Sydney, Australia

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
FEB. 9TH AND 10TH

Sydney is the state capital of New South Wales and has over 4.2 million people, the most populous city in Australia. Port Jackson, better known as Sydney Harbor, is the largest natural harbor in the world. The first fleet that arrived from Britain contained mostly convicts. We heard from the historians that the trip took around six months and the conditions were deplorable, many died before reaching the new land. At the time of the arrival of the first fleet, 1788, Aboriginal people lived in the region. Urbanization has destroyed most evidence of these early settlements.

We cruised into the harbor in early morning on a cloudy and rainy day, but we were still able to get a view of the bridge and the opera house. We needed our umbrellas for the first excursion which was an orientation tour, so we were on the bus for a drive through The Rocks–Sydney’s oldest area. Among the Victorian-era buildings, we saw dazzling examples of modern architecture. We visited the Sydney Opera House which is perhaps the most recognizable building in the world. (A picture is posted) The construction of the roofline is designed to replicate the sails on the adjacent harbor.

Our second day excursion was a visit to Australia’s unique wildlife. We said hello to a dingo and a wombat (see picture of Jack petting the wombat) We also got close to the Koalas (see picture of Shirley petting the Koala) The kangaroos were running around freely and were very approachable for petting. After enjoying all the animals, we stepped aboard a Rivercat and cruised back to Sydney along the Parramatta River. We disembarked at Circular Quay and walked to our ship.

We set sail at 11:00 p.m. for Melbourne, Australia.