New Ferries on the Harbour

Honestly. You can't call yourself a Sydneysider unless you do your duty and occasionally spend a little time on Sydney Harbour, admiring the sights. The image above was shot between Mosman Bay and Circular Quay aboard one of the six new "Emerald" class ferries (see extra 1). These new boats accommodate 400 commuters but allow plenty of outside seating for those of us at leisure to simply relax and enjoy the passing parade of tugboats, yacht races, naval bases, city skylines and significant historical locations. 

Of course these new additions compliment the host of existing ferries, including the "First Fleet" class boats which (at initial glance) look very similar but which are significantly smaller.

According to Wikipedia, Sydney Harbour has a total waterfront length of 317 kilometres, not even counting the upper reaches of the Parramatta river, which are also served by the city ferry fleet. Every day tens of thousands of people are transported back and forth by pleasant cruises from harbour side suburbs to the city and back or indeed to tourist favoured locations such as Watsons Bay, Manly, Darling Harbour, Taronga Zoo etc. For us, one of the most pleasant places to enjoy a picnic lunch is at Mosman Bay (see extra 2)

While waiting to head out for the morning on one of the brand new "Emeralds", we had a good look around. (see extras 3 & 4)