February 2 – 6, 2024

Our three-hour flight to Sydney, departing at 9:30 in the morning, meant an early start and checkout for us the next day.  This flight, again on Jetstar for $153 one way, would be a shorter distance then the one from Melbourne was and it all went smoothly.

After landing we took a shuttle to our last Airbnb of the trip, this one known as Guy’s Place and its appeal was its location and very reasonable pricing, indeed it was the least expensive one of the trip at a shade under $20 per person per night.  Our stay here would be a mixed bag, enjoyable on many levels and yet with some minor downsides.  The first being we’d hit a hot spell, and the house was not fully air conditioned, just in a couple of rooms, ours and Guys.  This made for some pretty miserable nights for all. 

Second, Guy has a lot to say and isn’t bashful about sharing his considerable knowledge with those lodging with him, indeed I often felt like I had stumbled upon a college lecture series.  But he was a friendly and helpful fellow and overall, the stay went smoothly.  Per his recommendation, we walked a couple of blocks to the intersection of Booth and Johnson Street for dinner at the North Annandale Hotel. 

We would be back here again later in our stay as this first go round was a positive one.  Along with some beers to start, Joanna ordered the Cumberland Sausages (made in Leichhardt) accompanied by mashed peas, carrots, and gravy while I had another satisfying Chicken Schnitzel with Cole slaw and a mushroom risotto cake as sides.  With no wait staff, one orders at the kitchen window down the hall and the food gets delivered to the table. 

We hadn’t lined up much to do in Sydney, call it a bit of tourist burnout perhaps, but we’d end up doing plenty.  First up would be a very good bike tour with Bonza Bike Tours.  They are in a trendy area known as the Rocks (a suburb, tourist precinct and historic area of Sydney’s city center) a block off Argyle Street and a couple of pedestrian blocks down to Circular Quay.   

The tour, while short at just eight miles was much like the one we took in Wellington, a real introduction to the city experience.  And best of all for me was I finally got assigned a regular bike that fit well and was a joy to ride.  We took off from the shop and headed straight down to the harbor and rode out to the tip of Dawes Point and around Hickson Rod to Bangaroo Reserve, Sydney’s newest harbor foreshore park.  One of the city’s oldest industrial sites and a former concrete container terminal here has been transformed into a spectacular, six-hectare headland open space for Sydneysiders and visitors alike to enjoy.

From there we rode to what would be one of the highlights of the tour, ascending one side of the Sydney Harbor Bridge to just about the midway point.  It’s not much of a climb and the gears on our bikes were more than sufficient to handle the grade.  The bridge had been a featured discussion in our planning about whether some members of the party would embark on one of its guided walking tours which have various levels of difficulty and perhaps, terror inducing exposure to heights.  In the end, for all of us the bike tour seemed to be the safest, and least expensive option. 

It was exciting to be up on the bridge with its great view and windy conditions, but better awaited us when we descended and climbed to the top of Observatory Park for more views.  Its history dates to 1796 when it was used as the site of the first windmill in the colony, when it was known as Windmill Hill.  It is also the site of several historical buildings including the historic Sydney Observatory (thus often referred to as Observatory Hill), the Signal Station, the remains of Fort Philip, the National Trust Centre (formerly Fort Street High School) and a rotunda which is used for weddings.  In 1858 Sydney Observatory was built near the signal station.  For over a Century it played an essential role in shipping, navigation, meteorology and timekeeping and astronomy.  Today the building is used as museum and public observatory.

After taking in the views, we descended a short distance to Kent Street and the Lord Nelson Brewery, built by James Dempsey around 1814 to 1815.  It is the oldest working licensed hotel in Sydney and was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.  It is in an area once known as the Quarries which supplied a large part of the early stone for Sydney.  We ordered a round of beers and enjoyed a refreshing break, trading story’s and backgrounds with our fellow tour members. 

Our final stop of the day was a couple of miles to the 40-acre Hyde Park, the oldest public parkland in Australia.  The park was designed by Norman Weekes, Sir John Sulman (1927 design resolution), Alfred Hook, W. G. Layton and I. Berzins and was built from 1810 to 1927.  It contains well-kept gardens and approximately 580 trees: a mixture of figs, conifers, palms, and other varieties.

The park has over twenty monuments, including the Anzac Memorial, a heritage-listed war memorial, museum and monument designed by C. Bruce Dellit, with the exterior adorned with monumental figural reliefs and sculptures by Rayner Hoff, and built from 1932 to 1934 by Kell & Rigby.  Here I would separate from the group as they were required to walk through the park, something my hip was not going to tolerate.  So, I and a guide who came out from the shop, returned to the start where I waited for everyone to return.  It was a nice way to finish, having a bit of time to myself to reflect on what had been a very nice outing. 

Dinner that night would be a production as Guy was going to cook for us.  Preparation would take a long time, and much conversation flowed as a result but the outcome was delicious, a homemade creamy tuna salad mixture that we spooned onto crackers, then a green salad full of fresh veggies and finally a perfectly executed Osso Bucco accompanied by a nice risotto.  Although we ended up eating much later than accustomed, it was still a delightful way to end our first full day in Sydney 

Links

Guy’s Place: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/31605368?source_impression_id=p3_1722089957_P3PGpotfqQ6C-RPt

North Annandale Hotel: https://northannandalehotel.com.au/

Bonza Bike Tours: https://bonzabiketours.com/

Observatory Park: https://www.viator.com/Sydney-attractions/Observatory-Hill-Park/overview/d357-a22168

Lord Nelson Brewery: https://lordnelsonbrewery.com/discover

Hyde Park: https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/parks/hyde-park