Australia - Sydney

  Sydney, Australia
Monday, December 19, 2005

Day 1

It was time to leave the comfort of Kathleen's and head for the bright lights of Sydney. Taking our time to get up, do more laundry, pack and have breakfast we grabbed a lift to the station, said our goodbyes and departed for Central.

On arriving, we had a short 3 block walk to our hostel on Pitt street; Nomads Maze backpackers, where we checked in and changed our booking to cancel the three days over Christmas where we would be in Canberra.

Being polite, our room was minimalist to say the least...a 10x12ft cell might be more appropriate (PIC). Luckily we were prepared for this after our trip to Europe and were just thankful that it was clean.

After a brief look around the hostels facilities (like being back at uni) we headed out on to Pitt street and worked our way down to the Harbour, taking a few pictures of interesting buildings on the way (PICS).

We popped into the Sydney Tower but decided against the trip to the top as it would have proved to be an expensive viewpoint (at nearly 10GBP each) that we were hoping to experience from the top of the bridge instead.

At Circular Quay (harbour) we gained our first glimpse of the truly iconic Sydney Opera House and Bridge in all their glory, bathed in the early evening sunshine (PICS).



We strolled over to the base of the Harbour bridge via the old 'Rocks' district for some more photo opportunities (PICS) and booked our bridge walk.

The walk is fairly expensive at 66 GBP per person but this rose to over 100 GBP to go up at twilight or over the Christmas period, but it's down as a 'once in a lifetime - must do' experience so we plonked it on our trusty plastic friends, the credit card (to be worried about at a later date).

Thinking it would be prudent to start cooking in the hostel rather than eating out for EVERY meal, we stopped at the supermarket on the way back to the hostel and stocked up on a few basic essentials for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Just outside the supermarket was the Town Hall, strangely illuminated with colourful patterns projected on it (PIC).

Back in the room we sifted through a pile of brochures and leaflets (from the hostel) to work out our itinerary for the next few days and then settled down to sleep at 3am.


Day 2

Given the late night we emerged from our pit at a lazy 11am and prepared brekkie uni-style (communal kitchen and dining area) consisting of cereal, toast and a good old homely cup of tea.

In high spirits we bounded over to the Powerhouse Museum for innovation & design to spend a few hours experimenting, or should we say playing, with the exhibits. We were reliably informed that it would take 3 whole days to look around and read all the supporting information for everything in the entire museum - we managed a whirlwind tour of all the interactive elements that we were interested in within 4 hours. Some highlights being the giant piano (PIC) and penny farthing which was most definitely not made for women...especially short ones! (PIC).



The only shame was that we were a few days early to be able to see the Kylie exhibition, which she is opening on Boxing Day. To top it off there was free internet access in there as well, which was lucky as we picked up an email from Jennie (who is a friend of Verdi's and an air hostess) who was staying in Sydney for two nights with work, letting us know the details for meeting up.

We left the museum just before it closed at 5 and just in time to get over to the Outback Centre at Darling Harbour to take in the last FREE 'sounds of the outback' show that runs three times a day (1, 3 & 5pm). The show consisted of a guy, with aboriginal routes, on stage talking briefly about his heritage and then playing the didgeridoo with accompanying contemporary background music and shots of the outback. He then broke it down, demonstrating how to play the didgeridoo and create all the different sounds (VID). It was really enjoyable and a great way to spend half an hour..made all the better by being free.

Just outside the outback centre was a small lake where a few strangely beaked birds congregated - we couldn't resist taking a picture but have no idea what they were (PIC).

Not far from Darling Harbour was Jennie's hotel so we decided to drop in on her rather than faff about with texts or expensive mobile calls (had cost 2.80GBP to speak to her from a pay phone for a couple of minutes!). The next couple of hours passed quickly and in much more luxurious surroundings than our hostel as we caught up with each other and showed her some of the photo's from the trip thus far.

We had planned to meet up with Jen and one of her other friends for some dinner and drinks so we made our way back to the hostel for a quick shower and change. Soon after Jen and Kie (her friend from back home, coincidentally Welsh and here as part of his trip around the world! - PIC) showed up at the hostel to meet us and we headed round the corner to 'Scruffy Murphy's' for a $5 steak dinner - bargain!

We didn't have to go too far for the follow up drinks as the bar was downstairs from the bistro. There was a live band on playing covers of Greenday, Prodigy and the Darkness, among others, and they were top notch. After several drinks we heard the bell ring so thought it was last orders at the bar, making our way to the bar for last minute panic buying we discovered that they actually ring the bell every time they get a tip (full of backpackers which is why we hadn't already heard it ring!) and that they didn't close...at all!

With our sensible (and tired) hats on we went back to the hostel at the respectable hour of 2:00am.


Day 3

The culmination of a few late nights and conveniently forgetting to turn the alarm on meant that we didn't get up until the cleaner knocked on the door to empty the bin at 11:30! The late start put the kibosh on our plans for the day as we were going to get an early start. Plan adjusted, we bumbled next door to the internet shop and spent the next 5 hours updating this site and making a start on the photo's that were starting to mount up.

We had arranged with Jen the night before to catch up at her hotel at 5 and spend some time lounging around the pool. Getting there for 6 meant we had missed most of the sun but Andrew took advantage of the pool regardless while Verdi and Jen gossiped and Jen nursed her hangover. Feeling too poor (and rough in Jen's case) to have another night on the tiles we chilled out in her room for a while before heading back to the hostel to give her a pile of brochures and a CD of photos-to-date to take back to the UK for Verdi's parents.

An early-ish night beckoned.


Day 4

Remembering to turn the alarm on helped with getting up a bit earlier - 8:45. First port of call was Paddy's Market (Thurs - Sun) in Market City, near the hostel. It's quite a good place to pick up anything and everything you might need from suntan lotion to kids presents (which we bought for the family we're visiting in Canberra) and even wigs or get a massage. We also decided it was about time we had some fruit in our diets so bought a bag full of fresh fruit.

From Paddy's we took a stroll through Darling Harbour to Sydney Aquarium. This is apparently Sydney's number 1 tourist attraction - hard to believe but that's what it says in the guide books (which are also full of vouchers for 15% off the entry price). It is however one of the biggest aquariums in the world with a varied mix ranging from the obvious fish and crustaceans to penguins (PIC), sharks (PIC) and seals (PIC).

One of the most popular areas was one that we're sure had no visitors just a couple of years ago - a tank full of Nemo and Dory look-alikes (PICS) which the kids (and one or two adults) were going crazy for.

The penguins were entertaining but a bit too damn nippy to get a good picture of in the water. One of the seals on the other hand did his best to pose for us; doing twists and turns and constantly parading past the viewing windows, slowing up just at the right moment.

The shark tank featured a walk through glass tunnel that allowed you to be submerged in their world; surprisingly calm and serene despite the unimpressed and occasionally fearsome look across the faces of a few of them (PIC).



We left the aquarium with just enough time to get down to the rocks and pop in to Ken Duncan's inspirational photographic gallery (www.kenduncan.com) for a browse, before our bridge walk.

At 4:45 we were taken into a holding area at the bridge where we were suited up in yet another attractive jumpsuit. After the obligatory 'sign your life away' briefing we stowed all our belongings away in a locker (no bags, jewellery, hair bobbles or even cameras allowed unfortunately) and then were issued with their regulation bridge wear; cap, hankies, bobbles (rather fetching washed out grey to match the jumpsuit). From there we were strapped into our harnesses and given a quick lesson on how to manhandle the static line that keeps you attached to the bridge at all times throughout the 2 hour hike.

Finally out on the bridge, our climb leader entertained us all the way to the top with a mix of; jokes about the Brits and facts, figures and stories about Sydney and the bridge. We stopped at various intervals for him to take individual and group photographs, which we could of course buy at the end. The panoramic views of Sydney, the Opera house and the Harbour were impressive but slightly jaded by the overcast weather.

It is advised that you should be 'reasonably fit and healthy' to undertake the walk up the bridge, it is not overly strenuous but you are on your feet and moving the whole 2 hours and climb just over 1400 steps by the end of it (a fair proportion of which are vertically straight up a ladder). There are no seats or toilets so be prepared. It's no afternoon stroll in the park but it's also not the massive adrenaline rush we had hoped.

By the time we finished the bridge walk and handed in our gear, it was getting late, so we walked back up Pitt street to the hostel (another 50 min walk!) and made some dinner before packing the bags again ready for the off - to Canberra the following evening.


Day 5

Another early start in order to be packed and ready to check out by 10am. After being super organised and having time left for a leisurely breakfast we then got talking to another couple about their travels to date (around Thailand and Malaysia) and ended up having to leg it down stairs with our bags at EXACTLY 10:00.

After dumping our bags in the hostels lockers (Central station doesn't provide any storage for luggage), we went a couple of doors down to Wicked Travel to look at how we were going to make our way up the east coast.

A couple of hours and an exhausted travel agent later and we had booked a package that would enable us to take 6 weeks to travel up the east coast, including; a 4 day 4x4 jeep safari on Fraser Island (island of massive sand dunes), 3 days sailing around the Whitsunday Islands and 5 days learning to Scuba Dive on a liveaboard boat in the Great Barrier Reef (meaning we would be fully qualified (PADI) by the time we met up with Verdi's parents on the 15th Feb). The package also included a 6 week Greyhound bus pass, so we could stop off as and when we want all the way up the coast, 2 free nights at Byron Bay and a load of vouchers for 2 for 1 on hostel accommodation on the rest of the route. All for 460 GBP each.

Once we had committed this big chunk of our budget we jumped on a bus down to Circular Quay (too tired to undertake the 50 min trek this time) to grab some lunch and spend some time at the Opera House (PICS).



After another relaxing Friday lunch looking out over the water in the blazing sunshine (getting a bit burnt!) and watching newlyweds get their photo's done with the Harbour as their backdrop, we ventured into the Opera house itself for a quick peek - even the toilets were immaculate and modern.

That was all we had time for as we had to make our way back to the hostel to collect our bags and get to the station to meet Kathleen for the 4 hour train journey to Canberra. The journey took slightly longer than expected and was dark outside for most of it so not exactly scenic; our i-pods got their first real outing.

Kathleen's daughter; Josie, and her husband Theo (pronounced Tayo - he's Austrian) met us from Queenbeyan (stop before Canberra) at nearly 11pm and took us back to their home in Jerrabombra 10 mins away. On arriving we had a brief introduction to Josie's eldest son Stephen and an even briefer one to his youngest daughter Alyssa (3) as she sleepily informed everyone she needed a drink (not even noticing the two ragged strangers stood in her kitchen!) and then disappeared back to bed with her thumb in mouth and milk in hand.

Josie and Theo had a real full house over Christmas as not only was she putting us and Kathleen up but Stephen and his wife Kellie and their two daughters Jacinta (5) and Alyssa have been living with them temporarily while they are building their new home (which should be completed in the next few months). If things weren't hectic enough, Josie and Theo are also building a new home of their own. Theo and Stephen are both carpenters and work together in the family's building business with a string of stunning homes already to their names.

After a brief chat, we all made our way to bed - ours being a large, comfortable double sofa bed in the family room (second lounge). Several coats of aftersun later (Aussie sun 1 Verdi 0) and we were fast asleep.