A glance at the blogosphere will reveal the predictable range of views about the place, but you can counter almost every criticism of the place with the point that the view and the setting is what it's all about here. Yes, you can eat better fish and chips (taking Swains as an example) but the view across the water to Middle Head and the distant Sydney CBD is far superior to the scenic panorama of the Gladstone railway line.
We'd just finished when an incoming ferry docked, and it was about time to head back anyway, but as we headed against the flow of disembarking passengers I got the distinct impression that, had we waited till twelve to try to get a seat at the upmarket operation we'd have been greeted with a Sorry, fully booked.
And, more than likely, a lengthy queue at the place where we'd just been.
The return journey, seated on the top tier of the vessel seemed quicker than the outward leg, though that may well have been a function of a less crowded situation and more expansive scenic viewing options.
Based on this experience I'd suspect Watson's Bay is a popular day tripper venue, so you're best off catching the first ferry (just after ten), eating before noon and heading back in the early afternoon if you want to avoid the crush of the crowd, though that first ferry is still likely to be packed to the gunwales.
Back at Circular Quay we could have walked, but the train to Town Hall seemed the better and quicker option, so that was the way we went. Collecting the lost property from the Hilton took a good fifteen minutes, followed by the walk along the now-familiar route between the CBD and the Travelodge.
Once we'd collected the baggage, the game plan had involved a bus out to Rydges Camperdown, which in turn entailed buying a prepaid ticket from a nearby convenience store which had managed to sell out of same. We were about to head off in search of an alternative source when we passed a cab rank with a vacant taxi, so we opted for the quicker and still quite reasonable option and were safely booked in and settled by three.
That gave us a bit of down time before concert preparations, and I was musing on the fact that a repeat of Tuesday night's schedule would entail a very short set from Robert Randolph when a check revealed a starting time of seven-fifteen rather than eight, prompting a significantly earlier departure than originally planned.