Cruising Sydney Harbour
 Arriving
at the Quay, we discovered that the transit workers had decided
to have an information meeting about working conditions with
all ferries stopping for the day. No one seemed put out or
surprised by this development. It looked like our morning
cruise would end up canceled.
We talked to the ticket attendant who told us
that the cruises belonged to a different company. We walked
through the gate and onto a large green metal ferry. The boat
growled away from the Quay, sliding past the Opera House and
into the harbour. The hour and a half cruise passed all the
major points. Longer trips allow time to stop and walk around
the various sites.
Don't forget your sunscreen. Australia suffers
from a high UV rating. I'm dark but still got a bad burn when
I forgot my 20 factor sun block, and I sat in the shade for
some of the trip.
Sydney Cove
The boat crossed the cove
with the Opera House to our right and the Bridge to the left.
The ships of the First Fleet dropped anchor in the cove in
January 1788. The convicts built their first rough huts on
the Rocks.
Mrs. Macquarie's Chair
On the far point of Farm
Cove sat a stone seat made by Governor Macquarie for his wife
so she could sit and admire the view. Sitting in the chair
is supposed to bring luck, but Governor Macquarie, himself,
was recalled to England for proposing a place for Australia
as a free society rather than a penal colony. His architect,
Francis Greenway, a convict trained in architecture but convicted
of forgery,
a habit he never quite got over, is the only forger honoured
on the back of a ten dollar bill, for his work designing the
city of Sydney.
Convict Past
No matter where we toured, whether Sydney, Cairns
or Brisbane, the convict past and its stories and horrors
came up. While many of the prisoners had committed crimes,
some spectacular, others ended up transported for political
reasons. Canada has a link with this time. Several of the
men who participated in our own Upper Canada rebellion lead
by William Lyon MacKenzie, the honoured grandfather of one
of our Prime Ministers, ended up in Australia. Eventually
they escaped and after a long and spectacular journey returned
home to a more democratic Ontario
Point Piper and Deadly Jellyfish.
The ferry passed by clustered
hills of expensive houses, one of which is owned by Tom Cruise
and his wife Nicole Kidman. Sailboats bob and the beaches
are white. Each swimming area has a net staking out the safe
area of the ocean. Sharks roam the bay but jelly fish remain
the real danger. They even pulsate, translucent, beautiful
but deadly, in the water around the Quay.Later, traveling
up the coast, we saw miles of unbelievable beaches, all empty,
the water too dangerous to go in.
Toronga Zoo
The zoopass, a combination of ferry ride and
entrance fee, is the best way to get into the zoo. Toronga
shows off a large number of Australian animals, including
the koala, in areas closely resembling their natural habitat.
The displays of other animals from around the world are not
to be sneezed at.
Fort Denison
Fort Denison kept convicts in the early 1800s.
One condemned man remarked on the lovely view just before
he was hanged. The authorities kept his body swinging for
a look for several weeks. The fort was progressively fortified
over fears of Russian aggression in the Pacific. Today the
only military action is the firing of the cannon at one o'clock
each  day.
Luna Park
The tour finishes by chugging
under the Harbour Bridge past the old Luna Park amusement
area. What a surprise to see a two story clown face as the
the entrance.
Cost
$13.00 each for an hour and a half tour..
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