Fast times in Sydney

FERGUS BLAKISTON chose to give himself shots of action instead of shots of espresso for a day of thrill-riding adventure


Out on Sydney Harbour, Paul Farr threw the three-tonne jet boat into a 270-degree spin. My back seat view of the Harbour Bridge disappeared in a deluge of spray; the boats wake came crashing over the bow, drenching the only patch of dry skin I had left.

"Who's game to sit in the back?" Paul had asked as we boarded the blue and yellow Sydney Harbour Jet at Darling Harbour.

Not wanting to be targeted as a Kiwi wimp I had volunteered. Now, I couldn't have been any wetter if I had simply jumped off the wharf into the sea.

Multi-million dollar mansions lined the shoreline. Their owners, having shelled out big bikkies to escape the noise of the city, must love the sound of the boat's 300 horsepower engine. We pulled another 270 before fish-tailing back down the harbour.

I had two days in Sydney. I had shopped myself silly, pigged out in so many fine eateries my waistline was heading west and I felt that if I drank one more cappuccino - even if it was at a ridiculously nice cafe - my heart would leap out of my chest.

So I decided to spend the day getting a shot of action instead of shots of espresso. Sydney isn't short of thrill rides and I had chosen four which would blend into a day-long adventure.

An hour later I was on the back of Des Harris' black Harley Davidson Heritage Soft-tail as he gunned it over the Harbour Bridge.

There are two structures in the world you should cross by Harley. One is San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge; the other is Sydney's coat hanger. The steel deck plates rattled beneath the hog's wheels. The criss-cross of girders overhead strobed the sky. The hot slipstream blow-dried my clothes.

On the north side we did a loop under the bridge then roared back across, with the Opera House and the gleaming towers of the CBD framed by the bridge's spider web tracery of steel.

The sun came out and even the throaty, 1340cc grumble of the Harley couldn't drown out the rasp of cicadas. Our route took us along the southern shore of the harbour, past the precipices of the Gap and on to Bondi, then back into the city via Kings Cross. As we cruised Darlinghurst Rd we passed a group of bikers - all leather chaps and Village People moustaches - and I wondered, self-consciously, if they were looking at me in my bright yellow coat.

Time for brunch. Des dropped me at Woolloomooloo Wharf where the aromas of half a dozen restaurants competed for the attention of my taste buds. I chose Nove, an Italian establishment where I gobbled a plateful of gnocchi (potato balls) cooked in butter with smoked trout, capers and peppers. The Italian flavours segued nicely into my next escapade, which lay moored at the pier close by.

As Emanuel Collins eased his Comitti Portofino speedboat out into the harbour I reclined in the luxurious white leather seats feeling like Matt Damon's character in The Talented Mr Ripley. The $300,000, 1950s-style Italian boat was the epitome of cool.

Immaculately dressed in a blue and white polo shirt, linen pants and boat shoes, Emanuel looked every bit the playboy Riviera motorboat skipper as we sped beneath the Harbour Bridge.

The Sydney Harbour Jet snarled past, looking crude and beastly compared to the stylish Portofino. Where the steel hull of the jet just bludgeoned its way through the water, the mahogany-hulled Portofino slipped smoothly across the waves like a finely dressed Italian lady moving decorously through an unruly mob.

We motored up Middle Harbour towards the marina at Mosman. I sat on the polished wooden bow watching the sails of yachts cut white triangles from the sapphire sky.

Sydney looks its best from the waterline and this classic boat was the perfect way to see it. As we nosed into the jetty at Mosman I was reluctant to jump ashore - better to spend the rest of the day drinking Chianti and puttering about in the Portofino - but my next exploit awaited.

On the seaward side of Balgowlah Point, the Tasman sea rolled up the harbour in 2m swells.

The sea kayak bobbed like a cork in a bottle as my guide, Jade, and I paddled towards Middle Head.

Thick eucalypt forest cloaked the cliff-tops, obscuring the houses and I had the impression that we could have been paddling any wilderness coast in Australia.

Sydney Harbour has hundreds of kilometres of coastline, much of it undeveloped and protected by national parks: perfect for sea kayaking. We paddled into a tiny cove to snigger at some nude bathers, then turned to paddle back up Middle Harbour.

A Dunedin-born and raised art history graduate, Jade came to Sydney to seek his fortune - "After working a series of horror jobs I packed dog food for a while. That was not good." - and he became a guide with Sydney Harbour Kayaks.

We passed artist Ken Donne's house, with its studio standing beneath gum trees close to the waterline.

Like the mansions I howled past in the jet boat earlier, properties here change hands for millions. But that afternoon Jade and I weren't disturbing anyone; we were just a couple of blokes paddling quietly along yarning.

Back on land I caught a bus back into the city and made my way down to Circular Quay. It was only 4pm: I still had time for a tandem hang-glider flight or a bounce over the waves in a Manly surf boat.

But there's only so much action a person can handle in one day. I slid into a chair at a cafe overlooking the water and ordered a cappuccino.

* Fergus Blakiston visited Sydney courtesy of the Australian Tourist Commission and Qantas.



GETTING THERE

Qantas has daily flights to Sydney from Auckland. For more information and bookings Ph: 0800 767 400

PLACES TO STAY

The art-deco Grace Hotel (Ph: +61 2 9272 688) on York St is a good base for adventurers based in Sydney's CBD. Rooms start at A$230 ($258) a night. The hotel's street-side Deli and Cafe Co is a good place to wind down after an action-packed day. Places to eat Nove Restaurant, 6 Cooper Wharf, Woolloomooloo, Ph: 9368 7488. For a more adventurous snack, try any one of the tiny food joints in the alley off the top end of Darlinghurst Rd, Kings Cross.

Especially good is the hole-in-the-wall Cambodia. Looking for adventure
Sydney Harbour Jet departs from Darling Harbour in front of Jordan's Seafood Restaurant. Ph 1300 88 73 73 toll free (Australia only); bookings@harbourjet.com

Blue ThunderHarley Bike Tours will pick you up from your accommodation. Ph: 9977 7721; email bluethunder10@bigpond.com


The Italian Wooden Speedboat Company runs from Woolloomooloo Wharf. Ph: 9357 2700/0414 356 138; email pmalcolm@waterlimo.com.au

Sydney Harbour Kayaks is based at Spit Bridge, Mosman (No 178 or 180 bus from Wynyard Station in downtown Sydney). Ph: 9960 4389; grant@4shk.com