A view of the city and Opera House from Milson’s Point

Today was my last full day in Sydney.   Before arrival here I was concerned that my itinerary was unbalanced and that 9 days here was too many.  That I hadn’t allowed enough time in Tasmania, or Melbourne, or for the Great Ocean Road, or to enjoy Adelaide and its wine country.  I may well end up not having as long as I would like in any of those places but I’m very pleased I had the time I did in Sydney and I shall miss the city.

After yesterday’s trip to Newcastle I was tired and I hadn’t got the early night I had planned as I chatted to Nick for a while and then started to prepare my bags for tomorrow.  As a result, I allowed myself a lie-in before setting off to the Allianz stadium to buy a souvenir for my eldest son.  While at the stadium on Saturday I had taken some photos of team tops and sent them to him and he had chosen a Waratahs T-shirt.  I also hoped to pick up a Sydney Sixers (one of two Sydney sides that plays in the Australian T20 competition the Big Bash.  That was frustrated, as you’ll see from a seperate post.

On the way to the bus stop, I popped into a cafe that had caught my eye previously for breakfast.  It turned out to be a good choice:

With an excellent latte I had salmon fishcakes, poached eggs and a “superfood” salad, served with a single slice of some of the best smoked salmon I have ever tasted.  I’m pleasantly surprised how healthily I’m eating here and, more importantly, how much I’m enjoying it.  Finding a breakfast like this in Newcastle upon Tyne would be a minor miracle.  In Sydney, places like this seem to be on every street corner.

I took the bus to Paddington, which is the smartest stretch of Oxford Street:

and then walked down to the stadium.  Sadly, the store at the ground sold merchandise from the local rugby union, rugby league, Aussie Rules and football teams.  It did not stock anything related to the cricket teams, whether NSW, the Sixers or the Thunder (the other Big Bash side).  The extremely helpful attendant suggested a sports store in the city, so I headed into town.

After visiting a couple of sports shops, I walked up to the historic The Rocks quarter of Sydney.  This area lies at the south end of the Harbour Bridge and was one of the first areas of Sydney to be developed.

The Rocks now lies in the shadow of the bridge and the views of the Bridge from the Rocks drive home just what an enormous structure it is.

On a whim, I decided to walk across the Bridge to the other side.  The Bridge carries not just a six lane highway and a train line but also a dedicated cycle lane and a footpath.  From the footpath it is possible to enter the northern pylon and climb to the top.  From up there the views of the city were spectacular.

At the North end of the Bridge lies the suburb of Milson’s Point, where the Olympic swimming pool enjoys views of the Bridge and City.  It also has a couple of restaurants and I sat in one enjoying a soda and bitters and enjoying the view.

The pool is right by the Milson’s Point ferry stop, so I jumped on a ferry back to Circular Quay and walked up to the Opera House.  I had seen the Opera House frtom a distance and had walked up to it on Monday.  I hadn’t, however, realised quite what a complicated structure (or, as it turns out, structures) it is.  It’s a very striking and quite beautiful building, its compliacted shapes really appealing to the mathematician in me:

So that was my last day in Sydney.  I’m planning to eat tonight in a Vietnamese cafe that the lads in the house recommend and may post on that, if it’s memorable, and I may reflect later on my time here but I have loved this and will miss Sydney.  Next stop, Bridport TAS.  I imagine I’ll notice a contrast!

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