N ew S outh W ales

Sydney Sydney Foundation Our tour through Sydney Balmain Opera Darling Harbor Harbor Bridge The Rocks Queen Victoria Building Botanical Gardens Featherdale Wildlife Park

Since we arrived in Sydney I've had an incredible feeling inside me. I can't describe it but it was something special being in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney Foundation

On May 13, 1787, Captain Arthur Phillip of the Royal Navy set sail from Portsmouth with the First Fleet. In addition to their crews numbering over 400 seamen, the 11 ships carried 759 convicts. Phillip arrived at Botany Bay on January 18, 1788. Finding the bay a poor choice, he moved north to Port Jackson, which he discovered to be one of the world's best natural harbors. Here he began the first permanent settlement on January 26, now known as Australia Day. The settlement was named Sydney for Britain's home secretary, Lord Sydney, who was responsible for the colony. Phillip's domain covered half of Australia (from the eastern oceanic waters to as far west as the 135th meridian), but his human resources were limited. In particular, he lacked the horticulturalists, skilled carpenters, and engineers needed to develop a self-supporting colony. His major concern, until his departure in 1792, was ruling virtually single-handedly over the small penal settlement.
Three major problems confronted the early governors: providing a sufficient supply of foodstuffs; developing an internal economic system; and producing exports to pay for the colony's imports from Britain. Land around Sydney was too sandy for suitable farming, and the colony faced perpetual food shortages through the 1790s. Natural food sources were largely limited to fish and kangaroo. Phillip established farms on the more fertile banks of the Hawkesbury River, a few miles northwest of Sydney, but this land was often flooded or still used by the Aborigines. Needed food supplies came mainly from Norfolk Island, nearly 1600 km (about 1000 mi) away, which Phillip had occupied in February 1788. The island later served as a jail for the more hardened criminals.

Read more about the history of Sydney

Balmain

After we arrived in Balmain we're amazed about the cozy house Sigird's friend lived in. Once we made ourselfs comfortable in our room we were shown around the house which was a brick building. Our room was on the groundfloor but no other room seemed to be on the same level. There were halls and stairways everywhere. The kitchen and the dining-room were on one floor and from there stairways from either side lead up to the living room where we had a beautiful view down to Harbor Bridge. The upper level, containing an office, a bathroom and a bedroom, could be reached from the livingroom. It was pretty confusing to find everything but I liked that house right away. There's no wallpapers cause the bricks are on the inside walls as well which makes the whole atmosphere real cozy.
Since we're not tired at all we went to see more of Sydney right away.

The Opera

The Opera House is surrounded by Darling Harbor and it's the symbol of Sydney. The architecture is marvelous. It's just amazing to look up to the several towers.
We've spent quite a while there enjoying the view to Harbor Bridge. The impressions had a calming influence on us.

The Opera House was designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, who won an international competition for the project in 1956. Distinctive sail-shaped towers in Utzon's original design were pronounced unbuildable by a British engineering firm, and were redesigned at a much lower angle. Utzon then resigned from the project, and the building was completed by the engineering firm.

The multishelled Sydney Opera House, opened in 1973 and located at Bennelong Point, a little peninsula jutting into Port Jackson, is now one of the most recognizable buildings in the world.
The complex includes a concert hall, a theater for opera and ballet, a smaller theater for plays, a recording hall, rehearsal rooms, and a movie theater. It is the home of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Ballet, and the Australian Opera.

Darling Harbor

Another modern contribution includes Darling Harbour, a redevelopment of decaying dockland in an area the early colonists called Cockle Cove.

Harbor Bridge

The next day we went to Harbor Bridge and climbed the innumerable steps up to one of the towers. The view down to the Opera House, Darling Harbor and the suburbs of Sydney was wonderful.
The bridge was eclipsed as a symbol with the opening of the Opera House.

The Rocks

"The Rocks" is the oldest part of Sydney. About 200 years ago it has been settled by british prisoners.
What impressed me most was the mixture of Sidney's ancient and new world. Colonial public buildings and handsome terrace homes are sitting next to modern skyscrapers, such as Sydney Tower (305 m/1000 ft), one of the tallest structures in the Southern Hemisphere.

Queen Victoria Building

Another vintage site is the Queen Victoria Building (1898), housing a huge shopping gallery.

Botanical Gardens

The Royal Botanic Gardens, located on Port Jackson, with its majestic Moreton Bay figs and a native ficus plant are worth a visit.

Featherdale Wildlife Park

The Featherdale Wildlife Park, located in Blacktown, offers a great variety of exotic birds, koala bears, kangaroos, wallabys, wombats and much more.