February 2 – 6, 2024
The next day would feature another highlight, a tour of the world-famous Sydney Opera House. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbor, it is widely regarded as one of the world’s most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architecture.
Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, but completed by an Australian architectural team headed by Peter Hall, the building was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1973 16 years after Utzon’s 1957 selection as winner of an international design competition. The Government of New South Wales, led by the premier, Joseph Cahill, authorized work to begin in 1958 with Utzon directing construction. The government’s decision to build Utzon’s design is often overshadowed by circumstances that followed, including cost and scheduling overruns as well as the architect’s ultimate resignation. It is a fascinating story, one much too long to include here so I recommend diving into the building’s web site for more information on the construction and the somewhat controversial circumstances regarding its design changes and completion.
The facility features a modern expressionist design, with a series of large precast concrete “shells”, each composed of sections of a sphere of 246 feet 8.6 inches radius, forming the roofs of the structure, set on a monumental podium. The building covers 4.4 acres of land and is 600 feet long and 394 feet wide at its widest point. It is supported on 588 concrete piers sunk as much as 82 feet below sea level. The highest roof point is 220 feet above sea-level which is the same height as that of a 22-storey building. The roof is made of 2,194 pre-cast concrete sections, which weigh up to 16.5 tons each.
The building comprises multiple performance venues, which together host well over 1,500 performances annually, attended by more than 1.2 million people. As one of the most popular visitor attractions in Australia, the site is visited by more than eight million people annually, and approximately 350,000 visitors take a guided tour of the building each year. The tour is comprehensive and covers almost all of the performing spaces with the exception of those that may be in use or being prepared for a performance. It is a building that truly lives up to its hype, and a highlight of any trip to Sydney would be to see a play, opera, or concert here.
We finished the tour and thought about getting something to eat in the upscale restaurant inside the facility but were spared the expense as it wasn’t open yet, opting instead to nosh at the port side House Canteen located outside the venue on the ground floor. Bev, Joanna and I would split a ham sandwich, some Vegetable spring rolls with plum sauce, and some French fries. When we finished, we all made our way to the ferry building at Circular Quay to take the ferry to Manly Beach, a popular destination on a warm Sunday afternoon.
It was a pleasant journey through the harbor and under the bridge and when we arrived at the beach while the others went off to do some exploring, I found comfort at the Bavarian, a family-friendly bar, with a Bavarian twist and a decent selection of German beers. I grabbed a seat at a window with a view of the marina and spent a relaxing time drinking my beer and watching a group of teenagers hanging out on steps down to the water, taking me back to those innocent days of lost youth.
Later the rest of group returned, and we sat a table for another round of drinks, observing a larger party next to us celebrating a kid’s birthday, emphasizing the family nature of the venue. It was a good way to drop into life as it exists for locals here in Sydney, a comfortable looking one at that.
We took the ferry back to Circular Quay and then an Uber to the North Annandale Hotel again as they had live music on Sunday afternoons. We enjoyed some cold drinks as we sat through a couple of sets of acoustic pop and then, walking back to the house stopped in at Made in Italy for a bit to eat, Joanna and I splitting a very good lasagna. And that would be the end of another fine day in Sydney.
Our last day in town would be another low key one, but one that made us realize that we could have allotted more time to this diverse and interesting place. Our first destination was the Tramsheds, a former tram storage and operations center known as the Rozelle Tram Depot that was part of the Sydney tram network. It is the largest remaining former tram depot in Sydney and in 2016, was redeveloped into a retail complex.
Opened in 1904 as a 25-road car shed accommodating 96 carriages, the depot was gradually increased to 125 by 1907. Construction of the second half of the depot in that same year saw it expand for an additional 70 trams and in 1918 capacity was increased to 200 tram cars. It now features multiple dining options and market stalls. We would enjoy a coffee and snack before heading out to our destination for the day, the Hyde Park Barracks.
We’ll cover that outing and a wrap up of the trip in our next, and last post, for our great New Zealand and Australia adventure.
Links
Sydney Opera House: https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/
Manly Ferry:
The Bavarian: https://thebavarians.com/venue/manly-wharf/
Made in Italy: https://madeinitaly.com.au/italian-restaurant-annandale/?utm_source=Annandale-Contact&utm_medium=GMB
The Tramsheds: https://tramshedssydney.com.au/
Hyde Park Barracks: https://mhnsw.au/visit-us/hyde-park-barracks/
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