5 days in Sydney

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    by Peter Dunne

    I had lived in Sydney in the late 80’s and been back a few time over the followings years, but never as a tourist so this year when I visited for 5 days it was an interesting mix of reminiscence and new experiences.

    Easter is a good time to visit as autumn in Sydney is generally pleasant and dry and this year was no exception, I was lucky enough to have 5 glorious days with no rain at all.

    I had made a list of things I wanted to do and on day one it was the famous cliff top walk from Coogee to Bondi. The walk is only 6 km’s long and has great beach views, parks, beautiful bays and plenty of cafes in which to rest and have a coffee enroute.

    The walk ended at Bondi beach and I caught the bus to Bondi Junction for a look around the shops and the train back to town. This served to reinforce my memory of how good public transport still is in Sydney and like train geek I am, I had to sit upstairs because you can!

    Day 2 of my trip was to the zoo. Taronga zoo has animals galore and views to die for. Carrying on my public transport trip it was a ferry to the Zoo from my accommodation in Darling Harbour. I had visited the zoo many years ago and what struck me on this visit was the change from just information about the animals to sustainability and environmental information that was aimed at the younger generation who will ultimately save the planet after our generations of neglect.

    Darling harbour is a great place to stay, walking distance to the town hall and the rail system, access to the light rail system and ferry links to Circular Quay and the Opera House as well as attractions, shops, museums and bars of its own. I spent the day visiting the Maritime museum and the submarine HMAS Onslow, the Sydney Aquarium, The Pumphouse museum and the Chinese Garden of Friendship. I walked between all these attractions and later walked on to the nearby Chinatown for a wonderful Chinese meal and arrived back to Darling Harbour in time for the weekly firework display on a Saturday night. I could have finished the night at the nearby Star Casino but common sense prevailed.

    My final day was sent exploring the rocks region of Sydney in the shadows of the harbour bridge. Back in the 80’s the rocks was still quite residential and Sydney didn’t seem to know what they wanted to do with the area, in the late 70’s it was very nearly demolished and rebuilt but thankfully this was avoided and today it is a thriving area of central Sydney with great historical significance. As well as visiting a few of the famous watering holes I did an Urban Adventure called “When Rum ruled the rocks” and learnt about the founding of the rocks area and its development over its first 200 years.

    The next day my time was up and I headed home. Sydney may well be on our doorstep and you may have visited many times but there is so much to see and do and discover, you may well find yourself heading over a few more time than you imagined!

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