I did my usual morning routine whilst staying with friends; get up, shower, breakfast and lock up the house before leaving to walk to the train into the City. Arriving in the City I was still amazed by the structure of all the buildings, the people rushing about in cars and on foot and the general buzz I found myself immersed in. I made my way down the hill and to Circular Quay where there were many stands selling Whale Watching Trips. Not knowing which would have the most luck in finding the whales today, I went with the first one I arrived at and hoped for success. Having bought my ticket I then had to make my way across the city to Darling Harbour where the boat would leave from at lunchtime. The walk through the City was beautiful, with more towering buildings, different views of the bridge and small, enticing streets branching off everywhere. The walk ended with over 100 steps down from the City onto the lower harbour, followed by a brief walk along the harbour front, passed many bars and restaurants and onto the correct Wharf. When I arrived I still had 2hours to spare and so I retraced my steps and went into Sydney Aquarium which I had just passed. Here I purchased an ‘Unlimited Adventure’ ticket which would not only along me unlimited access to the Aquarium, but also to Wildlife World, The Tower and Manly Ocean World.
Walking into the Aquarium I was instantly mesmerised, the glow from the tank lights illuminating the place in a soothing manner. Everywhere I looked were things I wanted to explore; coral reefs, shark hatcheries, and the mystical dugong – sea cow. I spent a while watching the dugong, a strange creature that, in the past, had been thought of as a mermaid. They are very graceful in their movement, eating lettuce from the floors of their tank, which the staff feed to them constantly for 8 hours of the day.
Before I knew it, it was time to move on and catch my boat and as I waited by the side of Darling Harbour’s water edge I was already bursting with excitement at the possibility of sighting some humpback whales. As the boat set off I spent some time at the back taking photos of the city from a different angle, before moving to right up the front where I would be able to enjoy the spray of the sea in my face as we ploughed through the waves. The sea was still my favourite place to be after a childhood in the Channel Islands filled with joy, spent splashing, swimming and snorkelling with my Dad. Being at the front of this boat was like a step back into my own childhood and I was reminded with fresh enthusiasm the importance of children carrying such a connection into their adulthood.
Before long we stopped and spent time watching a calf humpback whale as it splashed around in the water. After a while he appeared to get tired of playing at the surface and dived down into the depths where we would remain unseen until resurfacing again. As this could take 20minutes, it was time to go out further in search of a larger group.
As the boat pounded its way through the waves of the Pacific Ocean, I stood clutching the bar at the front, the wind in my face and my stomach flipping at every wave we crashed through. It was fantastic!
After travelling 4miles into the Ocean, the boat came to a stand still once more as we watched two larger, adult whales playing at the surface. It was an incredible feeling being this close to such large and powerful, wild animals in their own habitat and I was glad that the boat spent some time following them as they moved through the water. To everyone on the boats surprise we were also joined by a pod of pacific dolphins who had taken it upon themselves to swim around the bow of the boat, surfacing frequently at the sound of human voices.
Sadly the trip was only to be three hours and, as with all my experience in Australia, the time passed too quickly and it was time to leave this adventure for the next group to experience.
As I arrived back on dry land, the day was still young and so, using the pass I had purchased earlier, I returned to the aquarium for more exploring. This time I skipped the dugong and instead went to view all of the different shark tanks, these being one of my favourite creatures of the sea. In this section of the aquarium I was impressed to discover how much time and effort had been put into informing people about sharks and the importance of their preservation. Every wall was covered with information about people’s changing perspectives of sharks, the actual statistical dangers of sharks, as apposed to the ones perceived in films and the role of humans in their protection. Furthermore, enhancing a new perspective, as you stand in front of the tanks, gazing at these magnificent creatures, the music playing in your ears is peaceful and soothing and you are instantly overcome with a sense of calm as you sit, staring into the deep blues of the giant tanks.
Leaving the aquarium I made my way back from Darling Harbour to Circular Quay and onto the train back to the necessary suburb. As I arrived at my friend’s house I was tired after another long, adventure filled day and I sat with them watching television only briefly before we all departed for bed.
