Getting To Know Sydney

This week has been largely spent wondering around Sydney visiting the odd attraction that I had not yet done - this mainly consisted of visiting museums about Australia's and Sydney's history as well as the Museum of Contemporary Art which I surprisingly found very enjoyable.

I also visited "The Rocks". The Rocks is an area a stones throw from the Sydney Harbour Bridge which used to house the early convicts who were shipped over from Britain. The area has a large history which includes being an area so run down that it started the Sydney Bubonic Plague in the early 1900's, through to being the centre piece of years of protests and debates over whether the historical importance of the area was large enough to keep many of the original buildings (it seems the two opposing sides met half way on this debate, some old buildings remain, some have been rebuilt). The area also had a large factor to play during the building of the Harbour Bridge as many of the inhabitants found employment during its construction.

The Botanical Gardens, just across the harbour from the Bridge and directly next to the Opera House has also been a place I have visited frequently. The Gardens show case many trees, flowers and garden beds from across the world and this adds a nice tranquil break from the hustle and bustle of the city centre.

The Gardens also offer some fantastic views of the harbour. This is especially true if you follow the cove around to Mrs Macquarie's Chair. Mrs Macquarie was the wife of one of Australia's first ministers and was around in the early 1800's. She paid a big part in improving the life quality of the convicts shipped to the newly colonised nation. The convicts built a large chair out of rock at the point of this land so she could watch the British ships arriving into Sydney. These days, the chair still exists but offers a much different view.

The view from the Chair still offers a fantastic view however if you go slightly left of the Chair you will get an even better view of modern day Sydney. Here you get a scene of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge all in one. A very photogenic location that attracts many tourists.

Currently I am in a coffee shop on George Street just killing time until I go to Cronulla to check into my Air BnB stay for the next two nights. Tomorrow is Ben and Erin's wedding day and Monday I will head back to the city centre to spend two more days before I fly home. I imagine this may be my last blog post until I return home. When I get home I will post photos of Sydney at night, which includes photos taken from the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House and the aforementioned  Mrs Macquarie's Chair.

For now, here are some photos taken, during the day, since my last post. It includes the view from the Chair, views from the top of one of the Harbour Bridge's pylons, the Botanical Gardens (the vicious looking bird there is called a White Ibis and is very popular in the parks and, despite its beak, is harmless) and finally some aboriginal art.

Back To Sydney!

Australian weather seems to do things in extremes. This morning I was walking around Darling Harbour and was perspiring to the extent where I was searching out shopping centres merely for their air conditioning units. This afternoon, after buying my shoes for the wedding (which succeeded a beautiful steak, chips, salad and a pint of Toohey’s for just $15 (£7.50) – Ben can vouch for the price and beauty of the meal) the weather turned from the extreme sun to the extreme rain. Water gushing from the heavens that no adjective can do justice for. I’ll leave it at that.
 

You may notice that the word “pint” is italicised above. This is because pints are rare in Australia. A standard beer in England may be served in a pint glass but in Australia they are more commonly served in a schooner. A schooner is about ¾ a pint. So when Brits stumble across the rare sight of a pint, eyes light up.
 

I have been back in Sydney since last Thursday night which is about five days at the time of writing. As you may have seen on my blog, before then I was in Melbourne. Melbourne is a 75 minute flight from Sydney however in car it would take you around 10 hours. It is mind blowing that despite the huge distance between Sydney and Melbourne, this is only a fraction of the total size of Australia.

With this relatively large distance comes a relatively large difference in climate. The 30C temperatures I was enjoying in Sydney were dropped to around 20C in Melbourne. There was less extreme rain but also less extreme sun. The culture is also noticeably different between the two cities. Melbourne is more relaxed, quiet, accepting... more European, in some ways. Sydney is very busy and loud. Many people who I have met in hostels in Australia have said they prefer Melbourne to Sydney and I agree with them, it makes me wonder why everyone always ends up coming back to Sydney.

I suppose a big reason behind this could be that Melbourne may be a little too quiet. Other than enjoying the bars, coffee shops and the general vibe and atmosphere, there is not too much to do or see. I visited Melbourne Zoo, the Sky Walk (a tower you can go up to get views of the city) as well as a museum, the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the river. This was done in around 4 days or so and there wasn’t much else for the average tourist to do.

Sydney, on the other hand, can keep you entertained for about 10 days, possibly more. I have been in Sydney since 10^th March and although I had a break of 4 days in Melbourne, I am not yet bored in Sydney. I also believe that I will be well occupied for the next week that I am here too. 

Since I arrived back in Sydney on Thursday I have done a tour of the Opera House, visited the Australian Museum (which has interesting sections of the aboriginal community in Australia), the Sydney museum and the Hyde Park Barracks Museum (both of which are largely focused on Sydney’s convict history). I have also taken a ferry from Circular Quay (the area around the Opera House and Harbour Bridge) to the world famous Manly Beach.
 

The ferry ride in itself was a great experience. It provides brilliant views of Sydney and some really photogenic scenes of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Manly is also a great place. The beach is wonderfully “Australian”. Surfers, lifeguards, sand, clear blue sea, a warm sun... it was very typically “Australian”. At one point, while I was walking ankle-deep in the sea, loud sirens vibrated across the whole stretch of the sandy beach. A few seconds later and a lifeguard were heard, with the Australian accent (of course), saying “yeah, we have just had a sighting of a shark, we strongly advise everyone to get out of the water”.

“Does it get any more Australian than that?” I thought to myself after I bolted out of the shallow tide I was in. 

Last night was Ben’s birthday gathering so a lot of his family and friends gathered around their back garden veranda, eating off a BBQ and sipping chilled beer. It was enjoyable to meet Erin’s family again as well as Ben’s mum and dad. At the end of the night I was kindly given a lift back to my hostel by Brenda and Laurie, some family friends. The journey was around 45 minutes, although could have been 30 if we didn’t get lost and somehow ended up in the back roads of an industrial estate! I was happy to be in the car for longer than usual though as they were both giving me a wonderful insight into the history of Australia.

After a few drinks I can’t remember everything they told me, although I wish I could, but I do remember some very interesting points that were made. I hope they don’t mind me putting this in my blog. I can’t resist as it was hugely interesting and is something I want to share and remember

I will summarise:

• ·        1 in 10 Australians have a convict ancestor (ie, they have an ancestor who was sent from abroad to Australia as a convict). Although apparently many more Australians claim to have a convict ancestor as this is regarded as being a very good thing to have. This sounded strange to me. Who would want a convict in their family tree? Well, when you think about this, it makes a lot of sense. The convicts from abroad were some of the first settlers on the Australian island in the early 1800’s. They were forced to work and build the British colony as a punishment for their previous crimes. They therefore got Australia, as we know it today, up on its feet. They got the country going. Another interesting point is that the convicts were separated from Britain, their home country. They were sent away, divorced and cut off from Britain – something many Australians would like to see happen today as regards to the British monarchy still ruling Australia.

• ·         Aboriginal Trainship. This is an initiation to integrate the aboriginal community into modern day Australia. Businesses provide special training to Aboriginals who are trying to get work. I assume this is a similar program as what happened after Apartheid South Africa where their government tried to integrate the previously discriminated black people into a fair and equal society. (I suppose the success and true motives of these schemes can be looked into further, but for now, we will live it at that).

• ·         I was a bit nervous to ask about Brenda and Laurie’s personal ancestors as this is a private matter for many people. However they kindly shared some fascinating information with me. Brenda has ancestors from Newcastle in England who came over from Australia in order to search for better work opportunities. Laurie had ancestor’s who fought in the Boer War in South Africa and he also says he has an Irish ancestor who most likely came to Australia to escape the Irish potato famine.

• ·         Laurie, who at around 80 years old is incredibly intelligent, witty and colourful, shared some great memories from World War 2. During this time his family housed a white Australian soldier and a Aboriginal Australian soldier (I was at this time, unaware that the Aboriginal community helped the fight in World War 2) during their breaks from combat. After the war the white Australian was recognised for his war efforts however the Aboriginal was not. I think this goes to show the vast discrimination that occurred in the past (and to some extent still exists) towards the Aboriginals of Australia. This is of course is very shameful but perhaps it is even more so when you know that the Aboriginal community are the oldest human culture in the world – at around 40,000 years old. They are clearly a community that should be given respect, like any other.

Leave All Judgement Behind - Melbourne Street Art