Old friends

We never grow tired of seeing the Sydney Opera House. It is synonymous with living in this Antipodean city. We are thrilled when friends visit and we get to experience the moment when they see it for the first time.

A couple of weeks ago our next door neighbour from Worcester, England came to visit. She is working in Brisbane for six months. Even though we had not caught up for 22 plus years, the conversations were like it was yesterday.

Tracey saw the Opera House as we arrived at Circular Quay train station. This picture was taken from the ferry. We were on our way to Manly for lunch.

Jewel in the Harbour

These days I usually take pictures with an iPhone 6. The results are good enough for the finger swipe world we live in. The evening I took the above was a special occasion. We had just finished celebrating our friend’s 50th birthday over dinner in the Dining Room, Park Hyatt Sydney. Nestled near the south pylon of the Harbour Bridge, this hotel has one of the best views of the Sydney Opera House. 

Thankfully I took the trouble of fishing out my Sony Nex-5N digital SLR camera, ensuring the battery was charged. The clear Winter’s evening and water on top of a wall yielded the jewel of Sydney Harbour and it’s reflection. I used Snapseed app for iPad to sharpen and enhance the structure of the image. 

Foot traffic

The backdrop of the Sydney Opera House (SOH) is popular for bridal photographs. Popular vantage points include a small area in front of the Park Hyatt Hotel and the footpath under the Harbour Bridge. 

This scene with the SOH in the background  and a bride en route to a shoot is commonplace when the weather is fine. 

SOH, a bit more


The Opera House sits on a piece of land called Bennelong Point. Looking left to right there is a reasonable gap between the Opera House and the first building in the colonnade on the western Broadwalk. The entrance to the concert hall and the opera theatre is under the multitude of steps seen in the picture above. The Opera Bar is  a popular vantage point to sip a drink while watching the ferries coming and going in Circular Quay. 


The Opera House is just as impressive from the other side. Many people go to Mrs Macquarie’s Chair to take pictures of the Opera House with the Harbour Bridge in the background. This picture was taken from the back of the ferry to Manly. 

The other SOH post.