| North
Shore |
| The
North Shore, where Sydney's "old money" is mainly found,
is generally more affluent than the South. Neutral Bay and Mosman
in particular have some stunning waterfront real estate, priced to match;
upmarket Military Road, running from Neutral Bay to Mosman, is
something of a gourmet strip with a string of excellent, albeit expensive,
restaurants, and a number of tempting patisseries and well-stocked
delis. |
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| Around
the water, it's surprising just how much harbourside bushland remains
intact here: "leafy" just doesn't do it justice. A ride on any
ferry lets you gaze at beaches, bush, yachts and swish harbourfront houses
and is one of the chief joys of this area - even if the people who live
"on the other side of the bridge" and use the ferry to commute
are so inured to the glorious views they keep their eyes firmly glued to
their newspapers. Many North Shore office staff don't even need to get to
the other side to go to work: North Sydney itself, just across the
bridge, is quite a corporate high-rise centre. At Crows Nest, just
north of North Sydney along the Pacific Highway, there's a heavy
concentration of restaurants in a very small area.
Bradleys Head to Chowder Bay
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| Beyond
Taronga Zoo, at the termination of Bradleys Head Road, Bradleys Head, at
the point of a finger extending into the harbour, is marked by an enormous
mast that towers over the rocky point. The mast once belonged to HMS
Sydney, a World War I battleship which sank a German sea-raider, long
since gone to the wrecker's yard. It's a peaceful spot with a dinky
lighthouse and, of course, a fabulous view back over the south shore. A
colony of ringtailed possums nests here, and boisterous flocks of rainbow
lorikeets visit. The headland comprises another large chunk of Sydney
Harbour National Park and you can walk to Bradleys Head via the
four-kilometre Ashton Park walking track which starts near the
Taronga Zoo ferry wharf, and continues beyond the headland to Taylors Bay
and Chowder Head, finishing at Clifton Gardens, where there's a
jetty and sea baths on Chowder Bay. A bus will take you back to the city
centre from here. A now defunct military reserve separates Chowder Bay
from another chunk of Sydney Harbour National Park on Middle Head.
Cremorne
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| Bush-covered
Cremorne Point, which juts into the harbour here, is also worth a
jaunt. Catch the ferry from Circular Quay and you'll find a quaint open
access sea pool to swim in by the wharf; from here, you can walk right
around the point to Mosman Bay (just under 2km), or in the other
direction, past the pool, there's a very pretty walk along Shell Cove
(1km).
Kirribilli and Neutral Bay
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| Just
east of the Harbour Bridge and immediately opposite the Opera House, Kirribilli
on Kirribilli Bay is a mainly residential area, although it hosts a great
antique and bric-a-brac market on the last Saturday of the month in
Bradfield Park. On Kirribilli Point, the current Prime Minister, native
Sydneysider John Howard, lives in an official residence, Kirribilli
House rather than Canberra. Admiralty House, next door, is the Sydney
home of the largely decorative Governor General; it's where the British
Royal Family stay when they're in town.
Mosman Bay
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| Mosman
Bay's seclusion was first recognized as a virtue during its early days
as a whaling station, since it kept the stench of rotting whale flesh from
Sydney Cove. Now the seclusion correlates with wealth. The ferry ride into
the narrow, yacht-filled bay is a choice one - get off at Mosman Wharf,
not Mosman South - and fittingly finished off with a beer at the
unpretentious Mosman Rowers' Club (visitors welcome).
Taronga Zoo
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| Daily
9am-5pm; $16, child $8.50, family $41: $21 Zoo Pass including return
ferry, bus and entry, child pass $10.50. Australian wildlife tours
10.10am, 11.10am & 1.10pm; no booking required. Ferry to Taronga Zoo
(Athol) Wharf.
What Mosman is most famous for is Taronga
Zoological Park on Bradleys Head Road, with its superb hilltop
position overlooking the city. The zoo houses bounding Australian
marsupials, native birds (including kookaburras, galahs and cockatoos),
and sea lions and seals from the sub-Antarctic region. You'll also find
all the usual exotic beasts from around the world, including a pair of
rare snow leopards as well as domestic animals in the form of a farmyard
nursery for the little ones. The most scenic form of transport to the zoo,
and the best way of reaching it, is the ferry from Circular Quay to the
Taronga Zoo Wharf. Though there's a lower entrance near the wharf on Athol
Road, it's best to start your zoo visit from the upper entrance so you can
wind your way downhill and exit for the ferry: State Transit buses meet
the ferries for the trip uphill. When the cable car is repaired you will
be able to take it from the base to the top of the zoo for a few extra
dollars on top of your entry fee. |
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