It’s true. All cities and their surroundings are the same. Once you’ve been to one, you’ve been to them all. Maybe not the cities of old, like Paris, Florence, Prague, and the like; but new cities are grotesquely cookie-cutter. Other than being flanked on one side by magnificent coastline and the buff beach-goers, Sydney is like any other non-descript city in the United States. There is of course its business district, with its tall shiny buildings and small efficient eateries. There is the “old” section, “The Rock” as it’s called, complete with cobblestone and little stairways. The tourist traps: zoo, aquarium, Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Darling Harbour, and anything else lights and a sign will attach to. There are carefully planned parks and, of course, Chinatown- no modern city would be complete without its very own Chinatown. There are men and women in business attire bustling through the streets with a determination that always baffles (your job isn’t that important, something tells me that if you didn’t get back right away or ever, everyone would still find something to do). There are students rushing through traffic thinking, “please don’t fail me if I’m late again,” a feeling I’m sure is very valid. There are moms and dads doing head counts and potty checks. People smiling, chatting, hugging, coming, going, and crying. The air is slightly dirty and there is a bar or coffee place on every corner. ATMs, buses and trains stations abound. Citizens, non-citizens, legals and illegals, it is NYC but with a different accent and a more laid-back attitude. This is not the Australia I came to see. But it’s ok, for now.
Sydney does have beaches, oh does it have beaches.
Walk east. Salt water breezing up the street. Closer. Over the houses a glimpse of blue, deep blue ocean. Closer still. Turn again. Waves smashing wind blown rocks. Chatter from the sand. And… arrival. The Pacific stretches out in front of you like a canvas of ever changing blue; the painter not able to mix her blues consistently, making what would be considered a failure in the museum. Here though, it is embraced by everyone who passes. It beckons. Sit. Swim. Play. Gaze. Be. Suddenly, and serenely, you forget the city that lies just beyond the hills behind you and you are calm. The emails and errands from this morning are a distant memory. The water engulfs your thoughts as you nestle into the warm comfort of the sand beneath you. Welcome to Australia. Welcome to the Australia you’ve come to see.
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