Category Archives: travel

November 5, 2014 · 5:35 am

The Cockles of Sydney’s Heart — Cockle Bay


Darling Harbour in Cockle Bay

Darling Harbour in Cockle Bay

Sydney is one of the great walking cities of the world, in my view.  I absolutely love strolling around every bit of it.  One of nooks and crannies not to be missed is Cockle Bay, site of Darling Harbour and the Australian National Maritime Museum.

Darling Harbour ferry terminal

Darling Harbour ferry terminal

A short walk west from Sydney’s central business district will take you to Cockle Bay, and you can then walk across the bay using the Pyrmont Bridge — a pedestrian swing bridge that was closed off to vehicular traffic in 1981.  Unfortunately the monorail system that traversed the bridge along elevated tracks to connect the central business district with Darling Harbour was decommissioned June of last year and subsequently removed.

Pyrmont Bridge

Pyrmont Bridge

Once you cross the Pyrmont Bridge you’ll arrive at Darling Harbor.

Beneath Pyrmont Bridge on the Darling Harbour side of Cockle Bay

Beneath Pyrmont Bridge on the Darling Harbour side of Cockle Bay

Take a few moments to visit the sights and perhaps even take a tour of the Harbourside Shopping Centre for some interesting shops and fun-looking restaurants.

Harbourside Shopping Centre

Harbourside Shopping Centre

But when you decide to go back, forgo a return trip on the Pyrmont Bridge and instead hoof it around the bay.  It’s not that long a walk, and you’ll see other interesting shops, clubs, bars, and restuarants along the way.

Looking across Cockle Bay from Darling Harbour

Looking across Cockle Bay from Darling Harbour

Strolling along Cockle Bay's eastern shore back toward the business center

Strolling along Cockle Bay’s eastern shore back toward the business center

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November 3, 2014 · 5:35 am

The Quay to the City — Sydney’s Circular Quay


A look back from the Sydney Opera House Forecourt

A look back from the Sydney Opera House Forecourt

Making our way back around Sydney Cove we approach Circular Quay.  Let’s face it — our Commonwealth cousins around the world really can’t spell.  Never could.  Never will.  If ‘quay’ (a platform extending into the water used to the loading and unloading of watercraft) were spelled as it is pronounced, it would be ‘key.’  Which reminds me of a little story from my stint in England back in the ’70s.  An English gentleman corrected my pronunciation of the word ‘schedule.’  “It’s pronounced, ‘shed-jewel’,” he admonished.  To which I replied, “Did you learn that in ‘shoe-well’?”

Looking across Sydney Cove from the Sydney Opera House

Looking across Sydney Cove from the Sydney Opera House

Inside Sydney Harbour is Sydney Cove, which is bounded by Bennelong Point to the east and The Rocks area to the west.  Bennelong Point is home to the Sydney Opera House, whereas The Rocks serves as the southern anchor for the Sydney Harbour Bridge, a.k.a. “The Coat Hanger Bridge.”  At the southernmost portion of Sydney Cove lies Circular Quay it’s five wharfs, numbered 2 through 6.  Our Commonwealth cousins aren’t very good at counting either, it would appear.

Along Circular Quay approaching "The Rocks"

Along Circular Quay approaching “The Rocks”

Just kidding.  There actually is a very small jetty along the eastern edge of Sydney Cove that is used by water taxis, but it’s totally separate from the five main jetties.  You can see the smaller “No. 1 Wharf” in this photo.  It’s the white and green platform extending out into Sydney Cove just to the right of the gabled orange roof structure and white umbrellas.

Approaching downtown from Bennelong Point

Approaching downtown from Bennelong Point

Sydney Cove is a very vibrant and dynamic area teeming with vendors, food stands, ferry traffic, and lots of sights to photograph — not least of which are the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney “Coat Hanger” Harbor Bridge.

Along Circular Quay approaching "The Rocks"

Along Circular Quay approaching “The Rocks”

Oh, and did I mention the abundant wildlife?

Feeding Frenzy!

Feeding Frenzy!

We’ll take a look at some of these sights in this week’s Fun Photo Friday.  Until then, here’s a few more shots:

Sydney Harbour Bridge — The “Coat Hanger”
Downtown Sydney
Sydney Cove

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October 29, 2014 · 5:35 am

Sydney — Home of “The Coat Hanger”


Eight traffic lanes, two rail lines, bicycle and pedestrian lanes covering almost ¾ of a mile!

Eight traffic lanes, two rail lines, bicycle and pedestrian lanes covering almost ¾ of a mile!

Remember when I called the Sydney Opera House, “one of Sydney’s most recognizable landmarks?”  Well, here’s another one.  It’s one of the most recognizable bridges in the world, right up there with the Brooklyn Bridge and the Golden Gate.  It’s the Sydney Harbour Bridge,  and it’s the tallest as well as the sixth longest spanning-arch bridge on the planet.  It also goes by the moniker “Coathanger Bridge,” but only because our Commonwealth cousins are lousy at spelling (more on this shortcoming in a later blog) and tend to run the words ‘coat’ and ‘hanger’ together as one.

Dawes Park view of the Coat Hanger

Dawes Park view of the Coat Hanger’

The four anchoring pylons alone — one pair at either end of the bridge — are 292 feet/89 meters tall.  I use the term “anchoring” in an aesthetic sense, as they really serve no engineering purpose.  They were added to the plans as an afterthought to give the bridge a more sturdy appearance.  Apparently there were public concerns about the structural integrity of so long and ambitious a span, so the solution was to add a beefier visual feature at either end of the bridge.  They do have their purposes now, however.  Housed within them are a museum, a tourist center, and lookout platforms.

But why use a lookout platform when you can climb to the top of the span?  Don’t believe me?  Take a look:

 

Not for the faint of heart — Climbing the Coat Hanger

Not for the faint of heart — Climbing the Coat Hanger

And, yes, those tour guides will lead you all the way to the very top, which is 440 feet/134 meters above Sydney Harbor:

 

Approaching the top

Approaching the top

I’ll leave you with two final images of those cosmetic pylons and the view from Dawes Point Park:

Dawes Point Park

Dawes Point Park

Massive Pylons — concrete faced with granite

Massive Pylons — concrete faced with granite

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