Fruitbats in a tree
After the cruise, we strolled through the Sydney Botanical Gardens, a sprawling expanse which starts at the Opera House and extends southward. There were a lot of interesting plants, but maddeningly, many of the most interesting were unlabelled. There was a very well done tropical plant house, with winding walkways that made you feel as if you were really walking through a rainforest. It was in the gardens that we first saw fruitbats - a lot of them - which we would see more of in Cairns, some of them quite large. Here's a photo of hundreds of fruitbats hanging out...
Fruitbats in a tree
Leaving the garden, we walked past St. Mary's Cathedral, where the day before a memorial service had been held in honor of the nearly 200 Australians killed at the nightclub bombings in Bali a week earlier. The country was still in shock, with many debates raging about why Australians were now considered terrorist targets. It wasn't until later that the world learned that the bombers mistook the vacationers for Americans...
St. Mary's Cathedral
Another look at St. Mary's Cathedral
Finally, here is the Archibald Fountain, one of many elegant fountains to be found in Sydney.
Archibald Fountain
The next day, we just wandered around Sydney. We started by taking a bus tour around the city, and then walked around a section called The Rocks, which had a weekly market set up with numerous shop stalls, food, entertainment, and more. It was a very enjoyable day.
© 2002 Steve Lionel - - Home