Sydney is a city in love with the water. This is not surprising given that the city was originally built around what is arguably one of the finest natural harbors in the world, and which continues to be a focus of the inhabitants long after the suburbs have sprawled far from the harbor . Add to that some of the finest surfing beaches in the world (think Bondi and Manly to name two), and a love of water and water sports (and the outdoors, in general) is inevitable. This could also be extended to Aussies in general as over 95% of all Australians live within 100 km of the ocean and on any decent weekend the beaches are heavily used. It also has consequences as Australia also has the highest per capita incidence of skin cancer of any country.  But I digress.

A few weeks ago I spent the day in Sydney focusing on the Harbor and the beachside suburbs. The harbor also serves as a commuter route as ferries travel both up and down and across the harbor to bring passengers to the central ferry wharf of Circular Quay. This is located at the lower end of the CBD and provides easy access to the city on foot, by bus or by the underground. One of the most scenic rides is down the harbor and across the entrance (the Sydney Heads) to the harbor and beachside city of Manly. The one way trip takes about 30 minutes on the classic Manly ferries (or 18 minutes on the high speed ferries but where’s the fun in that). The classic is a stately double-ended vessel and they have been serving this route for years. They are double-decked and have open area in the bows on both levels, great for seeing the sights and taking photos. These spaces are prime, and popular with tourists, and you have to be at the front of the queue at boarding.

Circular Quay from the ferry "Freshwater" returning from Manly

The "Freshwater" passing the "Queenscliffe" mid-route to Manly

 

You get great views of the Sydney Opera House and the Harbor Bridge when leaving Circular Quay. Then, as you travel down the harbor, you get views of some of the most expensive real estate in the world, and certainly in Australia, and Fort Denison, set up originally to protect Sydney from foreign invasion in the 19^th century. Then you turn the corner and start heading across the entrance of the harbor towards Manly, which lies just north of the North Head. This where it can get interesting as the Pacific Ocean swells come through the Heads and the ferries must cross this space to reach Manly. Even on a relatively calm day, you can feel the effect as the ferry rolls in the swells. But on rough days the ferries can real “rock –n-roll”. It takes quite a large swell to shut down the ferry service (which does happen from time to time) but there are pictures of the ferries roll in swells that reach above the top deck (!!) as they struggle across the Heads. Once past the Heads, it’s a short run in to Manly Wharf. 

The Sydney Harbor Bridge from the "Queenscliffe" leaving Circular Quay for Manly

The Sydney Opera House from the "Queenscliffe"

Fort Denison

Harbor-side real estate: very expensive!!!

The Sydney Harbor Heads - the entrance to the harbor

Manly in the distance as we cross the Heads

 

After getting off the ferry, it’s a short walk down the Corso to Manly beach. This is considered to be one of the finest beaches in Australia (there’s an ongoing friendly disagreement between Manly and Bondi over which is the best). I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

The beach at Manly looking south

The view from the southern end of the beach

This picture and the one below were taken from a nature reserve on a peninsular a little south of Manly.

 

On the return journey you get more great views of the harborside suburbs, Kirribili House (the official Sydney residence of the Prime Minister, although the main official residence, the Lodge, is in the capital city Canberra), the city skyline, and the Opera House and Harbor Bridge. Off to the right of Circular Quay is the historic district of the Rocks, where the original settlement was established on January 26, 1788.

The Bridge and Opera House in the distance as we turn the corner heading back to Circular Quay

The city skyline from the "Freshwater" with "Queenscliffe" passing

The Bridge

Kirribili House - official Sydney residence of the Prime Minister of Australia

The Opera House from the "Freshwater" returning to Circular Quay

The Rocks - the historic

About a week before, I had been in Sydney on business and took the opportunity to go up the Sydney Tower, the large tower in the city skyline pictures. At 309 meters in height (the observation deck is at 268 meters), the tower gives up great views over the city, the harbor and the surrounding suburbs. On a clear day are able to see out about 60 km. The last set of pictures was taken from the observation deck of the tower. 

 

On the observation deck of the Sydney Tower - view is down the harbor towards the heads

The view down harbor towards the Heads

Looking westerly over the city

Looking over the business district towards the bridge

Looking towards Darling Harbor, an entertainment and tourist development on old commercial wharves

I’m now in Singapore, so next time I’ll talk about what I’ve seen here, with pictures.

Doc