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weekend in Sydney
Last week we finally left our new home of Brisbane to see a bit more of Australia. Our flight arrived in Sydney, but before seeing too much of the city, business at the University of Wollongong (1 hour south) had to be taken care of, so we'll start there.
Wollongong is a pretty sleepy little New South Wales coastal town. There are 2 nice beaches, a small but nice university, a few decent hotels, a surf club, and a steel factory. Oh, and also, next to the steel factory happens to be the largest Buddhist temple in the southern hemisphere. Nan Thien is actually a Buddhist college. Built on it's own hillside, it is a very lovely spot.
Sydney is a very cool city. I would say it's about the perfect size, and since it's built around the harbor, there are very distinct neighborhoods tucked away in nice pockets. It's also more diverse than a United Nations picnic. In contrast to Brisbane, I wondered if, at times, I was even in Australia at all. The old parts of the city are very very European and have that small, old feeling to them. The Rocks is the area that all tourists are directed to for the best collection of old structures. It did not dissapoint, and with a great street market, I highly recommend it.
MrsIt claims that the Opera House is one of few buildings she has wanted to see ever since she was a small girl. It didn't disappoint. I liked it best in this view:
And what can you do on a rainy sunday morning before your flight home? Go to the aquarium of course! Home to some of the best collections of sharks and colorful coral and reef fish in the world. The tunnel underneath the seal tank was a favorite.
Still have more to upload, but those are my favorites.
Wollongong is a pretty sleepy little New South Wales coastal town. There are 2 nice beaches, a small but nice university, a few decent hotels, a surf club, and a steel factory. Oh, and also, next to the steel factory happens to be the largest Buddhist temple in the southern hemisphere. Nan Thien is actually a Buddhist college. Built on it's own hillside, it is a very lovely spot.
Sydney is a very cool city. I would say it's about the perfect size, and since it's built around the harbor, there are very distinct neighborhoods tucked away in nice pockets. It's also more diverse than a United Nations picnic. In contrast to Brisbane, I wondered if, at times, I was even in Australia at all. The old parts of the city are very very European and have that small, old feeling to them. The Rocks is the area that all tourists are directed to for the best collection of old structures. It did not dissapoint, and with a great street market, I highly recommend it.
MrsIt claims that the Opera House is one of few buildings she has wanted to see ever since she was a small girl. It didn't disappoint. I liked it best in this view:
And what can you do on a rainy sunday morning before your flight home? Go to the aquarium of course! Home to some of the best collections of sharks and colorful coral and reef fish in the world. The tunnel underneath the seal tank was a favorite.
Still have more to upload, but those are my favorites.
Erik
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C'monnnnn Doc!
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So back to Wollongong we go. As a New Englander, it warms my heart to see rapid weather changes. Here's the view from our hotel room immediately when we arrived, and then 30 minutes later:
Not a bad view, that's the boat harbor, built up with stones to protect the fancy boats. After that rain system passed, we were treated to some pretty dramatic clouds that made the hills in the background seem much higher than they actually were. Our hotel is there amongst those buildings.
That photo was taken from the little spit of land that pretty much makes Wollongong a place to visit. Just behind where I'm standing is a lighthouse (the one you see is the photo is the one that is in use, the bigger one not pictured is a historic landmark). On the other side of the spit from the boat harbor pictured above, is the surfing beach below. In the background here, you can see the "beautiful" steel plant.
Enough scenery, let's eat!!! A big Aussie style chicken burger for MrsIt and a basket of fish and chips from a beach side stand is just what the Dr ordered (ha, ha, get it? ha!)
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The proper name is actually the FO GUANG SHAN NAN TIEN TEMPLE (clickie here for a link on some info). Are you noticing quite a few clouds in my photos so far? Yeah, it was a recurring theme. As not to disappoint, it was cloudy again this morning. Welcome to the temple!
Now, I know there are no photos allowed inside prayer rooms, but as you can clearly see, I'm outside the doors, so in my book I will hopefully not be struck down. Not that buddhism would say that would happen, I'll just lose my path and resist to temptation. Another cheeseburger? Yessss!
Simply gorgeous, though:
The temple really is huge. After proceding up and through those steps where you saw the schoolchildren is an entire other level and courtyard, enclosed in the building.
This is the view from the stairs that you see in the photo above:
Hello, knock, knock, is anybody home?
In addition to the temple buildings, the grounds are just stunning.
I learned that the Pagoda is actually a giant vertical cemetary. Within are thousands of little shelves/cubicles (sorry, I don't know the proper name) where families keep the remains of their deceased. It's extremely ornate.
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Oh look, the clouds are rolling in... Just a short while later:
Nice view, no? Too bad, since we were driving through the Royal National Park, which looked like it had some gorgeous bush walks and vistas. Maybe next time, we had to have the car returned by 17:00 so no time for getting soggy in the forest.
But once in the city, the rain subsided and we were able to walk to our hotel without getting soaked. When we checked in, we saw on the news that the storm we drove through was in fact quite bad - flooding and several collapsed awnings in the city, which in fact killed one man (explains all the fire trucks we saw racing around the city). Overall, it was a very stormy weekend. As we were flying out on sunday, the surrounding areas were getting pummeled by giant hail (explains the bumpy crappy flight)!
But regardless, we had a pleasant evening in Sydney...
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The Western Distributor bridge
The Pyrmont pedestrian/monorail bridge crossing from the Darling Harbor area to the CBD
And of course, the Harbor Bridge
Bridges are so cool.
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The exhibition was in Darling Harbor. Some other shots from there...
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Luna Park
Circular Quay
Royal Botanic Gardens (next to Opera House and Circular Quay)
Flying Foxes!
Other less sleepy garden inhabitants:
Opera House and Harbor Bridge
Reflections of the city
And even the Xmas spirit in the Queen Victoria Building (that tree filled all 3+ levels of the shopping center)
Hope you enjoyed the trip, we did!
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Thanks, doc, for the tour - certainly a place I want to visit, sooner rather than later.
ann
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I wanted the book, but after all the travelling and eating, the exhibition price of $100 was a bit too much. It's on my list though, hard to forget some of those images.
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Thanks for the tour--love each of your shots. The temple is particularly beautiful. My wife and I visited Sydney 18 months ago and just loved it. It's a real tossup for me: Sydney, Melbourne, or Perth. I'd have to go with Perth and Melbourne a close second. But all three are lovely cities.
Have a marvelous time and keep us updated with photos.
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Enjoyed your quality pics of my hometown! Thanks.
The sandstone post of the stairway in the pic with the fruit stall is so nostalgic. As you will have noticed sandstone is a signature of Sydney, and was used extensively in the city from colonisation through the first half of last century.
I love the wide shot of the Opera House forecourt, and bridge.
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enjoyed them
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Thanks, I dig that 10-22mm
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