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.