Line
Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge from the Circular Quay near the Opera House

THE CIRCULAR QUAY
View South
View Back Toward Town
The view along the quay toward the transportation terminal at the head of Sydney Cove and downtown Sydney. The Circular Quay is the land and water transportation hub for Sydney. The quay provides access to Sydney Cove along its three sides.
View North
View Toward the Harbour
This view is toward Sydney Harbour and the bridge. The floating platform provided access to the harbor ferry that we took to Manly. The Sydney Harbour Bridge (built in 1932) connects to the west side of the mouth of the cove. Darling Harbour is a much larger harbour just to the west of Sydney Cove.
View Across
View Across the Cove
This is the view across to the west side of Sydney Cove and the dock where the larger ocean-going ships dock. The ships that dock there may be coastal passenger ships or cruise ships. I didn't find out.
Buildings
On the Other Side
This view is along the quay on the west side of the cove toward downtown. The cove is about a third of a mile (about 600 m) in length.
Buildings through Trees
Greenspace on the West Side
There is more green space at the upper end of the cove on the west side.
Park
The Park at the Head of the Cove
This park at the upper end of the cove is in the area where the trains and roads meet the ferries. The public transportation system in the Sydney area is very good. Heavy rail is still a major form of transportation. Railroad buffs like to see how much of the system they can ride.
Restaurant
Old Warehouse Area
Many of the old buildings on the west side of the cove have been converted into restaurant and shopping areas catering to tourists in the old warehouse district called 'The Rocks' located just a little way back from quayside west of the passenger dock.
On 'The Rocks'
Restored Area
'The Rocks' was a major commercial area of old Sydney. I asked a young clerk whether there was any significance attached to being a descendant of the original English prisoners. She said that, if anything, there is now some pride in tracing heritage back to the prisoners.
Sydney Opera House
The Opera House
This is a view back across the cove toward the new Sydney Opera House located on the quay on the east side at the mouth of the cove.
Opera House Roof
Opera House Roof
The roof of the opera house is a classic design feature. This view is from the quay near the end of the cove.
Opera House
Opera House
This view of the opera house was taken from the deck of the ferry as we departed the cove enroute to Manly. The tower and some buildings in downtown Sydney are visible in the background. The large view of this scene is LARGE.
Close Crop
A Closer View
This view of part of the roof was cropped and enlarged from the previous slide. A cropped and enlarged area of a slide or negative looks just the same as a telephoto view of the same area from the same location. The large view of this one is LARGE too.
An Astronomical Note
During my early years I had heard how unusual it was to see the sun in the northern sky from a location in the southern hemisphere. I wondered what was different about the northern sky; it should be like looking south it seemed to me. I looked forward to this interesting phenomenon though. I really didn't notice much difference when we got to Australia though. The sky was often overcast, I was never sure of directions, and I wasn't outside enough to see the sun change positions. However, on one clear evening I saw the moon and immediately realized that it was upside down and that its phases would be rotating backward. I had never heard a comment on that before and haven't since.
I now know what is unusual about the sun in the northern sky. When looking toward the sun (generally south) from a location in the northern hemisphere, it appears to rise on the left hand side, cross the sky, and set on the right hand. But from the southern hemisphere (looking generally to the north) it appears to rise on the right hand, cross the sky, and set on the left, which appears to be backward. It is also upside down, but that isn't visible to the unaided eye.
Of course neither the sun nor the moon is really upside down; it is the observer who is upside down!


PAGE 2 - Scenes along the quay around Sydney Cove: the Harbour Bridge, docks, Sydney Opera House, warehouse restaurant and shops on 'The Rocks,' and more green spaces.
PAGE 1 - Sydney skyline, downtown buildings, green spaces, street vendor and musician, pedestrian boulevard and landmark tower.
PAGE 3 - Sydney skyline from North Head.
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Revised 6/28/09