Sydney - city of art

(Somehow this post from September 2012 missed being published! Sorry folks! )

Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge from the aeroplane

Downtown Sydney and a view of Sydney Harbour (Port Jackson Bay)

We flew in to Sydney from Cairns and headed straight out into the Blue Mountains (previous post).  After a few short days there we headed back into the city to join up with Geoff's really good friend Ryan Miller and his family Kilmeny and Joanna (3 months).

We spent a lovely few days on the weekend exploring the national parks and non-touristy areas with the Millers. 

Geoff and Ryan

Balmoral Beach

Ryan and Kilmeny (and Joanna) played host to us in Sydney

A lovely view down to a beach in Royal National Park

Apparently 'The oldest Ice Cream in Australia'

Exploring downtown Sydney was fun, but after an incredible holiday and with our impending trip back home and to the real world, we opted for some of the quieter options that Sydney has to offer: mainly the Royal Botanical Gardens and the New South Wales Art Gallery.

Lovely big fig trees in the Botanical Gardens

The Royal Botanic Gardens were full of Spring....

.....and the South African Clivias were spectacular!

The classic Sydney Skyline from Mrs Macquaries Seat

The inevitable 'Sydney' photograph

Colourful birdlife in the city

And we explored some of the amazing architecture, first by finding the Customs House on Circular Quay with its 1:500 model of down town Sydney under the glass floor in the lobby - a great way to find your bearings!

The lobby in the old Customs House

St James Park provided a nice break from the busy city

The Sydney Harbour Bridge had a distinct 'Brunel-esque' feel to it

No visit to Sydney would be complete without a visit to its most iconic building - the Sydney Opera House.  It was designed by a Danish architect Jorn Utzon and is said to represent billowing sails on the bay (or the sexual antics of turtles - depending on who you speak to!)  Utzon's design won a competition in 1957 and the Opera House was finally opened in 1973.

By day....

..or lit up at night...

...or even as part of a children's programme at the NSW Art Gallery!

The most facinating part for us was when we got up close to the building and you discover that those iconic white sails are actually covered in tiles - much like you would find in your bathroom at home!!!

And all too soon again we were on a plane home... back to our families, cats, jobs and the real world....