Travel Down Under
A bird’s eye view of Sydney.
Water World
Exploring Sydney by ferry reveals iconic sights as well as charming beach towns By Tim Johnson
T
58 I N S I G H T July 1–7, 2022
AUSTRALIA Sydney Canberra
Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD) has direct flights to/from San Francisco and Los Angeles.
FROM TOP L: JAMIE DAVIES/UNSPLASHED, THE EPCOH TIMES, MADS SCHMIDT RASMUSSEN/UNSPLASHED, STEPHEN BRIDGER/SHUTTERSTOCK
he view just kept getting better. Rumbling back from the dock, the austere little boat cut through the calm, gray waters, the seats inside holding a smattering of work-weary commuters, most of them entranced by their phones. First, the skyline. Above rose the glassy skyscrapers of Australia’s largest city. A little farther from the shore, the next icon came into view: the Sydney Harbor Bridge, its famous steel archway soaring more than 40 stories, its span stretching some 1,650 feet. And finally, the white folds, peaks, and shells of the city’s Opera House—one of the most recognizable places in the world. It’s a view that’s available to anybody with a couple of bucks in their pocket and the wherewithal to navigate down to Circular Quay. Sydney is a famously fun city, and with Aus-
tralia reopening to visitors earlier this year, it’s again possible to explore its wonders. A big place, home to around 5.3 million in the metro area and covering more than 4,700 square miles, it may seem a little intimidating to a first-time visitor. But as more and more travelers return to the land Down Under, they’ll discover that the best place to start is at the waterline, taking a boat ride around town. The first thing you notice upon arrival is that there’s water everywhere. Sydney Harbor is absolutely huge. Approaching from the Tasman Sea on a cruise ship (or any other craft), you’ll proceed past the “Heads”—a series of headlands girding the 1.2-mile entrance to the harbor. From there, you can continue to sail for almost 12 miles until you reach the end of it. Technically a sunken river, Sydney Harbor is surrounded by 150 miles of coastline. It’s jagged, with peninsulas jutting out, along
