First timers Sydney tour – Barbara, Petra + Raj 29.12.24

The first timers Sydney tour was for a few of the staff off the cruise boat, AidaSol. They had never been to Sydney before and had an afternoon off, so chose us to take them on a 3 hour tour around Sydney. We organised 1 trike and 1 Harley to show them the iconic sights. Our motorbikes picked them up from White Bay Cruise Terminal in Balmain.

White Bay

In the 1960s, White Bay became the first port in New South Wales to handle containerised shipping. The site was home to the world’s first regular international containerised shipping service. It is is named after John White, the naval surgeon aboard the First Fleet to Australia in 1788. The White Bay Cruise Terminal only opened in April 2013.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Firstly, they rode over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We always tell our passengers to look up and enjoy the unique view. he more than 6,000,000 rivets are so interesting and the arch is so iconic. It’s nicknamed ‘The Coathanger’ because of its arch-based design. It is the largest steel arch bridge in the world. This bridge is the eighth longest spanning-arch bridge in the world and the tallest steel arch bridge, measuring 134 m (440 ft) from top to water level. It was also the world’s widest long-span bridge, at 48.8 m (160 ft) wide, until a bridge in Canada was completed in 2012.

Blues Point Reserve / McMahons Point

Secondly, they rode on through Milsons Point, did a left hand turn and rode up a few streets. This lead to Blues Point Reserve. The views over Blues Bay towards the Sydney Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and the CBD are just stunning. All the more stunning because of the lovely weather. Another perfect place for photos.

Kirribilli

Continuing on, they rode past Kirribilli House. Kirribilli House is the secondary official residence of the Prime Minister of Australia. Further on is Admiralty House. It is the Sydney residence of the Governor-General and one of the most historic and important residences on Sydney Harbour. The house – originally called ‘Wotonga’ – was built in the mid 1800’s.

After that, they rode around the corner to Jeffrey Street Wharf. From here, the views across Sydney Harbour towards the Sydney Opera House and the CBD are magnificent. In addition, it also has an up-close view of the side and underneath of the bridge. A perfect place to stop for photos. What a great view of the Sydney Opera House!

The Kirribilli Loop

Then, they rode under the north side of the bridge and continued on their tour. The underside of the northern end of the SHB – Sydney Harbour Bridge – is very interesting. The Kirribilli Loop was finished by riding past Luna Park and the North Sydney Olympic Pool. Then it was back over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Already, the first timers Sydney tour was a fun and informative experience.

Circular Quay

Firstly, they rode through Circular Quay. Often referred to as the “gateway to Sydney”, the precinct has views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House and is a common location for viewing Sydney New Year’s Eve fireworks. It hosts a number of ferry wharves, bus stops, and a railway station.

Opera House

This brought them to the iconic Sydney Opera House. We can’t ride close but you can see it from a different angle to the usual. The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre. Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, but completed by an Australian architectural team headed by Peter Hall, the building was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 20 October 1973.

Macquarie Street

This street, is the location of the main governmental institutions of NSW: Parliament House, Government House, and the Law Courts Building (which houses the Supreme Court of New South Wales). There is so much history behind Macquarie St. and the buildings that front it.

In the years since its founding in 1788, Sydney had developed organically, and by the early 1800s was lacking in major public buildings, and had a complex network of narrow streets. The supply of drinking water and waste management was also becoming an issue. Governor Macquarie initiated the construction of Sydney’s first public buildings of any real permanence and set the boundaries of Sydney’s grid of streets, laying out the street in 1810.

St Mary’s Cathedral

Next, they rode through the city and past St Mary’s Cathedral which is very impressive, even when riding past. It’s a Gothic Revival architectural building which opened in 1928. It took from 1866 to 1928 to build and has a height of 75m.

Domain

Next door, is the Domain. The Domain is a heritage-listed 34-hectare (84-acre) area of open space located on the eastern fringe of the Sydney CBD. There is so much to show on our first timers Sydney tour!

Woolloomooloo, Harry’s and Garden Island

The inner eastern suburb of Woolloomoolloo has the famous Harry Cafe De Wheels. Harry’s Café de Wheels has been serving customers for over 80 years. They make delicious pies, hotdogs and more. Lots of interesting photos are on the walls, mostly of famous celebrities who have visited over the years.

They stopped here for a bite to eat and loved the pies and hotdogs. It’s where this photo was taken. Then they rode past Garden Island and up the hill through Potts Point.

Kings Cross

Further on, they rode through the infamous Kings Cross, though it has calmed down a lot since it’s heyday – home of the famous and huge Coca Cola sign. Kings Cross is also home to nightclubs and ladies of the night though it is not nearly as raunchy as it was in the 1970s (apparently).

Eastern suburbs

Heading east through the posh suburbs of the eastern suburbs of Sydney, including the Bays: Rose Bay, Double Bay and Rushcutters Bay. So far, the tour Sydney on a trike experience has been fun for the passengers who have seen so many beautiful places.

Bondi Beach

Next, they drove past the world famous Bondi Beach. This is the beach where Bondi Lifeguards of the Bondi Rescue TV series is filmed. When in Sydney it is one of the places you should visit. The beach is seriously nice (but not our favourite) and often we stop near the lifeguard station, made famous by the TV series “Bondi Rescue”. Bondi Beach is one of the most visited tourist sites in Australia. Bondi Beach is recorded by the Australian Museum that Bondi means place where a fight using boondi sticks (nullas nullas or fighting sticks) took place.

However, they wanted to look around Sydney a bit more and buy some souvenirs so we suggested that we drop them off at the roadway adjacent to Wharf No. 2 at Circular Quay and they were more than happy with this. In conclusion, the first timers Sydney tour passengers had an amazing day – they wrote this in an email to us.

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