last minute trike tour – Girish + Viju 26.09.22

Our passengers decided to do a last minute trike tour this morning. We could organise a trike rider at late notice but we can’t always. They were waiting to fly out to go home and decided a trike tour would be a great way to spend some waiting time. It was! Our trike rider Fred picked them up from Circular Quay.

The Rocks

Firstly he took them under the southern side of the bridge. The Rocks is a neighbourhood of historic laneways in the shadow of Sydney Harbour Bridge. The Rocks became established shortly after the colony’s formation in 1788 so it is the oldest residential, developed area in Australia – the birthplace of modern Sydney. With the arrival of European settlers in 1788, it was here that the convicts first set up house and shop.

Barangaroo

Then it was to the Barangaroo waterfront and through the comparatively new development of Barangaroo. A spectacular transformation from a disused container terminal on the edge of Sydney’s CBD into a spectacular 22-hectare waterfront precinct. The new Crown Casino is here and there are plenty of restaurants.

Fred continued driving through Circular Quay, as close to the Opera House as is legally possible in a vehicle. Then it was along Macquarie St, home to many medical specialists offices. NSW Parliament is also here, founded on 22 May 1856.

St Mary’s Cathedral

Past St Mary’s Cathedral which is very impressive, even when riding past. It’s a Gothic Revival architectural building which opened in 1928. It took from 1866 to 1928 to build and has a height of 75m.

Mrs Macquarie’s Point

This led them to ride along Art Gallery Road, past the Royal Botanical Gardens to Mrs Macquarie’s Point was next. It has beautiful views looking west towards the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. They ride past Mrs Macquarie’s Chair. Mrs Macquarie’s Chair is an exposed sandstone rock cut into the shape of a bench, on a peninsula in Sydney Harbour. It was hand carved by convicts in 1810, for Elizabeth Macquarie, the wife of Major-General Lachlan Macquarie, Governor of NSW. The Art Gallery of NSW is also along this road, it’s beautiful historic sandstone buildings were built between 1896 and 1909.

Woolloomooloo and Kings Cross

Next, they rode through the inner eastern suburb of Woolloomoolloo and past the famous Harry Cafe De Wheels. Harry’s Café de Wheels has been serving customers for over 80 years. They make delicious pies, hotdogs and more. Then it was up the hill and through Kings Cross.

Eastern suburbs

Continuing on, they rode through the infamous Kings Cross, though it has calmed down a lot since it’s heyday – home of the famous and huge Coca Cola sign. Kings Cross is also home to nightclubs and ladies of the night though it is not nearly as raunchy as it was in the 1970s (apparently). After there, they headed east through the posh suburbs of the eastern suburbs of Sydney, including the Bays: Rose Bay, Double Bay and Rushcutters Bay.

Watsons Bay and The Gap

North through some upper class suburbs, they rode to “The Gap” and stopped for photos. The view towards North Head and out to the South Pacific Ocean. Watsons Bay sits on the end of the South Head peninsula. This is where the photo was taken.

North Bondi and Brighton Lookout

There are a couple of lookouts at the North Bondi headland. They all offer beautiful views of Bondi Beach and out to the Tasman Sea, part of the South Pacific Ocean. Fred stopped there for a few photos and so they could admire the view. So far, on the uncle + nephew trike tour they have seen some great views and scenic sights. So far, the last minute trike tour was a lot of fun.

Bondi Beach

Next, they drove past the world famous Bondi Beach to the south side. Looking from the two ends of the beach give a different perspective. This is the beach where Bondi Lifeguards of the Bondi Rescue TV series is filmed. When in Sydney it is one of the places you should visit. The beach is seriously nice (but not our favourite) and we usually stop near the lifeguard station, made famous by the TV series “Bondi Rescue”. Bondi Beach is one of the most visited tourist sites in Australia. Bondi Beach is recorded by the Australian Museum that Bondi means place where a fight using boondi sticks (nullas nullas or fighting sticks) took place.

Tamarama + Bronte

Riding further south, along more beautiful, though possibly less well known, beaches. The suburb of Tamarama has a small ocean beach about 1 kilometre south of Bondi Beach and a couple of hundred metres north of Bronte Beach. It is an extremely narrow beach and deceptive for its size. Tamarama Beach is often referred to as Glamarama (or Glamourama), owing to the alleged abundance of glamorous people who sunbathe (often topless), on what must be one of the smallest strips of sand in the state (Wikipedia).

Bronte Beach sits on Nelson Bay, surrounded by Bronte Park. Bronte offers scenic cliff-top walking paths south to Coogee via the Waverley Cemetery and north to Tamarama and Bondi Beach. Stopping here for a coffee was a great way to just sit, relax and soak in the atmosphere.

Centennial Park

Riding through the huge Centennial Park is a lovely experience. 120 fields and venues, and 35+ different sports played in the Centennial Parklands. It is the largest community sports precinct in Australia! The history is also interesting: “Originally a swamp and then set aside as land for the water source for Sydney. Centennial Park was reconstructed as a public park and opened in 1888. Sir Henry Parkes’ vision was to create a ‘People’s Park’ in which the citizens of Sydney could ‘take in the air’ away from the Sydney town centre.”

However, the 1.5 hours was up so Fred dropped them back at the inner west suburb of Balmain. Here they could continue exploring a very interesting and early settlement part of Sydney. In conclusion, the last minute trike tour was a lot of fun, a great way to spend time while waiting for their flight home.

https://www.trolltours.com.au/product/eastern-sydney-panorama-trike-ride/