In Sydney, we stayed at the Quality Hotel, on the corner of Goulburn and Elizabeth Streets. On this page, you will find Darling Harbour, Bondi Beach, and other city sights.

Darling Harbour Darling Harbour is a tourist area—like Baltimore's Inner Harbor—with shopping, restaurants, and other attractions. We ate there twice, and visited the aquarium and the Outback Centre. Harbourside, shown at left, is the main shopping centre.

This is the Harbourside shopping centre at night, from across the water.	For want of a better name, I call this the ‘lagoon’ at Darling Harbour. It is outside the Outback Centre, at dusk.	This is another part of the ‘lagoon’ at Darling Harbour. The paddle boats are clearly visible to the right.
This is the National Maritime Museum, one of the attractions at Darling Harbour. There are various ships out in front. This view is from a harbour cruise.	The Sydney Metro Monorail, which loops around Darling Harbour and the central business district. Here, it is crossing above a Pyrmont pedestrian bridge across Cockle Bay.	This is the cone-shaped ceiling of some pavilion at Darling Harbour. I wish I had taken a picture from the outside as well.
The didgeridoo department of the Outback Centre.	Aboriginal art by Paddy Caroll, from the Warumpi region (central Australia).

Bondi Beach This crescent-shaped strip of sand is one of the most famous beaches in the world. Besides being renowned for surfing and sunbathing, there are many events year round. In 2000, it was the site of the Olympic beach volleyball competition. Bondi Beach is a bit outside of Sydney. On our last day there, we took a bus out to Bondi, had brunch, and walked around. The water was cold—just 16°C (62°F) according to the sign on the lifeguard stand (at left)—but not cold enough to keep away surfers in body suits (below left). We also saw a few joggers in speedos. Otherwise, the beach was mostly empty, on that chilly August day…

Other city sights The section highlights a few of the less famous sights around Sydney—not as famous as the opera house or the bridge, perhaps, but still worth a visit. At left is a tree-lined path through Hyde Park. Unfortunately, I missed the chance to photograph some of the “gingerbread houses” in Paddington.

This is a memorial for gay holocaust victims. It is adjacent to the Jewish Museum in Darlinghurst. The text at bottom reads: “We remember you who have died or perished / at the hands of others. / Women who have loved women, / Men who have loved men, / And all of those who have refused / the roles others / have expected us to play. / Nothing shall purge / your deaths from our / memories.”

An aboriginal chapel, kept inside the Australian Museum.	The Australian Museum also had an exhibit full of skeletons.	The skeleton follows your movements on the exercise bike.
This is the Sydney Observatory, atop a hill near the harbour bridge.	The olympic rings, in concrete—a memento of the 2000 games.

Where now? The photos at left give a taste of some of the Sydney sights on subsequent pages! Harbour cruise Harbour bridge Sydney aquarium Back up to Australia ’03

Published September 2003 Updated 30 September 2003

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