Sydney Harbour Circular Quay

Bill Austin & Joan Baptiste

Sydney Harbour Circular Quay

Sydney Harbour Circular Quay was the first place I took my English friends Joan & Bill after driving down the Pacific Highway from the Gold Coast QLD in 2010. In my eyes this represents the front door to the city.

Bill is the brother of my friend Alan Austin who is a guest of Her Majesty, Bill & I met when I first visited Alan in 2007. Joan was an Olympic runner who competed in the 200 meters at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Bill was a Para Military man who served time in Ireland & many other countries.

Sunset at Circular Quay

The Diamond Princess moored at Circular Quay.

The Diamond Princess 

Diamond Princess is a cruise ship owned and operated by Princess Cruises. She began operation in March 2004 and primarily cruises in Alaska during the summer and Asia in the winter along with Australia cruises.

Sydney Opera House

Though its name suggests a single venue, the project comprises multiple performance venues which together are among the busiest performing arts center’s in the world — hosting over 1,500 performances each year attended by some 1.2 million people.

Sydney Harbour Circular Quay

From a restaurant opposite.

 

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Even more famous than Circular Quay and Bondi is the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

1. 1. Construction started: July 28, 1923

 

1. 1. Opened: March 19, 1932

 

1. 1. Total length: 1,149 m

 

1. Height: 134 m

Naturally Bill had to climb it. 🙂

Being an ex Para Military man who has made over 500 parachute jumps Bill naturally had to climb to the top of the bridge, and what an amazing view he had from there. 

Circular Quay Sydney

Known as the gateway to Sydney.

Sydney Harbour Circular Quay

This is one of my favourite shots.

Hydrofoil and Ferry

The old & the new. 🙂

The view from the Quay apartments

 Can you imagine the price of a condo here?

Jet boat

Are you ready for a spin?

OK, lets go….

Fast & furious.

Cruise ship heading for Circular Quay

This is more my style. 🙂

Circular Quay

There are many good restaurants surrounding Circular Quay, to me it is one of the most interesting areas of this great city. If I had to choose between Circular Quay and Bondi I would choose Circular Quay every time.

Two restaurants, Doyles and the Quay.

As you can imagine both these restaurants are very expensive.

Peter Hesky’s 60th January 3rd 2007.

We celebrated my friends 60th at the Quay restaurant in 2007.

The Rocks

The Rocks is an historic part of Sydney adjacent to Circular Quay, this is an old warehouse which is now a restaurant.

Historic buildings

The small building is Cadmans cottage  the oldest surviving residential building in Sydney, having been built in 1816 for the use of the governmental coxswains and their crews.

The Sailors Home opened its doors in February 1865. Naval personnel lodged there until 1891 when the Royal Naval House, with accommodation for 300, opened in nearby Grosvenor Street.  The sailors used to consume opium and alcohol, because in the nineteenth century, opium is legally consumed. Passers-by could smell opium when near the Sailor’s home. In 2002, Sailors Home was changed to The Australian Mariners’ Welfare Society.

 

Maritime Services Building

The Museum of Contemporary Art was established to fulfill the museum aspect of the visionary bequest of Australian expatriate artist John Power (1881-1943), who left his personal fortune to the University of Sydney to inform and educate Australians in the contemporary visual arts. The traditional owners of the land on which the MCA building is situated are the Eora people of the Gadigal nation. This site also marks the landing place of the First Fleet in Port Jackson in 1788. In 1802 Sydney’s first hospital and wharf were built nearby, with commissariat stores built by Colonel Foveaux in 1812. In the 1930s the commissariat stores and taxation building were demolished to make way for a new Maritime Services Board (MSB) building (the previous MSB offices were displaced by the Cahill Express Way and Circular Quay railway development). Government architect W.H. Withers began work on the building plans in 1939. Work resumed in 1944 under government architect W D H Baxter after a postponement of four years from 1940 due to Australia’s involvement in World War II. Builders were appointed in 1946 but difficulties in securing labour and material due to post war shortages delayed construction. The foundation stone was laid in 1949 and in 1952 the MSB building opened. With the relocation of the MSB to larger premises in 1989 the building was gifted by the NSW State Government to the Museum of Contemporary Art. Funded by the University of Sydney and the Power Bequest, restoration and refurbishment of the building commenced in 1990 under the direction of Andrew Andersons of Peddle Thorpe/John Holland Interiors and in November 1991 the Museum of Contemporary Art officially opened.

Sydney Skyline

The best harbour in the world.

Manly Ferry

  About a 40 minute trip from Circular Quay to manly, one of the world’s great boat rides.  

Ferry arriving at Manly

 So much to see on Sydney harbour.

North Sydney with Luna Park in the foreground.

A city within a city.

Kirribilli House

Kirribilli House is the official residence of the Australian Prime Minister in Sydney, New South Wales. The house is located at the far eastern end of Kirribilli Avenue in the harbour-side suburb of Kirribilli straight opposite Circular Quay. 

The Oaks Hotel Neutral Bay.

I know it’s a few kms from Sydney Circular Quay, however it’s my favourite Australian pub, I have been drinking here for over 30 years, I can’t begin to imagine how much money I have spent there. 🙂 

Well in this post we covered a few more subjects than Sydney Circular Quay and Bondi beach, I hope you enjoyed it as much as  did.

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Counter only started June 16 2020.