SYDNEY (Part 4)

After visiting the Queen Victoria Building, we walked to the Sydney Tower which was designed by Donald Crone. Construction began in 1975 and it opened in 1981. It is still the tallest building in Sydney. Sydney Tower's height to the top of the mast is 309 meters. The tower has 1504 stairs to the top. Thank God we rode the elevator and did not have to take the stairs!

From the observation deck, we got a 360-degree view of Sydney. Absolutely amazing and a photographers paradise. After viewing Sydney from the observation deck, we watched OzTrek, Sydney Tower's motion adventure ride which allowed us to explore Australia's landscapes, history and terrain with 180-degree cinema screens, surround sound, special effects and real-motion seating (which was pretty lame). It would have been so much better in 3-D.

Australian National Maritime Museum

Sydney Foodball Stadium and Anzac Bridge

Next on the agenda, we walked over to Hyde Park. Hyde Park was named after the original Hyde Park in London. Originally the park was a racecourse and sporting ground playing host to all manners of competition.. The central pathway through the park is an impressive, tiled, fig lined road linking the centerpiece of Hyde Park, the Archibald Fountain, and the War Memorial. Also at the northern end are the Nagoya Gardens featuring a giant outdoor chess set and the entrance to the St. James Railway Station.

We toured St. Mary's Cathedral which is located on the north side of the park. The cathedral is one of Sydney's most treasured historic buildings and one of the finest examples of English-style Gothic churches in the world. William Wilkinson Wardell, the 19th century architect, dreamed of a Gothic structure shaped from the local yellow-block sandstone on which Sydney is built. The building was finally completed 100 years after the architect's death. Unfortunately photos were not allowed in the cathedral.

Next, we took the subway to Town Hall Square. From there we walked to Tony Roma's and had a wonderful, delicious dinner of onion rings, original baby ribs, baked potatoes, and corn on the cob. My very favorite restaurant and I had to come all the way to Sydney to eat there. All of our Tony Roma's in Arizona have closed down.

After dinner we took a taxi to the Star City Casino. Star City Casino is located on Sydney Harbour and is the only casino in New South Wales. Star City operates 200 gaming tables and includes a 480-room hotel, a 2000-seat theater, six restaurants and eight bars. It is about the size of seven football fields. The place was hopping busy! A good time was had by all and we left, a little poorer but happy. Actually I did really good in the beginning, doubling and tripling my money. I just stayed too long. And for some reason (too much of a hurry to get inside?), I didn't get a picture of the casino. Perhaps I'll have to go back............