Sydney - Australia 2004 - page 155

is free. If you plan to park around here, note that parking meters cost upwards
of A$3 (US$1.95) per hour, and you need A$1 coins.
A popular walk takes you through the Royal Botanic Gardens to the Art
Gallery of New South Wales. The gardens are open daily from 7am to dusk.
Admission is free.
HYDE PARK In the center of the city is Hyde Park, a favorite with lunching
businesspeople. Of note here are the Anzac Memorial to Australian and New
Zealand troops killed in the wars, and the Archibald Fountain, complete with
spitting turtles and sculptures of Diana and Apollo. At night, avenues of trees
are lit up with twinkling lights giving the place a magical appearance.
MORE CITY PARKS Another Sydney favorite is giant Centennial Park
( & 02/9339 6699 ), usually accessed from the top of Oxford Street. It opened in
1888 to celebrate the centenary of European settlement, and today encompasses
huge areas of lawn, several lakes, picnic areas with outdoor grills, cycling and run-
ning paths, and a cafe. It's open from sunrise to sunset. To get there, take bus no.
373, 374, 378, 380, or 382 from the city, or via the Bondi & Bay Explorer.
A hundred years later, Bicentennial Park, at Australia Avenue, in Homebush
Bay, came along. Forty percent of the park's total 100 hectares (247 acres) is gen-
eral parkland reclaimed from a city dump; the rest is the largest remaining rem-
nant of wetlands on the Parramatta River and is home to many species of both
local and migratory wading birds, cormorants, and pelicans. Follow park signs
to the visitor information office ( & 02/9763 1844 ), open Monday through
Friday from 10am to 4pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 9:30am to 4:30pm.
To reach the park, take a CityRail train to Homebush Bay station.
BEYOND SYDNEY
SYDNEY HARBOUR NATIONAL PARK You don't need to go far to expe-
rience Sydney's nearest national park. The Sydney Harbour National Park
stretches around parts of the inner harbor and includes several small harbor
islands. (Many first-time visitors are surprised at the amount of bushland still
remaining in prime real-estate territory.) The best walk through the Sydney Har-
bour National Park is the Manly to Spit Bridge Scenic Walkway ( & 02/9977
6522 ). This 10km (6-mile) track winds its way from Manly (it starts near the
Oceanarium), via Dobroyd Head to Spit Bridge (where you can catch a bus back
to the city). The walk takes around 3 hours at a casual pace, and the views across
busy Sydney Harbour are fabulous. There are a few Aboriginal stone carvings,
which are signposted along the route. Maps are available from the Manly Visi-
tors Information Bureau ( & 02/9977 1088 ), right opposite the main beach.
Other access points to the park include tracks around Taronga Zoo (ask the
zoo staff to point you toward the rather concealed entrances) and above tiny
Shelly Beach, opposite the main beach at Manly.
Also part of the national park is the recently restored Fort Denison, in the
middle of the harbor between Circular Quay and Manly. The fort was built dur-
ing the Crimean War due to fears of a Russian invasion, and was later used as a
penal colony. One- to 2-hour Heritage Tours of the island leave from Cadmans
Cottage, in The Rocks ( & 02/9247 5033 ). They cost A$22 (US$14) for adults
and A$18 (US$12) for students and children. Call ahead for times and book-
ings. Pickup maps of Sydney Harbour National Park at Cadmans Cottage.
Another great walk in Sydney can be combined with lunch or a drink at Wat-
sons Bay. A 15-minute bush stroll to South Head is accessed from the small
beach outside the Watsons Bay Hotel. Walk to the end of the beach (to your right