Sydney WOW

As K and I traveled through Australia, we were told by a number of Australians (no matter the city or place) that Sydney would contain a "Wow" factor that matches any city in the world.  They were right.  Sydney rivals any city on the planet for big city atmosphere, attractions, restaurants and food, history, etc.

It is hard and maybe inappropriate to label Sydney in relation to other cities across the world - it is a city with characteristics and charm of its own.  So to place it next to New York, London, or Paris is probably wrong.  Having said that, it is hard not to draw some comparisons.  It has the big city feel of NYC (size, swagger, many neighborhoods, melting pot of people, etc.).  It has some European elements (fashion, food, etc.) like London, Paris or Milan.  There are many eastern influences (China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, etc.) given their proximity and many immigrants from these countries.  Yet, it has its own icons (Aussie language, Opera House, Harbour Bridge, harbour/water culture).  It has hosted world leaders, Olympics, and the like, yet it is also so remote from the rest of the world.  It makes it hard to pigeon hole Sydney into a category.

K and I have spent the past week exploring Sydney and its surrounding neighborhoods, harbour, beaches, and sights.  I can't say we have seen it all - impossible - but I think we got a pretty good feel for Sydney.  We have thoroughly enjoyed our time here and found it a great wrap up to our 2 month journey.

Sydney Facts

Sydney is almost 5 million strong - although I will say it feels and looks even bigger than that.  Melbourne felt large - Sydney feels astronomically huge.  However, it is a faily easy city to navigate around.  While it is not the capital of the country (it is the capital of the state of New South Wales) it is the unofficial cultural, economic, historic, etc. capital of Australia.  People of Melbourne would probably argue Sydney's importance and stature, but visit both cities and you would have a hard time seeing anything other than Sydney as the epicenter of this country (we loved Melbourne, but Sydney resonates as the pulse of the country).

Sydney Harbour

K and I got a chance to take two boat trips across the Sydney Harbuor (also known as Port Jackson).  I am not a seaman, but I can image what the first British captains must have said when they saw the harbour back in the 1700's:  "Holy *$#%".  The size of the harbour with its many arms and bays would have been a welcome sight after so many months journey.  Even today, the water plays such an important part of Sydney life.  It provides the "highway" that gives suburban commuters a means to work, it provides ships that bring visitors and products to Sydney and Australia at large, it provides access to the beaches and leisure sites of Australia, it provides the highway to its ocean food supply - vital to the thousands that live in Australia.

We traveled to Watson's Bay and Manly via water ferry/taxi this week (mainly to take a look at two of its famous beaches:  Manly Beach and Bondi Beach).  Within 20-30 minutes by boat, you are out in the deep suburbs of Sydney (next to the ocean).

One of the many cruise ships (this one from Celebrity) in the harbour.

One of the many little islands inside the harbour.

 Sydney South Head at the mouth of the harbour (North Head and South Head are separated by 2 kilometers.  Past these heads is the Tasman Sea/Pacific Ocean).

 Sydney North Head.

Our ferry to Manly (and Manly Beach)

From Watson's Bay looking back to Sydney proper

 Our high speed boat to Watson's Bay

 Boats in the Watson's Bay harbour - there are boats of all types everywhere in the harbour. 

 The Sydney Fish Market - second in size next to Tokyo's fish market.

City Beaches

Of course, given its proximity to the ocean and importance of water, it's probably no surprise that beaches are an important part of life in Sydney.  While not technically in Sydney proper, the suburbs hold some of the world's most famous beaches.  These are the recreation spots of Sydney and surfers the world over.  K and I got to visit two of the most famous:  Manly Beach and Bondi Beach.

Here is Manly

 A real beach babe at Manly

 A manly man at Manly - he just needs a surf board

And here is Bondi Beach - home to some of the world famous life guards and life guard station

City Green Space

Like all of Australia, the city of Sydney has reserved some of the best property for parks and green space.  The Sydney parks are big.  Like Central Park in NYC or Hyde Park in London, these provide the open space that make a crowded city livable.  What Sydney parks may lack in beauty, they make up for in size versus other parks we saw in Australia.

The Royal Botanical Gardens are immense, gorgeous and sit right on the harbour (hugging much of the Opera House).

If it grows on the Earth, I can't imagine that it isn't represented somewhere in the Botanical Gardens.  Many of the city's prime political, cultural and vital icons (Parliament House, Government House, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Opera House, Sydney Hospital, etc.) border or are in the Botanical Gardens.

Hyde Park (yep - same name as the one in London) is smaller, but holds a number of the city's important fountains and monuments to include statues of its founders and the all important ANZAC Memorial.  It sits in the middle of the city, just outside the central business district.

the ANZAC memorial - if you have been following any of our posts, you know the ANZAC memorials are almost a requirement in every city and town in NZ and Australia.  The bigger the city, the bigger the monument to WW I veterans.

Statue of Governor Macquarie - who had a big hand in the development and layout of Sydney, and for whom half of Sydney, New South Wales and Australia places are named (at least it seems like it).

 The Archibald Fountain - biggest of the fountains in the park - to honor Australia's assistance to France in WW I.

The Captain Cook ("discovered" Australia for Britain in 1770) statue

I have much more to show/share with you on Sydney.  I'll try to provide some pictures of the other sights we saw in Sydney along with some closing thoughts on our trip to Australia tomorrow.