December 6 - At the Station

We are in Sydney, staying at a hotel near Wynyard Railway Station.  This is not where we usually stay when we are in Sydney, but this trip we decided to try something new.  It was a mistake.  While the hotel is fairly modern, the location is very noisy, and the railway station is a zoo.

Wynyard Station is huge.  It was constructed in 1932 to coincide with the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  The station is built on the side of a hill, a major engineering feat in itself.  The various underground train tracks can be accessed by a series of stairs, elevators, or lifts.  It’s hard to believe that I first negotiated this maze when I was an eleven year old school girl.  Now many years later and with Lyle by my side, it seems more difficult.  Of course, part of the problem is my sight.  Lyle is good at reading the signs and I do my best to try to remember which signs he should be looking for.

The other issue is the escalators.  In order to reach the four levels of the station, one must use a long and steep escalator or find the lift.  Yesterday Lyle couldn’t find the appropriate lift and so we thought we would try the escalator.  Lyle went first, but as I stepped to the top I could see that the steps were moving way more quickly than usual.  I was frozen at the top.  Lyle couldn’t retreat up the same escalator and had to find the up escalator to get back to me.  By the time he reached me a small group of passersby had gathered to assist and encourage me.  Someone was able to point us in the direction of the nearest lift.

All these things are adventures, but I do think that we could find some that are less heart stopping than our adventures in Wynyard Station.  Tomorrow we are going to attempt to negotiate Central Station. It is larger and also complex. As I recall, there is only one set of major escalators, and there are lifts located at the bottom of each platform.

Once you know the way, trains are an easy to get around Sydney.