Thursday, November 12th

I started the day with a shower and did a bit of laundry while I was in there - There is laundry hanging in the bathroom as well as the closet. Makes sense, as far I can see, to wash it when you can and take advantage of the fact that it should be able to dry before we leave.

There is no breakfast included in the price of our hotel room so we are on our own finding breakfast every morning. For some reason I have had a bit of a hankering for McDonald’s so we walked back towards the train station then past it to visit the local branch. They have machines that you can order from but we ignored that and went to the counter to order our normal McD’s breakfast: Sausage egg McMuffin meal. I asked for orange juice but they gave me this orange squash drink so I was not terribly impressed as in the UK I would get “fresh” orange juice (Tropicana). The sausage tasted a lot more meaty than I can recall in the UK. Anyway, it was a breakfast and helped us get started for what was going to be a long day.

Before getting onto the train to go into town I looked into a newsagent to see what magazines were on offer as it appeared there was quite a good selection when looking through the door. I find it always good to visit local shops to see what is there as it often tells you a lot about the people and culture (believe it or not). Anyway, nothing of interest so we hopped onto the train to return to Martin Place Station.

Being in a big city one of the things that I always try to do is visit the post office to see if there are any stamp-collecting items of interest so we headed to what I saw on Google was the “Post Office”. The old building is absolutely magnificent but actually is now a shopping centre. Walking into it there is a large central atrium with a glass roof with a number of what looked like quite expensive shops. The stone and woodwork is quite amazing. Wandering around a bit we eventually found a small Post Office located in one corner. Post Offices here in Australia, as I also remember from my visit to Canberra last year, tend to have a lot of non-postage related items such as paper, souvenirs, books, CDs, etc. I am assuming this is because many people do not post things any more other than, perhaps, parcels or Christmas cards. I was able to talk to a teller and purchased 4 first day covers ($26 - not that bad, actually).

We were headed out to take a free walking tour that meets every day at 10:30 at the old Town Hall which is a 15 minute walk from the Post Office. Walking along George Street we noticed large amounts of it are under construction. We were told that it is being pedestrianised with the first phase where bus routes no longer go down the road already implemented. We passed by the magnificent red stone Queen Victoria Building (QVB) that takes up an entire city block.

I noticed an arcade just off of George Street - “The Strand Arcade” - It is really quite amazing. Long and narrow, it looks really old with tile floors and has a lot of quite nice shops it in. I spotted a CD/DVD shop in the basement so had a look while Mel had a seat to soak in the atmosphere. I was looking for videos that we do not have access to in the UK but did not find anything of any interest really…

Spotting a 7-11 we immediately visited so I could have a slurpee ($3.60) but I have also been noticing how expensive potato chips (crisps) are here - 2 for $10! That seems quite excessive as in the UK I could get a the same sized bag for about £1.50 (roughly $3). Even Mel’s water at $3.50 seemed quite expensive (about $2.50 in the UK). Anyway, we were told there was a sale on…the guy at the till seemed quite keen on us buying something…we smiled and left.

The tour meets between the Town Hall and St Andrew’s Cathedral. The two tour guides were wearing these eye catching green shirts with “I’m Free” and “Free Sydney Walking Tours” written on them. We were early but not the first ones there so we were directed to have a seat under the beautiful flowering trees in the park between the two buildings.

The group was too large for a single person to manage so we were split into two. Our group was with one of the founders of the tour company, “Ross” who was really interesting. So, this is what we learned…The Town Hall is currently being renovated but it is now largely used for social gatherings and weddings. Walking across the road towards the Queen Victoria Building we stopped at the “talking dog” statue/wishing well - This is a statue of a Queen Victoria’s favourite pet a terrier named “Islay” that starts talking when you throw coins into the fountain at it’s base (donations for deaf and blind children).

Ross guided us through the QVB itself and shown the two massive halls of what is, essentially, a shopping centre. In the middle of each of the halls suspended from the skylight is a large clock built in the UK.

Ross told us that there are a labyrinth of tunnels under the streets of Sydney that locals use to avoid having to cross the streets above. We took one of these tunnels over towards Hyde Park (another British name!) with St. Mary’s Cathedral visible on the other side of the park past a large fountain. The buildings all around come right up to the borders of the park which offers a bit of a break from the busy city all around.

Heading north from the park towards Circular Quay we stopped outside the “Hyde Park Barracks Museum” where we learned a lot about the history of Australia. Everyone is aware of the story that convicts were sent to Australia from Britain and that they were the ones that settled OZ. These barracks provided accommodation for convicts working in the Sydney civil service.

Next door we visited the Sydney Hospital built in 1811 which still operates as a hospital today. Outside of this we stopped to look at a bronze statue of a boar, “Il Porcellino”, whose nose you rub for good luck (or you rub, er, another part, should you want to have children).

Continuing our walk we passed through Martin Place again to see that there was a big crowd gathered around as well as film crews. Thinking about it for a minute it became obvious what was going on - The Prince of Wales and his wife were in town so they were due to arrive at any moment to talk to the media.

Later we turned off the road into a nondescript alley, “Angel Place”, where we were confronted by a number of empty bird cages hanging above our heads with the sounds of different species of birds played as you walk along underneath. Evidently this was supposed to be a temporary work of art but due to popular demand it has been kept in place. This does seem to be quite typical of Sydney - The streets look quite normal but if you stop and look you will see small alleys or hidden away places that hide surprises. Ross pointed out quite a number of small little places to eat and drink along the way that we would never have noticed otherwise (one particular bar is accessed through an unmarked and plain door in the middle of an alley).

We stopped in “Australia Square” for a toilet break where we were shown an incredibly life-like statue of a man sitting on a bench reading a newspaper (“Waiting” by “John Seward Johnson II”) that was installed to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Australia’s founding in 1988.

Passing by one of the cannons believed to be on the first ship to land in Australia we arrived at Circular Quay where we were taken into “Customs House” where we stood on a glass floor above 3-D map of the city where Ross helpfully pointed out a few things about what we had already seen and the general layout of the area. He also mentioned that Customs House was sort of like a library where you could come and read the daily newspapers from around the world.

Walking around Circular Quay we passed by the Cruise Ship port where I was able to talk to Ross directly to ask him about the cruises themselves. Evidently these are ships that really only cruise the area around Australia and are generally used by locals only. Pretty much every day there is a massive cruise ship in port.

Continuing to the Rocks this is where the tour ended but not before we learned that the “Park Hyatt Sydney” hotel situated there is one of the most expensive and exclusive hotels in the city. Evidently the best place in the city to see the Sydney Harbour fireworks at New Year’s is on “Fort Denison” situated on an island near the opera house where tickets go for $1,000.

Ross got a polite clapping of hands from all of us before we approached him with a small “donation” for his time (he was very good) at which point we asked him to suggest places around that might be good to eat at (he suggested the entire area has all sorts) for lunch as it was now just after 1 pm.

We ended up at a local pub in a hotel (the Observer Hotel) that looked quite nice and had some inexpensive looking lunch specials on offer so we took at seat at a table outside on the pavement (it was reasonably warm). It turns out that to eat you have to order from an attached restaurant, “The Burger Joint”, accessed at the back of the pub. So Mel had the cheeseburger special of the day ($12) and I had a dozen “prawn cutlets with chips” in coconut batter ($26) which were absolutely incredible though perhaps a few too many for me…The prawns were butterflied then deep fried in a copious amounts of coconut batter. Yummy, but very, very filling…I should have had the half-dozen…

We hadn’t been on the water yet so we decided to take a ferry over to Darling Harbour to have a look around there as I remembered it was quite touristy but interesting and it would also give us a good view of the bridge as well as a lot of the inner harbour area. We tapped through the gates using our Opal card and were lucky that a boat was just preparing for boarding so we hurried on board with the crowd. We were able to sit right at the front of the boat so had a great view. The ferry left Circular Quay then passed under the bridge and made a few stops on the way including at Luna Park (“Milsons Point Wharf”) - The closest I have ever been to the attraction.

Then, “McMahons Point Wharf” across from it, then the quiet residential “Balmain East Wharf”, and finally “Darling Harbour Wharf”. Along the way we passed by “Headland Park” which only opened a short while ago. We also passed a large area of construction leading down into Darling Harbour that appears to consist of office and residential tours. The Maritime Museum on the east shore looks quite interesting with a number of boats docked alongside…but perhaps not this trip.

Leaving the boat we walked along the wooden pier south towards the aquarium. It was starting to rain so we walked a bit faster…There are a series of attractions owned by the company “Merlin” (which also operates in other countries such as the UK) - Madame Tussauds and the Sydney Aquarium. I have visited the aquarium before but I knew that Mel would really enjoy it as she really likes animals.

The aquarium is actually on the harbour itself on board several large permanently moored barges and has an amazing assortment of sea life on display. Obviously it is geared towards kids but we really enjoyed seeing a lot of sea creatures we have never seen before except, perhaps, on TV.

Our particular favourite has to have been the “dudong” which is a large “sea cow” that the handlers were feeding continuously with lettuce which approximates what they would eat in the wild. The dudong was in a large walk-through tank with other large fish including rays and sharks.

The aquarium was quite busy particularly with school groups but this did not bother us too much as we felt as though we had lots of time…Oh dear.

I have not yet mentioned it but we had purchased tickets for “Bridgeclimb”, that is, the climb up the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I bought the tickets for the twilight climb quite a few months ago and it is one of the highlights of our trip. We had chosen the twilight climb so that we could see the city in both the light and dark though this is the most expensive of the climbs (more than $300 each). Our reservation was for 6:05 pm and it was already past 5…So we asked an employee at the aquarium where we could catch a train back to Circular Quay but we never did find where they mentioned so ended up hopping into a cab. This was not a great choice as the traffic was absolutely awful and we spent much of the trip parked on the road. On the plus side we spent some time chatting with the taxi driver about the city and his background. Eventually we made it to the Rocks where he dropped us at the front door. Ok, it was quite expensive but we had made it!

The entrance to “Bridgeclimb” is under one of the large arches of the bridge. They have a small exhibit space as well as a cafe and souvenir shop. Despite being in a hurry we were still a bit early and had eaten since lunch so we were urged to have something to eat as the climb takes quite a few hours. We had a ham and cheese croissant (which was put into a toaster and provided hot) and some chocolates (Tim Tams!). While we scarfed down the food we chatted to a couple sitting there waiting for their older children to return from their climb.

Climbing the circular metal staircase we sat down on a seat outside of the door through which our climb would begin. The doors opened and we were in a small circular room where we sat down to sign disclaimers before preparing for our climb. Our climb leader, Darren, introduced himself and we were given an introduction to how the climb would be go. In another room we were asked to stand on circles painted on the floor where they give us our one piece “climb suits” that we would wear during the climb. As it was raining we were also given a pair of nylon rain trousers to wear over top of the “onesie” in case it was raining when we eventually got out onto the bridge. Finally, we were taken into a large open area with small individual curtained off cubicles where we could change. You are not allowed to take any personal clothing or effects such as watches (or other loose jewellery), cameras or bags with you during the climb as they don’t want these falling from you onto the cars and boats below so we had to pack all of these away into lockers.

With the preliminaries taken care of we walked along a walkway over top of the reception area through a hole drilled in the arch of the bridge to the next arch over. Here we were given the rest of our equipment. With our group of 7 standing around a curved metal handrail we were shown how to put on our safety harness that has a plastic clip that we clamp onto the metal cable throughout the climb (when my mother and I climbed 15 years ago they were using round metal ratchet devices that often got jammed, our climb leader told me) then we were given a raincoat in a pouch and radio that were also clipped in. The radio is so that we can easily talk to one another as we become spread out during the climb.

At this point we were able to practice using the safety equipment on a small section of walkway they have set up - a “simulator” for what is to come. It was a small set of near vertical steps (think more of a ladder) leading up to a small walkway about 15 feet across then another set of steps back down. We were shown how to clip onto the metal cable running the length of the practice apparatus then told to go backwards when descending the steps. After a few minutes we had all given this a go and it seems like our group will be quite fun.

Our group consists of two other couples, one from Germany (the wife does not speak English so the husband is always translating for her), and another couple from Korea. Except for me, everyone is a first time climber so it is all quite exciting.

At this point it was time for us to start up so we followed our climb leader through another tunnel drilled through the concrete supporting arch of the bridge onto the first metal walkway leading out to the last pylon that is the main expanse of the bridge over the water. This walkway is about 200 m or so long that is quite a ways above the ground that you can clearly see below you. We quickly made our way along this stretch but it was the climb at the end that we had been warned about - Four steep ladders that took us from the walkway below the bridge roadway to the beginning of the arch above the road. Just before the climbing the ladders we were able to grab a drink from a water fountain before heading up the ladders. At the top we were able to move a short distance along the arch to soak up the view while waiting for the others. We climbed to the top on the west arch which looks out over the harbour to the opera house, past the zoo and out towards the ocean but on the way back we were on the eastern arch that looks out over Darling Harbour and inland.

Part of the deal with the climb is that although we were not allowed cameras our guide had one. The price of the climb includes a group picture that we had taken at the top but you can purchase additional pictures as you wish (I had pre-purchased “all” the pictures that were taken).

We were told that two groups behind us had cancelled and the group ahead of us had a few nervous climbers so we ended up with plenty of time to stand around and talk/look around during our climb. In addition to pointing out the sights our guide also told us some very funny stories so we ended up doing a lot of laughing as well. He stopped to take pictures of each of us during our climb up with the Sydney Opera House in the background.

Unfortunately, there was a concert tonight in front of the Opera House so it was not lit up as much as it would be normally but it is still quite a sight.

Obviously at the top we had to stop and cheer a bit at having made it.

With all of the time on our hands our guide was also able to shoot some video right in in the middle of the top span of the bridge as we crossed from the western to eastern arches. Mel and I really went to town on this with our screaming and yelling for all of it while also looking to see the traffic going by on the road far below.

Of course, climbing down the stairs was more difficult than coming up so this took us some time. We were quite hot and sweaty with the onesies and the nylon rain trousers on over top of that both keeping the heat in. As it turned out, the weather was fine with no rain at all and the sky quite clear by the time we got to the top so we did not really need the trousers.

Following the last stretch of walkway over The Rocks towards the entrance we were amused to see we passed over top of one of the first public toilets in Sydney - We could see directly inside of it!

Arriving back we removed all of our equipment and changed back into our clothes. We were given certificates indicating we had made it - Mine was a bit special as it was in gold and marked “Bridgeclimb Master” as this was my second climb. We talked to a lady in front of a computer about which pictures we wanted as even though we had paid for “all” this actually meant only 10 of the pictures of Mel and I were included so we had to pick which ones of those we wanted. To be fair, we did get the video, the group picture and the pictures our guide took of the scenery thrown in for free on our USB stick…

It was 9:30 by now but we still managed to visit the souvenir shop to pick up a t-shirt and fleece say that we had climbed the bridge as well as some drinks and ice cream (total of $97.90!) before we headed to the train station at Circular Quay.

The “Florence and the Machine” concert looks to still be doing over on the steps of the Opera House…

We still had not had anything really for dinner so on the way back we picked up a large chicken and leek pie from “Pie Face” that we ate in our hotel room. Yeah, it had a cute face drawn on it…

An exciting, but long, day.

>> Friday, November 13th