cassowary

The only cassowary of the trip, safely behind bars at the Featherdale Wildlife Park.

red-necked pademelon

Also at the Featherdale Wildlife Park, a red-necked pademelon, sort of a miniature kangaroo from what I reckon...

Featherdale Wildlife Park

We had "breakfast with a koala" at the Featherdale Wildlife Park west of Sydney. The breakfast part was a bit weird, but after seeing only dark blobs high up in trees it was nice to get some face time with the famous koala.

Camp Cove

 

Not far from the center of Watsons Bay we were astonished to stumble upon one of the most colorful and beautiful sights of the entire trip: Camp Cove, the beach where Captain Phillip famously landed in 1788 on his way to found Sydney. While the water was not exactly warm, the color and feel of this place was almost tropical. Without intending it, we found ourselves in yet another national park: Sydney Harbour National Park, no doubt designated for its historic and strategic importance. In the short time we were there the weather shifted from sunny to rainy, as foreshadowed by the ominous sky at bottom.

Watsons Bay

 

The following day we took a similar ferryboat to Watsons Bay on the South Head of the harbor. After enjoying more barramundi in fish & chips form at Doyles restaurant, we explored the town and surrounding area. Above, the bay, the harbor and Sydney skyline in the distance.

Manly

The seaside resort of Manly is ridiculously beautiful, straddling an isthmus with the harbor on one side and a big ocean beach on the other, and some lively, lovely, tree-lined streets in between. As planned, we wandered the downtown area until we found a good restaurant to try barramundi, the popular Australian fish we were encouraged to try. It's fair to say that the fish was as agreeable as the town.

ferryboat to Manly, part 2

Sydney Harbour is a beautiful world unto itself. On its way to Manly, the ferryboat passed South Head and North Head (below), headlands that form a gateway to the Pacific Ocean. As we crossed the opening (above), some serious swells rocked the ferryboat.

ferryboat to Manly

 

One of the best things about Sydney is its network of inexpensive ferryboats that whisk you away from the city center and show you beautiful new worlds within minutes. Also, as the ferry leaves Circular Quay you get one of the best views possible of the opera house.

Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney

 

Just across the plaza from the opera house is a beautiful old wall and set of stairs that leads to the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney - yet another strikingly beautiful garden. What's interesting is that this is the same land that the original settlers used to plant crops in 1788, and so those original plots form the basis of the present day garden.

more views from the opera house

 

Not only is the opera house a fair sight to behold, but from its perch there are nice views of downtown and the Circular Quay area (above) and the coastal green space comprised of the Botanic Garden  and The Domain (below).

the Sydney Opera House up close

 

I didn't know that one of the buildings was a restaurant, but was not surprised to learn that. At bottom, the main lobby of the opera house. We didn't take the tour, but just peeked through the windows. Needless to say, Jorn Utzon's creation - started in 1959 and completed in 1973 - is an architectural marvel.

approaching the Sydney Opera House

 

Australian white ibis

 

The Australian white ibis, another beautiful yet "common" bird, seen in abundance in the vicinity of Sydney Harbour's Circular Quay.

an opera house with a view

 

The same cruise ship, seen from the Sydney Opera House.

a room with a view... of a cruise ship?

 

Our room at Sydney's Harbour Rocks Hotel very well situated, and even had a view of the famous Sydney Opera House... except for days when a huge cruise ship was in town, which seemed to be often.

Australia's oldest lighthouse

 

Australia's oldest lighthouse site, the Macquarie Lighthouse, has been operating here since 1818 (and in the vicinity since 1791), although the current building was built in 1883. It is located in Vaucluse on the South Head of the entrance to Sydney Harbour. If you know Australian history, you will not be surprised to learn this.

city of parks and statues

 

While on a bus tour of Sydney we passed many parks and statues.

Mrs. Macquarie's Point

Near the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney is Mrs. Macquarie's Point, a place that the governor of New South Wales set aside for his wife to enjoy a great view of Sydney Harbor. There is even a Mrs. Macquarie's Chair from which she enjoyed that view. Today of course the view includes Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. Unfortunately the day we were there was a bit rainy.

Sydney Harbor

No sooner had we arrived in Sydney and checked into our hotel than we were hit over the head with the panoramic spectacle of Sydney Harbor and Circular Quay.

Honey Grevillea

These beautiful Honey Grevillea flowers satisfied the Aboriginal sweet tooth. I was familiar with Grevillea as a tree, but had never seen or even heard of the shrub, let alone imagined that the flowers were edible and sweet.

circumnavigating Uluru

To wrap up the tour we did the full drive around Uluru. The incredible network of hollows and special features  form the basis of much Aboriginal mythology. These are thing they did not teach me at Green Vale or Choate...

Mutitjulu Waterhole walk

Uluru is not just a big rock baking in the sun, but contains gorges - such as the Mutitjulu Waterhole - that are bursting with life, especially after rains, which was the case when we were there. Not surprisingly spots like these were important way stations for the Anangu people, the local Aboriginal tribe.

Uluru from above?

 

If someone were curious about the shape of the massive Uluru formation from above, this map would help answer that question.

Uluru at sunrise, part 2

 

Uluru at sunrise