Day 63, Sydney Australia, Walkabout Park

Day 63,  Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

March 7^th

Our cabin overlooks the pilot ladder.  Before every port, I usually hear a powerboat engine close by early in the morning.  More often than not, when I step out onto our verandah, I will spot the Pilot Boat running alongside, getting ready to embark the Harbor Pilot.  Today was no exception, and I was able to get this picture of the Sydney Harbor Pilot scrambling up the rope ladder and into the ship. 

It was overcast this morning, and a little dreary, so not the best light for taking pictures.  The open decks were full of people but not so crowded you couldn’t wedge along the railing with a bit of effort.  “Opera Rolls,” aka Panama Canal Rolls, were served on some open decks, the Atrium, and the Crow’s Nest.  Here is a LINK to the Opera Roll recipe. 

EXC Guide Glenn-Michael provided commentary about Sydney Harbour and various sights.  We continued into the Harbour and made our way under the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  Once we passed under the bridge, local noise ordinances prohibited using the ship’s outside speakers, and Glenn ended his commentary. 

We moored at the White Bay Cruise Terminal, which is not as convenient as The Rocks.  A shuttle bus, taxi, or Uber is required to reach the city. 

Our plan for today is to rent a car and drive to the northern suburbs to visit a couple of yarn shops and then head north for about 1 hour to the Australian Wildlife Walkabout Park. 

The car rental location for Avis is located in the Sydney Harbour Marriot, near The Rocks.  We decided to get a room at the Marriot for the night, so we could enjoy high-speed internet to get our phones and computers backed up and updated.  We would also avoid having to deal with the shuttle bus and the poor location of the ship. 

As this was our first port in Australia, we had to clear Australian Customs and Immigration, which requires a “Zero Check.”  This means that everyone has to be seen face to face.  No one can return to the ship until everyone has cleared immigration. 

A few days before we arrived, we all received a letter with a number, which was our “tender ticket” to determine the order to be called down to Immigration. 

Once we left the ship, we would not be allowed back until everyone was cleared.  This would require waiting about an hour while we wait for the rest of the passengers to be cleared.  Because of this, they advised folks who didn’t plan to go into town immediately to wait until the “final call” announcement to minimize the time spent waiting to be cleared back on the ship. 

They started calling people down for their Immigration checks at 8:40 AM.  We were in Group 10, which was called at 9:20.  If Sydney is your first Australian port, give yourself some extra time to get ashore on the first day.  Don’t plan for a private tour or other activity, assuming you will be able to get off the ship as quickly as you might otherwise. 

Clearing Immigration took seconds, and we were on our way.     

NOTE:  Since we were pulling our small suitcases, a few people thought we were leaving the ship or leaving the country.  Be prepared for additional questions if you are pulling luggage while leaving. 

Uber is readily available in Sydney, and a car arrived in about 8 minutes.  There were taxis available and waiting, but I prefer Uber as credit cards are the default payment method.  Additionally, your destination is programmed when you order the car eliminating any language barrier or confusion as to your destination.  

We rented the car from AVIS, and they have a booth right outside the hotel entrance.  Renting a car here was no different than renting one in the USA.  A quick check of your driver’s license, and you are on your way.  I have rented cars worldwide, and I used to get an International Driver’s License.  I quit getting them as I have never been asked to produce one.  I guess there may always be a first time.  Please leave me a comment if you ever needed an International Driver’s License. 

Our rental car had the Apple CarPlay app to link my phone to the vehicle to provide GPS navigation. 

I am used to driving in big cities with a lot of traffic, and I found Sydney easy to navigate around.  The streets are wide, well-marked, and the other drivers are courteous, predictable, and follow traffic laws and speed limits.  If you would be comfortable driving around any large US city, Sydney won’t be a problem. 

After navigating thru downtown Sydney, we crossed over the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  Continuing north, we headed to Signatur Handknits, a Knitting Studio operated by designer Jane Slicer Smith in Killarney Heights.  You can find more information about Signatur Handknits HERE. 

This was a Saturday morning, and while traffic was heavy, it wasn’t anything close to being jammed.  We moved at the speed limit on our entire journey, only stopping for traffic signals. 

We quickly learned that Sydney has many cameras used to enforce traffic laws.  They have speed cameras, red-light cameras, and new on the scene, cell phone cameras. 

Jane Slicer Smith works out her home studio and maintains a modest supply of yarns to support her original designs.  She opens her studio to visitors by appointment only.  Contact her thru her website if you want to visit. 

We spent about 45 minutes visiting, and Judy bought a kit for her ‘Wave Length Scarf’ in shades of blue. 

Our next stop was Jeannie Love Yarns, https://www.jeannielove.com.au/, a local yarn shop in Middle Cove, about 5 miles north of Sydney.  The shop is part of a small strip mall in a residential neighborhood. 

The shop had an excellent selection of yarns from Zealana, Katia, Cowgirl Blues, Concept, Indecita, Sesia, and Malabrigo.  Judy bought patterns for a lacy scarf and a top and yarn to knit them by Katia. 

With our yarn shopping over for the day, we stopped by an ATM to pick up some Australian cash, especially since we will visit seven more Australian ports.  The Bank ATM’s exchange rate was excellent, almost the same as the published bank rate. 

After leaving the ATM, we continued north to The Australian Wildlife and Walkabout Park, arriving about 1 hour later, around 4 PM.  The park closed at 5 PM, so we didn’t have much time.  HERE is a link to a park map. 

We prebooked 2 “speed dates,” which is where we had a 10-minute one-on-one encounter with one of the animals and a Park Ranger.  ($45)  We chose a Koala and the Dingo. 

The park was not very crowded and isn’t very big.  You could probably see everything in a couple of hours. 

Admission is $28.  We bought our tickets online in advance and made reservations for our 2 “speed dates.”  Once we arrived at the park, we checked in at the desk inside the entrance, and they gave us directions to our speed dates. 

The Koala, named “Gumnut,” was our first “date,” We had a great time.  We took some pictures as the Ranger gave us more information about Gumnut, and we learned he was 12 years old. 

NOTE:  In New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania, regulations prohibit guests from holding Koalas.  In Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia, laws allow guests to hold Koalas under supervision.  Since we were in New South Wales, we could only observe the Koala as he sat in his tree. 

A Dingo named Maliki was our next speed date, and while I had heard of Dingos before, I never saw one and was a little surprised to discover it looked like a very lean dog.  We could enter one of the smaller Dingo enclosures and pet Maliki.  After about 15 minutes, we went back outside the enclosure and watched as the Ranger fed him a large bone for dinner. 

The Australian Wildlife Walkabout park is small.  With the “speed dates,” we had an incredible opportunity to experience the animals in a very intimate setting.  

The park closed at 5 PM, so we didn’t have much time to explore further.  We headed back to our car and started the hour-long drive to downtown Sydney. 

Once we were back in Sydney, we stopped at an Aldis grocery store to pick up some peanut butter, Beef Jerky, and chocolate.  What else do you need! 

We returned our rental car back at the Marriot before heading up to our room where we ordered room service and enjoyed the fast internet to update our phones and other software.