The Rocks, Flea Market, Sydney Visitor Center, Sydney Bridge, Sydney Opera House, Eastern Suburbs Ferry, Luna Park, and Darling Harbour (Sydney)

Part 5 : Read here for Randwick Lodge, Malaysian Hall, Mascot and Central Station, Circular Quay, Sydney Bridge, Sydney Opera House, Sydney City Skyline, Fort Denison, Garden Island, Double Bay, Rose Bay, and Watson Bay (Sydney)

~ Part 6 ~

Once boarded off from the Eastern Suburbs Ferry, we walked to the left side of the wharf. We passed by few high end restaurants and headed to the end of the pier. Before us, there was a small park where street-walkers enjoying unique performances by street-performers. There was a lady in green, singing and dancing, and there was a guy in black suit, playing guitar.

But what caught our ears the most was a tribe group who were blowing didgeridoos, marvelously. The skill of playing it with cheeks and moving tongue back and forth, making different sounds out of it has always fascinated us. Moreover, it is played by the indigenous Australians. This melodious instrument has only single key, so I was pretty sure, if it was given to me, I can’t even produce a sound.

“Booooonnngggggg booooonnngggggg je la yang keluar…HAHAHA!” Hubby laughed at me.

Note : Spend a bit of your quality time to listen to those street-performers. They are unique and original. Buy their CDs or tip in some money, if you can.

While listening and relaxing at the park, I saw one old man in blue cap and sweater, opened his bag pack and took out some foods. He then fed those seagulls. One after another seagulls changed place, sitting on top of his cap. Amazingly, they (seagulls and the old man) looked like have known each other for a long time. He must have been feeding them all this while.

Insufficient supplies, he went to the dustbin and dug some leftovers. He continued feeding those seagulls, what a noble thing to do, I assumed. And so we took this chance to capture few birds by the colorful tiny flowers.

We then sat on one long bench and enjoyed the view of two most popular icons, Sydney Opera House and Sydney Bridge. Watching vessels, water taxis, jet-boats, and private sails come and go, was so serene. I always love a city by the sea, coz I grew up going to Penang almost every quarter. Sydney falls under that category, minus the people. Haha!

“Come, we do some pose.” Hubby forced me this time. Wow sangat.

Hubby sat on the wall and started posing. I looked down, the water was full with jellyfishes!

“OMG! Ayang, sit carefully! Else, you gonna get sting by them!” I shouted at him, knowing the fact that Australia has lots of deadliest animals!

“What…HUYUH! Banyaknyer!” Hubby was busy counting them.

Lost count, hubby and I walked to The Rocks. It was an easy journey, for we just need to follow the rows of old brown-brick-historic-building. These buildings were mostly made of local sandstone. This area was the first European settlement established in 1788 and had a reputation as a slum, due to frequent visit by sailors and prostitutes. Most of the houses, buildings and wharves were demolished for the sake of building the Sydney Harbour Bridge. More buildings were proposed to be demolished and rebuilt, but the Rock Residents Group opposed the plan. It was ultimately successful, as can be seen in the buildings that survive today.

Note : A must place to visit. But still contains a significant problem of urban poverty and street crime in this district. Extra vigilance is good.

We then walked further in between of these buildings and bumped into The Rocks Market, one of the greatest local markets. They were selling foods, handicrafts, souvenirs, accessories, jewellery, artworks and paintings, and many more.

Note : The Rocks Market open on Saturday and Sunday from 10AM to 5PM. Foodies Market open on Friday from 10AM to 4PM.

Before us, there was a monument of The Settlers, in remembering the convicts and immigrants. Once, there were 7 women for each 10 men living in the urban, when others chose to live out of town. Anyhow, the population swelled after the Gold Rush, and signaled the beginning of diverse range of nationalities.

“Today, more than 100,000 immigrants come to Australia per year.” I remembered the fact.

“And most of them Asians kan.” We saw Chinese and Indians everywhere!

With the presence of unique things and street-performers, we enjoyed capturing photos of the flea market.

My heart dropped when I saw a vendor, selling nice-yellow-huge corns! They way they sprinkled seasoning and smoked it, OMG, I had my saliva all over the street! Not taking any lunch yet at that point of time, hubby and I had a quick discussion on whether to buy the corn or not. Both of us came into an agreement to try this special corn, after looking at the meal deal.

“AUD5 for corn and drink. Ok what.” Mouth still watering. 

After we paid for the corn and drink, I straight away grabbed the corn and bit it first. We sat under the roof shade and took turn to bite the corn. Two pigeons kept on coming near our feet, dengan hajat nak mintak skit. Hoi kitorang pun tak cukup kot! But we gave la, sian.

“OMG! Sweet, buttery, and salty!” Imitating Andrew Zimmern from Bizzare Food.

Sedap…sedap sangat!

Note : Try some local foods. It might give you the best or the worst experience of your trip. But that is the beauty of traveling.

After we finished with the corn and drink, we walked to the side of the building and looked for Sydney Visitor Center. This place is located near The Rocks, with medium sized blue-yellow signboard stated “I” for Information. Watch out for the steps. I almost fumbled. The center was quite huge and spacey, full of brochures, maps, books, and what not.

We didn’t spend much time here, but we did ask the lady behind the counter, on the best option to Blue Mountain (still nak pegi jugak nih!). She suggested few ways but the best was to ride a train from Central Station. She gave us the details (map and timetable) of the train to Blue Mountain and wished us luck.

“Thank you. Now, how do we go to Sydney Bridge?” Hubby asked.

She took out The Rocks map and started to mark the path. We had to walk along the building, turn left and right (many times), find Cahill Walk and Argyle Stairs, which later led to the Bridge Stairs.

Note : Though you want to look stylish, please do take into consideration of wearing a comfy shoes. It helps you a lot.

“Owhkayyyyy…how far do we have to walk?” I asked.

“Walk or run?” Eh eh, buat lawak jugak omputeh ni. “Nahhh…just few hundreds of meter from here.”

And we walked. See hubby’s face? Yes, that far. Coz the street was pretty slope-y! But the excitement outnumbered the exhaustion when we reached the long steel corridor! Hubby and I started to jump and smile.

“We took SOOOOOOOO many pictures of the bridge during the ferry ride, and here we are, WALKING on the bridge.” I was relieved.

Hubby was “deported”. Saluting the architects, engineers, contractors, and valuing the Pylon Lookout was more important than his own wife’s carp.

“I know how you wish you could be on top of the pylon, overseeing the Sydney Harbour. I tell you, surely gonna burn your pocket to ashes! Hahahaha!” (Evil laugh.)

“Ok, fine. I gonna jump of the bridge.” He tried to find the access.

“Go ahead, it’s an offence and you gonna be penalized more than AUD3000. That’s not even burning your pocket, but your pants as well. Hahahaha! (Evil laugh again.)

Laughing at ourselves continued, while we captured more and more photos and videos of us, Sydney Harbour, The Rocks, Sydney Opera House, ferries and wharfs.

We went down and walked back to the pier, and boarded on a vessel to Darling Harbour. More pictures were taken during the ferry ride until we wanted to puke just by looking at the bridge itself. Hahaha!

The ferry stopped at Luna Park, an amusement park by the Sydney shore. Believe it or not, it was opened to public since 1935! (Berjimba jugak orang dulu-dulu ye.) This park was also famous before WWII where servicemen brought their girlfriends for night out. But in 1979, the Ghost Train Ride has slowed it down due to a tragedy that killed 6 children and 1 adult. The restoration and redevelopment was done in 1995 and 2004.

Note : Try this park if you have plenty of time. Entering the “smiley face” could be fun!

The ferry then continued the journey. Overlooking the modern city skyline from Darling Harbour, with antiques ship and restaurant really a “clash of time”. We stopped at King St No.3 and walked on the wooden pedestrian. We saw locals drinking, dancing, attending wedding, seemed like they were enjoying their weekend blissfully.

Note : Visit Darling Harbour on weekend to enjoy people-watching. 

While we were walking…

“Hey, you know me? Huh? I’m a rugby player. You are a rugby player… blablablabla…blablablabla…blablablabla…”

A GROUP OF GUYS APPROACHED US AND ONE OF THE GUYS PUT HUBBY IN HIS ARM! He was mumbling something about New Zealand vs Australia! His friends tried to hold him back but he hold hubby tightly! Hubby was shocked but smiled!

We kept on WALKING, with this guy still HUGGING hubby! A few minutes later, he let hubby off and walked away with his bundle of friends. Hubby and I had NO IDEA of what happened…until hubby figured out that he was wearing a t-shirt, with HUGE CAPITAL of “NZ” on it!

Ironically, in rugby, All Blacks and Wallabies are ENEMY! So we assumed that the guy was unhappy with All Blacks who won over the Wallabies in World Cup 2011! We were there during the rugby season, that’s how we got the t-shirt! Hahahaha! Ok, that was the funny side of the Aussies. Darling Harbour is the place to get drunk over the weekend. Enough said.

REMEMBER WHEN HE SAID WE SAW AN ARTIST IN THE LAST POST? WELL, HUBBY THOUGHT HE WAS. A NEW ZEALAND RUGGER.

“No wayyyyyy…keep dreaming bebeh…” I pat on his back.

“Let’s meet the REAL artist.” I continued.

“HI JOHNY DEPPPPPPPPPPP!” A crazy woman went and hug a WALL!

 

Randwick Lodge, Malaysian Hall, Mascot and Central Station, Circular Quay, Sydney Bridge, Sydney Opera House, Sydney City Skyline, Fort Denison, Garden Island, Double Bay, Rose Bay, and Watson Bay (Sydney)

Part 4 : Read here for Sydney Town, Bondi Beach, and Randwick Lodge (Sydney)
Part 6 : Read here for The Rocks, Flea Market, Sydney Visitor Center, Sydney Bridge, Sydney Opera House, Eastern Suburbs Ferry, Luna Park, and Darling Harbour (Sydney)

~ Part 5 ~

After we had our quick breakfast from last night leftovers, we packed our things and went to the reception for key drop. While hubby talking to the receptionist, I went further into the lodge to check on what’s inside. This lodge actually has interior lawn and common area, with kind of colonial touch.

 

We walked out from the lodge and passed by the basement walkway, where our room was located.  

 

“Basement room, huh? Who would have thought that?”

“Ya, the most expensive basement room we ever stayed so far.”

“Hahaha!”

The main reason why we did not overnight outside Randwick area coz it would be easier for us to find our way back to Malaysian Hall. No, we didn’t rent GPS, for we always rely on map and Google info. 

Note : GPS is faster but costly. So if you know how to read map and well-prepare with Google Directions, please decline GPS rental. This way will be cheaper and more adventurous.

 

Hubby loaded both trolley bags into the car boot and we drove to Malaysian Hall at 2A Alison Road. We parked the car in front of the building and went into the office. The hall was fully carpeted. There were rows of table and chair, where students and guests having their breakfast.

I met Kak Nani, the officer cum warden of Malaysian Hall. Sweet and nice lady. Sitting on the couch, her two Aussie-spoken teenage daughters, who were concentrating on the smart phone. Since it was still early for us to check-in, and we were needed to send the car back to East Coast Car Rental, we decided to leave our bags in the game room.

Note : Travel light, especially when you need to use public transport.

Being married with no student card, we paid the sum of AUD178. The twin-bed family room cost us AUD12 each. Addition to this, we were needed to pay deposit for room rental (AUD50 per application) and room card (AUD50 per room), as well as room service (AUD15 each).

Note : Malaysian Hall ONLY accept cash. Means, if Malaysian Hall is your last destination, you WILL have extra cash of AUD100, once they return back the deposit of rental and card. Rugi, rugi. Click here for more info on Malaysian Hall of Sydney. Kaki Berangan did a good job in directing you to Malaysian Hall. Read here.

 

Once we paid the room fee, Kak Nani then instructed one of the students to show us the way to the game room. We grabbed the chance to ask the girl few things on Sydney town area which regarded to public transport, places of interest, and tips.

We then drove to East Coast Car Rental office and dropped the key. Everything was in order, no scratch, no dent, fuel indicated where it supposed to, and thus we had a smooth agreement. From this office, we walked down the road and crossed few lanes, before we reached the Mascot Subway Station. We bought My Multi Day Pass with the cost of AUD21, which covered city rail and light rail train (except for airport), bus, and ferry, throughout the day.

 

 

Note : There are four types of pass. My Multi 1, 2, 3 (by zone) and day pass. Do your math. If you plan to ride public transport to all places for the day, My Multi Day Pass is the best option. Click here for more info on My Multi and click here for zone map. Kaki Berangan did a good job in explaining about My Multi. Read here.

 

It was a clear bright morning. 7.40AM didn’t look pretty early to us, when we rode the train and reached Central Station at 8.20AM. The fun stopped right on the spot, when we found that Central Station was closed due to railway maintenance. Pfft! As an alternative, all passengers were diverted to ride buses to their next destination. Kudos to them, with proper diversion and well-arrangement by the management, we did not encounter any trouble in finding the correct bus.

 

We hopped on the bus…and looked at each other.

“Eh, how do know when do we reach Circular Quay?” I questioned hubby, but he gave me a poker face instead.

“Owh great.” I looked around, looking for signboard.

Not more than 20 minutes, the bus stopped. The driver didn’t say anything. I looked at other passengers, I saw other poker faces beside hubby, including locals. Haha!

“Here, here. Let’s go.” Hubby quickly carried his camera bag and pulled my hand.

“How do you know?”

I wasn’t sure but still, we hopped down the bus and walked to the side of the road. Apparently, hubby saw a huge Circular Quay board, earlier. That was why he knew that we had to go down from the bus.

Note : Open your eyes and look around. Always alert with your surrounding to avoid from getting lost.

We then walked straight into the Circular Quay Station, and right before us there were 5 wharfs. The dockside was pretty huge but very informative. I believed Supermeng once, asked me to check on Watson Bay (the furthest and appealing pier), and knowing hubby who always know where to go and what to see, he also included Watson Bay in our itinerary.

By the way, the ferry fee was included in My Multi Day Pass. Easy peasy.

Circular Quay was originally used for shipping, which slowly turn into transport, leisure, and recreational. Though this wharf is wheelchair-accessible like Garden Island, the other four wharfs aren’t. So, whoever wheelchair-bound shall not visit Darling Point, Double Bay, Rose Bay, including Watson Bay.

 

Note : Not to worry, each destination has its own timetable. In case you cannot catch the last ferry, you can always take bus, accordingly. Click here for ferry timetable.

 

Our ferry has arrived and we quickly walked in and chose the best spot. Most of the older people went straight inside the vessel (covered seating), while the younger people went straight to the front (uncovered seating). That included us. From the front side of the vessel, we can clearly see the famous two icons, Sydney Bridge, as well as Sydney Opera House.

“You know...I wanted to visit Sydney so bad, because of these two iconic structures. And I couldn’t believe that I am here…right now…” I told hubby.

“Bestnyerrrrrrrr!” I shouted. And other passengers were smiling at me, knowing what is “best” but not knowing what is “nyerrrrr”.

Known as The Coathanger (due to its arch-based design), this steel bridge was opened in 1932. It used to be the widest long-span bridge and was influenced by the Hell Gate Bridge in New York. Holding the fifth longest spanning-arch bridge in the world with 28 panel arch trusses and weighted 52,800 tons, this bridge is the tallest, measuring 134 meters from top to water level. 

The excitement was getting bigger when the vessel started to move. We can clearly see from all views, of the great Sydney Opera House. We felt exactly like Dory and Nemo, looking at this remarkable UNESCO World Heritage.

“One of the most famous and busiest performing arts centers in the world! Fuiyo!” I played host with my arms wide opened, while hubby video-captured me.

Note : It was a bumpy ride. Prepare yourself and your camera for this amazing journey.

We still amazed with the glossy white “shells” made by matte-cream Swedish-made tiles, the glass curtain walls at the foyer, the aggregate panels of pink granite, it is really an awe-aspiring architecture.

Having free drinks onboard, hubby and I took turn to hold the glass. At this point of time, more passengers came forward to claim their spot at the front of the boat, to enjoy better panorama. Hence, hubby and I moved to the side of the boat and took more pictures of the city skyline. I should thank my kuno S5 camera, which still able to zoom in, where the highest point in Sydney, Sydney Tower Eye (309 meters), can be clearly seen.

 

“The first to see at dawn, the last to see at dusk.” Begitu kata fakta.

 

We then passed by Fort Denison, a small island of a former penal site and defensive facility. It is currently turned into a museum with Martello tower remained as the landmark. On top of this fort, there were few guns facing east, west, and south. Daily gun firing at 1PM has started since 1906 but has stopped by the authority, fear of alarming residents. Anyhow, it was recommenced at 1986.

 

Aligned to this fort was the Navy Heritage Center, located at Garden Island.

“I think, we better go to Watson Bay first, and then we stop at Garden Island on the way back.” Hubby suggested.

“So we skip Double Bay and Rose Bay?” I asked.

“Yup.”

Note : It requires plenty of time to explore all bays. Choose wisely as time is very limited.

We enjoyed the beautiful view and didn’t stop taking photos and videos. The vessel then stopped over at Double Bay to deport few passengers. The process was done in just few minutes, so all the passengers were needed to be quick and ready.

 

Anyhow, the vessel didn’t stop at Rose Bay. So we figured out that the vessel will only stop over as and when there is passenger. Quite scary huh if you missed it?

 

We finally reached Watson Bay, the eastern suburb of Sydney, a residential area with recreational areas, beaches, Camp Cove, and legal NUDE beach. Yup, you read it right. A legal nude beach called Lady Bay. Sebab tu Supermeng suruh pegi kot? Hahaha!

One thing that made this place popular was an hour coastal walk with ocean views of the Gap (an ocean cliff). Besides this, Watson Bay was also famous for being the home of the first Doyles Restaurant, noted fish and chip outlet. 

“I don’t think we can make it.” Hubby looked at his watch.

There were two Malay guys on board and we noticed that they always stood near us. I guess, they might be waiting to see where we will stop. They, however, went off and walked towards the Watson Bay jetty. Looking back and seeing us not following their footsteps, they quickly ran back to the vessel. Hahaha!

Note : This is a must visit bay. Allocate some time if you want to experience a coastal walk. Worth it sangat!

After an hour ride, we turned back to the original route and told the vessel operator to stop at Garden Island. When hubby and I hopped off, obviously the two Malay guys just now, followed us from behind. We smiled at them and took the left way, while they walked to the right.

 

Hubby told me that we had to catch the next ferry, or else, we gonna run out of time. So we quickly took pictures and did some crazy things in front of the Navy Heritage Center. This place is the site of Fleet Base East of the Royal Australian Navy, where HMAS Kuttabul was sunk by a Japanese midget submarine in World War II.

 

We walked to the northern part of the island, where this was the only place that open to public. It is said that the first Australia’s lawn tennis court was built here. And it is still in use. Wow! Hubby then walked inside the building and snapped few pictures, while I sat on the bench enjoying the view.

“Yatch, boat, expensive house, they must be super rich huh?” I said to hubby once I saw him.

 

“Let’s climb the hill. I want to take 360 degree view.” Hubby wanted this so bad, I can see it on his face.

He walked faster than me, and almost left me behind. I didn’t mind at all, for I hated to climb hundred stairs. Haha! I finally managed to reach the view deck and amazed with the scenery. Penat buat video lari sana-sini uols!

 

The last ferry from Garden Island was 4PM, so we didn’t spend much time there. While walking down the stairs, we tried to look for those two Malay guys but none of them were in our sight. Habislah kena tinggal. We quickly went onboard and looked for available un-covered seat. We continued snapping more photos until we finally reached the Circular Quay.

“Eh, tu artis eh???” Huby pointed to someone.

“Where? WHERE??” I went crazy!