meca in sydney parlement

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MECA PARLEMENT
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Sydney tour

Thanks to Hansen, our guide, we have spent many times to discover Sydney with a lot of very interesting explications and anecdotes. The most impressive places are:

• Opera house,

• Circular quay,

• Harbour Bridge,

• Darling harbour,

• The Rocks.

OPERA HOUSE

Everybody has already seen the opera house as it’s a real symbol of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jorn Utzon and was completed in 1973 for a total cost higher than 100,000,000 AUD (initial budget was only 10,000,000 AUD). Since 28 June 2007, opera house is also a UNESCO world heritage site.

CIRCULAR QUAY

Circular Quay is the hub of Sydney Harbour, situated at a small inlet called Sydney Cove. It is a stepping-off point for most attractions based around the harbour and an exciting place to be on a warm summer's day. The quay is a vibrant, bustling place with ferries leaving every few minutes to different parts of the harbour. There are great views of the Harbour Bridge and opera house, a short distance away.

THE ROCKS

The Rocks is one of the most historic place of Sydney. Just next to circular quay on Sydney Cove. The Rocks became established shortly after the colony's formation in 1788. The original buildings were made mostly of local sandstone, from which the area derives its name. From the earliest history of the settlement, the area had a reputation as a slum, often frequented by visiting sailors and prostitutes. During the late 1800s, the area was dominated by a gang known as the Rocks Push. It maintained this rough reputation until approximately the 1870s. Today it’s really hard to feel the history of the Rocks, because almost everything have been demolished, on re-built and is now circled by modern building.

SYDNEY HARBOUR BRIDGE

It was officially opened in 1932 and is the world's largest (and the 4th longest) steel arch bridge with 48.8 meters width and 1149 meters long. About 97% of its steel comes directly from UK (quite funny when we know that Australia has enormous mineral reserves...) but actually it was a Britannic company who built it. It has eight vehicle lanes, two train lines as well as pedestrian and cyclist access. If you look closely to the left of the flags at the top, you can see that it's even possible to take guided tours to its summit! And with a top height of about 134 meters, the panoramic views on the harbour and the city are really magnific.

DARLING HARBOUR

It is a large recreational and pedestrian precinct that is situated on western outskirts of the Sydney central business district. It was originally part of the commercial port of Sydney but today it’s a famous destination for entertainment. With more than 40 restaurants, bars, clubs, pubs, cinema but also museum (Powerhouse Museum, National Maritime Museum, Sydney Aquarium,...), the Aboriginal center, the Sydney convention center, Darling Harbour is one of the most moving place of Sydney.

Powerhouse Museum

We visited Powerhouse museum, and during the visit, we saw two specifically inventions: the steam engine, and the first locomotive to be construct in Australia.

THE STEAM ENGINE



Built in England during the Industrial Revolution, it was one of the earliest rotative steam engines to be built and is the oldest in existence.

This engine was made by engineer James Watt and entrepreneur Matthew Boulton of Birmingham, England.
James Watt did not invent the steam engine, but he made several important innovations that improved the efficiency of engines and made them useful in a wide range of industries.

THE LOCOMOTIVE N°1

Built in England by Robert Stephenson & Co., Newcastle-on-Tyne, it was designed by J. E. McConnell of the London and North-Western Railway Company. It is believed to be the only known example of its type in the world.
The establishment of a railway in New South Wales began in 1848 when a private company, the Sydney Railway Company, was formed with the objective of building a railway line between Sydney and Parramatta.
In January 1855 four locomotives arrived by ship including Locomotive No. 1.
The line from Sydney to Parramatta (with four intermediate stations: Newtown, Ashfield, Burwood and Homebush) was officially opened with great celebration on 26 September 1855.

Hyde Park

Hyde Park is the largest park in Sydney (16 hectares in the area). It was named after the original Hyde Park in London. The centerpiece of Hyde Park is the Archibal Fountain. The fountain was designed by François Sicard and donated by J.F. Archibal in 1932 in honor of Australia's contribution to World War I in France. St Mary’s Cathedral, the barracks and the Parliament are also closes to Hyde Park.

At the park's southern end is the ANZAC War Memorial behind the 'Lake of Reflections' or 'Pool of Remembrance'. This Memorial was built due to 120 000 death during the World War 2. The roof of this Memorial is completely ground of gold stars, one for each soldier was dead.

At the park’s northern end is the barrack. Hyde Park Barracks were designed by the colonial architect Francis Greenway and built between 1818 and 1819, and built by the convict labour. As the principal male convict barracks in New South Wales it provided lodgings for convicts working in government employment around Sydney until its closure in mid 1848.
Now, the newly installed Hyde Park Barracks is a museum operated by the Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales. Tourists who visit the building discover the daily lives of convicts and other occupants through exhibitions on Sydney’s male convict labour force, Australia’s convict system.

National Maritim Museum (the Endeavour)

The Australian-built replica of James Cook's HMB Endeavour is one of the world's most accurate maritime reproductions. When you come on board you may wonder whether James Cook and his crew have just stepped ashore somewhere on their voyage. The table is set, clothes are hung and the cat is slumbering.
On board the beautifully crafted ship, you glimpse a sailor's life during one of history's great maritime adventures, Captain Cook's epic 1768-71 world voyage.
These days, Endeavour stands majestically at our wharves and enjoys regular trips along the Australian coast.

Blue Mountains

The Blue Mountains are in New South Wales, Australia. It’s a mountainous region, bordered on Sydney's metropolitan area, its foothills starting approximately 50 kilometres west of the state capital. The area begins on the west side of the Nepean River and extends westward as far as Cox's River.
Consisting mainly of a sandstone plateau, the area is dissected by gorges up to 760 metres deep. The highest point of the range is 1,190 metres above sea level. A large part of the Blue Mountains is incorporated into the Greater Blue Mountains Area World Heritage Site, consisting of seven national park areas and a conservation reserve.
The Blue Mountains have been lived for many years by aboriginal people, and the latest trace of life in the Blue Mountains is old of about 22.000 years.

NSW Parliement

The Parliament is located on Macquarie Street, close to Hyde Park, Sydney. It is the Australia’s oldest Parliament. The Parliament of New South Wales has two Houses:

• The New South Wales Legislative Council,

• The New South Wales Legislative Assembly.

Each house is directly elected by the people of this state every 4 years. Actually, 93 members are elected for the Assembly and 42 for the Council. The sovereign is the head of the parliament and is represented in the state by the Governor of New South Wales.

The party or coalition with the most seats in the Legislative Assembly is invited by the Governor to form government. The head of government is the Premier. The opposition is sat in front of the government during the meeting, and the Independents are sat between the both government and opposition.

Generally, for a bill to become law, it must be passed by both the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly and be assented to by the Governor. A bill appropriating revenue for the ordinary annual services of the Government can be presented to the Governor for assent even if the upper house has not agreed to it (section 5A Constitution Act 1902, NSW).