world tour trike ride – Dr + Mrs Stern 30.10.26

During their holiday in Sydney, the passengers organised the world tour trike ride. They are on a world tour and thought this would be a fun way to explore Sydney – it sure was! Our trike rider picked them up from their hotel in the Rocks.

The Rocks

This is such an interesting place in/of Sydney, full of history. It’s the most historic place in Australia! It 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.

Dawes Point

North to Dawes Point which is located on the north-western edge of the CBD at the southern end of Sydney Harbour Bridge, adjacent to The Rocks.

The point was renamed in honour of Dawes. Lieutenant William Dawes (1762–1836), astronomer with the First Fleet. It was also the site of the first guns mounted in Sydney by Dawes in 1788, contained Sydney’s first cemetery and later Dawes Point Battery. Walsh Bay was the site of Sydney’s port facilities. The wharves were converted to apartments, theatres, restaurants, cafes and a hotel.

Harbour Bridge Southern Side

Along Hickson Road was next, and under the southern end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. What a wonderful view of Sydney Harbour! Already, the world tour trike ride, has started well and impressively!

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Next, they rode over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We always tell our passengers to look up and enjoy the unique view. The more than 6,000,000 rivets are so interesting and the arch is so iconic. It’s nicknamed ‘The Coathanger’ because of its arch-based design. It is the largest steel arch bridge in the world. This bridge is the eighth longest spanning-arch bridge in the world and the tallest steel arch bridge, measuring 134 m (440 ft) from top to water level. It was also the world’s widest long-span bridge, at 48.8 m (160 ft) wide, until a bridge in Canada was completed in 2012.

McMahons Point / Blues Point Reserve

Then, they rode on through Milsons Point, did a left hand turn and rode up a few streets. This leads to Blues Point Reserve. The views over Blues Bay towards the Sydney Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and the CBD are just stunning. The world tour trike ride, has shown our passengers some major Sydney icons already. It’s where this photo was taken.

Kirribilli

Heading east, the rider took them through the back streets and into Kirribilli, to the Prime Minister‘s residence and Admiralty House. Kirribilli House is the secondary official residence of the Prime Minister of Australia.

Next door is Admiralty House. It is the Sydney residence of the Governor-General and one of the most historic and important residences on Sydney Harbour. The house – originally called ‘Wotonga’ – was built in the mid 1800’s.

After that, they rode around the corner to Jeffrey Street Wharf. From here, the views across Sydney Harbour towards the Sydney Opera House and the CBD are magnificent. In addition, it also has an up-close view of the side and underneath of the bridge. What a great view of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge!

The Kirribilli Loop – Harbour Bridge north side

From there, they rode under the north side of the bridge and continued on their tour. The underside of the northern end of the SHB – Sydney Harbour Bridge – is very interesting. The Kirribilli Loop was finished by riding past Luna Park and the North Sydney Olympic Pool. Then it was back over the SHB.

Circular Quay

Then it was through Circular Quay. Often referred to as the “gateway to Sydney”, the Circular Quay precinct has views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House and is a common location for viewing Sydney New Year’s Eve fireworks. It hosts a number of ferry wharves, bus stops, and a railway station.

Sydney Opera House

They rode through Circular Quay and around the roundabout at the Opera House then up Macquarie Street so the passengers could see what the Light Rail looked like, they were going to use them over the next few days.

Designed by the Danish architect Jørn Utzon, the Sydney Opera House is a World Heritage-listed masterpiece and represents a breakthrough in modern architecture. The famous sails have become a symbol of Sydney and modern Australia as a whole.

When the Opera House opened its doors in 1973, a new era of cultural discovery began.

Macquarie Street

After finishing that loop, they rode along Macquarie St. This street, is the location of the main governmental institutions of NSW: Parliament House, Government House, and the Law Courts Building (which houses the Supreme Court of New South Wales). There is so much history behind Macquarie St. and the buildings that front it.

In the years since its founding in 1788, Sydney had developed organically, and by the early 1800s was lacking in major public buildings, and had a complex network of narrow streets. The supply of drinking water and waste management was also becoming an issue. Governor Macquarie initiated the construction of Sydney’s first public buildings of any real permanence and set the boundaries of Sydney’s grid of streets, laying out the street in 1810.

Mitchell Library

Next, it was past the Mitchell Library. The Australian Subscription Library, established in 1826, was renamed as the Australian Library and Literary Institution in 1853. In 1869 the NSW Government purchased the collection and building to form the Sydney Free Public Library, the first truly public library for the people of NSW. Free Public Library was renamed in 1895 as the Public Library of NSW. In 1907 David Scott Mitchell bequeathed his collection to the NSW government and the Mitchell Library, built to hold the extensive collection, opened in 1910.

1975 saw the Library renamed as the State Library of NSW. We all still call it the Mitchell Library!

St Mary’s Cathedral

They rode through parts of the city and 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.

Art Gallery of NSW

Further on they turned left, along Mrs Macquaries Road. The Art Gallery of NSW has beautiful historic sandstone buildings which were built between 1896 and 1909. The Art Gallery of New South Wales began without a collection and without a building on 24 April 1871 when a group of 30 art-loving citizens established a society to support artists and promote knowledge and enjoyment of art in the wider community. In 1874 they secured government support for their project and by 1880 they had their own dedicated building, the first of its kind in Australia.

Robert Burns statue

They road past a statue of Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796). He was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide.

Henry Lawson statue

Past another statue of a famous person, this one is Australian. Henry Lawson (17 June 1867 – 2 September 1922) was an Australian writer and poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period, and is often called Australia’s “greatest writer.”

Domain

Also, this road goes through the Domain. The Domain is a heritage-listed 34-hectare (84-acre) area of open space located on the eastern fringe of the Sydney CBD. As usual, the world tour trike ride was showing some beautiful sights and icons of Sydney.

Mrs Macquaries Chair / Point

This leads to Mrs Macquarie’s Point. This peninsula was named in 1810 after Elizabeth, Governor Macquarie’s wife, who ordered a seat to be chiselled into the rock from which she could view the harbour. Mrs Macquaries Chair, as it’s known, is still there today. It’s in the Domain but is effectively an extension of the Botanic Gardens. They had a quick stop here to check it out and take photos.

Woolloomooloo, Harry’s and Garden Island

Further on, Woolloomooloo is known for Finger Wharf, an old cargo dock that attracts a trendy clientele with fine dining, hip bars and water views on all sides. It also has the famous Harry Cafe De Wheels which has been serving customers for over 80 years. They make delicious pies, hotdogs and more. Lots of interesting photos are on the walls, mostly of famous celebrities who have visited over the years.

Our passengers had a list of food they wanted to eat in Australia. A pie was one of them. So they stopped at Harry’s for a pie and sauce, Dr Stern enjoyed it immensely.

They rode past Garden Island which is the location of a major Royal Australian Navy base. Then it was up the hill and into Potts Point.

Kings Cross

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).

Coca-Cola billboard

Look up to see the famous “Coke Sign”. It is an advertising billboard erected in 1974 by the Coca-Cola Company. More often regarded as an iconic landmark than as an advertisement. The new Coca-Cola sign was officially turned on, on 15 September 2016, and uses a lot less power. It is the single largest controllable LED sign in the Southern Hemisphere and can change colour.

Oxford Street

There was enough time to ride down the famous Oxford Street. The western section of Oxford Street, which runs through the suburb of Darlinghurst, is widely recognised as Sydney’s main gay district and Oxford Street is closed to traffic once a year in early March for the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

Paddington

Our passengers wanted to see Paddington. A well-to-do suburb, Paddington is just 3 km from the Sydney CBD. The Paddington Markets has been held every Saturday in the grounds of the heritage-listed Paddington Uniting Church on Oxford Street since 1973. We have been there plenty of times! There is also Paddington Town Hall, Victoria Barracks, Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney Football Stadium, Paddington Reservoir, White City Tennis Centre and more in this area.

Shopping

They decided it was departments stores they wanted to see. So our trike rider drove down Elizabeth Street pointing out the shopping, starting from Park Street and on to King Street. He advised the stores that ran along Elizabeth, Castlereagh, Pitt and George Streets.

However, the 2 hrs was up so the trike rider dropped them back at their hotel. In conclusion, the world tour trike ride was definitely a fun, unique and memorable experience.

Feel the Freedom!

or just email trevor@trolltours.com.au and tell us what you would like to do.