Sydney

In 2000, we spent just over a week in Sydney staying with friends Tracey in Manly, and Beverley & Dominic in Tamarama. What a fantastic city! The location of the city around the harbour is magnificent and the Harbour Bridge and Opera House complement it perfectly. Behind the Opera House and adjacent to the Central Business District is the Botanical Gardens and we found these relaxing after walking around the city.

Many people travel to work by ferry, as in Hong Kong with the Star Ferries, and I cannot think of a better commute, although my drive into the office in Nassau along East Coast Road was pretty impressive. We spent some time on a catamaran sailing around the harbour and trying to decide which of the multi-million dollar homes we would buy. Another place we like, tucked away behind Cockle Bay is the Chinese Garden, with its calming pools and waterfalls.

The harbour location means you find excellent seafood in Sydney, and nearby some outstanding wine producing areas. There is also skiing in the Snowy Mountains and access to some of the world’s best diving (see Coral Sea section of this site). Add all that to the fact that Australia now has a large Asian community, including many Koreans, and you can see why we like it so much.

One result of Australia’s geographic isolation is the unique and in some cases totally weird wildlife. We saw the expected kangaroos, wallabies and koalas, but also an echidnea and a wombat!

And I don’t agree with James Michener about the bridge nor do we always get trounced at cricket - remember the 2005 and 2009 Ashes!

"To get on in Australia, you must make two observations. Say, "You have the most beautiful bridge in the world" and "They tell me you trounced England again in the cricket." The first statement will be a lie. Sydney Bridge [sic] is big, utilitarian and the symbol of Australia, like the Statue of Liberty or the Eiffel Tower. But it is very ugly. No Australian will admit this."

James Michener