Panic Tourism

With so many options for tourists in Sydney, it was hard to know where to go and what to do with our last day. Eventually we ended up at the Museum of Sydney, where again we were trapped by the fascination of learning about how the early settlers arrived, and the politicking of the early rulers of the area. Just like the political battles of will of today, it is difficult to decide who were the “good” guys and were acting with the best intentions, and who were the “bad” guys and were only motivated by selfish and greedy desires. We had already half planned to take a long ferry trip up-river to see a bit more of the surrounding landscape, but there in the museum was explanation of how Parramatta fitted into the governorship of the early province. It was enough of a temptation that we slipped out of the museum, down to Circular Quays, more coffee and sandwiches and then caught the ferry to Parramatta. The journey was 55 minutes and left us with one hour’s walking around the historic sights, and a rather nice genteel town, before catching the return ferries, first to Circular Quays, and then to Darling Harbour. We were going to treat ourselves to a last night out, but all the restaurants were heaving, and there was still the packing to do, so the Friday night tradition was continued and we picked up fish and chips and collapsed back at the apartment.

I’m not sure what the right length of time is to spend in the Sydney area. If you want the beach and sunbathing then you can select from any number of resorts. If you want the sights, zoos, aquariums, etc then there is at least enough to keep you going for a week. If culture and history grab you then you can be absorbed for another week, but the bottom line is that Sydney is a great place to visit for a holiday, and with weather that generally leaves you with the choice rather than making up your mind for you.