I really wanted to get to see some of the sights in SYD during our short time there…especially in the area we were staying, known as Circular Quay and the Rocks. So, I hired a private guide for the morning. He met us at our hotel and were off. Sadly, the gentleman really didn’t seem into the job and mostly just pointed stuff out without any background or other info. So, I ended up doing a bit more research after the tour for context and such.
We headed off on the ferry from Circular Quay Wharf 5.
There seemed to be so many historical buildings in the area.
And of course iconic structures like the Sydney Opera House.
We would actually be having dinner at one of the restaurants at the Opera House this evening.
And of course there the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
We got off at Milson’s Point Wharf. and were led to the large Olympic Park. Which had so many sculptures and public art!
And the view from Milson’s Point is second to none!
And we were surprised to see Turkeys all over the place.
After looking things up; I found out that these are Australian Brushturkeys. They were almost driven to extinction, which led to the birds acquiring legal protection. Now, they are found thru out the city, and supposedly spreading everywhere in Sydney.
We walked to the Northern entrance to the bridge.
And crossed over. The views were of course wonderful.
Later on during our stay, we’d do a morning paddle in the harbor and were told that one of the nicknames for the Opera House is Nuns in a Scrum. You gotta love it!
You have great views everywhere….even when exiting the bridge.
We exited neat Miller’s Point and the Observatory Hill Lookout.
So many lovely green spaces everywhere! That’s the lovely Barangaroo Reserve above. A 15 acre park right on the waterfront.
From here we took the steep Baludarri steps down to the waterfront.
To an area known as Miller’s Point. Check out these harbour front homes.
You walk right out your front door to your boat/yacht!
Crazy, huh?
Crossing back under the bridge we got to an area known as Campbell’s Cove. Robert Campbell was a Scottish Merchant who built up this area, breaking the commercial stranglehold of the East India Company.
The warehouses he had built in the 1850’s still stand, called Campbell’s Stores they now house restaurants and various businesses.
The building I thought was a church is actually the ASN Company Building which has it’s own interesting history.
As we headed back to Circular Quay we passed this house.
When I asked about it; I was told “oh, it’s Cadman’s Cottage”…hmmmm…..ok? Well, you an find more info here.
I found this statue interesting.
It’s of William Bligh. Yes, that Captain Bligh. He was actually the Governor of New South Wales from 1806 to 1809! After the “mutiny”!
Walking back to our hotel we came across this.
It was an interesting dichotomy. On one hand, the Nurses Walk lays a path to the first hospital…you have to remember that Sydney was first populated with 750 convicts from Portsmouth, England in 1788. I read that many of the convicts arrived suffering from dysentery, scurvy, typhoid, and other illnesses. A tent hospital was established between George and Harrington Streets to care for those patients.
And then there’s the “Suez Canal”.
This is where water was drained. It’s also known as the haunt for various gangs and criminals. It was an interesting walk back to where we were staying.
And while our “guide” wasn’t really very good, there’s one thing he did which we enjoyed. Knowing we liked Asian type dishes, we stopped in a little alleyway a few blocks from where we were staying.
The name of the place is Marrickville Pork Roll. Now, I was wondering what the heck is a “pork roll”, but after a quick look it all became quite clear.
I had to crack up….it’s basically a Banh Mi Thit Nuong!
It was actually not too bad. The bread was a bit more chewy than I like; but quite yeasty and really crisp/flaky.
Loved the creamy funky pate, the pork was nice and savory.
Nice a refreshing pickled veggies……
This was not bad at all…..better than many of the banh mi shops here in San Diego.
We loved that you could walk down a random alley in Circular Quay and get a banh mi!
Marrickville Pork Roll
7 Loftus Lane
Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
nice! havenât been in sydney for many many moons