holiday trike tour experience – Murray + Natalie 10.03.24

The Sydney holiday trike tour experience was so much fun. Sydney showed off her beauty today. The passengers met our trike rider at a prearranged place in Darling Harbour.

Mrs Macquarie’s Point

Firstly, they rode through the city and into the inner eastern suburb of Woolloomoolloo. They rode along Art Gallery Road, past the Royal Botanical Gardens to Mrs Macquarie’s Point. 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, Harry’s and Garden Island

Then it was to 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. Next, 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).

Eastern suburbs

Heading east, through the posh suburbs of the eastern suburbs of Sydney, including the Bays: Rose Bay, Double Bay and Rushcutters Bay. So far, the Sydney holiday trike tour experience was fun and memorable.

Ben Buckler Point

Stopping at Ben Buckler Point is always a good thing to do. It’s where this photo was taken. The view over Bondi Beach and out to the South Pacific Ocean, is spectacular. The story goes that the headland was named for a convict Ben Buckley, who lived locally with the Aboriginal people from 1810. His friend and fellow convict James Ives claimed he was killed near the point now bearing his name when the rock shelf on which he was standing collapsed.

Bondi Beach

Slightly south, and it was past the world famous Bondi Beach. Here, there is a lovely view overlooking the whole of Bondi Beach. When in Sydney it is one of the places you should visit. The beach was made more 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 Beach

Then, they rode further north to the tiny but picturesque Tamarama Beach. It’s lovely to look out to the South Pacific Ocean from any of the beaches. Initially known as Dixon Bay by early European settlers, the name was changed to Tamarama in the 1800s. Tamarama is probably a derivation of the Aboriginal name ‘Gamma Gamma’ (possibly meaning ‘storm’), which appeared on maps of the coastline in the 1860s by the Military or Naval Authority.

Bronte-Coogee Aquatic Reserve

Next, it was to the Bronte-Coogee Aquatic Reserve. This extends from the southern end of Bronte Beach to the rock baths at Coogee Beach and out to 100 m offshore. It covers an area of approximately 40 hectares and includes 4,000m of coastline.

The objectives of the aquatic reserve is:

1. conserve the biodiversity of fish and marine vegetation
2. protect fish habitat
3. facilitate educational activities
4. facilitate scientific research.

Clovelly Beach

Then it was to Clovelly Beach. Clovelly Beach is a small and tranquil beach, located the mouth of a narrow bay between two rocky ridges. Then they turned and headed west.

Centennial Park

Lastly, they rode through Centennial Park. It is a lovely experience, to ride through and to stop for a short break, or photos.

With 120 fields and venues, 35+ different sports are 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 hour was up so our rider dropped them off back at Circular Quay. In conclusion, Sydney holiday trike tour experience was a success – so much fun and it showed so many beautiful sights of eastern Sydney. Check out the tour here.