Feeling Amused: Milsons Point

It's all well and good to walk around weird places like Blair Athol and Denistone, but sometimes I've also got to visit the things Sydney is actually known for. This is the lovely

Milsons Point

Just on the other side of Sydney Harbour, Milsons Point is either a train or ferry ride away. Due to trackwork, I chose to cross the Harbour by boat rather than rail. You know you're off to a good start when even the public transport is picturesque.

If you're facing away from the water, Milsons Point's main attraction is to the left and away from the Harbour Bridge. Naturally, this means I headed right.

This leads up this road which runs next to and below the bridge.

Immediately up this way is North Sydney Swimming Pool, which has a heritage entrance and Milsons Point's signature backdrop.

I wasn't here to do laps today, so I continued uphill, where I spotted many small interesting things in quick succession.

Firstly, our noble bridge doing it's best,

secondly, these beautiful old terraces amongst some much more modern neighbours,

and finally, this thing.

I've always found this "Welcome to North Sydney" gate a little curious, mainly due to the fact that it's giving a lot of fanfare to your entering of North Sydney, despite the fact that North Sydney isn't for another couple hundred metres. At least the other end makes more sense.

As the sign suggests, also here is Bradfield Park, which is a big-ole square of grass where you can watch the New Years' fireworks without coming super early, due to the partially obstructed views.

From Bradfield Park, you can go up this small flight of stairs,

which lead to this square of artificial grass. Twice a month they run markets here. Today was not one of those days.

Just like the welcome to North Sydney gate, the markets here are called the Kirribilli Markets. This is not Kirribilli either. Why does Milsons Point have an identity crisis?

For what it's worth, Kirribilli's on the other side of the bridge, which you can reach by walking through one of these exciting tunnels. I already wrote up Kirribilli last year, so you can have a read through that if you're dying to find out what's on the other end.

Anyway, also here is the entrance to the station

(closed for trackwork today because this is Sydney).

If cycling is more your thing, rather than the train, you can also go up these stairs to ride your bike across the Harbour Bridge and to the city (there's a pedestrian path across the bridge too but it's on the Kirribilli side so you'll just have to imagine it).

I was skating far too close to the edge of the suburb for comfort, so I backtracked down the hill

and to the ferry terminal again.

Remember when I said the suburb's main attraction is the other way?

Well, if you're not from Sydney, that main attraction is Luna Park, that theme park which will always play second fiddle to Wonderland in our hearts.

I always thought walking into a theme park through a giant dude's mouth was a little odd, but at least the face isn't as terrifying as Melbourne's Luna Park. Here's one I prepared earlier, for comparison.