This Sunday my adventure time started late due to family commitments that were cancelled at the last minute. I took a train to Wynyard and another train back to Circular Quay.
I live Tweeted this whole adventure so if you’re on Twitter you can follow me here and see every step of the journey.
From here I walked around to the Opera House, first walking the whole way around the building and then up the stairs to the upper level.
Many years ago (back in 2005), I took a photo of Dad standing on the stairs at the Opera House and I know he’d love to be there again with me today to stand there once more. Sadly I had to do it for him this time.
My Dad on Opera House Stairs
There were a lot of people around the Opera House and the area was very busy indeed. It was a little chilly with a cold wind blowing so I was surprised so many people were out, but the sun was nice when you could catch some.
The stairs were a bit killer especially given I have a chest infection and they certainly knocked the wind out of me a bit, but it was worth it to get up close to the sails which as you can see from the photos are made up of tiles on top of concrete. The inside of the Opera House has large wooden panels. There’s a lot of concrete, tile and glass making up this building on the outside.
One of my Twitter followers suggested a beer and some Oysters at one of the restaurants but unfortunately it is not really my thing to do alone so I gave it a miss. The restaurants were all very busy.
From here I walked back to Circular Quay station to get a train back to Wynyard. The station was extremely crowded with not much room left on the platform. When the train arrived it was a fight to get through the people to get on.
Back at Wynyard I bought a drink at Coles and sat in Wynyard Park for a little while. By now it was starting to get dark with the sun going down behind the buildings. It’s amazing that we have a park with trees and all growing in the middle of our city with many stories of infrastructure beneath, as the park is located directly above Wynyard Station. The old AWA building and tower is visible from Wynyard Park. The tower has a long history but I am not sure if it still used for radio transmission. You can read more about it here.
I went back through Wynyard Station and out onto George Street which is a buzz of construction at the present time with the building of the new light rail tracks (tram).
There are a number of old buildings in this part of George Street that once housed banks and other important companies but are now primarily filled with fashion outlets and other big brand stores. There’s a photo in here looking South down Martin Place, once the city’s financial hub, now abuzz with many different types of business and retail.
And then there’s the Apple Store. A huge slab of glass and light right there on George Street. The little Samsung Store across the road pales in comparison.
Further down George Street is the Queen Victoria Building. It has had many upgrades over the years to modernise but it still holds some of its 19th century charm. The building still features many of the original stained glass windows and elegant grand staircases. It is full of cafes and high end stores but it still feels like walking back in time so long as you don’t spend too much time looking at the store fronts. Below the QVB is a maze of underground shops and malls as well as entrances to Town Hall train station.
Next along George Street is Town Hall. I am not sure how functional this building actually is but it is lit up beautifully in the night and is often a feature piece for the city for special events and holidays.
Next to Town Hall is St Andrews Cathederal. I am sure this is the only building in the city with front door parking.
St Andrews Cathederal
I decided to walk to China Town to give my Twitter followers a look but I didn’t spend too much time there although it was busy with a lot of people finishing up their shopping and going to enjoy a meal.
I walked towards Darling Harbour, past the Sydney Theatre and Sydney Exhibition Center. This area is relatively new following massive upgrades over the past few years. The area has a nice vibe at night with many lights and water features to enjoy while you walk along towards Darling Harbour. One particular “pond” which was quite large has paths criss-crossing it that you can walk through which is pretty cool.
There was a “live” wall at the Exhibition Center with moving images and so on which was really cool to watch.
Finally I reached Darling Harbour. There weren’t a whole lot of people around and many restaurants looked to be almost empty. It has a different vibe of a night than it does during the day. You can see my day time post over here.
Finally I reached The Star Casino where I caught a tram back to Central Station. The tram was very full.
And the last part of my adventure ended at Central Station where I boarded a train back home.
As a special bonus to everyone who made it this far, I did run into Thomas the Tank Engine at Platform 1 at Central Station. Not sure why it was there but was interesting and something I have not seen in Sydney before.
Thomas the Tank Engine at Central Station
And for anyone curious, I knocked out about 15,000 steps throughout the day and yes my legs are aching a little.
Be sure to leave a comment below to tell me what you think of my photos and adventure and please share with your friends so they too can enjoy them.