A day out in Sydney

Thursday 4th February 2010

We slept with the french doors open that led out of the bedroom onto the balcony which overlooks Manly Beach and the Ocean. The crashing of the waves below makes it sound as though you are in a storm and the blowing window blinds adds to that sensation. There is an easy solution if you don't like it, close the doors, but it sent us to sleep very quickly. When we first opened our eyes this morning, we could see grey sky and the expanse of the bay and wondered what the weather had in store for us as the forecast was for thunderstorms. The sky brightened as we ate breakfast and we watched the boat checking the shark nets that are supposed to stop the blighters coming into the surfing area and having their own human breakfast. Apparently the nets are 10m under the surface and 10m from the ocean floor so any hungry shark could either swim under or over the nets if they were desperate. All they seem to do is get dolphins and sea turtles caught up in them, causing an unpleasant death from drowning. We decided to go down to Manly Wharf and take the ferry into Sydney Harbour. Chris offered to take us down in the car which made it a little easier. On arrival, we bought a seven day pass for the ferry for $48 each which entitles us to go on all the ferries out of Circular Quay in Sydney, including the Manly Ferry, which would have been $18 each for one journey. It also gives us free bus and train travel within the city over the 7 days so we will make a huge saving I suspect.

The sky was back to being cloudy as we departed and our first sight of the skyscrapers in the city business area were through a haze. As we got nearer, we were aware that when we came to the end of the land on the right hand side of the boat, we would get our first sight of the true sights of Sydney. The land was dotted with concrete pill-boxes which were built as part of the defence of Australia from the threat of invasion from Japan during WWII. As it came to an end, the boat turned slightly right and in the distance came our first sight of the Sydney Opera House and as the view opened, the Sydney Harbour Bridge appeared and then came into full view across the harbour. It was quite a wonderful feeling as I always thought that I would be here one day but it has taken a long time to realise a dream. It got closer and closer as we headed for the Circular Quay where we moored beside a huge liner from Nassau in the Bahamas. The wheelchair came into it's own right yet again as Kath took up her seated position and tied me to the reins before directing me over the many obstacles such as ropes and ganplanks etc. Eventually we hit the open space of the Quay and sat down in what was by then, pleasant sunshine, and took in the views. An aboriginy in full painted skin blew on his diggerydoo to some piped background music whilst his 'minder' tried to tell CD's and collect money from the tourists. The Japanese loved it and took their turns to sit with him and have their photos taken before parting with a few dollars. I was half expecting Rolf Harris to appear and accompany him with a wabble-board. The whip came out and so it was time to move on and I pushed my way around to The Rocks area which is where there are many old buildings from the early Victorian era. We sat down in a square by The Rocks Visitor Centre on Argyle Street and ate lunch outside a noodle bar. By this time it was very hot and the sun was fully out. We then continued along George Street towards the Town Hall glancing in the windows of the fashion houses as I quickly sped past them before Kath had chance to decide that there may be an opportunity to spend some more money. I then realised that the road was going uphill and it was too hot to push much further. We turned off to the left and down the hill to Pitt Street where we stopped in Australia Square for a quenching beer. Two glasses of Peroni was £17 (just under £5 each... glasses, not pints). They certainly know how to charge for drinks here though I was warned of that before we came. Eventually we arrived back at Circular Quay where there are 5 quays with ferries going different loactions around the city. We decided to catch one to Darling Harbour so it back on a boat and this time we went under the Harbour Bridge as we made our way around to Darling. This is the home of the National Maritime Museum where there was a lighthouse from the mid 1800's which had been taken down from it's original location near Adelaide and re-built outside the museum. I had to climb to the toip where the view around Darling Harbour was superb. There were old warships, submarines and a replica of Captain Cook's ship, the Endeavour, that we could have gone on board but it would be impossible with the wheelchair and it was getting late. We caught the ferry back to Circular Quay and made our way straight to the Manly Ferry and arrived back in Manly at around 6pm. We wandered around the shops and the beach area before deciding upon an aperatif before dinner. Although Chris had offered to come and fetch us when we got back, we would have wanted go out again later so we made up our minds to stay as we were in the clothes we had worn all day in the heat (and it has been hot today pushing Kath's chariot around). We sat in a bar across from Manly Beach and watched the various joggers performing their different exercises and commenting upon the shapes and sizes of people as they passed by. You can do this quite easily when you are perfect in every way yourself.................not.

Chris collected us at 10.30pm and it was back for a much needed shower and get the blog done. Happy holidays, no worries.