Sydney Australia - May 9th & 10th

We docked at the Circular Quay in the shadow of the iconic Sydney Harbor Bridge:

The Opera House was just across the water on the other side:

Sydney is one of our favorite cities and we spent a week here in 2006-07 celebrating New Year's Eve ("First Night") on a dinner cruise in the harbor.

But that trip I had not had time to do the famous Bridge Climb up the steel arch to the top of the harbor bridge;

So when Oceania offered the Bridge Climb as a shore excursion I signed up immediately. We followed a catwalk under the road deck out to just past the main pier and then climbed ladders to up above the roadway to the top of the start of the steel arch to begin our ascent:

Ready to start. The Sydney Harbor Bridge is the world's longest single-span steel arch bridge. It was built between 1926 and 1932. The designers had the foresight to build four traffic lans in each direction, plus two rail lines one each way, and a pedestrian walkway.

Halfway up. You can see the Opera House, the Circular Quay, and the Oceania Insignia behind and below me. I'm holding my hat because the wind was blowing 50 km/hr. They only cancel the climb if the wind exceeds 100 km/hr or there is lightning. Aussies are not wimps.

Here's a video from up on top of the arch. The wind is still blowing hard.

Group shot of the ten climbers in my group, all from the Insignia


Meanwhile, Joani had seen the Opera House from the outside but always regretted never seeing the inside. So she signed up for a tour with that included.

Above is the main performance hall of the Opera House, which seats 2700.

Joani's tour continued to the north side of Sydney to "Mrs. Macquaries Chair," a spot where one governor's wife used to like to stand and watch the harbor. Her husband the governor had workmen carve a seat for her in the rock. This picture was taken about the time I was climbing the bridge, but I don't think you can see me. But you can see Joani sitting in Mrs. Macquarrie's Chair:

Joani's tour continued to Bondi Beach, which given the time of year was pretty deserted. May is the equivilent of North American November for Australia.

 Below is Bondi Beach in January of 2007 - same as North American July:

Sad to report it's the end of an era in Australia - not a single pub or restaurant carried Foster's Lager, the old beer of choice of the great Aussie tennis players of the 50s, 60s and 70s. The "oil can" is no more.

So it's goodbye to Sydney and goodbye to Australia. The "storms of November" to the south have precluded safe passage of the Tasman sea. Rather than emulating the Edmund Fitzgerald, we are sailing for the safe harbors of Wellington, New Zealand, four sea days away.