Australian journey

Australia, inhabited by aboriginal people for more than 40.000 years, is the most ancient continent of the world. It was colonized by the British 2 centuries ago, in 1788, and since then, from colonial outpost has become a nation with about 20 milion inhabitants. The thing that struck me is find a landscape so old and desolate and a great energy and vitality of the inhabitants.

My journey begins from Sydney and in a row I explain the sposts.

HARBOUR BRIDGE. It’s always been popular, partly because of its sheer size and symmetry, partly because of its function in uniting the city and partly because it kept a lot of people in work during the Depression in the 1920s.

The bridge, links the southern and northern shores joining central of Sydney.

THE ROCKS, the site of Sydney’s first European settlement, now a modern shipping and storage facilities; cobbled streets, fine colonial buildings, kitsch tea rooms and a gaillion tourist shops selling stuffed koalas.

OPERA HOUSE the SIDNEY’S ICON.

Construction started in 1959 and the Opera House was officially opened in 1973.

The Danish born UTZON’s design is said to have been inspired by everything from palm fronds, orange segments, shells and sails to Maya Temple, and has been compared to the rare sight of white turtles engaging in sexual congress. The Opera House has five Auditoriums vhere dance, theatre, concerts and opera are staged.

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN has a magnificent collection of South Paific plant life , an old-fashioned rose garden, an arid garden featuring cacti and succulents, and a dark, dingy bat colony.

In the dip between the Cross and the City is WOOLOOMOOLOO BAY, one of Sydney’s oldest areas and a interesting place to stroll around.

GEORGE STREET australian arterial street that begun important after the Golden rush; now full of shops and banks.

QUEEN VICTORIA BUILDING occupies en entire city block. Tourist visit the 1890s Romanesque-style emporium for its stained-glass windowa, mosaic-tiled floors and grand central Dome.

STRAND ARCADE, Stained-glass windows, iron lacework balconies and vaulted glass ceiling form che backdrop for three floors of boutique shops.

MARTIN PLACE rich in monumenta lfinancial intsitutions, plenty of public seating, a cenotaph commemorating Australia’s war dead and a amphitheatre where lunchtime entertainnment is sometime staged.

DARLING HARBOUR built to commemorate Australia’s bicentenary in 1988, the garden pavilions, waterfalls, inter-connected lakes and winding paths.

FISH MARKET, chefs, locals and overfed seagulls haggle over still-moving mud crabs, Balmain bugs and lobsters at Sydney’s premier fish market. Located by Blackwattle Bay, this is a busy piscatoria precinct, with retailers, restaurants, seefood school and early morning auctions.

CHINATOWN, a dense concentration of restaurants and natural shops with chinese tradional remedy in and around Dixon street.

It’s just the place to snup up a flah mobile phone-cum – MP3 player, the latest Hong Kong action DVD, your fave Canto-Pop CD and a whole, juicy barbecue duck.

Chinatown also encompasses PADDY’S MARKETS, a Sydney insitution that offers the usual market fare at rock-bottom prices.

THE CHINESE GARDE OF FRIENDSHIP, near Liverpool Sttreet and Darling Harbour, is a peaceful spot to relax.

BONDY BEACH, COOGEE, MANLY are the closest beach to the City. BONDAY BECH, Australia’s most famous slice of sand and surf, lures sunlovers from around the world.