On Saturday we decided to head over to the Sydney Fish Market, which is on Blackwattle Bay by Pyrmont. We were pretty excited after reading that it's the largest market of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere and the world's second largest seafood market in terms of variety outside of Japan. I don't know if we missed something or didn't see the whole market, but we were underwhelmed. There's an industrial section of the market where the daily fish auctions take place, but it didn't seem like just anyone could go in those areas. So we stuck to the commercial 'touristy' area with seafood retailers and cafes. Everyone seemed to be getting these platters of takeaway seafood and chips and going outside to eat, so we decided to be followers and do the same.
After pushing our way through the crowds, we got our platter of oysters, fish, calamari, scallops and octopus. The majority of it was fried..a healthy treat! Outside we tried to eat our food before the seagulls did (one bird almost hopped onto my plate while I was eating)! Later in the day our stomachs were hating us for that platter..we had plans to go out for the 4th, but were not feeling well. While I'm glad we saw the fish market, I don't think we'll be going back.
On Sunday we were feeling better and finally got behind the wheel, woohoo! Last week we both signed up with Go Get, a car share company similar to Zipcar in the US. We waited until the last minute (this morning) to book a car so we didn't get the Mini Cooper we had our eye on. Instead we got a minivan! Haha. All the cars have names and our hot ride was called "El Segundo." After a practice lap around Woolloomooloo we hopped on the motorway and headed south, through Royal National Park and onto the Grand Pacific Drive, which weaves along the coastline to Wollongong. We got out of the car at a few vistas to walk around, watch the surfers and try to spy some whales. Then, we finished with lunch (burgers, no seafood) and drove back to the city. It was a nice little day trip. I'd like to return to the Royal National Park and explore that some more.
Jul 5, 2009 at 6:58 AM Thanks for the post, Laura. Looks like a fun weekend. Glad the fried fish didn't get you too badly... Loved the pics and that hamburger seemed to border on being "Texas-sized"!
Jul 5, 2009 at 12:31 PM A large plate of seafood...how was that octopus? Mike looks like he is concentrating quite a bit with the driving. Did you have any stressful moments like we did on the first try?
Jul 7, 2009 at 2:52 PM Thanks for the surfing shots! Looks like an interesting spot.
Jul 13, 2009 at 8:48 PM My hubby and I only go to the fish markets about once a year. The crowds can be a bit much. But I do love buying everything fresh off the boats. Never have tried those big platters, though they always look good. Next time I think that, I'll remember your post!
The Grand Pacific Drive has to be one of my favourite excursions to get out of town. I LOVE the whole drive (minus the mandatory detours through Wollongong and Port Kembla). Not sure where you had lunch, but if you've never been, you'll have to try the Scarborough Hotel (in Scarborough) for breakfast or lunch on the weekends. Amazing food and tables right on the cliffs over-looking the ocean. Beautiful!