Wednesday – November 14, 2018
There was a light rain falling this morning – misting really, 63 degrees. Just enough rain to clear the streets of the Central Business District (everyone here calls it the CBD) of tourists and office workers. We walked up George Street, the main street in Sydney to explore and learn more about the city.
Construction is everywhere! New tall modern buildings are being built wherever we look and George Street is torn up because of construction of a new light-rail system. A shop keeper who was complaining about the “never ending” disruption, said Sydney “has the second highest number of construction cranes, after Abu Dhabi.” We walked to the famous Queen Victoria Building:
The QVB (Aussies shorten everything) was built in 1898 and takes up a whole city block. It was built of Sydney sandstone and proudly stands among modern skyscrapers as a reminder of Sydney’s past. Originally a marketplace, today it houses high-end shops and boutiques on three floors.
There is a Tea Room tucked away on an upper floor which serves High Tea daily. I was told those are Baccarat crystal chandeliers:
There were cafes and coffee shops:
And Santa was having a conversation with a young dad and child:
Later we walked down Market Street to explore Darling Harbor. It had stopped raining by the time we crossed Pyrmont Bridge, but was gray and overcast.
This is the area of Sydney’s huge Convention Center so there are theaters, hotels, restaurants, bars, cafes, a shopping mall, a ferris wheel, and 2 ferry docking stations. Modern apartment buildings line the harbor all around. There are also several museums and attractions nearby and the Australian National Maritime Museum. It’s a happening place!
The Maritime Museum had an array of sail and power boats as well as a submarine and a war ship. Below is the Carpentaria Lightship that was in service from 1917 to 1985 in the Gulf of Carpentaria on the northern coast of Australia.
We used our Opal Cards to ride the ferry back to our hotel near Circular Quay. It was a fun day!
