Corner of Chinese garden
Chinese garden with modern Sydney behind 
Buddah in chinese garden 
Water dragon basking in China (Sydney)On Tuesday, we had a day to ourselves while Ruth sorted out insurance etc. We took our first Australian Bus to Manly Ferry. It was a very roundabout route but this gave us a great opportunity to look at some of the beautiful houses in Manly. The Ferry from Manly to Circular Quay takes much longer than the Mosman ferry and it was good to linger over a cup of Coffee and watch the water. At Circular Quay we then took a train to China Town. It was fascinating to walk through the streets there and watch a different community go about its business. Chinese people came to Australia in 1880’s during the gold rush and stayed on. We enjoyed the fact that they have retained their strong cultural identity and headed for a restaurant for lunch where we sampled plates of their boiled dumplings for lunch.
After lunch, we walked to the Chinese Garden. It is set in a very busy area by Darling Harbour, surrounded by skyscrapers, yet as soon as you walk inside the garden you encounter tranquillity. The garden was built in the 1980s to commemorate an agreement between Sydney and a province in China. Much of it was built by Chinese people using stone and materials from that country. It is said that natural stones are the bones of the Chinese garden, the water is the blood and the plants are the flesh. Even though hammer drills rang loudly and traffic sped by outside, it was amazing how calming and peaceful the garden was. We spent a long time exploring each facet and inhaling the powerful perfume of the beds of gardenias and star jasmine which grew there, watching the giant carp swim and witnessing a Chinese wedding celebration which was taking place.
On the way back, we walked along Darling harbour and took the ferry there back to Circular quay along under the Harbour Bridge and past the old area called the Rocks and then took the ferry home to Manly.
After lunch, we walked to the Chinese Garden. It is set in a very busy area by Darling Harbour, surrounded by skyscrapers, yet as soon as you walk inside the garden you encounter tranquillity. The garden was built in the 1980s to commemorate an agreement between Sydney and a province in China. Much of it was built by Chinese people using stone and materials from that country. It is said that natural stones are the bones of the Chinese garden, the water is the blood and the plants are the flesh. Even though hammer drills rang loudly and traffic sped by outside, it was amazing how calming and peaceful the garden was. We spent a long time exploring each facet and inhaling the powerful perfume of the beds of gardenias and star jasmine which grew there, watching the giant carp swim and witnessing a Chinese wedding celebration which was taking place.
On the way back, we walked along Darling harbour and took the ferry there back to Circular quay along under the Harbour Bridge and past the old area called the Rocks and then took the ferry home to Manly.
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