DeziGal

A glorious mix between London and San Francisco: the language, left side drive, tiny cars on tiny roads, the metric system, cricket, Victorian homes, high-streets, old pubs, the omnipresent food choices or tandoori chicken and fish-and chips, and the nomenclature all are reminiscent of London. The magnificent harbor, water-front homes, sailboats, marinas, steep and windy streets, flora, and weather are all San Franciscan traits.

Top Must Dos

Sydney Harbor Tour: Harbor tours are one of Sydney’s top attractions and a must do. You may not have a great view from your hotel room, and even if you do, taking a tour helps you get a lay of the land and see the prettiest parts of the city and its waterways from the comforts of a moving vessel. Tours run the gamut from relaxing to exhilarating and your experience can be as private or touristy as you wish – so chose carefully.

The Captain Cook Coffee Tour, departing at 10am and 2pm is a 2.5 hour tour of middle harbor. This is one of the most extensive tours through the multi-million dollar waterfront homes of the posh eastern suburbs. Though the 3 level vessels is a gigantic tourist magnet and the coffee/snacks suck, it is the perfect way to spend an afternoon. Drinks are served – just make sure you’re not hungry. It’s worth getting to the circular quay terminal 15-20 minutes prior to departure time, putting you front of line. Once on the vessel, head straight to the small, sparingly furnished balcony on the second level. The best spot on the boat is on that balcony on the left hand side facing the Museum of Contemporary Art as you head out.

Harbor Bridge Climb: After nine years of battling the state, an Aussie entrepreneur finally won the rights to a 20 year lease allowing people to ascend one of the busiest bridges in the world in the middle of rush hour traffic. Since 1998, over 2 million people have climbed up to the summit on the suspension arch of the bridge towering at a 134 meters above the Harbor.

The experience takes about 3 hours and is worth every penny of the $200 ticket. Groups of 12 leave every 15 minutes am to pm, in rain or shine. The mechanics of the climb from start to finish are incredible. You are equipped with shoes, socks, a one piece all weather suit, handkerchiefs, and hats, fleeces, rain jackets if needed. The suit has a key ring on each shoulder so you can clasp your sunglass lanyard (provided), hat, and headphones. Each person is equipped with a military quality headset to communicate with the leader. You also undergo a simulated climb before venturing on to the real thing. The most masterful piece of engineering is a metal ball with flexible grooves on the inside that makes for a harness. The ball slides through a wire lining the entire length of your journey on the bridge, but because the bridge curves in places, the wire varies in thickness. To accommodate this, the grooves on the inside adjust to slip through the various diameters. One end of the ball attaches to your waist by means of a thick plastic rope.

You enter through a tunnel and start off underneath the highway almost 35 meters off the ground on a really narrow walkway. You walk along the path for a good while, crossing the colossal blue granite pylons, and then climb through the heart of a bridge via an extremely steep and narrow three flight stairway. You emerge from underneath the highway to the ground level between two lanes with cars whizzing past. The third set of stairs puts you on the upper level of the suspension arch from which you climb to the summit.

Every bit of this experience is exhilarating. Climbing in your modern equipment, you begin to gain respect for the 1400 men who worked on this structure for 8 years in all weathers, most times without proper clothing and few safety precautions. The engineering buffs will discover nifty details, such as there are 6 million rivets on the bridge and not one has come loose in the 75 years since inauguration or that the bridge was built in two halves and joined together in the center. Also the journey puts you in awe of its visionary, Dr John Bradfield, the chief engineer who supervised all aspects of the design and construction.

Go early morning or late afternoon when the views are unbeatable. The afternoon sun makes the climb more strenuous but also the views maybe hazy.

Sightseeing Tour Bus: Starts at the Rocks by Circular Quay down George Street, Sydney’s busiest street with everything from malls, museums, banks, and restaurants. A left onto William Street to see some of the old pubs and then to College Street passed Hyde Park and the Australian Museum. Then ascend William St to Darlinghurst. A left at the gigantic Coke Sign and you’re onto Mclean Street and King Cross, now dominated by the city’s red light disctrict, and kebab houses, massage parlors, and Thai restaurants. Beyond the high-street of Mclean Street lie prime examples of Victorian homes, which were recently saved after a local preservation appeal. Passed the fancy homes, descend back to the water level and loop around to Woolloomoo bay and the finger wharf, which also risked demolition a few years ago. Now it is a complex of restaurants and high-end apartments. On from Finger Wharf to Macquarie Street past the consulates to the base of the opera house and botanical gardens. On from there to Surrey Hills, Chinatown, and the very touristy Darling Harbor. There, you’ve covered the city with 31 possible stops! Yes, the double-decker red bus screams tourist, but it is best way to make sure you see everything in 24-48 hours. Even if you don’t want to get off, it’s a nice 90 minute ride to get a sense of the city in a short time.

The Blue Mountain area is advertised as one of the 3-4 major attractions near Sydney. Some the other ones are Hunter Valley (wine country), drive to Wollongong (similar to PCH), and Royal National Park.

Situated only 60 miles from Sydney, but the single-lane highway for a good part of the trip combined with the traffic getting in and out of the city, make it a two hour drive. The entire area of the blue mountain is dotted with little towns – each with its high-street of cafes and newsstands, a mix of charming and seedy accommodations, and charming Victorian homes. Coming in from Sydney via the Great Western Highway you enter the region in Perinth, and if desire, could circle around in a giant loop dotted with rugged little towns forming the Grand Circular Drive.

The drive though country towns is, for the most part, unimpressive (if compared to French countryside). Gas stations, pop and pop retailers, diners, hotels, and such line the highway. One usually goes off down the main street of the town to get to the vista point overlooking the valley or waterfall, whatever the case.

The landscape, similar to Sedona or the Grand Canyon, is formed by a tableland torn apart to form a valley and some gorges. The big difference being that the Blue Mountains are covered with a green blanket of thick forest. They get their name from a permanently blue haze from the eucalyptus oil in the air. If you’ve experience the great American outdoors and are short of time, it is better to spend the extra time on one of the city’s beaches in downtown Sydney.

On the grand circular drive, the most popular towns (with the most sophisticated tourist attractions) are Leura and Katoomba located around 1000 meters above sea level. The former is the outback version of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Exact downhill slope flanked by boutiques and café on either side. The latter is where the famed Three Sisters are. Not to offend Aussie pride, but the three little conical mountains are dull compared to the vistas in Sedona and the Grand Canyon, but beautiful nonetheless. The main lookout, called Echo Point, into Jamison Valley is the kind of place that reminds you of how small we truly are, and how the world appeared to the ancient man many thousands of years ago. After viewing the Sisters, you can drive up to Scenic world, which is the mecca of tourist activity with railways and skyways. The railway, formerly used for mining, claims the steepest incline in the world and takes you down to the valley floor. If you have time, take a peek into the Jenolan Caves nearby.

For information on Blue Mountain, ask the hotel concierge for a copy of the Blue Mountain Wonderland Brochure or go to a tourist info center in Katoomba or Scenic World.

For a great meal in Katoomba, go to Echoes Boutique Resort and Restaurant, for a fancy early evening dinner or lunch. The views from the dining room of this historic 12 room hotel are pretty much the same as Echo Point. The hotel itself is worth a look - a beautiful Victorian mansion with sky high ceilings, gold and red oriental inspired wallpaper, and electric décor that mixes modern with traditional.

Verdict: Good if you haven’t experienced the outdoors in the US or New Zealand. Good for a day trip from Sydney or a few days depending on time. Plenty of outdoor activities and spas. Weather changes are constant, so take something warm even though Sydney maybe sweltering. I got stuck in a severe hailstorm that suddenly emerged from sunny skies just an hour ago.