Sydney Harbour lies within Port Jackson, the natural harbour of Sydney, Australia. Not only is the harbour known for its natural beauty, two world famous landmarks, the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, are to be seen here.
Port Jackson is a very popular yacht charter location with a wide selection of crewed, skippered and bareboat yachts available. In addition there are many charter operators offering something a little different such as; Sydney Harbour Cruises, Boat Weddings and Cruises, Corporate Cruises and Team Building Events,
Fishing Charters are very popular in Port Jackson and you can choose from; Deep Sea Fishing, Game Charters, Sport Fishing and Reef Fishing.
History
Prior to European discovery the land around Port Jackson was occupied by various tribes including the Eora, Gadigal, Cammeraygal and Wanegal peoples.
The discovery of Port Jackson by the British was made by Lt James Cook in 1770, although he did not enter it. Cook named the harbour after Sir George Jackson, Judge Advocate of the Fleet at the time and noted in the ships log that "there appears to be a good anchorage". It was a further 18 years later, in 1788 that Captain Arthur Phillip established the first colony in Australia at Sydney Cove. In his first dispatch from the colony back to England, Governor Phillip noted that "...we had the satisfaction of finding the finest harbour in the world, in which a thousand sail of the line may ride in the most perfect security..."
Geography
Port Jackson is a drowned river valley, or ria. It is 19 km long with an area of 55 km². The estuary's volume at high tide is 562,000 megalitres. The estuary's perimeter is 317 kilometres. Three harbours join together to make up Port Jackson; North Harbour, Middle Harbour and Sydney Harbour."
Entrance from the sea is made by passing through the Sydney Heads (North and South Heads). North Harbour is the smallest, just a large bay really extending to Manly. |The Middle Harbour then extends to the north-west. The harbour is bridged at The Spit and Roseville. The longest arm of Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour, extends west as far as Balmain, where it is fed by the estuaries of the Lane Cove and Parramatta rivers. Port Jackson is bridged by the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the ANZAC Bridge, originally known as the Glebe Island Bridge. Sydney harbour is noted for its many bays. Those on the south side tend to be wide and rounded, whereas those on the north side are generally narrow inlets.
There are several islands within the harbour, including Clark Island, Cockatoo Island, Fort Denison, Goat Island, Shark Island, Snapper Island, Spectacle Island and Rodd Island.
A typical day on the water - Sail gently past Clontarf Beach and Balmoral Beach. Then past the waterfront mansions of Watsons Bay, Parsley Bay and Vaucluse Bay, then sail down Sydney Harbour past Shark Beach and Nielsen Park. Then follow the shore into Rose Bay and past the Catalina Restaurant where the seaplanes depart from. Sail close in past the waterfront mansions at Point Piper and Double Bay. Turn left past the navy ships and explore Woolloomooloo Bay with its luxury yachts and waterfront restaurants. Then sail past Lady Macquarie's Chair in the Botanic Gardens and then past Fort Denison, the stunning Opera House and under the Sydney Harbor Bridge.
Weather for the Sydney Harbour
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Air Temp - Mean Daily Maximum |
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Air Temp - Mean Daily Minimum |
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Average Humidity at 0800 |
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Average Humidity at 1400 |
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Cloud Cover at 1400 |
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Wind Direction at 0800 |
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Wind Direction at 1400 |
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Average Wind Speed at 0800 |
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Average Wind Speed at 1400 |
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