Milsons Point in Kirribilli

Yesterday’s outing was an exploration that primarily consisted of a Ferry ride up the Parramatta River with a few minor side adventures mixed in.  I started at Milsons Point with a walk from the train station down to the harbour at the base of the bridge.

Nearby was the local icon of  Luna Park.  Well known to Sydneysiders, but I don’t think it’s a place the typical tourist is aware of until after they arrive.

After a brief stroll along the harbour I walked back up to the access to the bridge walkway to cross the bridge.  This is one of my favorite walks in the Sydney area because it gives such an amazing view of the harbour.

Sydney Harbour

Bridge Walk

My initial destination was Circular Quay, which is the main ferry hub of Sydney and the start of the trip up the Parramatta river.

Circular Quay

Walkway Behind Circular Quay Station

In Circular Quay I was joined by Bonnie for a cup of coffee and with a little time to spare before the Ferry was due to depart, she suggested we stop in at the Customs House, which I had never visited before.  Inside of the building there is a glass floor with a scale model of the city of Sydney under it.  Very cool.   I’ve walked by this building countless times, and didn’t know this was in here.  Definitely worth the stop to see.

Customs House Model of Sydney

Behind the Customs House is a colourful mural, with a great message.

Mural Behind the Customs House

We caught the Ferry soon after 11 a.m.

Ferry Terminal

I have been in Sydney for 4 and a half years and had never taken the Ferry out to Parramatta. Thanks to the suggestion by Bonnie we were finally able set aside a day to take this journey all the way up the river.  It turned out to be an enjoyable trip, which was more like a riverboat ride in comparison to the almost ocean-going ferry ride out to Manly (which I also enjoy immensely). The Ferry is definitely my favorite way of getting around Sydney when it’s going where I want to go and when I’m not in an especial hurry to get there.

Bonnie

Bonnie teased me a bit about taking pictures of every bridge we passed, but the engineer in me couldn’t resist.

Approaching Parramatta

To be honest, we didn’t have any particular plans for our visit in Parramatta, although we did have a nice lunch on Church Street, which is also advertised as Eat Street due to the large number of restaurants along a 3 block section of this street.  We also took a walk up to the park and then back along the river.

Parramatta

We also stopped to listen to an excellent guitarist who was playing Beatles tunes on an acoustical guitar.  And took the obligatory selfie while we were there.

Parramatta Selfie

We had considered walking back as far as Olympic Park along the river, but it would have been a close call to make it there before dark, so we ended up getting back on the ferry for the ride back to Circular Quay.

Leaving Parramatta