Features

Sydney: A walk in the park

30 Jun 2013 by Dominic Sebastian Lalk
A business trip to Sydney can be a walk in the park – but not necessarily in the way you may think. Australia’s biggest city – home to 4.6 million of the country’s 22.4 million people – manages to combine a business-welcoming stance with an ultra-casual lifestyle that extends into the corporate arena. Just don’t confuse informality with inability. Locals in the self-styled “harbour city” work hard and play hard – and tend to be well briefed before meeting visitors. Business meetings are informal (first-name terms are the norm, even very early in the piece) and opportunities for social gaffes are virtually nonexistent. The ready availability of skilled personnel means many of Australia’s top companies choose to be headquartered in Sydney. What’s more, the city itself is easy to negotiate – even though, unlike most Australian cities, it isn’t built on a grid pattern. It’s also perfectly acceptable to conduct business meetings at your hotel or in a restaurant rather than at your associate’s office. Whenever I look at Sydney from the air, apart from its undeniable beauty one characteristic always strikes me: the urban planners’ heavy emphasis on having plenty of well-sculpted green between steel-and-glass developments. Sydney may be acutely aware of its importance as an Asia-Pacific city but it doesn’t forego “green lungs”, as residents routinely describe their slabs of parkland. As I pleasingly discover on a free morning, it’s possible to stroll from one end of the bustling business district to the other without leaving parkland except to cross busy streets. High-rise towers stand like sentries beside me as I amble along the length of the downtown area, finding Sydney can be – quite literally – a walk in the park. An ever-expanding network of parks is a consequence of longstanding public policy that is strongly in favour of attractive public areas. As Sydney’s Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, puts it:  “People-friendly urban spaces are essential in the inner city, where most residents live in terrace houses or apartments without backyards. Our parks promote health through exercise and relaxation, encourage community and cultural links – and have proven environmental benefits.” Fortunately, many of these parks are conveniently near Sydney’s top business hotels. Here’s a look at a few of the best. Royal Botanical Garden ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN This is undeniably one of the world’s supreme park locations. It’s justifiably Sydney’s most popular chunk of green, hugging a renowned harbour with only a wall separating its main footpath from water-based activity: bobbing pleasure craft of all shapes and sizes, ferries gliding to suburban destinations, freighters making their way to or from their berths and ocean liners advertising their presence with the loud honking of horns. Add to this some splendid views of two iconic attractions symbolising Sydney: the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Mid-year’s winter sun glints off calm water as I wander through the Royal Botanic Garden one weekend morning, using an entrance adjacent to the Opera House concourse. Sweating joggers pass, pounding a paved path; strollers, local and foreign, move at a gentler pace; a line of cameras and their owners take aim at the harbour; chatting groups sprawl on the lawns, as do picnicking families. Sections of the garden showcase indigenous species as well as rare or threatened shrubs and trees. The plants attract a wonderful variety of birdlife; as seagulls screech near the harbour wall, I watch a dozen sulphur-crested cockatoos waddling parrot-style across one of the garden’s many lawns. Lizards of several types bask on cannily placed rocks. Ongoing debate focuses on what to do about the thousands of native fruit bats – called flying foxes – which live in rare old trees. Netting and loud music proved ineffective as incentives to persuade the creatures to move on. Bats were sometimes snared in the nets – sparking controversy because the bats, like the trees where they hang out, are protected. The matter remains unresolved. A National Herbarium is tucked away within the 30-hectare garden, with a large reference library, a collection of preserved flora and a service identifying mysterious leaves or seeds. Toilets and a shop (stocking plenty of books about plants and gardens) are also located within the Royal Botanic Garden. NEARBY HOTELS: Within easy reach are the Amora (a former Le Méridien), Four Seasons, Harbour Rocks, Park Hyatt, Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour, Shangri-La, Sir Stamford at Circular Quay and Sofitel Wentworth. www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au Hyde Park HYDE PARK This is the ultimate inner city “green lung”. Australia’s oldest park is more or less in the middle of town. Split by Park Street, it’s a good-weather lunch venue much used by office workers. On a warm day, even in winter, crowds sit on the lawns or on benches dotting the park’s many paths. A grand pedestrianised avenue of old fig trees, some 75 metres tall, dominates Hyde Park where the best known of several water features is the Archibald Fountain, encircled by ornately sculpted mythological figures. Then there’s the Anzac Memorial (usually referred to more simply as “the war memorial”), honouring Australian and New Zealand military personnel killed in wars and incorporating an exhibition emphasising Australasian military history. The tree-dotted surrounds attract a wide variety of avian life, of which the Australian white ibis is most common. These chicken-sized birds, with long black beaks, migrated from rural wetlands after acquiring a taste for fast food. They often hover on the rims of garbage bins, using their elongated beaks to poke around for food scraps. Office staff tell of being momentarily distracted – and then seeing an ibis making off with their lunch. Though much reviled, the Australian white ibis is strictly protected. Similarly protected and also seen in Hyde Park is an Australian marsupial called a possum. These timid creatures, related to kangaroos and about the size of large cats, can often be spotted scampering across grassy terrain as they run from tree to tree. Foreign travellers often comment on the unusualness of seeing wildlife at large in a mid-city location. Though protected in Australia – where killing a possum is a criminal offence – possums are fair game in neighbouring New Zealand where they are deemed an introduced pest. Finding paradise across the Tasman Sea, the possums multiplied rapidly. Now New Zealand, with only 4.5 million people, has an estimated 30 million possums – as many possums as sheep. “Possum hunters” are heroes in New Zealand – but would land in jail if they targeted the same animal in Australia. An annual food-and-wine fair, as well as various other events, is held in Hyde Park which has several coffee shops, with toilets available, at its edges. NEARBY HOTELS: The Pullman Sydney Hyde Park and the Sheraton on the Park (both are across the street from Hyde Park) as well as the Hilton Sydney, Westin Sydney and Sofitel Wentworth. www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au The Domain THE DOMAIN The Domain, adjoining the Royal Botanic Garden (RBG), is a 34-hectare sweep of lawns on the business district’s eastern edge. Like the RBG, it is managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust. (The trust also controls the Australian Botanic Garden at Mount Annan in Sydney’s southwest, and the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden at Mount Tomah in Sydney’s west, the latter attracting many foreign visitors.) In the British colonial era, The Domain was a cricket ground. It later became a Speakers’ Corner, modelled on a similar free-speech facility in London. These days it is commonly a venue for concerts, exhibitions and other events – though mostly it’s a place to walk or laze on the lawns. Crossing The Domain (which has an underground car park beneath part of it) on foot is an easy route back to the city centre, which it borders. Within The Domain, which offers good views of the 309-metre Sydney Tower – are function centres, a restaurant and toilet facilities. However, its most imposing building is the Art Gallery of New South Wales, a striking sandstone edifice showcasing the works of Australian (including aboriginal) artists as well as international works. Short-term exhibitions often showcase art shipped from the world’s major galleries. A few minutes’ stroll from the gallery – just beyond The Domain – brings you to Sydney’s grandest church, St Mary’s Cathedral. A block further on is the Australian Museum, where much about bygone Australia is on display. The museum is regarded as particularly strong on natural history. Close by, Hyde Park Barracks Museum highlights colonial immigration in a building that formerly housed destitute female immigrants. NEARBY HOTELS: These include the Hilton Sydney, Intercontinental, Pullman Sydney Hyde Park, Sheraton on the Park, Sir Stamford at Circular Quay and Sofitel Wentworth. www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au Observatory Hill OBSERVATORY HILL PARK A minnow among Sydney parks, covering a mere two hectares, Observatory Hill Park definitely merits a visit. Off Upper Fort Street, its gently sloping lawns offer magnificent views of Sydney Harbour Bridge. The park is also one of the city’s most used backdrops for wedding couples. On sunny days the slope is dotted with groups of people as well as loners sunbathing while reading or working at their computers. (Observatory Hill Park’s closest toilets are located on nearby Watson Road.) Anchoring the park is the Sydney Observatory, an imposing 155-year-old sandstone building with copper-covered telescope domes. It’s by no means one of the world’s biggest observatories, but is highly regarded in academic circles because of the staff’s astronomical expertise. Tours and talks are frequently featured. While the park can easily be reached by walking along Cumberland or Kent Streets, an alternative is to combine a visit with exploration of its locale, The Rocks. The city’s oldest precinct, The Rocks is a sandstone reminder of Sydney’s rambunctious tavern-of-the-seas past. Former dwellings have been transformed into restaurants, galleries and arts-and-crafts shops. Slake your thirst before or after a park visit at one of the atmosphere-rich historic pubs in the area (several of which claim to be Sydney’s oldest, using different criteria). Arguably the best of the bunch is the Lord Nelson, with its micro-brewery turning out prizewinning brews. NEARBY HOTELS: Close to the park are the Four Seasons, Holiday Inn Old Sydney, Langham Sydney (formerly the Observatory), Park Hyatt and Shangri-La. www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au Tumbalong Park TUMBALONG PARK Hard up against the western edge of the business district, and part of the Darling Harbour entertainment precinct, is five-hectare Tumbalong Park. It’s the most family-oriented of Sydney’s parks – and well worth exploring if a business trip is being combined with a family holiday. A major feature is an abundance of larger-than-usual children’s playground favourites, such as climbing ropes, zip slides (also known as flying foxes) and the like. As every parent knows, kids love water – and Tumbalong Park’s play area has a section called the Pump Station where a multiplicity of water jets enable kids to get wet and soak each other (which is even more fun). However, Tumbalong Park – which is mostly lawn – is also adult-oriented. It’s only a couple of minutes’ walk from any of four major dining-shopping-and-entertainment zones: King Street Wharf, Cockle Bay Wharf, Harbourside and Darling Quarter. At the edge of the park – which is often used for ethnic food fairs, concerts and as a viewing area for firework displays – are other major attractions: Wild Life Sydney Zoo (not as big as Sydney’s Taronga Zoo but more handily located with kangaroos, koalas, saltwater crocodiles and other native fauna), Sea Life Sydney (a large and outstanding aquarium), and the local outlet of the Madame Tussaud’s waxworks chain. More tranquil, perhaps, than these is the neighbouring Chinese Garden of Friendship with tree-lined paths alongside bubbling brooks and a well-reviewed teahouse with a small selection of very tasty dumplings. NEARBY HOTELS: These include Four Points by Sheraton, Hilton Sydney, Holiday Inn Darling Harbour, Ibis Sydney Darling Harbour, Novotel Sydney on Darling Harbour, Novotel Rockford and Parkroyal Darling Harbour. www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au  
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