to this mall was a two storey travel agency specialising mainly in flights to China and Hong Kong, further on in that same street was what we thought was a neon sign advertising legal services for the Chinese community.
A medical practice was at the end of the street where there was also what seemed to be a nursery school or childcare facility for young children; the little park next door appeared to have several grandparents sitting on beautiful ornate benches seemingly on babysitting duty chatting to friends and neighbours.
We were surprised at the fact that we were the only tourists enjoying this extraordinary cultural fusion that evening and taking holiday photos like there was no tomorrow.
It was a wonderful way to spend an evening and the meal we had in the Chinese food court was incredible and cost under $20 for both of us.
Definitely a must see if you like Chinese food and are watching your holiday budget
Cyren Bar Darling Harbour Sydney (photo courtesy of weekend notes.com)
Darling Harbour Sydney
View of Sydney CBD from Darling Harbour
The ferris wheel at Darling Harbour
Naval frigate display at the Australian National Maritime Museum at Darling Harbour
Submarine on display in Darling Harbour - Australian National Maritime Museum
Private sailing vessel Darling Harbour
Available to hire with captain and crew at Darling Harbour
Chinese shopping mall, Chinatown Sydney
Chinatown Sydney (photo courtesy of Sydney.com)
14 January 2020
Watson's Bay
After a very smoky long weekend, we decided we needed to find a launderette as a matter of urgency as there were very few items of clothing left in both our bags that did not reek of smoke.
Fortunately we found one quite easily just a short walk from our accommodation and we were able to opt for a service wash for a little extra providing we could pick it up before 12:00 pm.
That was fine with us, so we dropped it off and headed for our Bondi café for breakfast.
I opted for an excellent bran muffin that day which became a sort of staple for me; I hadn't eaten such a good bran muffin since the late 80s in the Midwest of America.
I appear to have ordered it by accident on that day as it was listed as a ricotta muffin which appealed to me slightly less, but fortunately when it arrived it was excellent and I ordered it again on several occasions after that.
My husband always ordered an egg and bacon roll mainly because that appeared to be the antipodean version of a bacon roll, which would have been his number 1 option had it been on the menu; but we were both very happy with our choices and the quality of everything we ordered in that café was always excellent.
After breakfast we walked along the bay, sat on the beach for a while and took in the sea air until it was time to go and collect our washing.
The wind direction must have changed quite drastically overnight as there was no smoke at all that morning so our walk on the beach was perfect.
It had already started to change the previous afternoon but we had experienced sunny afternoons and evenings before followed by overcast smoky mornings the next day, so that morning was a real treat.
Once we had collected our washing and dropped it off home, we decided to take a bus to Watson's Bay as recommended by our friends at the weekend.
They told us to select a sunny day to visit it and to ensure that we took the ferry from there to Circular Quay rather than the bus back to Bondi.
This we did and we were not disappointed.
It was one of the most beautiful areas of Sydney that we had seen to date.
Watson's Bay is an eastern suburb, 11 km north-east of Sydney CBD. It sits on the South Head peninsula and provides extraordinary views across the harbour of central Sydney and the Harbour Bridge.
It was the perfect day to have travelled there as those views would not have been visible had the sky been smoky or overcast.
Our ferry trip to Circular Quay from Watson's pier was the single most extraordinary ferry trip of our entire holiday.
As you chug along in those dated but perfectly functional yellow and green boats, Sydney Harbour in the distance, looms larger and larger into view until you find yourself suddenly and always unexpectedly, surrounded by its extraordinary splendour.
The Opera House on the left, the Harbour Bridge on the right and the CBD straight ahead of you. It was magnificent and all this for the price of a bus ticket.
I cannot praise the public transport network in Sydney enough.
We actually enjoyed that day so much that we repeated it on several other occasions before leaving Australia in March and we even booked ourselves into Doyles Fish restaurant at Watson's Bay for dinner on that same evening.
We had been told that a Watson's Bay sunset was among the best anywhere in Sydney so we felt that we had to experience it for ourselves.
I cannot recommend Watson's Bay enough to anyone visiting Sydney for the first time or the 100th time.
It was one of the highlights of our entire holiday and I can guarantee that it will be yours as well.
View of Sydney from Watson’s Bay
Children playing on the beach in Watson’s Bay
Doyle’s fish restaurant in Watson’s Bay
View of central Sydney from the ferry from Watson’s Bay
Sydney Opera house and CBD in the background
Approach into Sydney Harbour on ferry from Watson’s Bay
Opera House view from ferry
Harbour bridge view from the ferry approaching Sydney Harbour
Sydney Harbour approach on ferry from Watson’s Bay
Evening view from our table at Doyle’s Fish Restaurant back in Watson’s Bay at dusk
Coquilles à la Doyle’s
John Dory fish with seasonal vegetables at Doyle’s fish restaurant Watson’s Bay
Glorious Watson’s Bay sunset with central Sydney on the horizon
Night view of Sydney from Watson’s Bay
Watson’s Bay at night
The Rocks Discovery Museum
As we had a few spare hours between arriving in Circular Quay from Watson's Bay and having to return there later for dinner, we thought we would visit an art gallery or museum.
We finally plumped for The Rocks Discovery Museum.
This museum tells the story of The Rocks area of Sydney from pre-European days to the present.
It is housed in a restored 1850s, sandstone warehouse, and is home to a unique collection of images and archaeological artefacts found in the Rocks at various points during its history.
The interactive exhibits, through the use of touch screens and audio-visual elements, bring the history of the area to life.
The displays deal with the area's traditional landowners, the establishment of the English colony and the time when sailors, whalers and traders made The Rocks their home.
It then jumps to the 1970s union-led protests which led to the preservation of this unique area of Sydney for future generations to explore and enjoy.
http://www.therocks.com/things-to-do/the-rocks-discovery-museum.aspx
The Cadigal People (https://www.sydneycustomshouse.com.au/discover/eora)
What I found particularly interesting at the Rocks Discovery Musuem was the history of the Cadigal people.
These are the Aboriginal clan that lived and hunted in the Sydney Harbour area for what is now thought to be thousands of years before the arrival of the British colonisers.
Collectively known as the Eora Nation, there are about 29 clan groups, or tribes, in the Sydney metropolitan region alone, belonging to several major language groups, including Guringai, Darug, Dharawal and Gundungurra.
"For thousands of years, the Cadigal or Gadigal people of the Eora Nation lived harmoniously in and around Warrane (Sydney Harbour).
These people had a diverse and rich culture and were in harmony with their natural surroundings in a manner that no other group of settlers in Australia was able to emulate.
The Gadigal used natural resources to prepare food and medicine in order to sustain and maintain their lifestyle within the natural surroundings which they respected and even revered.
As fish was available all year round, campsites were close to the shore.
Men fished from the shoreline or they would ride the waves on paddle boards made from tree bark in much the same way as surfers do today on those same beaches, except that the highly skilled Cadigals would catch fish at the same time by using multi-pronged spears tipped with bone.
Women also fished; they would paddle their bark canoes (nowies) across the harbour to cast lines made from the bark of kurrajong and hibiscus trees.
On 26 January 1788, the Gadigal people watched as the First Fleet landed in Warrane and Captain Arthur Phillip raised the Union Flag on what had been Gadigal land for thousands of years.
As the colonisers began to fish, clear land and shoot wildlife, the local water source was polluted and Aboriginal lifestyles were disrupted and destroyed.
Despite many acts of resistance, Aboriginal people became destitute in their own land.
At various times, during those early days of colonisation, the British relied on Aboriginal knowledge of the land for their own survival.
In 1789 as a result of a smallpox epidemic brought in by the new settlers, almost half of Sydney’s Aboriginal population died.
With this loss came social collapse, grief and bewilderment.
Yet Gadigal culture survived.
As the town developed into a city, the Gadigal people were joined by Aboriginal people from around New South Wales to live, work and connect in a growing urban community"
This museum taught me so much about the Aboriginal people, their lifestyle, culture and their connection with the natural world around them.
It saddens me that when the early settlers arrived, they did so as colonisers and not as fellow immigrants, which essentially is what they were.
Had they come with humility instead of over-inflated pride, just think what could have been achieved then?
So much could have been learnt and so much could have been shared and the world would undoubtedly be a very different place.
I would certainly recommend this museum to anyone who has not already been; even Sydney siders would find it fascinating.
It will definitely provide you with plenty of food for thought.
It made me wonder why I had not been taught anything about Australia's Aboriginal people when I was at school.
Call me naive, but when someone has the skill and dexterity to build a boat that could transport several people across a notoriously difficult ocean to uninhabited land at least 50,000 years before anyone else attempted it, surely that deserves some sort of entry in history books everywhere.
Not to mention the fact that these same people didn't just manage to negotiate one of the most difficult and dangerous environments on earth, but by working with it and living in harmony with their natural surroundings at all times, they managed to make it their home.
We could have learnt a thing or two from that I think
Aboriginal woman in canoe c1805. (Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW - PXB 513)
Cadigal tools and artefacts as displayed at the Rocks Discovery Museum Sydney
The unsigned portrait ‘One of NSW Cadigal hunters befriended by Governor Macquarie’, which was owned for many years by Mrs Macquarie. Picture: Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW
Eora Nation’s major language regions. (Courtesy of daily telegraph.com.au)
Sydney Harbour in the early 1900s (photo of wall display at The Rocks Discovery Museum)
15 January 2020
Meeting in Coogee
This was to be a very special day as I would be meeting up with a good friend who had been a work colleague of mine for many years before returning home to Sydney and having two beautiful little girls.
We would be meeting at Coogee Beach in a café called the Pavilion. At least that's what we thought.
When we arrived, we weren't too sure what this place was.
It was in a prime spot at the far end of Coogee beach which suited us perfectly as we would be walking back via the Coogee to Bondi cliff trail and it was another, lovely, smoke free day so the sea views were spectacular.
When we went in, it looked like a normal restaurant/café except its only patrons appeared to be nursing mothers, parents of babies and toddlers and, of course, the toddlers themselves.
While their mothers were enjoying a delicious brunch or coffee with friends, their children were free to move around at will and take advantage of the large soft play area at the back of the room as well as the vast selection of toys, books, crayons and so much more.
Child friendly staff were on hand to help with games if required and cheerful servers were at the beck and call of the young mothers so as to ensure that their experience would be nothing less than perfect.
It was an extraordinary place; a far cry from the tea room in Wimbledon that asked me to leave when my baby 'made too much noise' or the London restaurant that prided itself on having a chair for nursing mothers in their public toilet.
I had never seen anything like that before. It was truly wonderful.
I learnt later that this was actually a three storey structure with a variety of different eateries and cuisines.
There was also a roof top bar which I gathered came alive later in the day and was probably less child friendly than the restaurant on the ground floor but there was something for everyone at the Coogee Pavilion.
If we had been living in Coogee instead of Bondi, this would undoubtedly be our 'go to' eatery / café / bar at any time of day.
Definitely recommended to ALL but an absolute must if you're visiting Sydney with young children any you fancy a bit of time out over coffee or a nice lunch while your children play safely in the soft play area nearby.
Coogee Pavilion (photo courtesy of forfoodssake.net)
Coogee Pavilion play area
Reunion at Coogee Beach
Wildlife, Scenery, Glorious views
The cliff walk from Coogee to Bondi was as mesmerising as I remembered it from late December, except on this day it was sunny, with clear skies and just a slight wisp of a smoke occasionally in the distance which didn't rain ash down on us and didn't permeate into our clothes or make our eyes water, so we were seeing it at its best for the first time.
Beautiful Coogee beach
Beautiful exotic flora on Coogee to Bondi cliff walk
Pretty parrot in a tree on Coogee to Bondi cliff walk
Crested pigeon on Coogee to Bondi cliff walk
Pretty crested pigeon
Sleeping flying fox on cable on Coogee to Bondi cliff walk
Waverley Council Cemetery with the best view in the world
The highest point on the Coogee to Bondi cliff walk
Stunning scenery on Coogee to Bondi cliff walk
From Bush to Boom information board on the cliff walk above Bondi
Early Bondi Locals information board on cliff walk trail above Bondi Beach
The Rise of Beach Culture information board on cliff walk above Bondi Beach
Scenic Bondi cliff walk
Bondi pools and beach on a sunny day
Bondi Beach
TV film crew filming Bondi Rescue on Bondi Beach
Gelato, Aperitivo, Pizza
On arrival at Bondi after our 7 km cliff walk in 30 degree heat with no smoke clouds above us, we were hot, tired and probably burnt as we appear to have forgotten our suncream at home. Not a responsible thing to do in that climate and we certainly did not do it again.
Some form of sustenance and hydration was vital so we treated ourselves to a gelato at the big gelateria in central Bondi.
I selected strawberry and it was delicious; what I didn't expect was a layer of chocolate under the ice-cream but this surprise was not at all unwelcome.
We retired to a bench by the beach to enjoy our gelatos whilst being entertained by Bondi's many aspiring surfers.
We then unpacked our towels and our books and decided to have some proper beach time and a good rest.
I couldn't help but notice at least two helicopter rescues that afternoon; one on our walk and the other almost as soon as we sat on the beach.
Dangerous underwater cross currents, I was later told, are particularly treacherous in Bondi waters.
There was certainly plenty for the Bondi Beach Rescue crew to film that afternoon.
Our plan for later that evening was to go to Bondi Junction for drinks and dinner.
We hadn't yet been to Bondi Junction apart from the station but we liked the look of it from the bus so we thought we would see what it was like.
On arrival we immediately noticed the Westfield shopping mall which was clean, air conditioned and huge.
It's so easy to get distracted in a place like that.
My husband enjoyed perusing books and maps in various bookstores on different levels,
I continued my quest for the perfect outfit for our daughter's wedding, which I did not find but I did find several other things which I didn't know I needed but was pleased to have regardless.
By the time we finished at Westfield, we didn't have the energy or inclination to go anywhere else so we went to the restaurant and bar area on the upper level and had our aperitivos in a lovely terrace bar overlooking all of Central Sydney.
It was fantastic and so unexpected.
As luck would have it this bar was actually a pizzeria and we happened to be there on one of their special offer evenings.
On that evening it was all the pizza you could eat for just $24.
Now we are not in the habit of actively searching for 'all you can eat' establishments but on this occasion whilst sipping Barossa Valley sparkling wine and enjoying sunset views over Sydney, we felt that there was nowhere else we would rather be.
So the pizzas were ordered. I managed a maximum of one but my husband managed 3, though he did insist that they were smaller than they are in Italy 🤣
View of Sydney from Westfield in Bondi Junction
All you can eat pizza offer at Bondi Junction 🤣
Little Women at Bondi
We thoroughly enjoyed our excellent pizzas, Barossa and Hunter Valley wines and glorious sunset views over Sydney.
Sometimes the best occasions are the totally unexpected ones.
In keeping with the spontaneity of the evening, we noticed that the cinema was on the same level as our pizza bar and that one of the films showing was Little Women.
My husband was curious to see how Bob Odenkirk who plays Saul in both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, would cope with such a very different role, so we bought tickets and went to see it.
It was good though not faithful to the novel which isn't easy when the novel had been a childhood favourite.
But we were glad to have seen it especially as, unbeknownst to us then, it would probably be the last time we would go to a cinema or theatre at all in 2020.
Cinema in Bondi
Event Cinema at Westfield, Bondi
16 January 2020
Waverley Council Memorial Garden
The previous evening's Prosecco, pizza and wine indulgences meant that we did not require breakfast on this morning; we had our usual filter coffee in our accommodation and then we set off on foot to Bondi Junction station.
The 3.5 km walk from our accommodation to the station was inconsequential in the main: parades of shops, cafés, restaurants, a church and lots of private homes, but when we were approximately 1 km into our walk we noticed a little park on our left which looked so appealing that we decided to go in.
It was designed much like a typical English park, similar to the one opposite our home in Surrey.
It had a pretty central area with trees and flower beds, a sports area at the rear for cricket and Australian rules football and a little memorial garden to the side with the names of all those from Waverley Council who had served in some capacity in the great war.
What we found particularly poignant about this memorial is that it wasn't just dedicated to the memory of those who fell but to all those who served: men and women alike.
We saw many memorials to the Great War during our time in Australia and New Zealand but this first one in an unassuming little park in the area of Sydney we were staying in, felt so intimate and personal, that it retains a very special place in our memories.
We were not there as tourists with a bus full of fellow travellers, but as neighbours and fellow human beings.
On that day at that moment we really were Sydney-siders.
Monument to those who served in the Great War from Waverley Council
Waverley Great War Memorial
Lest We Forget
The Barangaroo Reserve (www.barangaroo.com)
We had read a lot about Barangaroo being one of the city’s oldest industrial sites and how its reserve was now Sydney’s newest Harbour foreshore development, marking its transformation into a six-hectare headland open space for Sydneysiders and visitors to embrace and enjoy.
As well as providing never-seen-before views of the city’s iconic Harbour, Barangaroo Reserve features lookouts, extensive walking and cycling trails, idyllic coves, picnic spots and places for quiet contemplation.
The reserve is rich in Aboriginal history and is an area of great significance for Australians across all cultures.
The planting program alone, replicating the vegetation before European settlement, is the most scientifically significant of its kind in central Sydney for decades.
The spectacular views from the highest point at the Barangaroo Reserve is where we first fully appreciated the sheer magnitude of this extraordinary natural harbour.
It is one thing to know as a acquired fact that Sydney Harbour is the largest natural harbour in the world but another to see it for yourself.
It was truly extraordinary to see it from that perspective on that sunny afternoon.
We were very lucky that day as we appeared to be the only tourists there, so we were able to enjoy the views, the exhibits and the beautiful indigenous flora entirely on our own.
It is a wonderful feature of modern Sydney, and the harbourside area is being developed further, so it should definitely be added to a Sydney tourist itinerary, especially as the full harbour views from here cannot be appreciated in this manner from anywhere else in Sydney
Information board on the Cadigal welcome
Wellama Artwork by Alison Page and Nik Lachajczak
Stunning view of Sydney from Barangaroo Reserve
View of Sydney’s spectacular natural harbour from Barangaroo Reserve
Stunning view of the harbour from Barangaroo Reserve
Sydney Harbour - the largest natural harbour in the world
Information board on Flag flying Art Installation
Art installation at Barangaroo Reserve
View of Sydney Harbour Bridge from Barangaroo Reserve
Barangaroo Reserve
New Harbourside development at Barangaroo
Development of Barangaroo Harbour
Beautiful natural sandstone at Barangaroo Reserve
The Lord Nelson Hotel (photo courtesy of the daily mail.com)
Excellent chicken starter at the Sailmaker restaurant at the Hyatt Regency Darling Harbour
Lemon posset dessert at the Sailmaker restaurant in the Hyatt Regency overlooking Darling Harbour
Harbour Bridge view at night
Definitely Sydneysiders
Our afternoon and evening at the Barangaroo Reserve far exceeded any expectations we may have had of it.
It is always difficult selecting exactly what one should visit when in a new town or city that you have never been to before.
In a city such as Sydney there is so much to choose from and you can never see it all so it's vital that you read travel guides, blogs and anything else that will help you make an informed decision on how to prioritise what you want to see based on personal interests and passions which always vary from one person to another.
We did not realise that we would be spending almost 20 consecutive days in this city; we were disappointed at first that our itinerary had to be changed twice in just a few days, but we now realise that our time in Bondi in that below par accommodation is the one that we look back on with the most affection.
We experienced life as Sydneysiders that week and we became acquainted with this beautiful city in a way that would not have been possible in any other circumstances; had we been in more favourable accommodation, we may well have spent more time at home.
So embrace itinerary changes as an opportunity and never as a disaster. By doing that you may discover that Plan B was the one you were meant to be doing all along.
A night out on the town
As this was our final evening in Sydney for a while, we decided to make a night of it.
It was still quite early so we were happy to be having an early evening drink with our friends from North Sydney.
We met at the Lord Nelson Hotel just a short walk from the Barangaroo Reserve and not far from where one of them was working this week.
The Lord Nelson is so British in style and character that we felt at home immediately; my husband could even get a pint of English bitter; surprisingly they said they couldn't make me a cup of tea which was a little disappointing.
Sadly very few Australian pubs serve hot drinks at the bar so that is definitely worth knowing if you like your afternoon cuppa.
We spent a lovely few hours there with our friends; we were so pleased we could meet up as we now wouldn't be seeing them until mid February.
Our time in Sydney had certainly been enhanced by their presence and for that we would be forever grateful to them.
Dinner at the Hyatt Regency in Sussex Street
After our longer than expected aperitivo at the Lord Nelson, it was time to say goodbye to our friends and walk at a very fast pace to our restaurant in the vicinity of Darling Harbour.
We soon realised that we wouldn't be able to get there by 7:00 even if we ran all the way, so we flagged a cab and asked the driver to get us there extra fast.
We had booked ourselves a First Table meal at the Sailmaker restaurant in the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Sussex Street and there are strict rules on arrival times in order to benefit from their offer.
In this case it was 50% off food and a glass of excellent sparkling wine on arrival.
Fortunately our taxi driver got us there with two minutes to spare so all was good.
The odd thing about First Table is that you have to arrive early, usually between 6:30 and 7:00 but once you're there you can take your time; you do not have to vacate the table for another sitting which we assumed was the whole point of the exercise.
We felt a little guilty when a group of four arrived half an hour after us but ordered before we did as we were enjoying our complimentary sparkling wine and excellent home made canapés, yet they were paying full price and we were not.
The entire meal was excellent and the portions were huge so we were beyond replete by the time we left there at 11:00 pm.
Be warned portions are bigger in Australia as are muffins, scones, doughnuts, tea cakes and more.
After all we had eaten, we decided that a good walk was essential so we waddled to Circular Quay where we enjoyed perfect night views of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.
Our final treat was a digestif at Buckley's bar near the ferry port where we became acquainted with our young English server from Huddersfield, who was in Australia on the statutory 1 year working visa which young people under the age of 30 can apply for.
He was an excellent asset to Buckley's and went some way to persuading us that this would be the perfect local for us whenever we were back in Sydney.
We assured him that we would be back at Buckley's for Happy Hour drinks the following week but for now we went home to pack and get ready for our next adventure
Stunning view of Sydney Opera House at night