Five ferries in one day adds up to a remarkably good value way of spending time out on the water, visiting parts of the Sydney area that would be much harder/slower to reach by land transport. Careful study of the Sydney Ferries timetable is all that's really required.

The day started with a quick hop across the harbour from Circular Quay to Taronga, giving me a chance to fill in some gaps in my collection of Australian wildlife. OK, by cheating at going to the zoo. But it was worth it - check out the pictures of Mr Koala, Mr Tasmanian Devil, and their friends. It was a shame I couldn't get pictures of Mr Wombat and Mr Platypus - who I saw in darkeded environments.

An added bonus at the zoo is the views back across the harbour are great.

After the zoo, back to CQ, and with 10 minutes to spare, loads of time to buy a ticket, nip across to Pier 3 and board the ferry to Watson's Bay. This is a high-speed boat, and out on the upperdeck you really felt it was motoring. A journey by car would've taken more than an hour - the ferry got me there in 25 minutes.

At Watsons Bay you get to see the mighty Pacific Ocean beating on the cliffs which are the backdrop to the harbour facing beach. The rest of WB was very busy and touristy. But using my detective skills I found real local "flavour" - and a bloody good lunch - away from the tourist haunts at the café of the Watson's Bay community library.

Then back on another high-speed ferry, another zip over the waters, and presto, back at CQ again. Just enough time to down my one and only beer of the day (it was hot and this is Australia), then all aboard the Parramatta river ferry at Wharf 5. Now we were heading up river, away from the open sea. My first and only opportunity to go under the Sydney harbour bridge.

This is a commuter ferry used by office workers and school kids as well as us tourists. And as the hour long trip to Ryde Pier showed, the hinterland extends a very long way. With many beautiful waterfront properties, as the suburb districts and off-shoot inlets/bays pass by. The residential areas give way to the site of Sydney Olympic Park, and then the Parramatta river closes in from wide thoroughfare to narrow, mangrove lined backwater. As it was low tide, Ryde Pier was as far as the ferry was going and it was a bus if your final destination was Parramatta town. Not a problem for me because this was where Tim was waiting to pick me up.

So…tomorrow is the last day of my Oz experience…