Ever Increasing Circles

Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney, New South Wales

The best laid plans... I'm sure I've used that expression so many times before, but the Sydney plans have just gone right out the window. Today was the day of Circular Quay. There isn't really much to talk about because generally it was just a day of shooting in and around the quay, in daylight and dark, of the bridge and opera house . To be honest that's a little unfair, since I shot from the quay itself, The Rocks, Harbour Bridge, the bridge lookout, the north bank at Kirribilli and Farm Cove. There's a fair bit of walking in there you know! :-)

The bridge lookout has a great wee exhibition and film about the building of this amazing structure. Again, there is a strong British influence involved in both the design and building of it. In fact, like many of the towns I have passed through, the connection to the Old Country is unmistakable. It was mentioned that a number of the stonemasons involved in building the four massive towers came from Scotland and the stone itself was quarried mainly from Cumnock. Not the Ayrshire village mind. Just up the road in NSW.

The thought of the walk back across the bridge though, saw me heading down to pick up a taxi from Luna Park. Seeing no ticket office or machine I started chatting to this lovely lady from the Philippines. Between us we figured that you should be able to buy your ticket on board. It turned out her first husband was Welsh and she spent a few years working in London and since she had friends in the UK had actually spent the last ten years travelling across to visit, so we chatted about holidays and what the possibilities were of me getting chucked overboard without a ticket while we waited for the ferry. When it arrived, the guy told me I would be able to get my ticket back at Circular Quay. Sure enough, there were a bank of ticket machines on the inside of the barrier waiting for travellers without a ticket. Happy Days! :-)

I also managed to fit in a visit to the Botanic Gardens as I wandered round to Mrs MacQuarrie's Chair to shoot the skyline at sunset. It was lovely. Of course, just coming into spring, there wasn't really that much colour other than green. There were a few flowers out though and the smells from the gardens were wonderful. I completed the circular walk and wandered back to the hotel via the art gallery. It was spectacularly lit up. There was obviously something going on. Lots of suits and dresses hanging about outside.

A long day of walking and I don't think there's an angle of the bridge or opera house I haven't captured. Both justly held proudly as iconic symbols of Australia.