Six years before America declared its independence, Captain James Cook sailed into Botany Bay on board the 'Endeavour'. He'd heard tell of this strange continent from others who had stumbled upon it, but he wanted to be the first to map its eastern coast and claim it for Great Britain. His passengers, mostly scientists from Britain's Royal Society, were fascinated by its exotic plants and animals. He did not stay long. He was wary of the indigenous population and unequipped for colonization.
In 1788, some eighteen years later, Captain Arthur Phillip followed in Cook's footsteps. He plunked down his motley crew along with 751 prisoners on the marshland surrounding Botany Bay. They quickly discovered that Cook's paradise was a windy unprotected bog with no clean water. Lucky for them, they poked around to the north and stumbled upon one of the most magnificent natural harbors in the world. They named it Sydney (after the British Home Secretary).
Sydney slowly expanded into the thriving metropolis it is today, spilling outside the harbor, encompassing Botany Bay (which today is home to the airport and not much else), and fronting the ocean to the north and south. It is home to 4.35 million Australians, roughly one fifth of the entire country.
Wanting to see Sydney from a distance, we took the ferry to Manly Beach. Manly is located north of Sydney, on the ocean, just outside of the harbor.
The best Opera House shots were taken from the ferry.
The Harbour Bridge and Opera House barely fit into the same frame, but I managed.
Australians have quite a sense of humor.By the way, is Manly Ferry an oxymoron?
My first time in the Pacific Ocean! It's a little chilly in Sydney today. No sunbathers or surfers. August is winter, after all. It's probably around 60 degrees. Still, it's nice and sunny.
Manly. Beach.
