Sydney Harbour plus.. 12th November 2014

Today was largely spent around the harbour. Our initial intent was to take a harbour cruise in the morning but the slow traffic up George St and the late arrival of the number 555 bus meant that we had to switch to the afternoon cruise (or did we enjoy the feather pillows too much?).

Switching the cruise trip to the afternoon was fortuitous since the overcast sky dramatically improved and we found ourselves for the first time sheltering from the sun. So plan B came into action in the morning and we took a leisurely stroll around the Royal Botanical Gardens that are freely open to the public. 

Sheila took a real liking to the Jackaranda tree that was just in bloom, apparently only for two weeks in a year.

Jackaranda tree

Come in number 33 your times is up!

The gardens separate the financial district from the harbour so provide a dramatic backdrop.

Sheila in the Botanical Garden

The cruise was worth taking because as well as the mugs of tea and cakes it provided great views of the shoreline from different vantage points to those afforded from the shore, including the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sydney Opera House

The harbour is very extensive with numerous tributaries and with almost all the available shore, and I mean kilometres, lined with multi-million houses owned by the rich and famous. 

The harbour looking north

Middle Harbour to the north of the city is a good example. Property values range from a few million up to around $50M. This certainly makes Sandbanks in Poole look rather pathetic with only a few hundred metres of shore line. 

Middle Harbour Houses

Even a flat base is not an issue to the super rich !

A few beaches are available along the shoreline with nice looking golden sand but with few swimmers, this is apparently a reflection of the concern for bull sharks in the harbour. Only on one beach did we see any netting to safe guard swimmers. The harbour has a depth in some areas of 40m and this is favoured by the sharks. There are many yachts and yacht clubs strung around the harbour but we only saw a couple of windsurfers and they were well in near the shore – could the threat of bull sharks be the reason? However, the last person killed was in 1984 so I guess the chances of a problem are low but finite!  Would you take the risk?

After the cruise we took a 250m ride up the Sydney Tower Eye, where you are first given a 4D experience of the harbour. To be truthful it is probably 5D since the usual 3D has vibration and water spray effects added! The views from the top put the whole harbour and city into perspective.

Sydney Tower Eye seen to the left

We are staying in a very nice apartment down in the Thai district and each evening’s restaurant search, using Google maps, provides excellent choices of Eastern cuisine and surprisingly at affordable prices and comparable to the UK.