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Cruise World-Day 37--Cruise ends in Sydney-Disembarkation in Sydney--off the ship February 11, 2016.
I enjoyed my last room service meal in the privacy of my room.
I knew I would get distracted with conversations and hugging new friends
goodbye so I decided to just be alone this morning. It served me well because I
was ready in time to leave at around 8:30 AM, as planned.
First I checked into the Intercontinental Hotel, left my
bags in storage, and headed to the Wildlife Sydney zoo to see some kangaroos,
koalas, and other animals indigenous to Australia.
10AM: My first stop was to the Darling Harbour, A large
complex of shops, restaurants, all set against the backdrop of the harbor.
Situated on the north end are a series of attractions including an aquarium, a
small zoo, and a wax museum. Here, I visited the Wild Life Sydney Zoo, known
for its collection of the largest variety of indigenous Australian animals. There
was no way I was coming to Australia without seeing a kangaroo, a koala bear, a
wombat, and a wallaby. Although small, the zoo did not disappoint. I saw Ringo
the wombat, several wallabies, a cassowary, (the world’s deadliest bird who
fiercely protects its young, it’s the world’s 3rd largest bird. Emu and
cassowary are cousins of ostrich). Later on, I observed groups of kangaroos
relaxing in their habitat, with an occasional one hopping around visiting the
others. The Tasmanian devils were so cute and I was surprised to see they had a
red beak which was prominently displayed as they were being fed. I saw one of
the largest crocodiles I ever seen.
I was a bit disappointed that I could not get as up close
and personal with the koalas as I had wanted to. Alas, they charged a separate
fee to go inside another small enclosed area to interact with koalas.
Importantly, here in Sydney you cannot hold the koala bears as a visitor. The
province of Queensland is the only place where customers can hold a koala bear.
I learned that 80% of species in Australia cannot be
found anywhere else in the world. I'm not sure how this statistics compares to
other countries and their indigenous creatures but it was certainly impressive
to me.
I spent about an hour and a half looking at and reading
about all of the animals on display. I think the museum does a nice job of
providing an overview and they employ a variety of learning aids to educate
visitors. I recommend this attraction for those who do not want to make the
huge commitment to go to the zoo that's at least a 30 minute ferry ride and 3
to 4 hour minimum visit.
I strolled around the lush botanical gardens and along
some of the shopping areas around Pit Street. Attention: I did not make any
purchases!
I stopped in to the basement of a gourmet food store and
purchased a meat pie. It was delectable.
1:45-Next: I visited the Hyde Park Barrack's Museum, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This is a museum that serves as a reminder that Australia
is the world's only penal colony that became a nation.
As my tour guide yesterday had promised, this is an
excellent museum, well designed, with clear interactive educational displays.
The Barracks is a UNESCO world heritage site that was
built by convicts in the early 1800s in Hyde Park. More than 50,000 convicts
passed through its gates between 1819 and 1848.
Beginning in 1848, and lasting through the end of the
century, was a period when the barracks became an immigration depot for 40,000 immigrant
women and their children; an asylum for destitute, aged, and infirmed; and
eventually a bustling complex of courts and government offices.
And audio guide was included in the admission fee of $10.
It provided a succinct overview of the contents of 20 galleries.
When extensive conservation works began in 1979,
archaeologist recovered more than 130,000 artifacts, from beneath the
floorboards. Included in the exhibits were canvass hammocks in which the
convicts slept in dormitories, cedar chest ls of private possessions brought by
female immigrants, clothing, iron tools, iron dormitory beds for women, kitchen
utensils including entire place settings, devices of torture and punishment
including whips and chains, miniature models of sections of the building,
construction equipment, and more. I was mesmerized as I immersed myself in this
part of history. I spent almost 2 hours engrossed in the material.
In the early 19th century in England, sentencing and
punishments for all crimes were harsh. Amazingly, pick pocketing carried a life
sentence that could be shortened if a convict served time in the Sydney convict
colony. Other convict categories included political protesters, machine
breakers, bank robbers, pirates, slaves, petty thieves, and hardened repeat
offenders.
One of my favorite displays was a large map of all of the
penal colonies created in the Americas by European colonizers such as England,
France, and Portugal. Outside of Australia (160,000 convicts arrived) French
Guiana had the second largest number of convicts in the penal colony, 90,000.
I left there pretty mentally exhausted and took a slow
stroll back to my hotel.
7:15-1045-I had dinner with friends of friends from
Australia at the famous Chophouse.
The conversation was lively but with a bit too much
politics sprinkled in. That should not be surprising because Michael has
already run for local office and has strong political aspirations to serve in
elected positions in the near and far future. He even discussed his campaign slogans.
I heard that after the ship sailed away from Sydney
harbor today, it had to return to port to remove a sick man in his 50s. I will
have to find out who this was later I bet it was Mark.
