After checking into my hotel, I unpacked my walking shoes and swung down a steep hillside street to admire Sydney's marvelous harbor again. From penal colony to sovereign nation, Australia's story began here. I'm sure, most beautiful on Australia's east coast. It extends westward about seven miles to the mouth of the Parramatta River, shaped by a multitude of fingers of land, inlets, coves, and bays. Inner Sydney, site of the original settlement and now the heart of a megalopolis of about three and a half million people, lies along the south shore of the harbor.
Suburbs radiate in all directions from both shores.
I strolled along Circular Quay at the base of Sydney Cove, where the excursion boats and commuter ferries churn in and out, connecting with the north shore and suburbs. Or, of course, there's the good two-fisted beer. I always carried at least one map when I went out. Although the main city streets form a rough grid pattern, they can curve unpredictably. I'm sure some visitors arrive, as I did, with a list of friends or friends of friends, but there's a resource for those who don't.