We poured over the map of the ferry routes and we decided that Kissing Point had several advantages. First, it was an up-river trip and we had not explored this direction yet. Second, there was a park at the landing wharf so we could have a picnic on our arrival. Third, it was named Kissing Point for a reason, so we would be able to smooch with abandon! After reading the plaque at the wharf we determined that it was named Kissing Point due to the water level. This is the point where sea going vessels would kiss the bottom and risk running aground. We smooched anyway. We started out with a train to the Circle Quay and then walked to the ferry with just one minute to spare. It is like we knew what we were doing! The the ferry was pretty full so we were lucky to get seats on top. It was a great place to see the city float by and to keep the heat at bay with a cool breeze. We landed at kissing point and had out picnic. We strolled along the path until we ran out of path. We did not want to walk up a big hill just to walk through a suburb so we went back to the wharf. There were birds, kids fishing and a plane practicing skywriting. At this point we decided that we could take the next ferry further upriver thinking it would be just a 10 minute ride each way. This ferry did not have top side seating so we had to stand in the front of the ferry. The inside seating was too stuffy and warm. We enjoyed the outside but soon realized that this was not going to be a quick 20 minute round trip. The ferry continued going upstream as the channel got smaller and smaller. In addition to a narrow channel the ferry went slower with each new constriction. Leslie managed to score a seat and by the time we reached the end of the ferry line we were both sitting on the best front row seat on the whole vessel. This is when they told us that everyone needed to get off the ferry and re-tap their payment card. There went our good seats! We had to get back in line to re-board and that means we were back to standing. This time we knew to grab a seat as soon as it became open. Two stops and our chance came. So we were able to sit for the hour returns ride. We got back to the circle quay, took the train to our stop and were back at the apartment by 5PM. We then had dinner and finished packing for our flight to New Zealand in the morning.
First a quick train ride
We made it to the ferry
A big cruise boat in the harbor
Our friend from NYE
Someone is always climbing the bridge
It is always busy on these waters
Leaning the sailboat over hard
The W has a unique building
A new bridge off in t he distance. We never did go under this one
Two more cruise ships
Tall hotels by the ferry terminal
Reminded us of the paint schemes in Greenland
Alfred Hitchcock-esque
Former convict island Cockatoo Island
Now available for urban camping
No shortage of marinas
Not sure what these things are: art, bird habitats???
Hugging the low part of this bridge
Remains of an old bridge
Sydney Rowing Club
A funky car ferry
A school across the river from the wharf
Love the historic marker
Fish Sculptures
A burned boat across the water
Pied cormorant
Pine trees everywhere
Maybe too much coffee?
One of the fine houses along the walk
The top of this building reminded us of a waterslide
A water walkabout
Forrest on either side and getting narrow
Waterbirds are everywhere
The channel is just wider than the ferry
White-faced Heron a new bird for the list
Each successive bridge is closer to the water
We are approaching the end of the line, slowly
A gardening shed
The last station on the line. 15 miles from where we started
Sounds like an Italian pastry
A low water bridge
Back when spelling was a matter of personal preference
These cranes must work in tandem to load boats
After we got our seats, this was our view
The ferry had to slow down for this daredevil
We estimated that there were a dozen different nationalities on the ferry with us
31 miles or more for our trip!