{"id":2509,"date":"2011-05-08T12:25:45","date_gmt":"2011-05-08T19:25:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jeffwallach.com\/?p=2509"},"modified":"2015-09-09T08:05:21","modified_gmt":"2015-09-09T15:05:21","slug":"aussie-adventure-sydney","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/travel\/2509\/aussie-adventure-sydney","title":{"rendered":"Aussie Adventure: Sydney"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Ubiquitous Opera House.<\/p><\/div>\n

I must admit that on a recent trip to Sydney, Australia I didn\u2019t actually visit the famous Opera House designed by Jorn Utzon and opened by Queen Elizabeth in 1973–\u00a0 possibly the most recognizable icon of one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. Although the Opera House offers symphony concerts, ballet, theater, and of course opera, Sydney is a city best enjoyed out of doors, pursuing more adventurous activities. And since so many activities in Sydney are measured in terms of their proximity to the marching sails of the roof line of the Opera House, I saw the architectural marvel from so many perspectives I felt a personal affinity anyway.<\/p>\n

Speaking of adventures, I\u2019m afraid to tell you that the very best view of the Opera House comes from atop the Sydney Harbor Bridge, completed in 1932 after eight years of construction and known affectionately by locals as \u201cthe coat hanger.\u201d And by \u201catop,\u201d I don\u2019t mean from a car on the asphalt surface of the road or while strolling down the pedestrian walkway.\u00a0 I mean, literally, on top of the elegantly curved span, where the only thing blocking your view\u2014 downward\u2014 toward the startling edifice might be a puffy cloud or low-flying plane.\u00a0 But more on that in a moment.<\/p>\n

I visited Sydney with three other travel writers all named Tom, which made for some amusing introductions.\u00a0 As part of the work we needed to accomplish\u2014in this case \u201cwork\u201d meaning playing rounds of golf at some of the world\u2019s top courses, eating in fine restaurants, and enjoying other similarly tough pursuits\u2014 me and the Toms took part in a number of soft adventures and fell in love with this enchanting city.\u00a0 Sure, Sydney boasts some brilliant museums\u2014 the Powerhouse, which explores human creativity in arenas ranging from science to decorative arts; the Maritime Museum, offering exhibits on underwater warfare; the Sydney Museum with it\u2019s historical bent; and the Museum of Contemporary Art which is self-explanatory.\u00a0 But we came to Sydney for a more active visit, and were not disappointed.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Rocks (and yes, it does!).<\/p><\/div>\n

Sydney was founded in 1788 by a fleet of English sailing vessels whose mission was not to build a nation, but to rid another one of its worst elements.\u00a0 The British government sent eleven ships full of convicts to establish a penal colony on the distant island continent.\u00a0 By the early 19th<\/sup> century a governor named Lachlan Macquarie wished to establish a full-fledged city on this idyllic location beside the wide, protected harbor.\u00a0 His superiors back in England felt Macquarie spent too much effort pursuing this dream and recalled him to London.\u00a0 Although he left Sydney, his name remains on everything from a university to a fort to a hotel.<\/p>\n

Much of Sydney\u2019s early heritage can be seen in The Rocks\u2014 the city\u2019s oldest preserved colonial district, now full of shops, pubs, restaurants, and galleries, many ensconced in historic sandstone buildings along a maze of narrow streets.\u00a0 The Garrison Museum provides a glimpse of what life was like in The Rocks in the early years.\u00a0 Today, the pulsing neighborhood wedged between the Harbour Bridge and the expansive Royal Botanical Gardens, overlooks a series of coves and attracts everyone from polyester-wearing cruise ship tourists to hip locals dressed for a music video.\u00a0 Where businesses along the cobbled streets once catered to sailors who brought cargo to this remote outpost, today the Rocks attracts fleets of shoppers, diners, and bar-hoppers.<\/p>\n

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New South Wales.<\/p><\/div>\n

Before my own crew even had a chance to explore The Rocks, the Toms and I traveled just beyond the city to the New South Wales Golf Club, which has been ranked among the top courses in the world practically since revered architect Alistair McKenzie designed it in 1928.\u00a0 The windswept layout was carved from natural coastal flora and offers broad, muscular views of Botany Bay and the Pacific.\u00a0 The old links-style course, which has hosted the Australian Open, boasts narrow fairways and deep pot bunkers.\u00a0 The famous sixth hole plays over pounding ocean surf and presents a fine example of the rugged beauty of much of this golf-crazed nation\u2019s topography.\u00a0 Walking the course is like a wilderness hike beside the ocean.\u00a0 After our brisk and invigorating golf\u2014 and as so often happens in the challenging professional life of travel writers\u2014we were forced to warm ourselves that evening in the elegant\u00a0tri-story atrium bar at the Four Seasons Hotel back in The Rocks.<\/p>\n

In the morning, our adventures ratcheted up slowly as we progressed from golf to snorkeling, in the company of Jane Strang, who runs a custom tour company called \u201cA Sydney Day.\u201d\u00a0 Jane, a charming hostess with a lilt in her voice, picked us up in her roomy SUV and toured us through outlying neighborhoods such as Paddington (known for its elegant terrace houses, art galleries, and boutiques), and Darlington (home of a flamboyant Mardi Gras parade and casual late-night dining).\u00a0 En route to the Rose Bay Wharf she motored us past Nicole Kidman\u2019s house.\u00a0 The Toms didn\u2019t pay much attention to the architecture and history lesson as they scanned the clean streets for one particular blond actress who was not to be found.<\/p>\n

Shortly, thereafter we boarded a dive boat run by the affable and talkative Captain Jack.\u00a0 We darted across the harbor\u2014between the weather stations on Clarke and Shark islands, past Taylors and Chowder Bay\u2014to a protected cove nearly out in the South Pacific.\u00a0 Rather than visit the 5000 captive residents at the renowned Sydney Aquarium, we snorkeled in the warm, clear water above a rocky reef filled with colorful local denizens interacting in their natural habitat.<\/p>\n

On our return, Captain Jack sped past tiny Fort Denison Island, where in 1842 one of the last Martello Towers (a defensive fortification) in the world was built.\u00a0 In a typical display of Aussie joie d vivre, a happy bride and groom were laughing their way through a photo shoot beside the fortress.\u00a0 Of course, we detoured to dash beneath the Harbor Bridge, affording a view from underneath.\u00a0 And glided practically up to the doors of the Opera House.<\/p>\n

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My Hero: The Hero Of Waterloo Pub<\/p><\/div>\n

Back in the Rocks that night we ate a casual outdoor caf\u00e9 meal of fish and chips and then threw back a few Coopers Ales at The Hero of Waterloo and the Lord Nelson, two of the oldest pubs in the city (built in 1845 and 1842 respectively).\u00a0 I insisted on one more round as we stood at the square bar so we would be in the best possible shape for our surfing lesson in the morning, at world-renowned Bondi Beach.\u00a0 Our crawl back from the pub led us past shops that we swore we\u2019d be back to visit to buy gifts for our wives\u2014opals for mine, aboriginal artwork for one of the Toms, a giant pan of pastries for another Tom (we suspected such a gift would be unlikely to make it home).<\/p>\n

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My Other Hero: The Lord Nelson<\/p><\/div>\n

If you\u2019ve ever spent two hours in a washing machine full of sandpaper, then you know precisely what our surfing lesson, from Let\u2019s Go Surfing, was like.\u00a0 The Toms\u2019 and my gray hair stood out in the crowd of young studs and gangly underwear models who\u2019d stepped right out of a magazine ad to participate in this adventure on a the perfect scythe of beach between rocky headlands.\u00a0 We wrestled with our long-boards while being pummeled by the smallest of warm blue waves; farther out, the real waves swatted at more advanced surfers like King Kong knocking down airplanes.\u00a0 Two hours later, exhausted, our ears filled with sand and tiny crustaceans, we stopped for double espressos and Lamingtons (squares of chocolate cake covered in coconut) in a coffee bar along Campbell Parade, happy to be intact.<\/p>\n

After dinner at Nicks (see sidebar) we slept well in preparation for the next morning\u2019s apex\u2014literally\u2014of our adventurous Sydney visit: the bridge climb.\u00a0 This three hour tour began with a breathalyzer test, the handing out of special climbing suits that would prevent anything from falling out of our pockets onto the roadway far below, and an orientation during which we learned how to clip into safety cables and operate our radio head sets.\u00a0 And then we were off\u2014climbing ladders, creeping along catwalks and pylons, and finally beginning our ascent of the span, more than 400 feet above the water.\u00a0 Our guide snapped our team photo at the top\u2014me and the Toms grinning wildly through hangovers and acrophobia, the white sails of the opera house far below us in the distance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I must admit that on a recent trip to Sydney, Australia I didn\u2019t actually visit the famous Opera House designed… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2511,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,19164],"tags":[6807,6808,6809,6810],"class_list":["post-2509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel","category-offcourse","tag-sydney","tag-bridge-climb","tag-opera-house","tag-bondi-beach"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2011\/05\/australia-sydney-opera-house.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2509"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2509\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4834,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2509\/revisions\/4834"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}