Sydney Off the Beaten Path Tips by xuessium

This wishing well never fails to at least draw your eyes to it for just a fleeting moment. The Well features a bronze sculpture of Queen Victoria's favourite pet dog "Islay" and all 4 sides, plaques with words of compassion. I was surprised to see some with Chinese words!

As advised by the Queen Victoria Building website, tens of thousands of dollars have been casted by well wishers into the wishing well and all money goes to the NSW Institute for Deaf and Blind Children.

Location: QVB's Forecourt.

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extracted from:
http://economist.com/cities/displayobject.cfm?obj_id=1301824&city_id=SYD

..."A particularly harsh punishment for the convicts who washed up in Sydney soon after 1788 was confinement on this stranded rocky island. Nicknamed “Pinchgut” after the prisoners' meagre diet, the island served as a stern warning to locals; visitors in 1796 would have seen the body of a murderer hanging on the island's highest point.

In the 1840s, the strategic position of the island was seized upon by an anxious governor, and Pinchgut was transformed into a fort to protect Sydney from (imagined) attacks from Russia, France and, incredibly, America.

It is hard to imagine these tense times when feasting on an excellent brunch at the fort's restaurant. Plan on wandering through the defence installations and absorbing gorgeous harbour views. Book a visit by calling the Sydney Harbour National Park centre—visitors meet in the Rocks at Cadmans Cottage, which is perhaps central Sydney’s oldest surviving house (1816). From there it is a short ferry ride to Pinchgut"...

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Phone: 61 (02) 9247 5033
Website: http://www.npws.nsw.gov.au/

This really knocked me off into hysterics. One of the shops in Leura has this bench outside of its premises and I thought the sign was hilarious. And it really hit the bullseye since my mum and sis were both inside the shop, leaving the in-this-case "Bored Son and Brother" outside waiting for them to finish their browsing.

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