Art Barton Park

After a goodnight’s rest, we were up early. Not because of jet lag, mind you. But simply because we are early birds. In fact, considering the time change we put our bodies through to get to Sydney, we’re doing pretty darn good in the jet lag department.

The plan was to take it easy today. To that end, we took the advice of a friend who used to live in Sydney and hopped on a ferry to cross Sydney Harbor to Milsons Point. On the agenda was a stroll along Lavender Bay and a visit to … well, that part will be in the next footprint.

The ride across from Circular Quay was a short one … five minutes , if that. Turns out that the Milsons Point Wharf is where the Luna Park is located. There sure were some crazy rides that had riders screaming their heads off … only to turn around and go back for seconds! No thanks … not our cup of tea.

Lavender Bay is a suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney. Known as Gooweebahree in the Dharug language of the Aboriginal people, Lavender Bay was named after the bosun of the Phoenix, a prison hulk that was moored in these waters for many years.

We followed the shoreline path, enjoying the lovely skyline views that included the Opera House in the distance … the Coathanger, as the Sydney Harbor Bridge is fondly called, dominating the foreground views. We stopped frequently for photo ops during our relatively solitary stroll as there weren’t many people out and about in the mid-morning hours.Read more