Sydney, Australia - A City of History and Charm

Sydney is a beautiful city. It is also a city full of history, being the first area where English ships landed and where those on board, mainly convicts, carved out a place for themselves in this new land. It is now a fun-loving city with much to see and do.

Sydney Cove, adjacent to the Rocks, is the first site that the English convict ships landed in 1788. During the 18th and 19th centuries, for over eighty years, more than 165,000 convicts were transported to this area in Australia. The last convicts arrived in 1868. But things began to change with the advent of the gold rush between 1851 and 1871. In 1852 alone, 370,000 gold seekers arrived in Australia looking for riches and by 1871, there were 1.7 million people in this new world. As of 2009, Sydney's population was 4.6 million people.

Over the years, the settlement was slowly established through many challenges and hard work and gradually thrived. But eventually this area became frequented by sailors, prostitues and gangs and became known as a slum by the 1870's.

This area of Sydney, the Rocks, is now a popular tourist area with many historical buildings and pubs and much of it has been renovated. Mrs. Macquarie's chair is a popular tourist spot next to the Royal Botanical Garden and with a view of the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Mrs. Macquarie, wife of the then Governor, was reported to have sat there regularly watching for English ships to come into the harbour. Eventually her 'chair' was carved into the sandstone by the convicts in 1810. During our first evening in Sydney, we walked to the Rocks and had dinner at one of the historic pubs.

On another excursion, we went to Darling Harbour and took a tour of the Opera House. Planning for this structure initially began in the late 1940's with construction beginning in 1958. But it was not completed and open to the public until 1973. From there we were also able to get an excellent view of the Harbour Bridge with some brave souls walking along the upper arch high above the water. (Four people from our group decided to give it a try also). This impressive bridge opened in 1932 and is still the largest steel arch bridge in the world.

There are many things to do and see in Sydney. We got a guided tour of the well-known Sydney Aquarium, went to an opal factory where we heard the story about the history of opals and to the Koala Park where we saw koalas, a wombat, emus, dingos, an assortment of indigenous birds and large kangaroos. There are many parks, beaches and museums in Sydney. Other places to visit are Queen Victoria Building, St. Mary's Cathedral, Government House, Chinatown, Sydney's Wild Life Zoo, Cadman's Cottage at the Rocks and a chance to take the Manly scenic walkway.

We also got an opportuny to try an Aussie pie which we had heard so much about. It was delicious and I'm glad we didn't leave Australia before we had a chance to try it. Unable to go up to the Summit earlier, (a rotating restaurant), we regretted leaving it to the last because we were unable to do so later. It would have given us an excellent view of the entire city.

On our last evening in Sydney, we went on a harbour cruise, complete with dinner and champagne and said goodbye from the water, to this beautiful city. The design of the Opera House is a marvel and interesting to see from a true waterfront vantage point. We also got a unique view of the Harbour Bridge as we sailed beneath it. It was a lovely evening to enjoy new friends, the harbour and the natural beauty that is Sydney.