Sydney

After being out in the wilderness, for all intents and purposes, for the week prior, landing in Sydney was a culture shock for sure. It's a very big and busy city and I wasn't so sure on the first day how I was going to feel about it since my senses were a bit overwhelmed. I was pleasantly surprised tho, that Sydney is a really great city!! I thoroughly enjoyed it! I arrived late in the evening and my friend, Narelle, whom I'd met on the south island in NZ picked me up at the airport - she lives in Sydney. She drove me around a bit and gave me a quick orientation of the city and then I stayed over at her flat that night and she cooked a nice Aussie BBQ for me. It was really great to sleep in a warm flat on a comfy bed after a week on the cold ground! Although, I have to say, I'm now keen to camp when I travel - just need a little bit more equipment and a warmer sleeping bag! It's such a cheap and easy way to travel!!

The next morning in Sydney Narelle and I drove out to famous Bondi Beach and had brunch on a cafe patio. It was a grey, rainy day, but it was still warmer than NZ!! This is a big surf beach which is apparently always very crowded with lots of chic looking, buff people - it was quite empty when we were there. I did see a lot of surfers tho. In the afternoon Narelle dropped me downtown at the backpackers I was staying at for the remainder of my trip and I got myself organized and settled. The next day the weather improved significantly and I spent the entire day walking the city - down to Circular Quay and The Rocks, around the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, the Botanic Gardens, and back into the city again. I was fairly tired when I got back to the backpackers around 5 PM, but after eating something I ventured out again to Darling Harbour where I visited the aquarium. I really enjoyed that - I got to see all kinds of sharks and crocodiles and their newest addition - a sea mammal called a dugong.

The following day I set off on the ferry from Circular Quay to a suburb called Manly, situated across the bay in north Sydney. I met up with my friends, Elly and Ness, and we spent the day at the surf beach. It was the hottest day I've experience since last summer in Canada - 27 degrees!! And the first time, other than to enjoy the hot pools in NZ, that I've actually gotten into my togs (bathing suit). Later that afternoon I returned to Sydney to meet up with Narelle and set off for dinner and a concert at the Hordern Pavillion. It was really cool to go to a show in a foreign country and the venue was awesome - not to mention the show itself!

My final day in Sydney I went back to Manly to visit with Elly and Ness again and hang out at the beach one more time before heading back to chilly NZ. Brrrrr. I really liked Manly - if I were to live in Sydney that's where I'd like to be. It was a quaint little place with a laid back beach culture. I flew back to Welly that evening and now I'm making preparations to pack up all of my things and leave here for good in a few short days. I can't believe it's winding down to my last weeks now. Whoa!! And I'm not so sure I'm really ready to come back to reality...

Here are some photos from the trip.


Koala at Cape Otway

Sunset on Johanna Beach

The Grampians National Park
Sydney Opera House from the ferry