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As I've mentioned elsewhere, I'd always wanted to visit Australia and, when no one would send me, went ahead and sent myself...

New South Wales

Hank Shiffman
2003-11-29 14:55:13

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As I've mentioned elsewhere, I'd always wanted to visit Australia and, when no one would send me, went ahead and sent myself. My last visit was in 1994, roughly a year before I was bitten by the web bug. And ever since that last visit I wanted to return. Which I did, finally, in October, 2001, accompanied by the most recent in my long line of digital cameras. On this trip I revisited a couple of old favorites and explored some new territory. One thing is for sure: Australia is a big place with a lot to see.

Sydney, New South Wales

I began my adventures in Sydney, giving myself a chance to explore at leisure and recover from jetlag. (Seems to me that this thing was a lot easier when I was younger.) My first destination was The Rocks, the site of the city's (and country's) original settlement. The Rocks is a good place for tourists to get their bearings, as well as to part with a few hardly earned dollars. It's also a good place to get a first view of Sydney's famous Harbour Bridge, about which more in a moment. Next to The Rocks is Circular Quay, leaping off point for Sydney Harbour ferries and all manner of other watercraft. The ship at right is a replica of the Bounty, not from the classic Charles Laughton film or the Marlon Brando version I remember from my childhood, but from a rather less celebrated Mel Gibson version. Apparently you can take dinner cruises on this Bounty. Do you think beatings cost extra?

You may be surprised to learn that Circular Quay isn't; circular, that is. In fact, it's a semicircle. But Semicircular Quay just doesn't have the same ring to it, does it? Which isn't nearly as shocking as Rio de Janeiro not having a rio. But I digress. I wanted to mention that The Rocks is (are?) at one end of the quay and the famous Sydney Opera House is at the other. Which makes a lot more sense with a semi- than with a whole circle. Circles don't ...