May 10 Sydney! (Day 226)
Another day of predicted rain, but we have reservations for a dinner cruise on Sydney Harbour! We caught the train into Sydney in the early afternoon and as the train entered Central Station it started pouring down rain! While we got coffees and planned our route around the city the rain let up and we were able to walk from the station through the CBD (“Central Business District”-what we Yankees call “Downtown”) to King Street wharf where we will catch the boat in 2 hours.
Amongst all the modern skyscrapers and historic architecture this building caught our eye!
We passed by the Town Hall, next to an old church and a complex of government buildings from the late 1800’s.
We then made our way to ‘The Rocks‘, an older neighborhood by the Sydney Harbour Bridge with harbour views, museums, shops, restaurants and bars, and lots of history. This is where the first convicts were brought in January 1788 to start the colinization of Australia! per ‘The Rocks Discovery Museum. Unfortunately we only had time for a few pictures before the rain started again!
We got a glimpse of the iconic Sydney Opera House between buildings, and the view opened up as we approached the harbor! At the end of this arm of the harbor is Circular Quay (pronounced ‘key’ here), where the passing ferry departed from.
A walk to the end of the harbor wall gives you a view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. If you look closely you can see people walking on the arched bridge structure!
We walked through the rain back to King Street Wharf as the sky darkened with clouds, obscuring the sunset. We boarded our boat at 6pm for our 3 hour cruise and it was fully dark now, but lit up with the lights of the city. We were seated, offered wine and menus. The rain had passed and after the boat left the dock and our orders were taken we were free to go on deck and enjoy the views.
The Harbour Bridge was alight!
As we approached and passed the Sydney Opera House we were amazed. In most pictures it looks like white sails on the Harbour, but at night it is aglow with lots of color!
The sail imagery is apparent as we pass to see the side of the buildings.
The night skyline of Sydney is stunning.
We enjoyed our dinners and chatted with our server and other passengers and all too soon we were back at the dock. We walked back through the city, still busy with people going out on the town.
Even Town Hall was lit up for the night!
We stopped for a nightcap at the pub we passed earlier and the 3 wise monkeys will keep the secrets of the rest of the night!