It’s not just a walk in the park

Tags

Art Gallery, Botanic Gardens, history, Sydney, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House, walk, wool

This is a photo-laden post with no knitting so if you’re here for some pretties, they are of the scenic and not the woolly kind!

Since moving to Sydney I’ve continued with my regular morning walk. Six kilometres along the Rhine have been replaced with a good five around part of the harbour, the Opera House and through the Botanic Gardens. The photos here were taken over several days.

I begin parallel to Finger Wharf. This is the longest timbered-piled wharf in the world and started out as a wool-shipping wharf! The old buildings have been renovated and turned into flats and restaurants.

This is one of a collection of seashell sculptures that are reverberation chambers. They are sometimes submerged so that natural sounds mix with the pre-recorded historical information. The pathway climbs a little allowing a view of the Andrew “Boy” Charlton swimming pool. Charlton was an Australian swimmer who won five Olympic medals during the 1920s but there’s been some kind of swimming here since the first Europeans settled in Sydney. Woolloomooloo Bay was a working harbour and you can see the naval dockyard (still in operation) in the background.

Further along Mrs Macquarie’s Trail, we get to Mrs Macquarie’s Chair. This is a popular tourist spot but bereft of people early in the morning. Macquarie was the Governor of New South Wales from 1810-1821 and he had this seat carved (by convicts) out of the rock for his wife to enjoy the view.

Walk round Mrs Macquarie’s Point and you’re confronted with The View – Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Again, come early for people-free photos! Then it’s a walk around Farm Cove. On my right the Opera House in front of Sydney Harbour Bridge and on my left this lovely Jacaranda tree. Look closely and you’ll spot that lovely Jacaranda tree again once I’ve walked 1.4 km round the cove and am nearing the Opera House. Almost there!

Then I then walk right round the outside of the Opera House to get a good view of the bridge. Straight across, you have The Rocks and Mr Soknitsome works in one of the office buildings here on the left.

Back into the Botanic Gardens near Government House, the residence of the Governor of NSW (this photo was taken from further inside the gardens). I then meander my way home. I have little or no sense of direction and so I end up taking various paths but always at a fast pace. Past this herb garden, or these giant trees (the statue is almost life-size so you get an idea of how large some of these old trees are). Mr Soknitsome first showed me this Elephant Foot Tree but I have since found it myself.

When I pass this fountain

I know I’ve reached the Woolloomooloo Gate. Then I walk past the Art Gallery of New South Wales and I’m almost home.

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