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Landscape of Sydney Harbour with Sydney Opera House, Australia

Sydney Harbour Cruise

By Gillian Scholes

Last updated: 6th October 2011

Jenny on the beach in front of a tour boat

What better way to explore Sydney Harbour than by boat! It is easy to assume that the main attraction is just around the Opera House, but yesterday my group and I had a day out cruising around the harbours. From stunning views of the city to exploring the secluded beaches…all in our private little boat…

It is always a great start to the day when your first stop is the off licence, where we stocked up on beer and wine for our tour, which was sounding more and more like a booze cruise. Once at Rose Bay harbour, we were all hoping for a massive yacht to pull up, instead we staggered onto this small motor boat where we met David Hasselhoff aka Denty our driver, a typical bronzed Aussie. We started off with a tour of the celebrity mansions, including Nicole Kidman’s pad and a $75million house, which probably took up more space than the opera house. The Hoff told us stories of people getting caught skinny dipping in the mansions, and even showed us the locals on the nudist beach!!

Sydney Opera House seen from the tour boat

Then we carried on past Darling Harbour and The Opera house, being only a few meters away from it we got some amazing views right into the building. We passed under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, where we could see the tiny people walking over the top of it. By this time, we had all had a little bit to drink (some more than others) and where looking forward to lunch, so we were taken to The Sydney Fish Market, a huge warehouse type building with fresh catch of the day where we were indulged with calamari, crab sticks, scallops, squid and oysters.

Jenny and fellow travellers in front of the Sydney Fish Market sign

Once back on the boat the music was turned up, bottles cracked open and with the engine on full we arrived within 15 minutes at Manly Beach, a popular spot for beach lovers. Not satisfied with just one beach for the day we then stopped at a further two more, giving us the excuse to sunbathe and the boys an excuse to play rugby, which combined with a few too many drinks became an opportunity to show off – ending up with two girls receiving a ball to the head! We were also given the chance to cliff jump, credit to those who did but as I heard them smack down into the water I wasn’t sure if they were going to resurface and I thought the Hoff would have to jump in after them. Our final stop was called The Gap which gave us amazing views of the city and Harbour Bridge and the best way to end our trip.

Jenny and fellow travellers enjoying a drink on the tour boat

It was such a good way to get about, seeing so many sites has opened my eyes up to what Sydney really has to offer. Off to the Blue Mountains tomorrow, it’s an early start so maybe a quiet night for a change tonight, think my head will thank me in the morning!!

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