Onto the main event.  An early start was required, as start times were between 8am and 10am.  We were both at the latter end of the start draw, but we left in plenty of time to walk from Circular Quay to the arena at Observatory Hill.  The Carnival Splendour cruise ship was in, busily disengorging its departing passengers, who were piling onto the nearby trains with their suitcases.  We walked past a gorgeous jacaranda in full bloom, then headed upwards through The Rocks, the historic part of Sydney that used to be home to the lowest of the low, but now is bustling with markets and outdoor cafes.  After climbing numerous sets of stairs (and spotting several controls), we quickly realised that our quads were in for another painful day, and that our brains were in for another 3 dimensional workout.  We spotted early City Racers as we went.

We duly pinned on our race bibs and got ourselves ready, after studying the blank maps and trying to figure out the multi level bits (no matter how many times I read the mapping notes, it never sticks in my brain). It was Ian’s turn to start first, with me being about 30 minutes later.  His course was 6 km while mine was half that distance, at 3 km.

Like yesterday, the first few controls were not hard.  In fact they were very simple, quite long legs that were suited to runners more than navigators. Fair enough, as this was the course for kids and novices; it was unfortunate that the next distance up, at 6 km, was too long for me.  A number of good, fast but older orienteers were also on it, so I think they really needed another course in between.

Running steadily downhill, I soon found myself running beside the water, and realised that the famous Bridge was directly over my head.  The longest course (15 km) featured a control inside one of the bridge pylon towers.  We just ran underneath it, and continued waterside for the next couple of controls.  Very little difficulty other than the puff factor.

Then everything changed. Control 5 was possibly the hardest control I’ve seen on a sprint course.  I stopped at no 4 and studied the map intently, not wanting to commit myself to a route until I was certain.  You had to find a tiny gap between a sandstone wall and a bunch of market stalls, and shimmy along it, trying not to get tangled up in shoppers.  Turn hard left, under an overhead walkway.  I hoped and prayed that the set of stairs that the map showed, were actually there, and that they did indeed lead to where I needed to be.  Up one, two, three flights of wooden steps, and onto a kind of small, elevated deck, divided by low walls.  No control in sight – until I looked up and saw it hanging on a wall. Phew!

Getting out was almost as tricky, but after that excitement, the rest of the course was easier.  Not as straightforward as the first section, as you had to find the right road level, the right set of stairs, and the right passageways.  I was pleased not to make any errors at all, and I ran as much as I’ve run for ages.  Finally through the last tunnel, up the last set of stairs, into the last control, then a gradual uphill to the finish chute, in the respectable time of 33 minutes, much better than yesterday’s run.  I was pleased to finish exactly in the middle of the field of 30+ runners, instead of my usual tail end Charlie spot.

While my fortunes improved, Ian came unstuck at a couple of spots, including at the same complicated control.  He still came second overall, only 4 seconds behind the winner; his time loss through error was about 2 minutes.  He earned himself two medals, one for overall and one for his age group.  It seems Captain Kumamon, who accompanied me on his first orienteering event in NSW, decided that he deserved some bling too.

Ian found a GF creperie in The Rocks, so we retraced our steps down the hill, and had very nice galettes for lunch.  Fortified, we set off sightseeing. The sun was finally emerging, but with a cool wind on the water, we decided to skip the Manly Ferry.  Instead we watched the ferries coming and going, dwarfed by the cruise ship. We could see the newly embarked passengers strolling about on the top deck, admiring the no doubt splendid views. Sydney is certainly a great cruise port, with ships docked so centrally.

We followed the waterfront promenade around to the Opera House, bigger and more majestic than I remembered.  Around the back, we spotted Benny The Seal, who has become quite the local social media celebrity for his habit of snoozing on the steps, oblivious to the tourists taking his photo.

On to the Royal Botanical Gardens, which we wandered through slowly; our legs were tiring.  At the Art Gallery we saw some very odd, giant sculptures looking like aliens.  We passed Hyde Park Barracks and St Mary’s Cathedral, bells in full peal.  Through Hyde Park, past the fountain and the protestors, under the Centrepoint Tower, and back to St James station, where our weekend exploration of Sydney’s CBD began yesterday.

We feel that we know Sydney a little better, having run and walked through it, seeing all sorts of interesting nooks and crannies that the average tourist would never find.  Having a map to do it with has certainly been fun, but following our noses is also a great way to explore.  All too soon we’ll be back on the plane home.  It’s been a great weekend.