Island Time crew goes to Australia
Part 2.5 (editor screwed up and missed an episode)

Day 7

We planned a day that was a little less hectic.  (Day 6 was a do nothing day due to illness.)  We planned a trip to the Taronga Zoo - just a ferry ride across the harbor.  The zoo is located on a steep hillside so from the ferry dock we took an aerial tram to the entrance at the top of the hill.  The zoo has the usual assortment of African animals as well as Australian animals. 

After the zoo we went back to the Opera House for a tour of the inside.  Unfortunately we could not take pictures of inside of any of the concert halls.

Architects from around the world submitted design concepts for the opera house.  The current design by Danish architect Jorn Utzon was originally tossed in the reject pile.  However a late arriving member of the selection committee retrieved it from the reject pile and said this is it.  The construction started in 1959 and as one can expect with a project of this size the construction was way over budget and behind schedule.  With a change in the political winds Utzon quit the project in 1966 in disgust.  He never saw his finished building. A consortium of local architects oversaw the continuing work that was finished in 1973.    

The upper level has several concert halls with the largest hall having a pipe organ where the longest pipes are three stories tall and shortest the length of your little finger.  It took three years to build the organ and one year to tune it.  The interior of the hall is as originally built with wood floors. 

In the lower level additional small performance halls were built in later years in accordance with the architects original design concepts.   Utzon’s son oversaw the completion of the lower levels.

The productions in the opera house include all venues from opera to sumo wrestling.  Something for all aspects of the population as the opera house belongs to the public.

Pygmy Hippo

Ostrich

Chimps

Giraffe with Sidney in the background

Merkat

Baby elephant – oh so cute

Now that’s a pelican – they are about four feet tall

Rainbow Lorikeet

Penguin

Sydney Harbour on a Sunday Afternoon viewed from zoo

Opera House Roof

Internal Concrete Panels of the Opera House

Day 8

We planned a leisurely day.  We walked down to the Sydney Tower – 260 meters above the city.  From there we got a 360 degree look at the city including the Port of Jackson  which is the official name of for the entire harbor (English spelling of harbor). 

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Port of Jackson  – in the distance you can see the opening to the sea.

   
Looking  toward Circular Quay – you can see the opera house
and the Bridge between the buildings 

Darling Harbour

Looking west

Looking south

Later in the afternoon Helen English picked us up.  We have a mutual friend, Carol, who lives near us in Vermont and belongs to the Mallets Bay Boat Club.  Helen took us on a tour of the beaches south of Sidney and then we stopped at her apartment in Coogee for entrees and to meet her two cats before going out for a wonderful Thai dinner.  Helen was an excellent hostess and we enjoyed our evening immensely.

 
Helen at Bondi Beach

The famous Bondi Beach

 
Coast south of Bondi

Coast south of Bondi

Visitors

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2011
  Grenadines New

2010
  Martinique 
  St. Lucia
  Trinidad

2009
  New Zealand P.16
  New Zealand P.15
  New Zealand P.14
  New Zealand P.13
  New Zealand P.12
  New Zealand P.11
  New Zealand P.10
  New Zealand P.9  
  New Zealand P.8
  New Zealand P.7
  Australia Part 6
  Australia Part 5
  Australia Part 4
  Australia Part 3
  Australia Part 2.5
  Australia Part 2
  Australia Part 1
 
  Tyrell Bay
 

View Past Logs

2008 Winter
  Carnival
  Visitors Part 1
  Visitors Part 2
  March Visitors
  Union Island
  Easter Regatta
  St. Vincent
  Inland Tour
  April Visitors
  Young Island
  Mustique
  Mayreau

2007 Spring
  Martinique
  Bequia
2007 Winter
2006 Summer
2006 Winter
2005 Fall


Photo Albums

  Maine Aug 2006

  Trinidad, Feb 2008

Slideshow
 Trinidad, Grenadines