December 14 - In Sydney

I love spending time in Sydney. There is so much to see and do in this bustling city. Whenever Lyle and I go to Australia for family visits, we try to spend at least a couple of days in Sydney. Even though I grew up in the suburbs of Sydney, I can still find new things to explore and familiar places to revisit.

On our last trip we had two days to ourselves. For the first day we had booked tickets for a theatre production of Wicked. Sydney is well known for its live theatre productions, and an afternoon at the Lyric Theatre in the Darling Harbour area lived up to our expectations. We took the ferry from Circular Quay and had a picnic lunch in a park near Pyrmont. That was fun in itself. There just happened to be what looked like a Harry Potter scavenger hunt happening. Various costumed characters rushed around the park in front of us. They were obviously looking for something but whether or not they found it was irrelevant to us. They provided us with our pre-show entertainment. 

While it was relaxing in the park, it was a bit more frustrating inside the theatre, which is in turn, inside the Star Casino building. After our experience at Wynyard Train Station, I had become more aware of accessibility issues and was insistent that we find elevators instead of using stairs or escalators. The lifts were a lot more difficult to locate, but we persisted! I was glad that I had my cane with me.

On our second day we took the ferry across the harbour to Manly. This is always a great tourist activity and I never tire of it. This time we made a point of finding the name of my grandfather’s cousin inscribed on the war memorial at Manly. John Williams grew up in the area but tragically perished in an escape attempt from a German concentration camp  during World War II.

After that sombre moment, we walked on to the beach and around the rocks pathway to Shelley Beach. The walk is popular with locals and tourists alike. There aren’t any steps, but there are a couple of steep sections that might be difficult for those using walking frames or wheelchairs.

There are two photos with this post. In the first, I am standing at the rail of the ferry with the Sydney Opera House in the background. In the second, Lyle and I are standing on the pathway to Shelley Beach with the distant view of Manly in the background. Lyle is usually the one who takes the pictures so it’s nice to have one where he is in the frame instead of just me. 

 

Sue across the harbour from the Sydney Opera House

 

Sue and Lyle across from Manly Beach