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Sydney's Close Wild Side Options??!!


TLCOhio
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From the New York Times travel section this past week, they have this feature and headline: "Walking on Sydney’s Wild Side" with these highlights: "The blue-tongued lizard eyed me suspiciously but remained still long enough for photographs, while a kookaburra laughed and a diminutive wallaby rustled in the brush. Rock engravings of fish and kangaroos marked ceremonial sites of Aboriginal ancestors. Scented forests of eucalyptus and gum trees shaded our path over sandstone and thin topsoil, classic Outback topography surprisingly concealed on the outskirts of Sydney. 'We’re six kilometers from the largest city in Australia, but you look around, and you’re in the bush,' said my guide, Ian Wells. My family and I were hiking in the suburbs of Sydney on a 7.5-mile route between Spit Bridge in Mosman and the beach town Manly, combing the north shore of Sydney Harbour, a natural asset celebrated by everyone from Capt. James Cook in the 18th century to fans of the harborfront Sydney Opera House, but largely unsung as a coastal wilderness until recently. In February, Sydney Harbour was named the country’s newest National Landscape, calling attention to the wild side in Sydney’s metropolitan area of 4.6 million residents. It encompasses a 620-square-mile expanse of beaches, rivers, islands and bushland, ranging from Royal National Park in the south to the Barrenjoey Headland in the north, the Pacific Ocean in the east and Parramatta Park to the west. In a country with an abundance of wilderness — including more than 600 national parks — the National Landscapes program is designed to help visitors as well as locals identify some of Australia’s unique wild places. The latest designation prompted five tour operators, including Mr. Wells, to add harbor-focused tours. Among the excursions is a two-hour 'tea at sea' cruise. New kayaking routes and ferry tours are also planned."

 

Interesting options for Sydney and nearby to consider. Not sure we need more options to think about for our short, limited time in Sydney. So much to see and do in this main urban area. But, wanted to share here for others and get feed-back from those who know these areas. Did not realize that so much wilderness was this close to Sydney.

 

Full story at:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2013/10/13/travel/walking-on-sydneys-wild-side.html?ref=travel

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 120,278 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

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Just as an FYI.

 

The Royal is my backyard.

 

Don't consider daytripping from a cruise but public transport if you have a limited stay. Too long to get there and back and not enough access into a wonderful area.

 

If you want to do it or the Barranjoey, West head Kuringai etc you will certainly need a car.

 

The abundance of natural bushland is one of the reasons we experience severe fire situations in summer. If you do decide to head out from your cruise ship this summer be very aware of conditions. We have already had several large incidents and it's still Spring.

 

This one shocked many

 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-14/cigarette-may-have-sparked-sydney-car-blaze/5019830?section=nsw

 

probably not worth the trip up to barranjoey for a while.. this was a few weeks ago

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/lighthouse-saved-as-barrenjoey-fire-continues-20130928-2ul53.html

 

No I'm not scare mongering just ensuring visitors are aware.

 

Our peak walking/hiking season is winter....

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Just over 24 hours later...

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-17/live-blog3a-nsw-bushfire-emergency/5028762

Sydney is blanketed in smoke and has a not so beautiful glow

Canberra is the bushland capital but Sydney is the "Bushfire City" this year

 

Appreciate this added background. Have posted on our roll call about much of the fire challenges south of Brisbane. Is there lots in and around Sydney? Saw one picture in the Sidney paper showing the dark clouds from the smoke over that large city.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 120,687 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

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At 2 30pm Friday, Sydney time, there are hundreds of houses lost in NSW and one death.

It seems the worst areas are on the outskirts of the metropolitan area in the Blue Mountains and on the Central Coast. These are areas where many people commute to work in the city.

There do not seem to be many areas closer in affected this time but we have certainly have had fires right through suburban areas other years. We get very high winds at times and the native trees are extremely flammable. We have very strict laws preventing tree removal and pruning as well. Last week we had a power line come down, probably caused by overhanging trees on the median strip. It was quite an ordeal getting anyone (ie council or electricity people) to list the task of pruning the said trees. They each claimed the other body would not let them touch them.

But there are many beautiful bushy areas that you could visit near the city if you have time.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi Terry, You did not say when you will be here in Sydney. Hopefully, the bushfires and backburning will be behind us. I agree that if you are only here for one day that it is wise to stay nearby because our peak hour traffic is unpredictable - where are you docking? Circular Quay or White Bay? Even though the wildlife is not that far, you would not want to miss your ship - it can take a minute to an hour to travel a kilometre (5/8 of a mile) in peak hour from my experience. http://www.sydneyports.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/29739/Passenger_Vessel_Schedule_Final_v269_21_Oct_2013.pdf

This could influence your decision on where you want to go and how mobile you are will also influence how far you venture. Immediate vicinity sites and things to do that come to mind; harbour bridge climb, shopping, Sydney Opera House guided tours, Botanical Gardens, ferry trip from Circular Quay, they also have those fast boats from the Quay - only about 45 minutes.

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Hi Terry, You did not say when you will be here in Sydney. Hopefully, the bushfires and backburning will be behind us. I agree that if you are only here for one day that it is wise to stay nearby because our peak hour traffic is unpredictable - where are you docking? Circular Quay or White Bay? Even though the wildlife is not that far, you would not want to miss your ship - it can take a minute to an hour to travel a kilometre (5/8 of a mile) in peak hour from my experience. http://www.sydneyports.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/29739/Passenger_Vessel_Schedule_Final_v269_21_Oct_2013.pdf

This could influence your decision on where you want to go and how mobile you are will also influence how far you venture. Immediate vicinity sites and things to do that come to mind; harbour bridge climb, shopping, Sydney Opera House guided tours, Botanical Gardens, ferry trip from Circular Quay, they also have those fast boats from the Quay - only about 45 minutes.

 

Appreciate the added follow-up and info from sandylea18. Our first “down under” visit will be Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Celebrity Solstice sailing, departing Sydney, going from Australia to Auckland/NZ doing 14 days on this ship we loved in the Med in June 2011. Plus, doing some pre-cruise options for Cairns/Port Douglas, the Rainforest and Great Barrier Reef, then Kangaroo Island near Adelaide before departing from Sidney’s scenic harbor. And, doing the mid-cruise ship over-night trip to and in Queenstown and then stopping in Hawaii on the way home to break up that long, long flight back.

 

The Solstice will be docked, fortunately at the Circular Quay. We board the ship Jan. 20, but do not sail out until the next evening. We arrive in Sydney mid-day on Sunday, Jan. 19, staying overnight at the nearby Four Seasons. All very handy. Glad to have the helpful warnings on traffic there in Sydney. As you detail, lots of very good and varied options in these areas. Keep the good ideas and comments rolling along.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 146,013 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

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FS is nice..... do you have harbour view? if you have status request a high floor or view if possible

 

as a heads up the rooms are a bit compact and The woods is nice but DO not do a dinner meal in house

 

Make sure you have any booking for good places teed up now....

 

secret lunch.... MCA has a great view

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