Day 2 (Wednesday 27th Dec 2023) Brisbane to Sydney

 Our stay in the Pullman hotel was most pleasant. We enjoyed a buffet breakfast, then returned to our room to leisurely pack up, ready for our trip. After an easy 7 min walk to the terminal we checked in and waited at the gate.  After the quick flight we landed just missing a storm.  However just after we landed the storm closed the airport so our luggage was delayed on the plane for just over an hour.  Apparently there were updates on the speaker system…

MGallery Harbour Rocks

We chose to use an Uber from the airport to the hotel in case of further storms. The thought of dragging our baggage around was not something we wanted to do. Our hotel, MGallery Harbour Rocks is located a 5 minute easy walk to the Overseas Cruise Terminal. The hotel is a mid 19th century building that has been repurposed multiple times during its existence. It is heritage listed and has fantastic historic features.

The Rocks region of Sydney Harbour is the oldest colonial inhabited place. By European standards the buildings, are not old but by Australian colonial standards they range from late 18th to mid 19th century. 

We spent a pleasant afternoon wandering around the Rocks and Quay area. 

The area was busy with fellow tourists and residents alike. Of course we sampled some local cafe food. Very friendly. 

We also did a reconnaissance of the terminal for tomorrow. The terminal seems new to us. Last time we saw it the passengers waited under large trees near the docks. Now there appears is a large building complete with restaurants, similar to Brisbane and Melbourne. We watched today a P&O ship take on passengers which seemed to go smoothly. We look forward to tomorrow. 

Cruise Terminal 

For dinner, we ate at middle eastern style restaurant called Tayim. Very nice, and fortunately we got discount being Accor members. After dinner we tried to walk it off by walking along harbour. Overall a pleasant experience.