  |
||||||
|
|
Sydney Harbour FerriesBest Way to Explore Sydney, The World's Greatest City
Sydney is probably the most beautiful city in the world. Set on Sydney Harbour, ferries offer the best way of exploring Australia's largest city cheaply and comfortably.
This is an important question both for business people visiting Australia’s major commercial centre, and for the tourists hoping to see iconic landmarks such as the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. It’s also an issue for the many students who study at Sydney’s excellent universities. The best answer is to use Sydney’s ferry service which utilise the magnificent harbour to move people around the city. Central Quay - Your Starting Point for SydneySydney ferries are a successful public service which have been running for over 135 years, and provide a relaxing way of getting around this great city while giving passengers incredible views. They run on a very regular basis and are popular both with residents and vistors. The starting point for the ferries is Central Quay right in the Sydney’s city centre. There is a railway and a bus station next to it for easy transfer to other public transport and Quay is situated directly between the world-famous Sydney Harbour Bridge and the equally world-famous Sydney Opera House. The Sydney Ferry RoutesThere are eight ferry routes in Sydney. Only one goes outside the city boundaries and this takes passengers up the increasingly narrowing Parramatta River which flows in the harbour. This is the longest Sydney ferry route and visitors may find it convenient to take the ferry to Parramatta, walk through the city and catch the train back into Sydney. Only three ferry routes take passengers under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Parramatta ferry and the Darling Harbour and Woolwich ferries. The Darling Harbour route is short and offers a quick way of getting to the restaurants and attractions of Darling Harbour. It goes via Milson’s Point (for Luna Park, Sydney’s longstanding funfair), McMahon’s Point, Balmain, Balmain East and Pyrmont Bay. The Woolwich Ferry follows the Darling Harbour route as far as Balmain and then heads for Balmain West, Birkenhead, Greenwich Point and, ultimately, Woolwich. Sydney has a multitude of beaches. Some are in the harbour itself, others are on the Pacific coast and offer the surf that we all associated with Sydney. The Manly Ferry takes you to Manly Wharf with Manly Beach only a 200-yard walk away down The Corso. This ferry ride takes about 30 minutes and is particularly popular on Sundays when extra ferries run as Sydney residents make their regular pilgrimages to the city’s magnificent beaches. For those wanting to see the gap where Sydney Harbour meets the Pacific (and enjoy the walk past Sydney’s only nudist beach that this entails), the ferry to Watson’s Bay (via Garden Island, Darling Point, Double Bay and Rose Bay offers a great way to do it. The residential areas of North Sydney are very well served by ferries. There are regular services to Neutral Bay (via Kirribilli and North Sydney), Mosman (via Cremorne Point, South Mosman and Old Cremorne) and, on Sundays only, Taronga Zoo. Relax and See Sydney the Best Way - by FerryTravelling on Sydney’s ferries is relaxing and, on a hot day, very refreshing as the breeze and occasional spot of spray break through the heat of an Australian summer. Sydney ferries are also cheap. The best way to use them is to get a pass giving access to all of Sydney’s public transport. A week’s ‘Green Pass’, for example will cost $A43 a week (about $US 40 or £20) and will give unlimited access to Sydney’s ferry service, Sydney buses and the trains operating in the city. Further information on Sydney ferries can be found here, but rest assured that the ferries are the best was to see Syndey.
The copyright of the article Sydney Harbour Ferries in Australia Travel is owned by Alistair McCulloch. Permission to republish Sydney Harbour Ferries in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
|
|||||
|
|
||||||
