March 27, 1998 (Friday)

Circular Quay

After scouring Oxford Street, I took the subway to Circular Quay (pronounced "Circular Key" by Sydney locals). Circular Quay is the main ferry landing in the city. It's where all of the ferries that take people to the beaches and outer suburbs are based. It's a long row of souvenier shops, news stands, food stands, and restaurants, with docks extending out into the water for the ferries. I really didn't have time to see much, but I did learn about an evening harbour cruise, and I also caught my first views of the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge: the two best-known landmarks of the city. It was twilight, and there was a nice breeze. I was reminded of the Riverwalk in New Orleans.

At 8pm, I took the City Lights Harbour Cruise. Although this particular cruise wasn't covered by my CityRail pass, it was offered by the same Sydney Ferry line that's covered by the pass as part of the city's public transportation system.

I saw a lot of the city this way, and had a great time on the water in the moonlight. I also learned the following things.

  • No one uses curtains at night in Sydney, or at least not the people whose homes look out over the harbour.

  • The stars are different in Australia! The Milky Way was clearly visible as a pale band across the sky, and the rest of the stars were unfamiliar to me, although I think I vaguely recognized a few of the southern constellations.

  • Everything in Sydney is named after some guy named "Darling". (Well, almost everything.)

  • Jet lag can't be ignored for long with paying the price.

After the harbour cruise, I returned to Oxford Street to enjoy the Sydney night life, and I had a pretty good time!