Saturday 25 July 2009

Harbour Islands - Garden (3 of 9)

Big leap of the imagination required here today! I am trying to simulate a 360 degree sweep around the harbour from the top of a three storey signal tower in the middle of Garden Island. Starting with the Harbour Bridge I sweep anti-clockwise to the south taking in the city to begin with. To orient you, Sydney Harbour is a drowned valley and, hence, is a curving series of promontories and coves. The bridge itself is on Dawes Point, into Sydney Cove, out to Bennelong Point (the site of the Opera House), into Farm Cove, out to Point Macquarie, into Wooloomooloo Bay, out to Garden Island which is no longer an island but has been reclaimed to join the land. Got all that? There will be a test at the end!


1. Bridge and Opera House
2. Turning gradually to the south, the Opera House, Botanic Gardens. start of the CBD.


3. The heart of the CBD, orient yourself with Centrepoint Tower.
4. Gradually anti-clockwise: the cranes are actually on Garden Island itself.


5. The end of the CBD, with the mighty hammerhead crane known as Tiny Tim.
6. Looking south, along Garden Island itself with the handrails of the 110 steps of the tower I was standing on.


Pause for a breather. Taken from the front of the Opera House later that afternoon, showing the accessible northern section of Garden Island. The rest is Navy land that is off limits. You are looking due East here. The bridge is behind me. Now back to the 360 sweep.


7. From Garden Island we look deep into Rushcutters Bay to the see of masts which is the Cruising Yacht Club.
8. Above the red roof on the Naval Heritage Museum on Garden Island, we see Darling Point which is the greenery in the distance on the right. The greenery in the distance on the left is Clarke Island.


9. Now we start to sweep across the harbour. Firstly, we see Clarke Island in total.
10. Then onto Shark Island which I showed you in detail last week.


11. Across into the deep channel of the harbour and we watch as a Manly ferry chuggs off down and around to the Heads.
12. Further around the 360, and we are NNW now and in front of us is Fort Dennison.

There should be one more image to link Fort Dennison with the northern pylon of the Bridge - except I forgot to take it due to exhaustion and dizziness!.

Experience more of Garden Island itself from Monday.

8 comments:

Leif Hagen said...

GREAT views and snaps, Julie! Thanks for the Opera House environs tour, but I think I'd have to really focus on the descriptions and pictures more to stick with you. It's Friday, I'm tired, I need a glass of wine!
Happy Weekend!

Joan Elizabeth said...

Thanks for all the orientation explanations to go with the pics. Look at the blue of harbour and isn't the weather amazing at the moment. I thought I had a day to myself here at home but it turns our I am heading to the city for the afternoon. I expect it will be even warmer and sunnier down there ... will take a good book with me to read.

brattcat said...

Ah, that's got me spinning in circles. I bet this exercise took its toll on you. Thank you for doing it. If I ever make it there I feel as if I'll know it immediately.

Mark Kreider said...

What an amazing experience and view. So nice that you documented it and then shared!

Jim said...

Brilliant views Julie and so many Sydney icons.

Nadwrażliwiec said...

All the world is beautiful scenery for photo, but the sea is so secretly... They are very good photos.

AB said...

The bridge and the opera house - this must be Sydney!

Buenos Aires Photoblog said...

I'm drowning in the beauty of the valley and in names, names, names. (: Someday I will see it with my own eyes and I will remember your blog. I really enjoyed your 360° tour.