SnapshotJourneys Travel Pictures

Chinese Garden Sydney Australia

Garden of Friendship in Darling Harbour Tourism Area

Chinese Garden Sydney Australia is located appropriately enough on the edge of Sydney's Chinatown where it meets the Darling Harbour tourism area. (Sydney's sister city is Guangzhou, China). To get to the Garden, I walked about 4 blocks west from Town Hall station at Druitt Street and George Street, near where I was staying at the Pensione hotel. See Googlemap this area.

Chinese Garden of Friendship Sydney Australia Exterior view main building entrance to Chinese Garden of Friendship in Sydney Australia.

Entrance to the Chinese Garden is through this main building, shown here.

When you spot a really large ferris wheel poking into the skyline, you know you are at Darling Harbour Tumbalong Park.

Head towards this ferris wheel, and you're close to the Chinese Garden, which is on the east side -- the front -- of the ferris wheel.

If you spot the IMAX theater first, turn south (left) to get to the Garden.

There is also an Oriental Garden at the Royal Botanic Gardens in The Domain.

Sydney Chinese Garden an Oasis of Calm at busy Darling Harbour Tranquil gardens and pond outside main building at the Chinese Garden Sydney Australia.

On a visit to Sydney in 1998, I paid to walk around the garden paths, and really enjoyed the quiet greenery and birdsong.

The Chinese Garden was established in 1988, so I saw it when it was only 10 years old.

I regret I didn't have time to see how it had grown since then.

The area around this Garden  changed dramatically for the 2000 Olympics held in Sydney, and continues to evolve as more features are added.

Ibis Spreads Its Wings at the Chinese Garden in Sydney Large ibis spreads his wings for flight at the Chinese Garden of Friendship in Darling Harbour, Sydney Australia .

Ibis are like pigeons: They will scrounge for food from anyone who is eating, hoping they will drop something. They will wander into restaurants in search of snacks.

I watched an ibis swoop down over the shoulder of a teenager and lift a french fry right off her plate.

Around Darling Harbour, shops and restaurants that open onto the street hang wide strips of clear stiff plastic in their open doorways that people can walk through, but ibises can't.

But to a tourist unaccustomed to these large birds with their impossibly-long beaks, ibises are worth a picture!

Entrance Fees For Chinese Garden of Friendship in Sydney Admission fee signpost at Chinese Garden of Friendship in Sydney Australia.

The Chinese Garden is open daily except for Good Friday and Christmas Day, and the admission is listed on the sign shown here:

Adults $6, Child and concession $3, Family $15.

Note the lower fee for 'concession': You will see this often in Australia, where it means a discount for some people, usually students and retirees.

The concession rate for seniors kicks in at age 65, is good for Australians only upon showing proof of age.

For more information on the Chinese Garden, see the Darling Harbour Site.

Related:What to Pack for Australia, Sydney Harbour Bridge; Opera House, Circular Quay