Sydney!

Hello Everyone,

I've got some catching up to do! We've had two days in Sydney and I've been too busy to do an update until now. This may be a long post...😉

Arrival in Sydney

We made it to Sydney on time on Thursday 5 Feb 2026 and had a beautiful sail into the Sydney Harbour. The sky was a bit hazy due to humidity, but there were few clouds and no rain. Temps during the day got well up into the 90s (F).

Entering the Harbor

The sail-in to the harbor was very nice. It was just after sunrise, and the sky was a bit hazy at first, but it improved rapidly and we were soon treated to some beautiful "golden hour" vistas.

Sydney Skyline at Sunrise

Here's a view looking aft from the ship, with the sun just over the horizon. The small boat next to ours was a pilot ship, escorting us through the narrow shipping lane into the harbor. I liked the way it looked, silhouetted in the dawn light.

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Pilot Vessel in the Dawn Light

The iconic Sydney Opera House looked amazing in the golden morning light.

Sydney Opera House

Just to prove I was really there, here's a selfie with the opera house behind me. Sorry I wasn't looking at the camera...

All By My Selfie

Here's another Sydney icon, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which connects the north and south sides of the Sydney Harbour. It was started in 1923 and finished in 1932. As you can see from the photo below, it was constructed simultaneously from both sides of the water. Huge, thick cables anchored in the ground behind each of the abutments counterbalanced the cantilevered arch segments until they could be joined in the middle. At that point, the structure became self-supporting, and construction of the roadway underneath the arch could commence.

Typical of the Aussie love for tongue-in-cheek nicknames, the bridge is more commonly know as "The coat hanger".

Sydney Harbour Bridge circa Mid-1920s

Sydney Harbour Bridge

We continued further into the harbor while the views kept getting better. Here I am with the Sydney skyline behind me.

Sydney and Me

I liked this view of the buildings in the Central Business District with the early morning sun reflecting off one of the skyscrapers.

Sydney Central Business District

This is the ANZAC bridge. The name comes from an acronym for the Australia New Zealand Army Corps, designers of the bridge. Most people here simply refer to it as "Madonna's Bra". 😉

The ANZAC Bridge

White Bay Cruise Terminal

We soon docked at the newly-opened White Bay Cruise Terminal. It's a modern facility built on the re-purposed steel framework of what once was the first automated container handling systems in Australia. A nice feature was this "air bridge" connecting the cruise ship with the terminal building. It was very similar to an airport boarding gate.

Cruise Terminal Air Bridge

Here's a shot of our ship, the Viking Sky, docked at the White Bay terminal.

Viking Sky at White Bay Cruise Terminal

Going Walkabout

After we docked, we all had to pass through Australian immigration for face-to-face interviews and wouldn't be allowed back on the ship until everyone on board had processed. So, I had some time to kill between then and my first scheduled tour which was just after lunch. I calculated that I had just enough time to take the ship's shuttle into downtown Sydney, walk about 1.5 miles to the Sydney Opera House, then return to ride the shuttle back to the port and connect with my next tour, a scenic cruise around the Sydney Harbour.

My Apple watch seemed pleased with the spirited hike and gave me full credit for both exercise and movement rings! Here I am outside the opera house in a "two-fer" selfie with the opera house and the adjacent harbor bridge in the background.

Hanging Out at the Opera House

Here's a panorama I took of the opera house. It's at the tip of Bennelong Point and has a commanding presence over the harbor.

Bennelong Point Panorama

Sydney is built on massive sandstone deposits, so there's a ready supply of it. Many of the original buildings were made of sandstone, using convict labor both for the mining and construction. Many old sandstone buildings have been preserved and restored in downtown Sydney and coexist with the newer high rises. Here's an example.

Sandstone Building, Downtown Sydney

Speaking of high rises, here's the tallest in Sydney. It's the Crown Towers hotel and casino, and is very ritzy.

Crown Tower Hotel and Casino

Harbour Bridge Climb

Earlier I told you about the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It stands 440 feet above the water and spans almost 3,800 feet. If you're particularly adventurous, you can climb the bridge to its peak. Several folks on our cruise chose to do that as one of their excursions.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Here you can see a group of climbers at the base of the arch after descending from the peak.

Bridge Climbers

If you decide to make the climb, you have to wear a jumpsuit, you can have nothing loose on you (no cameras or cellphones), no jewelry, and nothing in your pockets. You can't even chew gum! They don't want to risk having anything fall on the cars crossing the bridge far below. You also have to be ready to face about five ladders and over 1,300 steps to get to the apex. Of course, you have to traverse all of that on the way down, too.

I'm especially proud of one person from our ship who made the climb, a fellow solo traveler named Kathleen. She has very low vision - blind in one eye and severely impaired in the other, and walks with a white-tipped cane. Nothing stops her - she has an independent and adventurous spirit, and lives life to the fullest. Here's a picture of her atop the bridge after making the climb on 6 Feb 2026. She's an inspiration to us all.

Kathleen at the Summit

Harbour Tour

After I got back from my walk to the Opera House, I took a two-hour leisurely cruise around Sydney Harbor. It was a sightseeing tour and we had some very nice views of the surrounds. Here's one picture I took of the Opera House that I thought really captures the unique architecture of the building

Sydney Opera House

There were many nice views of the skyline around the harbor. I'll bet the waterfront and harbor view condos go for a pretty penny.

Skyline as seen on Harbour Cruise

This Australian naval vessel was docked just outside the Harbour Bridge. It's a helicopter and amphibious landing craft carrier and was quite large. It appeared to be undergoing maintenance, and there were several other smaller naval vessels moored nearby.

Interesting Sights

After returning from the harbor cruise, I showered and changed, then went to a Baroque music concert. More about the concert in a minute, but first, check out these curiosities I saw along the way. 

Big Brother is Watching

Speed cameras and red light cameras have become common in the states, and they have them here as well. But the Aussies take it a step further - See below! I wonder if it makes a difference? I didn't see very many people texting and driving, so maybe it works.

If I say "Hungry Jack's" what do you think of? Here's what I visualize:

Not in Oz. I saw this Hungry Jack's fast food restaurant that looked an awful lot like a Burger King, even down to a "Home of the Whopper" sign in the window. 

I guess Burger King is rebranded here, or else Hungry Jack doesn't give two hoots about copyright infringement!

No Pancakes Here, Mate!

I think this is a great name for a coffee shop. Reminds me of one I saw in Korea one time called "Jesus Coffee". Not sure if drinking it was a religious experience, or it it made you spit it out and go, "Jesus! What is this?"

Clever Name for Coffee

Australian Brandenburg Orchestra

After a short bus ride we arrived at Verbrugghen Hall, part of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where we were treated to a 45-minute concert by members of the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra. The orchestra specializes in baroque and earlier music and plays exclusively on period instruments. This concert featured the concertmaster and principals from each section of the orchestra.

They played selections by Mozart, Handel, Monn, and Quantz. I thought I was pretty familiar with baroque composers, because it's my favorite classical music period. But I'd never heard of either Georg Matthias Monn or Johann Quantz. I was pleasantly surprised by both. I took a brief video of the orchestra's performance of the Allegro (first movement) from the Concerto for Flute in G major, by Johann Quantz, QV 5:174. The soloist is Melissa Farrow. Click here to give it a listen.

I was pleased to learn that Viking is a primary sponsor of this orchestra.

Australian Brandenburg Orchestra

After returning to the ship, I went to dinner with some solo friends. Afterwards, I snapped this picture of the Sydney skyline at night. It was stunning.

Sydney at Night

Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park

On Friday 6 Feb 2026, I joined a morning excursion to the Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park. It is home to over 2,000 Australian native animals, including more than 60 threatened native species. They work very hard to promote awareness of and passionately protect these species for future generations.

We had a little over two hours to wander around the park and visit (and in some cases, interact with) the animals. There were all sorts of feathered and furry (or scaly) things there. They had wallabies and kangaroos of all sizes, as well as koalas, dingoes, wombats, and even Tasmanian Devils. Here are a few examples of what I saw.

Curious Wallaby

The Three Amigos

Pacific Black Duck

Koalas tend to sleep a lot! About all they do is eat eucalyptus leaves and sleep (and look adorably cute).

Typical Koala Pose

Wallabies are every bit as soft as they look. These were very tame and gentle, and loved being hand fed. They were running around free throughout the park.

Friendly Wallaby

Great Egret

It's always fun to watch kids interacting with animals, and this park was full of both! This little guy was enthralled by seeing Little Penguins (yes, that's what they're called). I think these must have been the inspiration for the movie Happy Feet.

Little Penguins

Not all of the creatures were cute and fuzzy though! There were many reptiles present too.

Sand Monitor

Lace Monitor

If you've ever watched Saturday cartoons, you're familiar with Taz, the Tasmanian Devil. The cartoon character zipped around wildly, and this guy lived up to the image. He would come up to the fence and look curiously at us, then take a quick lap or two around the enclosure before pausing to check us out some more. Here's a video of him racing around.

Tasmanian Devil

Emus

Eastern Long-necked Turtle

Frilled Neck Lizard

Tropical Girdled Lizards (Dwarf Sungazers)

Perentie

Black Breasted Buzzard

A Happy Little Penguin

Here's one I never heard of. It's an echidna, a mammal that lays eggs. It's fur is very spiky, similar to the quills on a porcupine. When threatened, it burrows head first into the ground with just its spiny hindquarters sticking out.

Echidna

The Rocks

After returning from the wildlife park, a solo friend and I explored "The Rocks", an old section of downtown, on foot. We had some lunch (and a beer, of course), then just walked randomly. We came upon this especially beautiful Catholic church which was more than 200 years old.

Catholic Church

This sandstone building by the wharf caught my eye, but notice the giant cruise ship in the background!

Sandstone Building

The ship was the "Anthem of the Sea", a gigantic Royal Caribbean vessel that carries more than 4,000 passengers and 1,500 crew. It makes everything nearby look absolutely puny. I'll stick with the Viking Sky, thank you very much!

Anthem of the Sea

Anglican Church

This building, the Lord Nelson Hotel, is reportedly the oldest hotel in Sydney.

The Lord Nelson Hotel

Finally, one last tribute to Aussie humor. This communications tower, which also features an observation deck and two rotating restaurants, is known as the "KFC Bucket".

KFC Bucket Tower

Another Extraordinary Sunset

Back aboard the ship, it was time for a shower, then a scenic departure through Sydney Harbour. We had dinner, and then watched a truly magnificent sunset from the stern of the ship as begin a two-day sail to Mooloolaba (moo-LOO-lah-bah), our next port.

I took countless pictures of the sunset and culled out these as the best. But I can't pick a favorite - the view changed every 30 seconds! I'll let you decide which you like.

I thought this one looked somewhat apocalyptic, with the Sydney skyline silhouetted beneath the fiery-looking clouds. 

The End of Another Perfect Day

Macallan 12 in the Explorers' Lounge

Long post today, sorry, but a lot happened in the last couple of days!

Tomorrow's a sea day, so I'll be able to do a bit of catching up.

Until next time,
Jim