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Michael Portillo embarks on a new rail journey down under, exploring New South Wales with his 1913 Bradshaw’s Guide. Beginning in the waterside metropolis of Sydney, the NSW capital, Michael investigates the origins of the city as a penal colony, visiting the Hyde Park Barracks, where many of the first convicts were housed.

Taking his courage in both hands, Michael climbs to the top of what Sydneysiders call the Coathanger to admire the harbour view and tours the city’s iconic Opera House. And at Bondi Beach, Michael joins volunteers from the Bondi Surf Bathers’ Life Saving Club, founded at the time of his guidebook, for rescue practice.