Last Days in Sydney

Our time in Australia was winding down, and it was time to fly back to Sydney prior to our departure.  As luck would have it, the extreme bushfire danger moved from Victoria and Melbourne to New South Wales and Sydney on the same day as we flew between the two.  40 C in Sydney.  This was the highest bushfire risk NSW had ever experienced, and they instituted a new and higher degree of risk above "extreme" called "CATASTROPHIC".  The weather reporters also had to create a new colour on the Australian "heat map" for parts of the country, to display the previously unrepresented 50-55 C range.  Gulp.

At any rate we never got near any bushfires, but we did see one from the airplane:

Again we stayed with the ever-gracious, generous and expert tour guide Bill, who showed us around the south end of Sydney Harbour and down as far as Botany Bay.

It truly is a fantastic harbour, with no shortage of lovely parks, beaches and coffee nooks.

One of the harbour beaches was very calm, protected and kid-friendly, and like many others included a shark net for extra security when swimming.  But Sarah remained absolutely unconvinced that such a huge, strong net could actually stop sharks.  Perhaps she shouldn't watch the movie Jaws...

The cliffs at South Heads, with North Heads in the distance and the entrance to Sydney harbour between.

Looking downtown from the Gap at South Heads.

Anchor from one of the old shipwrecks that occurred nearby.

Bondi Beach as seen from the north side.

A great view to Bondi (in the distance) and other beaches - though I'm not sure the residents can appreciate it.

We stopped for lunch at Clovelly beach, a tiny protected inlet.  Good thing there is some man-made protection, as I wouldn't want to swim in the surf that was pounding in.
 

Sarah channels her inner Baywatch.  But no slow-motion running this time.

This loyal fella stuck right beside his master's gear and watched attentively as the master went for a swim.

Next to Coogee Beach is a memorial to the Australian victims of the bombings in Bali a few years ago.

Discovered some pretty good diving-head-first-onto-rocks signs along the way.

We headed to the top end of Botany Bay, the original harbour that James Cook discovered and recommended for settlement.  (Sydney harbour turned out to be much more suitable.)  Now it's home to the container ship terminal and the airport, as well as Bear Island - the military emplacement protecting the mouth of the harbour.

See this, Carol?  It's Chad, with an inexpensive seaside golf course in the background.

You see this too, Carol?  The same course runs all along the top off the bluffs.  A public and far less-expensive Pebble Beach.  I'm just saying, you COULD be here...

That evening we had dinner with Bill and Leanne at the Mossman Rowers club, followed by a walk along the intimate bay to Cremorne Reserve.  An absolutely fantastic twilight walk, on a path below gorgeous homes and above anchored yachts, ending with a great view of downtown.  I think it's a must-see when in Sydney.

A Scottish clan shipped stones from Scotland to build this cairn near the downtown viewpoint, though it's not clear why.

We ended the night with another view of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House from Blues Point Reserve.

The following day, Bill generously drove us all to the Hunter Valley, a well-known wine region outside of Sydney.  Near to the Hunter is a small town called Kearsley, after Bill's grandfather who was a well-known figure and MLA in the area.

Outside the Kearsley Memorial.

Inside the Kearsley Hotel.

Rustic coffee in Kearsley.  Followed by a little wine tasting.

Tempus Two

Hunter Valley Gardens

Artisan chocolates

The Hunter Valley is known for Semillon and Shiraz wines, so we mostly limited our tasting to those varietals.

The coziest winery we visited was also one of the oldest - the family-owned Tyrrell winery.  Some of the vines are apparently nearly 150 years old.

Yep, old Mr. Tyrrell built this hut

Tyrrell

Tyrrell, looking at the Brokenback (not Brokeback) mountains

Tyrell

Unlike many wineries in the US and Canada, the wineries here do not charge for samples.  You can taste what you like (except perhaps outrageously expensive/rare wines) for free with no obligation (though tours might cost something).

We quickly stopped off at a clearly well-funded and touristy microbrewery hotel in the valley, Potter's.  It looked decent enough, but as I was driving a bit and all they offered were 16oz+ sampling flights, I decided not to partake.  (Seriously, all the wineries in the area provide free small samples - you think you'd want to compete.  Especially when you sell your beers in capped wine bottles to capitalize on the region's wine-ness!  But the only tasters available were typical 4 x 4 oz glasses for $12.)

That evening, back in Chatswood, Sydney, we went to the local pub for dinner.  Bill hadn't told me how wonderful the Great Northern Hotel is.

For starters, it's huge, all wood paneling and leather chairs, with a big outside patio as well, and historical photos on the walls.

You can be in the center of the action or find a quiet nook like we did.

But most importantly, you can grill your own steak.  Indoors.  And it's CHEAP!  $12.50 for a 12+ ounce top sirloin including a nice salad bar.  That's a total steal in Australia.

Yum, sweet Australian steak and refillable salad at half the price of a regular pub meal - AND you get to grill it just like you're in your back yard.  Well done, Great Northern.  Too bad this was our last night in Sydney or I would have returned!

And let's face it, a grilled top sirloin simply tastes better than vegemite.  I'm pretty open minded with food, but vegemite - at least in its unadulterated form - doesn't exactly light my fire.  But I guess I didn't grow up on the stuff.

Huge thanks to Bill for his incredible and unending hospitality - our Sydney experiences would have been pale shadows of their actual selves without it.  And with his help, we were fully recharged and prepared for the next leg of our trip: New Zealand.