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BEYONDTHEOPERAHOUSE
thesebeautifulbigboats for theirdaily
commute.
Themostpopular journeyfortourists
is fromCircularQuay to theseaside
resort townofManly(wheremany
expatsalsochoose tosettle,both for the
beaches itaccessesand for thisunique
commute).Atsevennauticalmiles, the
trip takesapproximately30minutes
butbewarned, at times itcangetpretty
rockyas the ferryveersout intoopen
oceanbetween tworockyoutcrops
knownas“theHeads”.But the journey
leads tooneofSydney’smostglorious
beaches. Ifyou’veever felt theurge to
learn tosurf, theperfectplace tostart
isatoneofManly’smanysurfschools.
Among itsmanyotherdestinations,
theSydneyHarbour ferryservicealso
heads toBalmain
—
a fantastic low-rise
suburbwhereyoucanwanderbetween
terrace-styleshopfronts,andfindacoffee
andbite toeat
—
andTarongaZoo,
whereyoucanseeover4,000animals
andevenhand-feedacarrot toagiraffe!
Someof thesmaller ferryservices
alsoallowaccess toSydneyHarbour’s
historic islands fromCircularQuay.
FortDenison isoneofSydney’smost
scenicwedding-photo locations, and
wasonceamilitarydefense island.
CalledPinchgut in the1700s, it
hasabeautifulsandstone fort that
nowhousesamuseumandagreat
restaurant for lunch, theFortDenison
Cafe.Tryadozen freshlyshucked
oysterswithThai-stylenam jim
sauce forAU$42or, forareal tasteof
Australia,order thesearedkangaroo
loinwithwalnutsandgorgonzola
(AU$37).Thedrinks list features
Italian,Frenchand localwines.
Anoldgunpowder-poweredcannon
isfiredatFortDenisonat1pmeach
day.This traditionhascontinuedsince
1906(except forabreakstarting in
WorldWarII,when itwas thought
localswouldpanicuponhearing the
blast). Itsoriginalpurposewasnot for
war,but forships’ crews toaccurately
set their timesbychronometer.
Clockwise:ThepopularManly
Beach; SydneyHarbour ferry
crossing;TarongaZoo; Fort
Denison
