Sydney: G’day, mate… it’s good to be back here.

We arrived in Sydney early on Saturday morning. It is a turnaround day – the last stop on one leg of our journey and the first stop on the next. We are losing about 100 passengers and gaining about the same number back.

Just to keep you aware of how big Australia really is, it is over 2500 miles from Sydney to Perth by air.

Sydney is one of the world’s most exciting cities. We were docked in the area noted as “Balmain”  and the picnic described later in this blog post was on Shark Island to the right.

It was a bittersweet day for us. We love Sydney and because of our earlier stays, we feel very comfortable getting around. However, we were also losing two of our friends who had just signed on for a short part of the trip, Rod and Margaret Kefford. Rod and Margaret live in Sydney, so I am reasonably sure we will see them again, perhaps in Florida as well as in Australia.

Fortunately, while on the ship, we were able to celebrate Margaret’s 65th and 66th birthdays in Le Champagne Restaurant along with another couple we all knew who are from Adelaide. Margaret is in the center and Rod is right behind her.

The cruise line has a special event prepared for the World Cruise passengers. We will be ferried out to an island in Sydney Harbor – Shark Island – where we will be treated to a barbecue lunch, demonstrations of native aboriginal skills and arts, and visits with some native Australians of the four-footed variety.

The day began with a transfer on a fast ferry out to the island with local commentary on the way as we made our way through Sydney’s very busy harbor. Bear in mind that because the city has grown around the harbor – possibly the largest and best natural harbor on earth – many people live on the north side (mostly residential and corporate headquarters) and ferry across to the downtown area to work. There are also many who live on the south side and do the opposite. Getting around the harbor is not a job for the faint of heart. One must navigate not only the water, but the ferries (public and private), the water taxis, the cruise ships, the freighters and tankers, the pleasure boats, and the fishermen. It is also a fantastic way to really see how Sydney lives and functions.

Our arrival on Shark Island.

Bonnie makes friends with just about everyone she meets – two-legged or four-legged…

This Wombat, a marsupial that looks like a giant rat, decided that he wanted to inspect me as I was crouching down to take this picture. He got up close and personal as he darted through my legs, unfortunately, we didn’t get a shot of that journey or of the expression on my face…

Shark Island, our destination, is called that because of its shape, not because of the proximity of any real sharks in the area. The island is a preserve and has been “bought” for the day by the cruise line for us to use. As we walked off the ferry, a line of servers stood waiting with tall flutes of champagne and orange juice for the teetotalers. We walked up a small hill to the center of the island where a large tent had been erected with linens, silver, and crystal. Behind the tent was a permanent gazebo that had been converted to a temporary kitchen and service line.

We were broken into several smaller groups and some of us were asked to begin lunch while the others were presented with a choice of learning about aboriginal art, aboriginal music and instruments, and aboriginal hunting skills. We were in the eating group.

The menu consisted of a variety of grilled local delicacies: steak, Balmain bugs (sort of lobster tails to the uninitiated), lamb chops, salads, wine, cheeses and fruit for dessert.

Here is the tent where we ate. We were serenaded by the string trio in the foreground.

This shot of Nelson’s Bay from Shark Island gives you some idea of how Sydneysiders spend their weekends. Tough, huh!

Here is a shot of Botany Bay looking back toward downtown Sydney from Shark Island.

We then switched places with the other group and learned about the didgeridoo and the klackers. The didgeridoo is a hollow log the is used to make music by using the lips, teeth, breath, and sounds from the throat. It takes lots of practice just to make any sound come out. We also learned that the authentic instruments are made by termite ants that eat their way through the log and hollow it out. If you are ever in the market for a didgeridoo, stick your fingers inside it and make sure it is uneven and grooved on the inside. That way you will know it is authentic and not machine made. The klackers are small pieces of wood that are hit together to form a background rhythm to the chants and the didgeridoo. I learned all of this fascinating stuff from our guide and demonstrator, Yunbalayidinigoringigammaregeljadigal. His western name is: David Robert Barnett. I had asked him to spell his aboriginal name so I know that is correct. I hope I got the western name correct as well…

This is David explaining how sounds are made with the didgeridoo.

David demonstrated how the didgeridoo can be made to emulate animal sounds. Here he is doing an emu.

We also spent some time learning about aboriginal art. The native Australians have no written language. All lore is handed down verbally or through their paintings and symbology. Everything on an aboriginal painting has meaning. I just wish I had paid attention to some more of the detail so I could explain what we saw in more detail.

Finally, I spent a few minutes with another of the demonstrators as he described how the boomerang is used to disable or kill game for food. It is amazing how they can control the boomerang to cripple, kill, or just distract various animals. They do not believe in killing or maiming unless they plan to eat it. I tried to use a boomerang, but in my case it was just a curved stick…

A last look over Botany Bay before we left Shark Island. After our adventures on Shark Island, we ferried back to the ship and rested up for Sunday’s foray to Manly Beach.

Sunday morning, we caught the first ferry from the cruise ship terminal over to Circular Quay, the hub of Sydney’s waterfront. We were with another couple who we had met on the trip and the four of us decided to make it a day of wandering, stopping for lunch, and then back to base.



















This map will give you some idea of where Manly is with respect to downtown Sydney and our ship. We are docked to the left of the bridge in the area called Balmain. Manly is way out at the far right just north of Sydney Harbor National Park. It is about a 30-minute ferry ride from Circular Quay to Manly Wharf.

This will give you more of an idea of what the attraction is at Manly. Bondi Beach, to the south on the Sydney mainland, may be famous for its surfing, but Manly is much more scenic and lively. We ferried to Manly Cove and walked over to the ocean side promenade where it is marked Manly Beach.

Manly is on the north side of Sydney Harbor and is the easternmost point of land between the harbor and the Pacific Ocean. The ferry pulls in on the bay side and a short walk through town gets you over to the beaches on the ocean side. Swimmers, surfers, bathers – sun and otherwise – all dot the beach and the water. We walked about a mile or so up the beachfront walk and strolled a local craft market on the way back through town. We found a restaurant for lunch near the bay side. After lunch we strolled the bay side for a while, then grabbed a ferry back to Circular Quay.

 

These two shots of the Manly Beach – one taken looking north and one looking south – provide a good idea of how clean, large, and used by all are the local beaches.

This panorama shot of the volleyball area also indicates how well-used the local beaches are.

On the bay side, the water is more subdued and much shallower. It is an excellent place for families with small children to get them used to the water. We saw kids as young as seven or eight learning to paddle-board and kayak!

The last ferry provided by the ship from Circular Quay to White Bay Cruise Terminal had just left. Our companions opted for a taxi back to the ship. We managed to get a ferry just pulling out that took us around to Darling Harbor. At Darling Harbor, we caught the ships shuttle bus back to the ship and collapsed! What a day: walking, shopping, people-watching, eating, boating (sort of).

Tomorrow we head out to Newcastle, New South Wales second largest city. Stay tuned…