19 February 2013 - Sydney Tourist Park, Miranda, NSW

I sat up late last night dabbling in my genealogy, delighted to find a like minded acquaintance of mine in Germany had been delving further into families of his particular region of that country. It is official; I am without doubt one quarter German. Interestingly this side of the family spent much energy over many decades suggesting we were of Dutch origin. Such was the desire to embrace our Germanic origins.

Although it rained yet again through the night, the sun was shining when we ventured out. Perhaps today was to be the last full day in which we were absolutely not going to be called to deal with the vehicle saga? Soon after 9 am we were on the train into the city, switched at Town Hall and emerged at Circular Quay. Another huge cruise ship was docked at the terminal and the tourist numbers were boosted accordingly.

We did not have to wait long before catching the ferry to Watson’s Bay, a place we had been before, when we had instead caught the train to Bondi Junction, walked through to Bondi Beach then caught a bus through to The Gap, high above Watson’s Bay. Today we knew exactly where we were heading; along the walking track past H.M.A.S. Watson Naval Base, through to the Sydney Harbour National Park. The track passes above the charming Lady Bay where nudity is welcome, a fact clearly spelled out on an official sign. From the lookout platforms above the beach, instead of looking out for turtles and dugongs, one can spot middle aged gay men lounging about in the sun or wading about in hip high water. Most are bronzed and toasted ready for the cancer clinics. We could not avoid the sight of metal glistening in the sun; a sunseeker with hardware threaded through bits that need not be named here in this post. All too much; we hastened away to instead enjoy the birds in the bushes and the exquisite views out across the entrance to the harbour and across to the suburbs spread across the northern shores.

The lighthouse at South Head

Here at South Head there is a memorial to the Dunbar,which went down in 1853 with all crew and passengers. A lighthouse was soon constructed and still operates today, the second oldest remaining harbour light in New South Wales. It is a delightful spot and we shared this pleasure with many others who had chosen to take advantage of the weather as we had.

We made our way back toward  Watson’s Bay, this time following the coastline to Camp Cove, today a popular place for swimmers and sunbathers who chose not to visit Lady Bay. It was here at Camp Cove that Captain Phillips landed first in Sydney Harbour in 1788 and there is a memorial to mark the event. It really is a delightful spot and we enjoyed making our way barefooted along the golden sands.

Back at Watson’s Bay, the famous Doyles restaurant was quickly filling and did look very tempting, the tables set and glasses placed just so, ready to be filled. However we had our sandwiches and apples in the backpack and were happy to find a shady spot under the wonderful fig trees in the park adjacent to the wharf.

We caught the next ferry and headed across the harbour toward the city. As we pulled into Garden Island, we decided, on impulse, to jump ship and see what there was to see.

Views back to the city from Garden Island

Garden Island is the site of the Fleet Base East of the Royal Australian Navy and much of the area is fenced off from the public. It was originally an island, but extension of the base and the construction of the dry dock in the channel between the island and the mainland have resulted in its connection to the mainland shore at Potts Point from the 1940s, which in turn is just down the road from Kings Cross.

Aside from lovely parklike grounds over the hill and up to the Signal Building, from where one has superb views over the harbour, particularly back to the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, the public is welcome, in fact encouraged, to visit the RAN Heritage Centre, ostensibly a Navy museum. The centre was opened in 2005 in two renovated National Estate listed buildings, the Gun Mounting Workshop and the Boastshed, constructed in 1922 and 1890 respectively. The exhibits are well presented however I have to admit that the museum did not really grab me. We felt that the $5 entry charge was too much, however had we been passionate about naval memorabilia and history, perhaps we would have felt very differently.

We did not have to wait very long for another ferry back to Circular Quay where we caught trains back to Town Hall and so back to Miranda. We had so enjoyed our day’s expedition and exploration of new sights, genital jewellery not withstanding. Needless to say, there have been no calls from Maurie the Mechanic or the warranty company. We will get back on their case tomorrow.