Day Two and we headed across to the north shore of Sydney Harbour to visit Taronga Zoo.
I did mention I had more pictures of the bridge, didn't I?!
Passing Garden Island Royal Australian Naval Dockyard
After a 15-minute ferry trip and 2 minutes on a bus, we arrived at the main entrance - it's obviously a popular place for school field trips!
Of course, the very first exhibit HAD to be a Koala!
The "Australian" Secction
Emu and Wallaby
Kangaroo rolling over in the sun
And more Koalas!
And then we headed back to Sydney
You may spot your humble correspondent in an unintended self portrait above!
I have looked on Google but cannot ID this building - perhaps one of my readers can assist??
This historic area is known as "The Rocks"
A rather unobtrusively located plaque - nowadays, the arrival of the first European settlers is not a cause of universal celebration and delight....
Halfway up George Street, I went into this lovely old Victorian/Edwardian shopping arcade - very reminiscent of London
The Queen Victoria Building again, from a different angle.
In the late afternoon, we headed out to visit the Chinese Friendship Garden, only a couple of minutes' walk from our hotel
There were lots of these lizards around.
They are amphibians and perfectly happy to leap into one of the many ponds and swim off!
The traditional Chinese carp
A lovely tranquil spot, surrounded on all sides by modern high-rise buildings, but shielded from the noise of the city by its protective wall
Thanks for your visit and any comments - I will finish off the other two days in my next post in a couple of days' time, then normal services will be resumed!
Keith, your mysterious building is Admiralty House.
ReplyDeletehttps://navyhistory.au/naval-heritage-sites/admiralty-house/
The last time I went to Taronga Zoo you could still ride the elephants 😂. I am old....
You picked a great day for a ferry ride which is a good and cheap way to see the harbour.
Thanks for the info Ben - it looked like an impressive old building, so the third time we passed it on a ferry, I took a picture, even though I had no idea what it was!
DeleteLooks like the weather turned it on for you. I spent my first year of life living in Mosman where Taronga Zoo is located, having been born in Crows Nest not far away. There used to be a great wargame shop in the Strand Arcade, on the third floor. Had quite a good stock of Minifigs, but closed their doors over twenty years ago now.
ReplyDeleteYes, we were very lucky Lawrence - as you probably know, the preceding two weeks were days of endless rain - the sunshine was a great relief to us (and the population of Sydney!)
DeleteLovely photos, the zoo looks very impressive, looks like it is a good trip.
ReplyDeleteCheers Donnie - yes, it was a good zoo - built on a hill, like the one in Edinburgh - hence we took the bus to the top and walked downhill to the bottom gate, adjacent to the ferry terminal. My memory of Edinburgh Zoo is, that's not an option - you have to start at the bottom, walk uphill all day, then come back down to get out again - plus, the weather and view across the harbour are a bit better than what's in offer in Edinburgh, too!
DeleteAgree, lovely photos!
ReplyDeletePleased you like them Michal.
DeleteSome fantastic photos and lovely weather for your trip
ReplyDeleteCheers Scotty and as mentioned, we were very lucky to have such great weather for our entire trip. 👍
DeleteNice trip Keith….inhabent been to a zoo for ages
ReplyDeleteThanks Matt....no, we had not either...but it was one thing Ruth specifically wanted to do while we were there...although, unfortunately, her abiding memory now is the rip off cost of a couple of very average sandwiches in their café!!
DeleteShe is now thinking we should visit the Auckland zoo for the first time in many years....
Thanks for the continued Sydney travelogue!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jon....I do hope the pics are if some interest...I know a lot of people don't find others holiday snaps very appealing.....!
DeleteThe last time we went to Taronga Zoo the cable car stopped just as we got off it and it was out of service for another hour with dozens of people stuck there. I've often been keen on the Bridge Walk, but never seemed to find the time to do it.
ReplyDeleteWeird, I replied to this yesterday......anyhow, the cable car seems to be permanently out of use now, Mark....so maybe you were the last passengers?!
DeleteWe walked over the Harbour Bridge last visit...well worth doing. Unless you mean one of those walks where you end up 300m above the road, where the maintenance guys go...we haven't done that!
Weird, I replied to this yesterday......anyhow, the cable car seems to be permanently out of use now, Mark....so maybe you were the last passengers?!
DeleteWe walked over the Harbour Bridge last visit...well worth doing. Unless you mean one of those walks where you end up 300m above the road, where the maintenance guys go...we haven't done that!
God....NOW, it's published the same reply twice!!
DeleteA good trip, intrepid exploration! Reflective boat trip!
ReplyDeleteYes Joe, all of the above!
Deletevery lovely photos. I like Koalas. 😁
ReplyDeleteThanks Stew...the only problem with koalas is....they live "outside"!
DeleteI know RIGHT!!
Deleteat least at a zoo the dangerous animals are all contained.
Definitely!!
DeleteGlad to see you're still employed by the tourist board, only this time it's the Australian one? Fun photos ,keep it up!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Haha....yes, as with everything, Iain, the Aussies pay more!
DeleteLovely pics Keith.
ReplyDeleteThank you Richard 😊
DeleteThe weather looked great and plenty of stuff to do and see:).
ReplyDeleteAgain, you are correct on both counts Steve!
Delete