Saturday, March 10, 2007

The Honkers-Kiwi-Aussie Tour: Day 23 Sydney, New South Wales, Au


Bus downtown to marvel at the Sydney Harbour Bridge which celebrates its 75th anniversary this month. From Wikipedia: The Sydney Harbour Bridge is the main crossing of Sydney Harbour carrying vehicular, rail, and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district (CBD) and the North Shore. The dramatic water vista of the bridge together with the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic image of both Sydney and Australia. The bridge is colloquially referred to as the Coathanger because of its arch-based design, although this usage is less prevalent than it once was. The bridge was the city's tallest structure until 1967. According to Guinness World Records, it is the widest long-span bridge in the world and is the largest steel arch bridge with the top of the bridge standing 134 metres above the harbour.

Next to the equally impressive Sydney Opera House, a short walk away.

The Sydney Opera house:
- Was designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon
- Was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 20 October 1973
- First performance : The Australian Opera's production of War and Peace by Prokofiev
- Cost $AU 102,000,000 to build
- Conducts 3000 events each year
- Includes 1000 rooms
- Has 2194 pre-cast concrete sections as its roof
Excellent pizza at Zia Pina at the Rocks. Strangely they tried to over-charge us by $8 and when they'd put that right to give us $5 less change than we were due. We wondered if tourists were viewed as easy targets or if they were honest mistakes.
Next to Wharf 7 - The Maritime Heritage Centre Library were hubby does some research.


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