Ferries at dusk

Romance

And another one pivots on a sixpence!

...and narrowly misses the Opera House...yet again!

Circular Quay

Taken from the northern foyer of the Concert Hall at Sydney Opera House, looking back a Circular Quay.

Two magnificent feats of engineering

Taken from the northern balcony of the Joan Sutherland (Opera) theatre at Sydney Opera House. Looking north-west.

"Missed it by THAT much!"

Another cruise liner heads out to sea. It always looks like they are going to run into the Opera House, but they don't!

A night at the opera 5

Last light over the bridge (facing west), and a reflection of the bridge. Taken from the back balcony of the opera theatre at interval - 8.30pm

A night at the opera 4: Sydney style....

Who has more style????

A Night at the Opera 3

The "sails" of the Opera House are covered with glazed ceramic tiles in an off-white colour. The main areas are glossy, with matt tiles edging each segment....it creates an effect such that the building shines but does not become mirror-like. They change colour according to the light.

The sail like "shells" are set on a podium which Danish architect Joern Utzon said was evocative of a the raised platform of a Mayan temple.

After all these years, and seeing countless performances there - ballet, theatre, opera, concerts, even the filming of the Carol Burnett Show, and Bette Davis live, it is still a thrill and "special" to go to something there. Sometimes I even get goosebumps. I love to get dressed up to go there, though it is by no means "compulsory". In Sydney's democratic environment, a glamour and diamonds can sit side by side with jeans and sneakers.

A night at the opera 2

Sydney-siders and visitors alike are pretty relaxed and casual at the forecourt Opera Bar at the Opera House.

A night at the opera 1

Let's start the evening with a cocktail at the Opera Bar, backdrop Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Theme Day: Postcard-worthy

Back from my travels just in the nick of time for the Theme Day. Otherwise you may have had to put up with someone else's city!

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Bridge climb

Spent a good part of Good Friday attractively suited up in a Tele-tubbies outfit, doing the Sydney harbour Bridge Climb. It was FANTASTIC - a great experience!

More pics to come but we had trouble extracting them from the USB we purchased.

Disclaimer: You are not allowed to take anything up with you, lest you drop stuff on the roadway way, way below, or onto a passing water craft, or lose your own concentration. It's all perfectly safe, however, with great attention to learning what and how to do things, and you are clipped on to a safety wire the whole time.

From the water

Such a cliche.....so beautiful. Available to anyone for the price of a ferry ticket.

Table with a view

The restaurant of the Park Hyatt at Campbell's Cove , with the reflection of the Opera House opposite, and the shadow of the harbour bridge (and some stupid photographer who got in the way).

Approaching the bridge

I just snapped this off as we headed towards the Harbour Bridge after visiting my in-laws. You can see the Opera House sails to the left. Just proves that not ALL shots of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House are scenic and picturesque, and for all they are internationally known iconic images of Sydney, they're also just part of the fabric of the everyday life of a sprawling city of 4.4 million people.

Did you know that 2% of Sydney-siders are Aboriginal, and 32% were born overseas? According to the 2006 census, United Kingdom, China and New Zealand are the countries of origin of most immigrants, followed by Vietnam, Lebanon, India, Italy and the Philippines.Most Sydneysiders are native speakers of English; many have a second language, the most common being Arabic (predominately Lebanese), Chinese languages (mostly Mandarin, Shanghainese or Cantonese), and Italian. Sydney has the seventh largest percentage of a foreign born population in the world,ahead of cities such as London and Paris but lower than Toronto and Miami.

Evening falls over the Opera House

Look at skies around the world.

OH, HB and sandstone

There aren't all that mny places where you can get the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House in one shot. The Dawes Point (western) side of the bridge is one.

This is taken from Ives Steps Wharf right near Pier One.

I don't know what the little round copper-roofed sandstone building is - couldn't see a plaque (maybe I'm just unobservant), and I've been madly googling, to no avail. So if anyone knows what it is, I'd love to know. It's a footpath level, with the wrought iron fence along the water on either side.

Update: My Sydney bloggy colleague and indefatigable historical super-sleuth, Julie, has probably solved the mystery. The site was originally used as a tiny observatory, built by Lieutenant Dawes. But then Governor Macquarie ordered a crenellated tower be built as a defence against the Russians and French, so this is probably part of it.

Julie also uncovered some interesting information about the beautiful wrought iton balustrade - have a look at Julie's Plumbing the Deeps blog to find out more.

Cormorant

At 8.20am as ferries arrive at Circular Quay delivering communters to the city, this cormorant takes a pole position to survey proceedings.

Car park with a view

Last week I went to a seminar at Watersedge, at Pier One, Walsh Bay. For the next few days I'm going to show some of the sights along the way. It's a very small distance, with some of the most spectacular views Sydney can offer.