Sydney Weekender.

Alan, Callum & Samantha in 'Train' ing!

6.30am and Hamilton Railway Station was beginning to fill up with bleary eyed folk waiting for the 6.39am train to Sydney Central. Along with Jonesy, Alan, Callum and Samantha, I was one of them. The journey takes about two and half hours and we passed the time by playing a game of Twenty Questions.

Me and Jonesy were staying overnight so, on arrival, we went first to our hotel and deposited our bags there. We had purchased a ticket that included the rail journey and all Sydney Ferry services, trains and buses for a 24 hour period, an excellent and cost effective way of seeing this metropolis.

Samantha hitches a ride.

I've got 'Big Ears' cos Noddy wouldn't pay the ransom!

It was this one wot did it Guv!

Ferry for Taronga Zoo at Circular Quay.

Samantha, me & Callum 'Bridging' the gap.

I just want to sleep, please!

"Mum, there's a man with a camera again"

"This is how it's done son"

Someone's standing on my tail!

"It's not your feathers on my hood, Mr Emu"

We caught an underground train the short distance to Circular Quay, on the Harbour, and from there the ferry that would take us to Mosman, and Sydney's Taronga Zoo. All of the others had been before but I hadn't, and by all accounts it is one of the better world zoos and certainly amongst the most scenically positioned alongside Sydney Harbour.A sort of route was established and agreed upon and off we went to view the animals and exhibits.

At various times, zoo keepers would conduct talks on the various animals, reptiles and birds within the zoo. There were also feeding times and we witnessed the Chimpanzee's having fruit and vegetables hurled into their enclosure. There is undoubtedly a hierarchy amongst this troop of Chimpanzees but the smart ones were gathering as much together as possible rather than eating immediately. Perhaps they were the entrepreneurial amongst them!

Callum and Samantha were keen to visit Luna Park across the harbour at Milsons Point. This iconic Sydney amusement park, dating from the 1930's, is free to enter and pass through and you only pay for the rides that you go on. We caught the scenic gondola ride over the park and down to the ferry and back to Circular Quay, from where Jonesy and I said our goodbyes to the others as they went off in search of excitement and fun and we boarded the SuperCat for the 50 minute journey to the suburb of Parramatta.

SuperCat to Parramatta.

I use Colgate toothpaste!

  From the ferry landing point we walked up the river tow path which has been decorated in Aboriginal artwork depicting the culture and heritage of the area.















This leads to the Heritage/Information centre and has an interesting and informative history of Parramatta.

Parramatta has some of Australia's oldest recorded buildings with the Old Government House built around 1799 housing the seat of power in the life of the formative colony. Nowadays it houses the finest collection of colonial furniture in Australia. Within Parramatta Park is the Old Dairy Cottage with its sunken milk room and stone steps for separating the cream from the milk.

In the local Burramatta Aboriginal language, Parramatta is 'the place of the eels' and it is from this that the local Rugby League team derives its nickname. This afternoon, they were hosting and losing to the Balmain Tigers by 31-30 points. A case of the Tigers mauling the Eels maybe.

We decided to catch the train back to Central Sydney as darkness fell so did the temperature. We checked into our hotel formally before finding a pub across the street and enjoying dinner. Sated, we once again made our way to Circular Quay and took the ferry across to Milsons Point and the well lit Luna Park, onto McMahons Point, East Balmain and finally Darling Harbour.

Jonesy and I reminisced about the time we stayed at a friends unit at East Balmain with wonderful views over the harbour. That was ten years ago and yet it seemed like only yesterday. Darling Harbour is a hub of entertainment venues, shops, restaurants and bars. It is busy day or night and it amazed me how all of the different business outlets survive side by side.

Darling Harbour

Cockleshell Bay, Darling Harbour

Darling Gardens

Fountain-astic.

As well as the swish harbour-side hotels, there is the Sydney Convention Centre, Aquarium and the soon to be opened Madame Tussauds Museum. The Darling Park Gardens are beautifully lit at night as is Cockle Bay, and is a popular place for both visitors and locals alike.





From Darling Harbour it is a short walk into Sydney's Chinatown district and from there, avoiding the temptation to be ushered into one of the many restaurants, it was back to our hotel and a well earned rest.

Let me on please..I'm a Pom.

Next morning we were up bright and early and after a resuscitating Flat White at Starbucks, we caught the underground to Bondi Junction and had breakfast. We then caught a bus that would take us towards Bondi Beach, perhaps the most famous of all of Australia's beaches. We stayed on the bus past the beach until its furthest point at Watson Bay.

This marks the entrance to Sydney Harbour from the Pacific Ocean and is close to where the first convict fleet settled at Botany Bay in 1788, before moving to the more natural harbour of Port Stephens or the  Sydney of today.

Watson Bay

Sydney Harbour from Watson Bay

Bondi Beach Lifeguard Audition

Bondi's famous surf.

Climbing up the steps to the top of the point we had superb views of North Head and back towards the harbour in the distance. Taking the bus back we stopped at Bondi Beach and walked the hallowed sands much beloved of backpackers, billionaires, surfers and the body beautiful....oh, and me and Jonesy.

We caught the Bondi Bendy Bus back to the city passing the famous Sydney Cricket Ground before coming through the district of Paddington, famous for its vibrant pub life and the fashionable boutiques of Oxford Street. Victoria Barracks, dating to 1841 are found here and finally we disembarked to walk the last half a mile past Hyde Park, along Liverpool Street and onto Pitt Street. You could be forgiven for thinking we were taking a tour of London with such familiar names.

One thing that London doesn't have is the Monorail that does a loop above the city centre streets from Darling Harbour. Unfortunately, neither will Sydney for much longer as a decision has just been made to discontinue this iconic mode of transport. Hopefully the tram system will survive as an alternative transport system in a city that is clogged by motor vehicles for much of the time.

Monorail passing over Pitt Street

Spot the odd one out!

Sydney Opera House

As we waited at Central Station for our train back to Newcastle we took the opportunity to visit a small exhibition for the Southern Aurora, a deluxe train that first made the journey from Sydney to Melbourne in 1962. It was interesting to see how things have changed over the years from the fashions of the day to the time taken to complete such a journey. 

So back in Newcastle and a last chance to see the Newcastle Knights in action at the Hunter Stadium against The Panthers. A resounding victory for the Knights by 34-14, although the opposition was poor on the night (no pun intended).