Boots Sydney tour Day 3

32949 steps and 22.70kms

I started the day off as another early one where I wanted to visit Liverpool before I get all the major rush hour type people. I did have a time to meet another friend around midday in the city so I wanted to make sure I had enough time. The weather was actually not cloudy at all and it was still cold when I went rushing down to the train. I still had time to wait before it came.

The ride to Liverpool was pleasant and the train did not really fill up at that time of morning. I knew I was to find a pioneers cemetery, but couldn’t remember where it was other than being at one side of the Westfield shopping centre. I was able to find the cemetery after I got turned around outside after going inside the building. Go in one entrance and out another does screw with your head. The cemetery was easy to find though it just shows up as park land. At least it was right next door and I didn’t have to hunt around too much. It had been turned into a pioneers park in the 1970s and the graves were moved around. I am not fully sure of the story, but it looks like a park without the play equipment. I does seem to be well looked after and I don’t know why cemeteries always seem to be near the large shopping centres. I wanted to get back to the city for my lunch appointment and along the way I found a park that was used for the gallows and public land that was huge until Liverpool encroached onto it. Always good to see stories like this as it gives insights about the past.

Once on the train, I wanted to stop in Redfern as I had wanted to stop there sometime to check it out. I was not sure what I wanted to see. I wanted to look for the old mortuary station and had seen a bunch of buildings that might resemble that. Walking back I found some interesting things, but I started coming across the strange part of town and doubled back. I soon found what I had thought was the train mortuary station where they had once transported the dead to Rookwood cemetery by on a dedicated train line. What I had in fact found was the Australian technology park. It was like the Ipswich trainyard museum, but more open and I think you can wander around. The building I had seen was actually the supervisors / managers office. It was cooler than I had thought though time was running away. I had found what I had wanted on the map so wandered off in the direction of the station. There was plenty of art work in the area dedicated to the aboriginal people including a soldier that I had seen online somewhere. I found that I had to walk towards Central station and got distracted by the Greek church next to Prince Albert park that I later found was the original Redfern station. The mortuary station was found and I was surprised to find the gates were locked so I couldn’t get in there. I could look, but not really touch. I did get lost trying to find the restaurant that I was suggested to visit like walking the wrong way only to double back.

Garry the uni guy that I was meeting told me he would be late and I was happy to get the extra time so I waited outside the restaurant that Google had sent me to, which was Malaysian Hawker food. I was told he would be a touch later and then he was outside. I said I am there too and then came the realisation that I had gone to the wrong restaurant and I was given the correct address. I was meant to be at George street and not the corner of Liverpool and Sussex. Luckily I was only 6 mins away. I couldn’t believe I had done that and Garry was with Yuki who had come along for lunch too. I got to try some different Malaysian foods like Tofu with the main dish of salt and pepper squid. I didn’t mind sharing some with the others as they had shared theirs with me including the Rotti bread. I wasn’t a fan of the tofu at all. After lunch The trio went off to follow the goods line with most of the line still being visible. The line ran from near Central station all the way out to Darling Harbour and went into what is now the Powerhouse museum The line runs at the back of the Ulimo ABC building though I now know where that is.

After being showed the line we went for a long wander to where the old wharves used to be in the area that is called Darling Island that was once separate from the rest of the harbour, but had been cut down and filled in. This was where some of the passenger ships during the 10 pound pom days had arrived. It was a dirty place with trains and other pollution running around in the area. These days it is cleaner and the media like Channel 7 and Fairfax media live. I was shown around Pyrmont where the sandstone had been taken to build a few of the buildings in early Sydney. By this time it was starting to get dark, but still plenty to see. I was not in any hurry to get back to the hostel. I was even shown the swing bridge that is under the ANZAC bridge that was once the main road out to the other side of the city. I was told the fish markets are the one place to get fish and chips so I should try that sometime. I was shown plenty of historic locations on my wander with Garry and Yuki. I did catch the tram back to The star casino where I could catch the ferry back to Circular Quay, which would have involved less walking in the dark than I needed. We did think we were going to miss the ferry, but it was a Manly express that leaves from the Darling Harbour side. I will most defiantly meet up with Garry again for a tour of the area when in Sydney again.

Tomorrow means to be my last full day in the city and I will be doing a tour for the day so will hopefully get a few great shots of the city from Fort Denison and Watson Bay.