		Meyricke Serjeantson

October 17
Sydney

A battle with the washing machine resulted in the staff being summoned to help. The problem was solved, probably the door not being properly shut, and my clothes were last seen going round and round and round. I breakfasted in style again – cheese & ham roll etc etc – and prepared for the day ahead.

Not having any particular plans, I walked towards The Rocks, through the CBD, stopping at an internet café and a post office. Purchasing stamps is always a major issue overseas.

Sydney Town Hall

The first noticeable change was a small organic food market, an interesting new development. There were lots of wonderful things on display, including meat, cheese, fish, veg and flowers. I expect the prices were high but I didn’t investigate too closely.


The Rocks market	Sausages galore

Bread of Heaven	Lavender

The tourist office had moved but the Observer was still there, a possible source of dinner. The Mercantile, just up the road, has been beautifully restored, its wall tiles being quite magnificent. Sydney has so many wonderfully architectural pubs.



The Observer Hotel, The Rocks	The Mercantile Hotel, The Rocks

Under the Bridge, I found a park bench from which I could watch the boats passing by on the Harbour and listening to the trains rumbling overhead.



Beneath the Bridge



Walsh Bay

Walsh Bay
	Walsh Bay is a conglomeration of old warehouses, now being converted into cafes, bars, conference centres etc. I found a small and alternative looking café, stopped for a coffee and watched the water. I wandered round the wharves looking at the major new developments. Some of the old warehouses were being replaced with new flats. With their moorings outside the front door and their proximity to the city centre, their prices don’t bear thinking about. Outside was an interesting item of street furniture, not the sort of thing you expect to see other than in a disaster movie.
Interesting street furniture

I soon found myself on a long straight road, trapped between a high security fence and the steep cliff on which The Rocks sit. The route out was via a set of steps, only 108 of them it transpired, which took me back to the picturesque part of town.


Up the steps ...	... to The Rocks

The Lord Nelson

I remember visiting the Lord Nelson years ago, when working in Sydney. It is now expensive but the thick stone walls, befitting the oldest pub in town, provide a beautifully cool atmosphere in which to have a beer and a Greek salad. I could have had a pie with mushy peas but that would have been out of kilter with the climate and bad for my waist line. It has to be said that the salad was stunning. Just as New Zealand is the place to go for coffee, Australia is the place for salads.


View from Observatory Hill	Scene of strange exercises

Observatory Hill, strange to say, is the home of the original Sydney Observatory. The surrounding park was full of people performing a wide range of exercises.



Sydney Observatory time ball	Sydney Observatory

I entered the observatory, enjoyed some entertaining banter with the reception staff and had a look at the exhibits. Nothing remarkable but lots of beautiful chronometers and the like. Unfortunately, I forgot to ask whether or not the time ball worked. From there, I descended onto Kent St and walked its full length back to the hotel, where I put my feet up for half an hour and had a cold drink.

	A couple of minutes' walk from the Hotel is Pitt Street, which is probably the main shopping street in the city and has the monorail running along it. I found a map shop, where I purchased a map of the South Australian vineyards and Adelaide. I chose not to avail myself of the numerous other shops of all shapes and sizes.


Hyde Park	Strange inhabitants


Hyde Park	ANZAC Memorial

Just like its counterpart in London, Hyde Park is a green oasis in which the locals can relax surrounded by trees, flowers and birds.

The ANZAC Memorial is magnificent but was currently closed for refurbishment so that I couldn’t go in. Museum Station is interesting in its ugliness and the Downing Centre, opposite, exhibits an interesting choice of colour scheme. By now it was very busy both on the roads and on the pavements, so I returned to the hotel to rest my aching feet, to shower and to change.
	Downing Centre

Yesterday’s train fare to Wentworth Falls, a 4 hour return journey, was $15 – 20. Today’s fare for the journey from Town Hall to Circular Quay, about 7 minutes, was $2 – 60. It obviously pays to travel a long distance!

At 5.30 on a sunny Friday evening, Circular Quay and the waterfront were busy with lots of people and street entertainers. I took a few photos and made my way the short distance to the Observer. The garden was filling up but I found a table and ordered my traditional steak. Whilst it looked good and had plenty of flavour, it was somewhat overdone. Definitely not rare. Perhaps I had better eat elsewhere next time.


Slightly overdone steak	Evening entertainment

Sydney Harbour

I wandered back to the Quay, took some more photos in the evening light and returned home on the train to pack and otherwise prepare for an early start.