Sunday, February 23
Our morning started with a lecture giving us an introduction and overview of Sydney. Then we boarded our motorcoach that took us down near Sydney Harbour and our site coordinator led us on a walking tour. We were excited to get our first glimpse of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.
First glimpse of the Sydney Opera House First glimpse of the Sydney Harbour Bridge looking back at Sydney
On our walk we passed by the Writer’s Walk. There are 60 circular metal plaques along the path. They honor the lives and works of well-known Australian writers and some overseas authors. Each plaque contains quotes from one of the author’s notable works and some information about the author.
From there we strolled to The Rocks which is Sydney’s oldest historic neighborhood of laneways.
Statue of William Bligh- the 4th Governor of New South Wales Cadmans Cottage- a former water police station and sailor’s home, built in 1816
The Rocks was the first European colony and was established in 1788 when ships filled with convicts came from England to settle the colony of New South Wales.
A sandstone relief created by Bud Dumas in 1979 as a memorial to the convicts, soldiers, and settlers of The Rocks
We also passed through the Nurse’s Walk. The Nurse’s Walk was created in 1979 to honor the nurses that worked in the hospitals in this area in the late 1700s and early 1800s. It runs into Suez Canal which is a laneway that was constructed in 1840 and it was an area where the street gang, Rocks Push, would hang out.
We walked up several flights of stairs and then down a street to the Australian Hotel for lunch. It is one of the oldest pubs in The Rocks.
Australian Hotel The meat on the left side of the pizza is kangaroo!
After lunch we had a cruise on the Sydney Harbour! It was a relaxing afternoon with beautiful scenery.
We had this room and the front of the boat just for our group. Sydney Opera House Sydney Opera House Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge Sydney Pinchgut- the island originally was called Rock Island Circular Quay in the distance Sailing in the Harbour Opening to the Pacific Ocean Bradley’s Head Lighthouse Individuals will dive from these rocks! Admiralty House- the official residence of the Governor-General of Australia
This evening we walked from our hotel to have dinner at a restaurant along Cockle Bay Wharf. On our walk we passed “the nest” building in Darling Square. It is a mixed-use building and was designed by a Japanese architecture firm.

Below our pictures from our walk around Darling Harbour at Cockle Bay Wharf.
Our first full day in Sydney was packed-full of educational learning, experiencing the area, and sightseeing!