We started in the city centre by the town hall and joined the huge crowd milling around by the two bright green t-shirts of the tour guides. The free tour is evidently a popular concept as there were around 60 people who turned up for the morning tour and they split us into two groups to operate the tours.
Following this we went past an old cathedral which was built on a road which now is not as popular as the road that runs parallel to it, so it appears as if the cathedral is facing the wrong way as there is no entrance on what is now effectively the maintenance road.
The plaque below reads Eternity and there are several of these dotted round the city stemming from one man's work. Arthur Stace was previously an alcoholic and had been to jail countless of times. When trying to turn his life around he went to church and on one occasion a preacher was telling the congregation how he wished he could 'shout eternity through the streets of Sydney'. This stuck with Stace and he took it upon himself to dedicate his life spreading God's word through his own unique style of Evangelism.
He would get up early each morning and write Eternity on the pavements of Sydney with a crayon and in elegant copperplate script. It is estimated that throughout his life he wrote it around half a million times. Until 1956 Stace was anonymous in his work, until he was caught writing on the pavement. His life work was commemorated in 2000 when for the millennium Sydney Harbour Bridge was lit up with the word Eternity.
Next up was the Queen Victoria Building which is known as the QVB. Outside there is a statue of Queen Victoria gifted to Sydney by Ireland and opposite is a sculpture of her favourite dog, Islay. It has become extremely popular in Sydney and was given a voice by a local dj encouraging people to donate money to the deaf and blind children's charity. The building used to house markets but it is now a grand and decorative arcade packed with many shops.
There are many underground tunnels connecting parts of Sydney and we went from the mall through to some of the main streets in Sydney. We passed the Hilton Hotel which was bombed during a political meeting in 1978, Australia's first and only domestic terror attack. In the same vicinity was another landmark, the Sydney Tower. From the bar and restaurant st the top you can get a 360 degree view of the city, or for those more daring, you can participate in a sky walk around the perimeter of the building. Unluckily, all the times we could have gone were already fully booked so we missed out. But I am told the views are spectacular.
Hyde Park was next on our walking tour and the magnificent St. Mary's cathedral which sits within it. The fountain, cathedral and park were all extremely beautiful and it was a pleasant setting where many people were enjoying morning strolls.
The history of Sydney is very interesting. It was established in 1788 as a penal colony at Sydney Cove, part of the harbour, which was named Port Jackson but is now more commonly referred to as Sydney Harbour. The name Sydney came from Lord Sydney, the British Home Secretary of the time. The penal colony was set up by the British to alleviate pressure on the prison system. For over 80 years the British sent prisoners to Sydney.
Opposite the park on the corner stands the Hyde Park Barracks which used to house the convict colony but today it is a museum. We did not find time to go to this museum but it sounds incredibly interesting.
The Mint was built by 1816 and was originally intended to be the southern wing of the Sydney Hospital. However, the proposed hospital was far too big for the, then small population and so in 1854 the first branch of the Royal Mint outside of England was established. It operated until 1926 when the new Commonwealth Mint was established in Canberra. Now the building is used as a cafe, meeting rooms and has a small display of the history of the site.
Next door is the present day Sydney Hospital, built on the site of the 'Rum Hospital' of which The Mint building used to be part of. It was named the Rum Hospital as it was funded by the sale of rum to the penal colony because the English government did not want to fund such a grand project so far overseas.
Below is the lucky pig, Il Porcellino, a copy of the one found in Florence. Rubbing the snout of the boar is said to being luck and good health to those who do so and thus many hospital patients, visitors and indeed, tourists are seen holding his nose.
Our walk took us next to Martin Place, a central economic and business area, housing three of the leading banks, other corporations and some of the television news channels. It is common to see bt crews filming segments for the morning shows outside.
In the same street is the impressive clock tower and building which used to house the Postal Service. It is still found in the same building but it is not the sole occupier as it now also houses, restaurants, cafés, shops and bars.
Situated outside the General Post Office is The Cenotaph commemorating the lives of the ANZAC soldiers lost during WW1 and Australian troops to die in further conflicts.
Another back alley, reached by small passageway, contained a brilliant art installation. It was meant to be temporary but the residents of the city, Sydneysiders, liked it so much that it was made permanent. Suspended from wires are many bird cages and different birdsong is played through surrounding speakers. On the pavement there are many different tiles with the names of different species of bird engraved upon them.
In Australia Square there is a statue of a waiting man, aptly named Waiting, by John Seward Johnson II. Johnson was the grandson of one of the co-founders of Johnson & Johnson but was fired from the company and therefore made a living through creating sculptures.
Customs House is a historical landmark in Circular Quay which until 1990 was the headquarters of the Customs Service. It is now used for functions, exhibitions and is the home of the City of Sydney Library. On the ground floor is an amazing scale model of Sydney's CBD which can be viewed through the glass floor.
We strolled around Circular Quay listening to interesting stories about the designing of the Opera House and the long, drawn out construction. The original architect Jorn Utzon, from Denmark, won a design competition in 1957 and work begun in 1958. However, the project went over budget and ended with Utzon's forced resignation and for many years he was never accredited for his work. It was finally completed in 1973 and is one of Sydney's most iconic and recognisable sites.
The Rocks are some of the oldest parts of Sydney and were due to be demolished due to their slum like conditions. However, protests ensured that The Rocks were redeveloped making it the vibrant and beautiful area that it is today.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened on 19th March 1932 but the opening ceremony did not go entirely to plan. As the bridge was about to be opened by a cutting of the ribbon, a man in military uniform riding a horse, slashed the ribbon with his sword. He declared the bridge open in the name of the people of New South Wales. The intruder was Francis De Groot and he was resentful that a member of the Royal Family was not invited to open the bridge. He was promptly arrested and the ribbon re-tied to be cut officially. He has however left a lasting impression with the story being repeated to this day.
Interestingly we passed the shortest street in Sydney which is about 3 houses long and pictured below. It's cute but pretty crazy.
All over Sydney there are decorative rhinos raising money and awareness about the plight of the world's rhinos. All of the artworks are large, adult size rhinos except this adorable baby statue at the harbour. They were all extremely beautiful and it was fun to spot them around the city.
After lunch we went to Manly to visit the small town and it's beaches. The ferry took 30 minutes to reach the outer harbour vicinity where Manly is situated. On the way we passed Fort Denison, a former prison and defensive facility occupying a small island in the harbour, just past the Opera House.
It was lovely to have a chilled afternoon after our, slightly more hectic than usual, morning. There is a small beach near the ferry terminal which we visited first. This was good as it was more locals orientated than touristic. Later, we headed down the high street to the beach at the other end which opened out onto the ocean as opposed to the harbour.
The sun was setting by the time we made it onto our ferry back and we managed to get a brilliant view of the city, opera house and harbour bridge silhouetted in the early evening light.
Until next time.
A x
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