Sydney Archives - Page 42 of 42 - Destination's Journey

Hyde Park is in the centre of Sydney and is a fantastic retreat from the hustle and traffic of the city. It is cool and shady and there is plenty of seating set around the park. Park Street divides Hyde Park in two, however there are pedestrian crossings at the lights at either end and the centre.

ANZAC Memorial

The ANZAC Memorial was built to commemorate the Australian Imperial Force of World War I. It is the focal point of the southern section of Hyde Park, along with the Pool of Reflection. On ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day the memorial is the central focus of the ceremonies, so can be extremely busy..

120,000 gold stars covered the domed ceiling, representing all those from New South Wales who served in World War One. The centre piece of the interior is a bronze statue of a deceased youth, representing a soldier, held aloft on his shield.

To the north is the pool of reflection and a long tree-lined pathway. It is very shady and cool in the Australian summer. A great place to sit quietly and relax.

This is one of the must-see places in Sydney.

Emden Gun

This gun is a 4″ Gun taken from the German raider “Emden” destroyed by H.M.A.S. Sydney in 1914. A gift from the Commonwealth Government to the citizens of Sydney. Historically important, to Australia as a whole and Sydney in particular.

The Munitions Statue

This statue consists of four individual seven-metre tall steel and marble bullets, sitting next to three fallen shells, all on a large boomerang-shaped concrete base. They represent the reality of war. Specifically they depict the sculptor’s (Tony Albert) grandfather and six companions. The three fallen shells represent those who were killed.

Hyde Park Obelisk

The Hyde Park Obelisk is on the intersection of Elizabeth and Bathurst Streets. Built in 1857 the obelisk was a vent for the sewer system. It is now used to ventilate the storm water system. At 22m it’s hard to miss. Interesting for what it is, but not worth taking too much time over.

Statue of Fire, Water and Earth.

Located on the western side of the park, near Elizabeth street, is a three-piece sandstone sculpture representing the three elements, by Gerard Havekes. A creative and interesting piece of art work and worth finding to have a look at it.

Captain Cook Statue

This bronze statue commemorates Captain James Cook, the first Englishman to chart the east coast of Australia. It was officially unveiled in 1879. Worth looking at for the historical significance of Cook.

Archibald Fountain

The focus of the northern park is the Archibald Fountain. Named after the editor of the Bulletin Magazine who donated the funds to have it built. It was designed by a French sculptor, both because of Archibald’s love of French culture and to commemorate the ties between Australia and France from the First World War.

Seats surround the fountain making it a very restful place, right in the middle of Sydney.

Sandringham Gardens

Near Park Street are the Sandringham Gardens. They surround a circular fountain and commemorate King George V and King George VI. It is an attractive setting and a beautiful place to walk around.

Statue of William Bede Dalley

Dalley was born to convict parent and rose to be the first Australian appointed to the Privy Council. He was well-respected and this monument was erected to honor him. Located on the northern edge of Hyde Park it is easy to find.

Cannon

Sitting among the flower beds on College Street is a bronze cannon. It used to form part of Sydney’s defense at Bennelong Point. Dating from 1808 it is worth a look as you pass by.

Governor Lachlan Macquarie Statue

The most northerly Statue in the Gardens is that of Governor Lachlan Macquarie. He was Governor from 1810 to 1821 and was responsible for the social, economic and architectural development of the colony. Located looking down the road named after him, it is very easy to find. As a major figure in Australia’s history, the statue is worth looking for.

Major General Governor Lachlan Macquarrie — Major General Governor Lachlan Macquarie

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert Statues

Although not in the park, there are two statues located just to its northern boundary in Queen’s Square. To the West is Queen Victoria and to the east is her consort, Prince Albert. If you are in Hyde Park, it is worth crossing the road to have a look at them.

St Mary’s Cathedral

Dominating the eastern side of the park is St Mary’s Cathedral. The Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Sydney and is the Cathedral church of the Archdiocese of Sydney.

Beautiful inside as well as out, this is one of the great buildings in Sydney. As well as the interior you can visit the crypts. To visit the crypts, buy tickets from the gift shop. We were the only ones there when we went. Many early bishops of Sydney are interred in the crypt, so it is interesting historically. In addition, the architecture is fantastic and well worth spending time down there to admire it.

Saint Mary's Cathedral — Saint Mary’s Cathedral

St Mary's Cathedral — St Mary’s Cathedral

St Mary's Cathedral Crypt — St Mary’s Cathedral Crypt

Hyde Park

So if you are in Sydney, you can easily spend most of a day looking around Hyde Park and its surrounding areas. Nearby is the Australian Museum and Macquarie Street with most of central Sydney very close as well. For other places to see in Sydney, please read some of our other stories.

Getting To Taronga Zoo

There was nothing to do last Sunday afternoon, so we decided on a two and a half hour drive down to Sydney to visit Taronga Zoo. The only tricky bit with driving was making sure you were in the right hand of three lanes when exiting the Warringah Freeway, so as to be able to get onto Military Road towards the zoo. If you are using Google Maps, it takes you to the staff entrance for the car park. Just turn left, and you will see the undercover multistory public car park. Take your ticket with you as you will need it to pay for parking before returning to your car. There is not an option to use a credit card at the gate.

If you are in Sydney, the best way to get there is by ferry. There is one that goes direct from Circular Quay to the zoo and return with no other stops, so you will not get lost.

Zoo Entry

Entry From the Car Park

Entry is through the beautiful old building in the photo below. You can go through the ground level entrance to the right of the steps.

Inside the entrance to the right is a ticketing office, toilets and information booth. You can wander around a large area here without buying a ticket, including the cafe and gift shop.

The staff at the ticket office took our money ($46.00 each) and handed us a receipt. Keep this handy as it is your entry ticket and you will need it later. The information booth can provide you with a map of the zoo’s layout. Quite good maps, with the suggested trail to follow marked on. Even better, the trail is marked on the walking paths as big green circles.

Just down from the entrance is a series of manned gateways which is the entry to the zoo proper. The friendly staff will ask for you ticket and stamp your hand. Then it’s off to explore.

Entry From the Ferry

The ferry wharf is near the lower entry gates, where you can either take the chair lift, or enter through the gift shop. If you choose the chair lift, it will take you to the upper section of the zoo and you can walk back down. There is an option to take the chair lift from the upper level to the start if you don’t want to walk back.

The Animals at Taronga Zoo

The zoo is built on quite a steep piece of land near Sydney Harbor. Some of the pathways can be a bit of a climb, but there are plenty of rest areas and things to look at, so no need to rush and tire yourself out.

The first animal we saw was this gorgeous tree kangaroo up in its tree. It was not very active and looked like it had either just woken up or was about to go to sleep.

Taronga Zoo Tree Kangaroo — Tree Kangaroo

Reptile House

Not far from the tree kangaroo was the reptile house. Basking outside was a Komodo Dragon. A very impressive representative of the world’s largest species of lizard. The rest of the reptile house has many cages and cases with numerous snakes, lizards and turtles.

Giraffes

Not far from here were the giraffes. They were very active, eating and walking around their enclosure.

Squirrel Monkeys

The squirrel monkeys are in a large open cage, where small groups of visitors can walk through on a board walk. The monkeys wander around, climbing and eating and generally ignore the people. It was excellent to be able to get close to them without bars or perspex in the way. A guide accompanies you into the cage, answers any questions you might have and makes sure you all exit before the next group is admitted.

On a detour from the main path of green circles, we went to see the Barbary Sheep, Bongo, Zebras and Himalayan Tahr.

Taronga Zoo Himalayan Tahr — Himalayan Tahr

Meerkats

Taronga Zoo has a nice little meerkat display. It was still early and they were all out scratching around the cage. The front of the enclosure is perspex, so you get a really good view of them. Many of them come right to the perspex.

Walking towards the elephant display, we by-passed the Australian section, as we have seen many kangaroos and wallabies over the years. Next stop was for a snack at the View Restaurant.

After a coffee and cake we headed for the seal show. The presenter was overly enthusiastic, and we soon realized the show was tailored for kids. Nothing wrong with this and the kids there were certainly enjoying themselves. However, we decided to give it a miss and went to see the Condor, deer and seals (those not at the show). From the pathways, there are some spectacular views of Sydney Harbor.

Taronga Zoo View of Sydney Harbor — View of Sydney Harbor

Gorilla

Elephants

From the seals we took the rain forest trail back up. This is a nice leafy area, and would be very nice on a hot day. This trail exits near the elephants. Two of them were having their morning baths and checkups with staff. This was an excellent opportunity to get quite close to them, and talk to staff. Even better, the young male trumpeted as he was leaving. This was one of the highlights of the day, as we had never heard an elephant before,

Taronga Zoo Tigers

Part of the redevelopment of the zoo, the tiger enclosure is well laid out and spacious. To ensure that visitor numbers are controlled, a line outside, only permits a limited number of people in at once. This is great and the viewing areas were not crowded and everyone there as able to see. Large perspex windows allow you to get up close to the tigers as they wander around.

Tiger Near the Perspex Window — Looking Through the Perspex Window at a Tiger

Chimpanzees

Home to a large group of chimpanzees, this enclosure is a fun pace to stand and watch as the chimps play and wander around the area.

Leaving the Zoo and Heading Home

After four hours, we decided it was time to leave for the car trip home. Car parking fees were $18.00. Getting home was straight forward. The only tricky part being (if you are heading north) is to make sure you are in one of the two right hand lanes when leaving Military Road for Falcon Street, as they turn right onto the freeway. If you get stuck in the left two lanes, keep going until you reach the Pacific Highway and turn right.

What Did We Think?

What did we think? Not too bad. Entry price was what you expect to pay. Parking is expensive as is the food. We loved the new tiger enclosure and International tourists will be going to see the Australian section, which looks extensive. Locals will want Australian and international animals. Overall a fun day out.

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

Our photos are available for purchase on

AdBlock Detected

It looks like you're using an ad-blocker!

Category: Sydney

Hyde Park Sydney Australia