Arrived at Sydney Airport for National Masters Hockey tournament and boarded the train for Bankstown. Thought we must have been somewhere in Asia every school kid that got on the train for a while was of Asian descent which soon changed to Middle Eastern as we got further west . Went to the Thai place next to the accommodation for dinner which was Halal and alcohol free and very pleasant.
Following day we bought a weekly train ticket at Bankstown which gives access to the whole rail network bus network and ferries for $61 per week. Took the train to Cronulla and we’re we’d landed in Europe somewhere( till we got to the surf beach anyway). Walked around the peninsula near Cronulla as far as we could on the track next to the water . One difference here you really notice is the deep water openings into bays and harbours as distinct from the bars back on the South Coast. Walked back along the streets to Cronulla once we in the area of Gunamatta bay where the houses take up the beachfront.
After getting a train back to Sydney we took a tour of the Opera house and managed to score a discounted near front row seat to view the Sydney Symphony Orchestra for a performance of a Chopin piano Concerto and Wagner’s ring adventure.It was really great to see and hear very good music , with 80 musicians completely in rhythm and tune ( a stark contrast to the only 2 piece band playing on our walk back to the rail station. )