Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Sydney, Australia, Day 2!

The Sydney Harbour Bridge-
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has 8 lanes for vehicular traffic, 2 rail lines, 1 bike lane and 1 pedestrian lane. It was opened in 1932 and connects the north shore with Sydney's business district. It is 1.1 km long, 49 meters wide and 134 meters high. It's the sixth largest arch spanning bridge in the world and the tallest steel arched bridge. Its nickname is the 'coat hanger' because of its shape. I walked across it rather than do The Bridge Climb, which is on the highest arch but costs $300 at twilight!
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Sydney Harbour welcomes a cruise ship just about every day of the year-
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It's an inlet in the Tasman Sea which is part of the South Pacific Ocean. James Cook arrived in 1770. The harbour is 19 km long and 55 square kilometres.   Of course it's home to the Sydney Opera House-
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Susannah Place Museum was built in 1844 and people lived there until 1990 when it became a museum. It's a block of 4 terrace houses that copied simple London style homes with 3 levels. On the top level are bedrooms, the ground floor has the parlor and living room and the kitchen is in the basement. The foundation is sandstone and the walls are brick.
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The architecture of Sydney is a mishmash of styles, ranging from the Georgian style - 1788 to the 1820s, eclectic Neo-gothic from the 1830s - 1850s, Victorian - 1850s (made from Hawkesbury sandstone) to Federation style to the modernist style of steel and glass. I love the downtown historic buildings which are mostly Victorian style.
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This is what Saint Andrew's Anglican Church and Town Hall looked like around 1900-
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Tomorrow it's more sightseeing in Sydney, then off to Cairns to do some diving on a live-aboard!

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