Sydney: Chinese Friendship Garden

Our third — and final day — in Sydney turned out not to be quite so lazy ☺️

Rain showers were in the forecast, but nothing was falling from the sky. In fact, there were patches of blue and the clouds were blowing away from us. A good omen, we thought to ourselves.

We breakfasted on the enclosed balcony, finished packing for our move to the airport hotel, locked up the bags, delivered them to the concierge for safekeeping, walked out of the lobby. And into a light rain. Ooops! Back to the concierge to borrow an umbrella.

Our destination was the Chinese Friendship Garden. Just a short walk away in Darling Harbour. We arrived a few minutes before the garden opened at 10:00a … which it did right on the dot!

The garden, which opened in 1988, is a symbol of friendship between the people of sister city Guangzhou in Guangdong Province and Sydney in NSW. One enters through the Hall of Clear Shade into the Courtyard of Welcoming Fragrance. The path then winds through the grounds to various pavilions and places like the lake, the mountain, the waterfall, and the bamboo forest. Designed by Chinese landscape architects and gardeners, the governing principles are Taoist — Yin-Yang and the five opposing elements … earth, fire, water, metal, and wood. Feng Shui also plays an important role in the garden, which encourages the flow of Qi (chi).

Once we were inside the garden, we spent quite a bit of time at the first water feature we encountered … the Lake of Brightness. This is the main lake … fed by a waterfall and cascades. The sign described it as “… dark and infinite … the ‘eye’ of the garden” … koi carp adding color.

The landscaping around the lake includes limestone rocks that contain fossils … brought here from beyond the Great Divide that runs west of Sydney. A sign nearby described the rocks as “… fluted and sculptured shapes typical of those traditionally used in Chinese Gardens, but not only are they the correct type of rock, many of them have been chosen to represent animals and figures to give life and to rekindle traditions, such as the dragon in the lake protecting the mountain.”

The light rain had stopped by the time we began our meander. Before long, however, a drizzle started to wet the paths. And then, a steady rain started to fall … definitely more than the light showers that were in the forecast. Nonetheless, we persevered.

Walking through the Rock Forest, we made our way up to the Clear View Pavilion … considered the jewel of the garden … both inside and out. The ceiling was quite impressive … the vantage point at the top of the “mountain” afforded expansive views of the grounds.

As we made our way down the mountain, we saw several eastern water dragons. Some were so well camouflaged that we were upon them before we knew it. Some I didn’t even see until I looked at my photographs later. Most scampered away … into the bushes, up trees, or into the water. A few endured the photo ops thrust upon them. One in particular proudly displayed the red chest that identified him as a male.

By the time we finished our stroll, it was 11:30a. The rain was coming down in earnest. Time to head over to the tea house for lunch … and get out of the wet.

At that early hour, the tea house was all but empty. We found a table with a view of the pond and the Dragon Wall. It was a bit breezy and chilly at times, but we enjoyed a nice meal nonetheless … crispy pork wontons; pork pot stickers; and stir fried noodles with chicken. Dessert was a cinnamon mochi “donut” served with a scoop of ice cream. Delicious. A pot of jasmine tea served to warm us up and accompanied our food.

Our meal over, we took advantage of a short break in the downpour to hurry back to the Meriton Suites.Læs mere