Southern Cross: Out and About in Sydney

I have my ship and all her flags are flyin'.  The "sails' of the Sydney Opera House dominate  the landscape as the Sydeny Harbor Bridge dominates the Harbor.  We see both from many perspectives as we bus tour. 

First we got the Red Bus for the Red tour covering the city and environs. Leah got us to Circular Quay as our jumping on/off point. Historical sites, first prisoner's then colonists land at the Rocks. Mid-19th Century and early 20th Century immigrants come from the UK Scotland, Ireland to begin a new life. Prisoner's are let out to the colonists to work, prisoners cut the stone to make government buildings, buildings being laid out according to a plan, frequently changed, but all construction and names baring the resemblance of the mother country. Swampy land is filled in to make dockage and so the town becomes a city.

The Red tour takes us to the Central Business District (abbreviated and referred to as CBD). There is a "China town" complete with signage and newspapers. The old wharf district is being rehabilitated into toney "lofts."

 
The Red tour had just returned to Circular Quay when the Blue tour was about to depart. Our one day ticket allowed both tours. The Blue tour heads to the outer environs, where the very wealthy live and there are multiple beach areas along the coast.  Pictures were taken of the harbor from some stopping points, vantage points, sharing wealthy houses' vistas. The tour for this part felt more like touring Hollywood and the "Star's" house tours.  Daily, there are buses every half hour, stopping, dropping tourists off, picture taking, getting back onto the bus and 25 minutes later, another bus, occupants repeating the same ritual. Bondi beach and others are semi crescent in shape, sandy, and bordered on both sides with large rock outcroppings. There are some people on the beach. I did not see any swimmers. I also did not see any "Stinger suits" being worn. Leah said that several of the beaches had jellyfish nets providing "protected" swimming. 

There are vistas, perched high on the seaside hills, with a view South and the open water towards Tasmania.

Our Blue Bus stopped two blocks from Circular Quay, the end of the tour, to change drivers. It seems that our driver for 95% of the tour was due a lunch break; so this was the spot to stop and change drivers. Mind you, when our 95% driver changed drivers at the start of the tour, it was at the Circular Quay. Hmmmm. I guess this was all in accordance with the "work rules." Leah acknowledged, and it was quite visible to me, that work rules are to limit a person's work. 

I saw something else regarding work rules. Near Leah's house, the utility company was changing a utility pole. There were 4 trucks and 13 men. One man was up on the pole working amongst the power lines, the other 12 were watching him, they eating pastry and drinking coffee/tea.  Leah thought the men on the ground were on their scheduled 1/2 hour morning break. I wondered why the man up on the pole was still working while the 12 others were on break. In another example of how work rules visibly effect the work people do, I also saw a road crew patching pot holes with repair asphalt. There were 5 men: one sitting in the cab of the truck, one supervisor in his fluorescent vest, two leaning on their long-handled shoves, and one person shoveling repair asphalt from the truck's flatbed, dumping a shovelful into the pothole, tapping it down, then going back to the truck for more asphalt to patch another pot hole.

Leah says she is glad that the men have a job and can feed their families. She may be right. Sydney is eminently livable, and most things get done that need to be done.