Thursday 5 March 2026
For our first venture out onto Australian soil yesterday we chose The Rocks, the oldest European settlement in the country. Once we cleared immigration it was nearly 11 AM. That’s when we stepped out of the Circular Quay building and into this historic Sydney neighborhood without an map, internet access, or a specific plan but knowing that European settlement here dated back to the establishment of a British penal colony in 1788. We also knew that the neighborhood today was renowned for a its historic pubs. With that we explored Nurses Walk and the Big Dig Archeological Site. We walked past the Australian Hotel and probably should have stopped for some Crocodile or Pepper Kangaroo Pizza! Instead we made our way up to Observatory Park for a fabulous view of the Sydney Harbor Bridge with the 1846 Garrison Church in the foreground and we got to peek into the gates at the Sydney Observatory. We were fascinated with the old sandstone buildings built on sandstone bedrock juxtaposed with modern skyscrapers. Soon enough we were ensconced in the Munich Bierhaus enjoying some delicious schnitzel and NA brew then wandering back to the ship by way of an art gallery to admire some aboriginal art and stopping by the Convicts, Soldiers, and Settlers monument.
Overnight the Queen Mary 2 shifted position from the Circular Quay to an anchorage east of Fort Denison in Sydney Harbor. This morning we tendered in to Man O’ War Steps near the opera house and met our guide Carol as we embarked on a ship’s organized tour of Sydney Sights, Opera House, and Bondi Beach. Between the tender’s landing to our tour coach we walked past the Royal Botanic Garden. Soon with Atilla at the wheel we were wending our way through Sydney’s central business district known as The CBT. The word “downtown” is not part of the Aussie lexicon. Human habitation on this land dates back some 60,000 years and the area that is now Sydney was home to nearly thirty clans of the Australian First Nations including the Gadigal people prior to the arrival of British Europeans in 1788 aboard the First Fleet under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip. Soon we stopped for photos at Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair with views of the Harbor and ships of the Australian Navy before making our way through some of the eastern neighborhoods and past multiple bays to Watson’s Point named for Robert Watson who’d arrived aboard HMS Sirius with the First Fleet and was charged with building signal fires atop the point at the entrance to Sydney Harbor. From there we headed south to Bondi Beach, Sydney’s most famous because of its proximity to the CBD. It’s especially popular with international students! There we enjoyed a walk along the boardwalk and a quick refreshment break before piling back on to the coach.
Back in town we enjoyed a tour of Sydney Opera House, where our guide, also named Carole, led us on a one hour journey through the history, design, construction, political issues, and glory of this UNESCO World Heritage site built on land once used by the Gadrigal for food gathering, ceremonies, and storytelling. Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon this world famous landmark opened in October 1973. We got to visit just two of the five performance venues inside where we were not allowed to take photos but were Impressed with the designed that focused on the performance rather than any decorations around the theater. The interior of the building was notable for its warm colored natural woods, red carpeting, and sweeping vistas in the public spaces. Curiously during design and construction owners of neighboring properties feared that the view of such an ugly monstrosity would negatively impact their property values but time has proven their fears unwarranted. Although Utzon left the project in 1966, he returned in 1999 to consult on refurbishment and maintenance issues, Then in the early 2000’s he and the project received a number of architectural awards and in 2007 UNESCO designated the opera house a world heritage site. After the tour we made the short walk to the Man O’ War Steps and tendered back to the mother ship. From the comfort of the Commodore Club on Deck 9 we watched as the Queen Mary 2 passed through The Sydney Heads and we spotted people up high on a bluff, possibly Fairfax Lookout, watching us head into the Tasman Sea for a day of travel before we call at Brisbane, Australia. It has been an exciting first experience on the continent of Australia.
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