SYDNEY HARBOUR

I have been after a photo storage unit for a while now so that I can clear the flash cards for my camera easily while I am on holidays and away from my computer. I came across a unit the other day which will accept compact flash cards plus others with an adapter, record from TV, video and radio, is an MP3 player, has an FM radio, can output to a TV or projector, can be used as a 40 GB external Hard Disk - in fact I am still finding out exactly what it can do ! Fortunately it was on special (I suspect a new model is coming out) so I decided to go ahead and order it and I arranged to pick it up at the retailer's shop in Sydney.

It was such a great day that I decided to take advantage of my concession ticket into Sydney and boarded the ferry to Manly where I had lunch on Manly Wharf before heading back to Circular Quay again on the journey home. With clear blue skies, warm breezes, sparkling water, plenty of yachts and workboats and two or three old sailing ships, I couldn't have chosen a better day. I enjoyed it so much that I intend doing the same thing again soon but next time I will take the ferry to Parramatta, a suburb of Sydney which is much further inland than the Harbour Bridge. Naturally I had my camera with me.

One of the first things to be seen after leaving Circular Quay is the clown's face at the entrance to the Luna Park, a world famous amusement park in the shadow of the Harbour Bridge.

Over the last few years it has been possible to not only cross the Harbour Bridge on the footpath at road level but also to climb over the Bridge itself in a guided tour party. It isn't cheap at $249 and the climb takes approximately 3 hours, but what a view if you have a head for heights !!!



Just across the water from the Sydney Opera House is Admiralty House, the Sydney residence of the Governor General of Australia.


One of the most famous buildings in the world - the Sydney Opera House.


Quite close to the Opera House is Fort Denison, a Martello Tower built on a small rock jutting out above the water just around the corner from Circular Quay. In the early settlement days before the fort was built, this used to be known as Pinchgut since it was a punishment place for convicts. Very little food was given to the convicts while they served their term of punishment here so you can understand how it got its name. It is possible to visit Fort Denison on a ferry cruise.

Sydney Harbour is very much a working harbour and there are many boats like this security boat helping to keep the harbour safe and clean. Ted Noffs, after whom this boat was named, was a clergyman who did a lot of good work with the down and outs of the notorious Kings Cross area of Sydney.


One of these days I would love to take a flight in a seaplane like this. The flight is combined with a 75 klms per hour jet boat ride round the harbour and then you are taken to the Rose Bay flying boat centre where you catch the seaplane which flies over the centre of Sydney and out to Bondi Beach at a height of 500 ft. The entire trip, boat and seaplane, takes 80 mins and costs around $200. There are other companies offering similar trips.


The lighthouse on the tip of the South Head at the entrance to Sydney Harbour.

This Schooner had just cleared the Heads of Sydney Harbour as the ferry I was on turned into Manly Cove. A few more minutes and I would have missed it. I am not sure but I think it is the 'La Violante'.


There are at least 3 Manly ferries on the Circular Quay to Manly run. The trip takes roughly 30 minutes with the ferries leaving every 20 minutes. There is lots of work being carried out to improve the facilities on the Manly Wharf and while it looks a bit of a mess now it won't be long before it is thoroughly modernised. This ferry was the next to arrive after the one I caught.


There are a number of Tall Ships which are based in Sydney Harbour. The first tall ship is the 'Svanen' which took part in the Bicentenary fleet sailing from England to Sydney in 1988 and the larger ship to the right of it and below is the 'James Craig', a metal hulled ship from the 19th Century which has recently been restored.



Australia Day, 26th January, celebrates the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788. It is a public holiday and in Sydney, while there are celebrations in all the suburbs, the main ones are on the Harbour. One of the events is a Ferry Race when the various ferries strive to become the fastest on the day. The race this year was won by the 'Sirius', seen here, and named after a ship in the First Fleet.


I am looking forward to the trip to Parramatta now travelling west of the Bridge instead of east as this one was.

DAY 2

After a good night's sleep and a satisfying breakfast, I was on the road again for the trip north between 8 and 8.30 am. Turning onto the Pacific Highway from Park Road, where the motel is, I passed the Big Banana on my left and the Opal Centre next to it (which I am planning to visit on the way home) and headed off towards the next town, Woolgoolga, which has a very large Indian population living there and a large Hindu Temple visible from quite a distance away. From here, the road wends its way through many plantations of bananas with the fruit covered in bags to protect it from the flying foxes which abound wherever there is a good feed to be had.

The next major centre on the map is the City of Grafton which is famous as the City of the Jacarandas, a beautiful tree which in Spring is covered with lovely blue/purple flowers - and I do mean covered ! When the blooms begin to drop their petals on the ground it is a sight that could never be forgotten.

Around Grafton, travellers catch their first glimpse of field after field of sugar canes which grow not just in fields but along the sides of the road, too. Some all straggly and looking as though a good puff of wind would blow them over and some standing straight and tall and obviously well looked after by the sugar cane farmers. This has been a major crop in Australia for many years but these days, the sugar refineries are closing down and the land the cane was grown on is being sold for other purposes. The sugar cane industry used to stretch from Grafton in the south right up to Cairns in the far north of Queensland but now it is being reduced to just patches here and there. Not only does sugar come from the cane but also the fibre from the plant has been used as fuel to provide steam and electricity at the refineries and is now being sold as mulch for the gardens.

The Highway along the next stretch of land is being upgraded to a dual carriageway so instead of going through towns with delightful names such as Mullumbimby and Kyogle, these have been reduced to names on the signposts which is a pity in spite of the fact that it is quicker to drive along these new roads. I remember the first time I drove up here, one overhead sign read "Your speed is about to be checked" while the next one a few kilometres further on said "Your speed has been checked". Fortunately my speed complied with the rules.

The next city is Ballina and here another stop is made for a little rest and recuperation at a place called The Big Prawn ! ....and it is a big one, too.


Once again there are the usual tourist shops, takeaways and restaurants but after a short break I am on my way again and heading towards the Queensland border when another crop is making its appearance with Macadamia Nut Trees bordering the Highway and suddenly the unexpected sight of a knight in shining armour outside a mediaeval castle which makes you wonder whether you are seeing things ! Unfortunately, it is yet another tourist trap with lots of souvenirs and restaurants.

North of Ballina the Highway climbs the side of a hill and at the top as it curves around to head downwards again, there is the most wonderful view of the mountains sloping down to a wide basin of land with a view of the Tasman Sea and the islands just off the coast. I took a series of photos the last time I was up there and tried to join them together to form a panorama but I should have used my tripod to steady the camera and to keep the photos in line. Next time !





After a long, wide stretch of highway, a sign appears informing you that you have now entered the State of Queensland and the towering buildings of Coolangatta and the Gold Coast can be seen away to your right. The traffic is now a lot thicker and unless you pay close attention, the turn off for the major highway to Brisbane is upon you before you realise it. This next section would be one of the widest and fastest parts of the long journey north with sections of it anything from 6 to 12 lanes wide. This leads from the Gold Coast to Brisbane and crosses over the Brisbane River on the Gateway Bridge which can be seen soaring over the river but because of the traffic and the need to stay alert I haven't yet been able to photograph it - one of these days........

By now, I am on the home straight to Yandina, where my friend lives, travelling along the Bruce Highway and gradually the traffic thins out as the turnoffs appear for such places as Redcliffe, Caboolture, Bribie Island and a magnificent sight appears in the distance, the Glasshouse Mountains.

These mountains are actually the cores of old volcanoes millions of years old with the majority of the vegetation eroded from them. The aborigines have many delightful legends about them which can be read at - http://www.users.on.net/~matt.davey/mattdavey/
?gclid=CP-s49ntw4kCFRNlYQod-guiNw

There are fields of pineapples along the roads now and just before reaching the turnoff for Yandina a strange building can be seen to the left of the Highway. It is called the Ettamogah Pub after the name of a pub in a cartoon in the Australasian Post magazine. It has to be seen to be believed so I'll let the photos do the talking.......the crooked walls are a feature of the building and I believe they caused all sorts of problems for the builders who were just not used to building at these angles.






At long last I turn off the Highway, drive through a couple of roundabouts and over a bridge spanning the Maroochy River and 5 minutes later turn into the driveway of Sugar Cane Farm. No longer a farm but the home of my friend Anne and her husband Jack. I have arrived.....and, yes, the kettle is on.

After neglecting the blog in the lead up to Christmas, here I am again !

DAY 1

Once or sometimes twice a year I head north to visit a friend who moved up there some years ago. I always look forward to these visits and her visits to me on the few occasions when she travels down to Sydney.

The distance from my front door to her's is exactly 1,100 kilometres so it is not just a short drive there and back. I try to leave home early in the morning because of having to cross Sydney from south to north and, believe me, you do NOT want to be caught up in Sydney peak hour traffic ! After nearly 2 hours of bumper to bumper traffic (if I am a little late in leaving home) the 45 kilometres to the Newcastle Expressway is finally covered and the relief of being able to travel at a decent speed of around 100 klms per hour is bliss as I start to put some distance behind me. At the end of the Expressway, as I head towards Karuah, inland from Newcastle, I begin to watch for a rest stop.

The one that I usually stop at was initially developed by the Leyland Brothers, of TV documentary fame Watch The Leyland Brothers, which has a small scale replica of Uluru or Ayers Rock with a number of takeaways and souvenir shops inside it. After wandering around for half an hour or so I continue on along the Pacific Highway bypassing small towns such as Maitland, Wallsend, Dungog, Taree, Port Macquarie, etc. heading towards an overnight stop in Coffs Harbour which is about 550 klms north of Sydney and the halfway point to my friend's home, taking a break every so often to ease the stiffness which always seems to strike on long journeys.


When banana plantations start to appear I know that I am getting close to Coffs Harbour, usually around 2 pm, and I book myself into a motel before doing the rounds of the craft centres in the area. With jewellery, pottery, clothing, spinning wheels, etc. available there is quite a selection to choose from and there are lots of other attractions to be visited; small zoos, marine parks - even a Dutch Barn with clog making demonstrations there.





In the Big Banana centre, on the Highway on the way out of Coffs Harbour, there are the usual souvenir, jewellery, sweet making, food and clothing stores to be found plus a railway tour of the banana plantations which surround it.


Sometimes, if it is the right time of the year, I will spend a couple of days in this area on my journey up or back down again and book a whale watching cruise on one of the many boats available. It is a magnificent sight to see these huge animals broaching and although by law the boat has to stay a certain distance away from them, the whales often come close to them to see what is going on. Dolphins can sometimes be seen on these cruises too. Unfortunately, the only photos I have of the whales were taken with an old film camera but on my next trip I will try to take some with my new Digital SLR camera - I have a very good zoom lens for this, too.

I could order a meal to be sent to my motel room in the evening but I prefer to go along to the Fishermens Co-operative in the Coffs Harbour Marina complex where I can be sure of a good meal while looking out over a small harbour. The sight of many commercial boats coming and going and watching the pelicans on the scrounge for any food available either from the tourists or from the fishing boats unloading their catch adds to the enjoyment of the meal. As the sun goes down, it is the place to be !






The last thing to be done before returning to the motel is to have the petrol tank topped up so that I can make an early start the next day.