Cruise The World With Us

Friday – March 14, 2025

I’m sure everyone knows him – or at least one of his works. He was the primary architect of the most photographed structure in the Southern Hemisphere. I’m not going to tell you what that is but you should be able to figure it out from the featured photograph for today. I am going to give you a link to his biography so you can read about his work and the structure in the featured photograph.

Our guide today is Tony and our driver is Nick. Tony told us that Sydney has a population around 5,200,000 and a size of 80 Km X 80 Km. Total population of Australia is around 27,000,000. Australia was established 237 years ago as a penal colony (1788). As a British colony, Australia was expected to contribute bodies to the British Empire when they engaged in fighting. Such was the case during the Boer Wars (1890’s). In that conflict Australia’s casualties were 60,000 with a population at the time of 5,000,000. The bodies of the dead were not returned to Australia because the Australian government could not afford the expense. Each April 25th when Anzac Day is celebrated, the soldiers lost in the Boer Wars are also remembered.

We didn’t spend time in Sydney proper today but instead took an excursion to the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains get their name from the bluish haze that surrounds them. This is caused by the scattering of white light when it strikes the vapor released by the thousands of eucalyptus trees in these mountains. Here is a link to a website that discusses this topic.

Sydney is bound on the South by the Blue Mountains. Bound in the sense they can’t expand by simply adding land. Early settlers to the area tried to find a passage through the mountains by following valleys but that method proved unsuccessful. Later explorers decided to follow the crest of the mountains and they were successful finding paths to the other side of the mountains – an area that is suited for agriculture.

In 1994 a ranger discovered a tree in the Blue Mountains that was thought to have been extinct for millions of years – the Wollemi Pine. This discovery was the plant equivalent of finding a living dinosaur. Partially as a result of this tree, in 2000 the Blue Mountains were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Our first stop in the Blue Mountains was a small town named Leura. It has many small businesses along both sides of a Main Street. There is a covered walkway that extends on both sides of the Main Street in front of each of these businesses. Planted between the walkway and the street are cherry trees. Our guide said that in the Spring it is very beautiful with all the cherry blossoms.

From Leura we drove to Katoomba and the Mountain Heritage Hotel where we ate lunch. There is a nice view of the Blue Mountains at the hotel. I included several photos of the hotel and the views so you may get a sense of the atmosphere.

Following lunch we went to an area that formerly was a coal mine – Scenic World. When the coal ran out the owner of the coal mine transformed the train that hauled the coal from the floor of the valley to the summit into a “ride” for tourists. He also added a gondola ride that takes passengers to the floor of the valley where they may explore on an elevated wood walkway and return via the coal hauler ride. The third ride is a cable car that takes you across a chasm and back. During that ride you can view the Three Sisters rock formation, the Katoomba Falls and the forest over 200 feet below.

For a closer look at the Three Sisters we drove to Echo Point. You’ll find several photos from there showing the rock formation and the valley area. Echo Point also gave us an opportunity to buy something to drink – it had been a hot day. The return trip to Sydney took over an hour and a half so many of the passengers got a few winks.

Once back in Sydney’ downtown area we parked near Bennelong Point – the area where the Sydney Opera House was built. We walked under the front steps of the opera house as people were assembling for an outdoor Rock concert. Don’t know who the group was but they were LOUD! We continued to the Man of War Steps to board a tender and return to the ship. Our arrival was as the sun was setting so we were treated to a beautiful sunset as the tender headed for MSC Magnifica. My finger was on the shutter release almost constantly during that trip – it was absolutely beautiful!

We arrived at our ship too late to eat in the dining room so we went to the buffet. Don’t know what we had for dinner but it must have satisfied us. When we returned to our cabin the ship was oriented so we could see the harbor. I took more photos and watched all the boats as they scurried back and forth.

The entertainment for the evening was a group of what appeared to be middle-school aged girls and boys. They performed Aboriginal tribal dances. They had an announcer who explained what would be performed before each segment. For one segment they asked members of the audience to come and learn to dance. You’ll find video of their presentation.

Here is a link to the video and photos from our first day at anchor in Sydney.

P.S. I know I went a little overboard with photos of the Sydney Harbor but you have to see it to believe how unique it is and how alive with all the water traffic. Wait till you see tomorrow’s photos for a surprise at the end of the day!