Wednesday, March 9th, 2011
Today started with a little bit of business and then a bunch of fun. My first stop was at the Canadian Consulate to file my passport application. My passport expires in July and it appears that I will be traveling longer than that so I thought I better file the paperwork soon. Problem is there is only one Consulate and one High Commission in Australia and they are in Sydney and Canberra respectively. So I’ll file the paperwork here in Sydney and pick up my new passport when I get to Canberra in a few weeks.
The Circular Quay (pronounced "key") ferry terminal. From here you can catch a ferry to most of the islands that sit within the Sydney Harbour. Before the bridge these ferries were the quickest way to get across the water to North Sydney. Lots of people still use them to avoid the traffic and high costs associated with driving (tolls, parking etc). I must say however.......they are not that cheap to ride.
Once the paperwork was done I was able to check out a few things in the area of Sydney known as The Rocks. It used to be home to many of Sydney’s lower and working class families but now it is pretty high end. It also happens to be home to 2 of Sydney’s most famous landmarks....The Sydney Harbour Bridge and of course the Sydney Opera House.
That's The Harbour Bridge.
And you should all recognize this as The Sydney Opera House.
See, I really was there.
After taking a few pictures with the Opera House (Don’t worry. I will make an official visit soon), I decided to hit up the Contemporary Museum of Art. Lonely Planet calls it Sydney’s most popular museum but after visiting it I’m going to assume it's because of its low admission cost (free) and its proximity to other very popular Sydney landmarks. I normally love Contemporary art museums but this one was…….well really confusing and not overly entertaining. I will say that it is under construction right now so I feel there are a lot of exhibits not on display to the public but the ones that are there……well just are not so interesting.
There was however a great exhibit of the works of an artist named Bardayal “Lofty” Nadjamerrer. He was an aboriginal artist for Western Armen Land in the Northern Territory. Bardayal passed away in October 2009 but the museum and his family are doing a great job of keeping his work alive.
Unfortunately……no pictures allowed in the museum. But since there wasn’t much to see I didn’t have to spend much time there and I headed off to another location. I made a quick stop at Cadman’s Cottage.
It is one of Sydney’s oldest surviving buildings. Originally part of the Government Dockyard, it was built in 1816 to accommodate the Government Coxswain (the officer responsible for government boats, their operations and crews). The cottage is named for the third and longest serving Coxswain, John Cadman. Cadman retired in 1845 and the position was abolished after the role of government boats was scaled back.
After that the building was used by the Sydney Water Police and cells were built to house prisoners. After that it was given to the Sydney Sailor’s Home Trust and used to house sailors when they were in port. In 1926 it was used as accommodation for officers of visiting merchant ships. But by the 1960’s the building was vacant. Eventually (in 1972) its historical significance lead to it being named a historic site and was handed over to the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service for management. It has now been renewed and restored and a quick historic site to visit while wandering around the harbour.
A look at some of the pipes in the floor. These have been replaced many times over the past 80ish years. The harbour did not always look like it does today and Cadman's Cottage use to sit much closer to the waterfront. Drainage on this site was often a problem so the pipes had to be updated often.
From there I headed to The Discovery Rocks Museum. It is a small museum that offers a glimpse at the history of The Rocks. The rocks in this area of the city are about 230 million years old. The original inhabitants of the area were the Cadigal people. Little is known about them because so much of their true history was lost during the upheaval that occurred when the European settlers arrived. The history of the Cadigal people would have originally been passed down orally and through ritual. Most of the history we know comes from the stories passed down from the settlers who had little or no understanding of the people or their language or their culture. It is well known that these interpretations are not totally accurate. The Cadigal people would have spoken either Eora or Daruga. Today only a few hundred words remain alive of these 2 languages.
One of the restaurants in The Rocks. Set up very nicely to match the nautical theme of the area.
Some of the artwork you can find in The Rocks. This 3 sided piece depicts 3 very different groups that are a part of Sydney's and Australia's history. Here you can see "The Solider" and "The Convict". On the 3rd side you will find "The Settlers". I kind of feel the fact that there isn't a 4th side that depicts "The Aboriginals" is just another example of how there is still a long way to go when it comes to Aboriginal history and understanding.
Of course The Rocks changed a lot after the Europeans settled the area. And I could go into details about that but it’s a pretty typical story so I won't bore you. In the 1900’s Sydney’s working class called The Rocks home. Many of the men who helped build the harbour bridge called the area home. But like many working class and lower income areas, it was zoned for redevelopment in the 60’s and 70’s. Given the era you can imagine that it wasn’t that simple and many a fight and demonstration and union battle emerged. Eventually a compromise was reached and the area was redeveloped while preserving some of the original buildings.
A little look at The Rocks. A nice area of town.
Some more of the old buildings that survived redevelopment.
The museum itself is housed in an old store that has been restored. Very nice little spot.
One of the items you will find in the museum. It's an old pinball machine in case you weren't sure.
This corset is a little worse for wear but is just an example of some of the items that have survived history and are on display in the museum.
From there I had a choice to make….what next? I decided the day was nice and I was close by so I started to make my way across the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Heading up the street to find the staircase to the bridge. It was harder to find than you would expect. Eventually I made my way up the steps and made my way across the bridge on foot.
I really wanted to do the bridge climb but my vertigo would make that a little bit of a problem. Apparently it wasn't a problem for these people. Even from where I was I had a very hard time getting near the edge.
So ignoring the traffic noise I actually found the walk quite nice. I did however decide to make the return trip by train…….sure takes a lot less time.
The Harbour Bridge. Those people who were doing the bridge walk.......they are just on this side of the flags when I took their picture. Yes they are really high up. Don't worry they are all strapped in and cannot fall off.
A view of the Opera House from the bridge. A favourite sight here in Sydney.
The walk-way along the bridge. If I counted right there are also 6 lanes of vehicle traffic and 2 sets of rail tracks. So it was a really loud walk.The bridge was first open to traffic on March 19th, 1932.
The skyline in North Sydney. This is what greets you when you cross the bridge.
Once I got back across the bridge, I started to make my way back to my hotel. But I had a couple stops along the way. The first was at Town Hall.
A look at the 19th century Town Hall. Actually still the building that the Mayor and city Counsellors work out of but they let you check out part of the building.
The ceiling and chandelier in the Town hall.
A little look at Centennial Hall. I couldn't get in any closer. At the far end of the room you can just make out the Grand Organ. It was installed in 1890 and at the time it was thought to be the largest in the world.
My last stop before my hotel was at the ANZAC Memorial in Hyde Park.
A look at the memorial and the reflecting pool that sits in front of it.
Inside the ANZAC Memorial.
Inside the memorial you will find the Eternal Flame and a small museum that of course contains information about the Battle of Gallipoli but also about the battles Australian troops have been involved with since then. You may remember (or not) a post from my visit to Turkey about my visit to Anzac Cove. ANZAC was the name originally given to Australian and New Zealand troops during World War I but it is now the name given to all Australian and New Zealand service men and women.
After that I headed back to my hotel before meeting up with Debi. Yes, that's right, Debi made her way to Sydney for a couple days for work and she was staying a few blocks from me so we met up quick before she had to go do work stuff.
And the rest of my day was spent, well planning the rest of my days in Sydney. So much to do and see and clearly there is never enough time.
Julie
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