Darling Harbor is aptly named, not for the former New South Wales Governor who attached his name to it, but for its delightful charm and eccentric mix of the old and new. It is a short walk from our apartment and was our destination for the day.

In front of the Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbor is a fountain designed by Robert Woodward. The fountain is saucer-shaped, with ten spiraling paths for water and two spirals serving as walking paths leading to the center. The flow of water creates mesmerizing crisscross wave patterns through its unique hydraulic design. It is one of the most beautiful water features I have ever seen.

We arrived at the Australian National Maritime Museum as it opened and spent hours there. Of particular interest was the Ocean Photographer of the Year exhibit, which was exceptional and tours of Captain Cook’s HMB Endeavour Replica and the HMAS Onslow submarine.

HMAS Onslow was an Oberon-class submarine that served in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) from 1969 to 1999.  She is 295 ft long and 26 feet wide, capable of 12 knots surfaced and 17 knots submerged, powered by two supercharged V-16 diesel engines, each driving a 1.28 mega-watt generator connected to a 3,000 horsepower electric propeller motor. As much as I romanticize submarines, our on-board tour made it clear to me this is not a place I would ever want to work.