Friday, October 26, 2012

The Monorail to Darling Harbour, Aquarium and Paddy's Market (but mostly the fish!)


Thursday 25th October 2012

After another sumptuous breakfast (MUST cut down!) we ventured out today for a couple of new 'firsts'.

We took the CityRail train from Kings Cross to Town Hall station – all of two stations away, and found navigating ticket purchase, and platform selection quite easy. Perhaps after cutting our teeth on the London Underground and the Kiev Metro earlier in the month, it was not nearly so daunting!

Anyway it was an exceptionally smooth and comfortable ride, in well ventilated modern carriages, which were two-storied. The fare was very reasonable, though nowhere near as cheap as Kiev.

We got out of the Town Hall station and found ourselves in Queen Victoria Building, a very large shopping mall in the central city. From there we found the Monorail Station, and bought a day pass each. The loop is only 4+ km or so long, but it takes in many attractions and sights that we wanted to consider.

Again it was a glorious day. We actually spent about 3 – 4 hours in the Aquarium, and were fascinated by the experience – I think so much more than our local Kelly Tarltons' in Auckland.

Just an outline here, then the pictures can tell the story.

  • We did a full loop of the Monorail to get the big picture, then continued back to Darling Harbour and Cockle Bay for the Aquarium.
  • We chose not to do the other attractions around Darling Harbour (Maritime Museum, Madame Tussauds, etc) as we were already in sensory overload from the aquarium visit.
  • After that we went to Paddy's Market, where we had lunch, then walked through Chinatown.
  • Then it was back on to the Monorail, followed by the CityRail train back to the 'Cross.
  • After freshening up we gave the Greeks a miss and had dinner up at the corner by El Alamein fountain in a nice outdoor eatery. It was very pleasant.

So here are the selection from the photos for the day.

Remember if you want to see them in a little more detail just click on the picture, then close the window or go back in your browser to return to the blog.

The El Alamein Fountain, where Kings Cross meets Potts Point

The Sydney Monorail

Maritime Museum at Darling Harbour

Cockle Bay, toward the iMax Theatre



Turtle







Crayfish!

Big crab

Crikey!


This fella is a cross between a shark and a ray - actually a white-spotted guitar fish






Moray eel checking out the humans

Octopus crammed into a tight cranny

Even some penguins

Jellys


BBQ tucker

Japanese spider crab






4 viewing tunnels through two main tanks



Dugong bum up while he feeds on sea weed



Turtle hiding his head in the sand (or under a rock)

Dugong - only 6 in captivity world-wide, and two of them are here

























Sawfish shark



A tiger shark blending in with the surroundings


A lion fish





Before boarding the monorail to go to Paddys Market

And after getting off the monorail at the market - the large brick building in the background






Picnic lunch outside the market

Chinatown



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