Australia - Manly
Trip Start
Dec 05, 2005
1
59
124
Trip End
Ongoing
Manly,
Australia
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
We are both still in our jobs (see the last entry for more details) and working the daily 8:30 till 5:00, Monday to Friday and then enjoying our evenings watching telly and going to the cinema and spending the weekends relaxing and wandering along the beachfront.
Our camera decided to stop working soon after the last entry and with no other alternative we had to send it back to the UK and get it fixed by Sony - it was still under guarantee but cost us about 30 GBP to send it back. The hope was that they could fix it in time to return to Andrew's parents so that they could bring it out with them when they came out to Australia on the 15th August.
As we speak it STILL hasn't been delivered to the address in the UK - too late for Andrews parents to bring out - so we will have to pay the cost of sending it back to Oz. Hopefully Sony won't charge us for the repair or it would have been cheaper to have bought a new one straight away!! Luckily we haven't had too much call for the camera over the last month or so.
Now, if you've been paying attention you will know that Andrews parents are now out in Australia. They arrived on the 15th and Andrew met them from the airport at the ridiculous hour of 5:30am. Returning to Manly, Verdi said a quick hello and then had to leave for work. Andrew had taken a couple of days off to spend with his Mum and Dad and to act as tour guide around Manly and Sydney.
After a brief tour around Manly beachfront, Corso and Wharf, Andrew and his parents took a journey into the city via the popular Manly Ferry. The view of Sydney Harbour, the Opera House, Bridge and Skyline is always sure to leave a lasting impression. We still stare in awe each time we round the corner and catch a glimpse of the harbour opening out in all its splendour. Andrew took his parents around Circular Quay, the Rocks and Darling Harbour (taking in the "Sounds of the Outback" show - Andrews 3rd time!).
The day after, Verdi also took the day off work and the four of us returned to Sydney CBD and took in a few more sights. We walked around the Opera House and through the Botanic Gardens before enjoying pies and hotdogs at Harry's Cafe De Wheels at Woolloomoolloo wharf. We then managed to get to one place that we had missed during our first time in Sydney, the Lindt Chocolate Concept store. We tucked into rich chocolate cakes and luxurious hot chocolate until we almost burst. The next stop was another attraction that we had missed during our first stay - the Sydney Tower. The view from the top was, as expected, fantastic - a 360 degree panoramic over the entire city - we could even see our flat through the telescopes mounted around the observation deck. It took a while to get Andrews Dad up to the window (Nick has a slight touch of Vertigo!) but once he did he enjoyed the spectacular view with the rest of us!
We were both back in work the following day and Andrews parents travelled up to Ettalong Beach to visit with distant relative Kathleen (whom we had stayed with when we first arrived in Australia). The following day we raced home from work in order to catch the ferry across to Sydney to meet with Andrew's parents and cross off one more thing we had on our lists - to see a show at the Opera House. The show that we had originally planned to see, Pirates of Penzance, was standing room only so we opted for the less well-known (and cheaper) "Skid 180" which is a modern performance about a group of BMX riders with British actors, including a Pro BMX rider. The show itself was a bit strange - trying to be too 'arty' for its own good, but nevertheless it was entertaining and the BMX stunts were incredible!
The next day we took Andrews parents around Paddy's Market so they could pick up some souvenirs before heading to Bondi to do a bit of the Bondi - Coogee cliff top walk. Andrew paddled in the water at Bondi but it was just a bit too cold to get in fully (and the other visitors wouldn't have been too impressed as it would have meant skinny dipping!). Returning to Sydney we found the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner - and more importantly to get Andrews Dad a T-shirt and shot glass to add to his collection.
The following day took us to yet another attraction we had missed during our first time in the city (you would have thought we'd done nothing when we were here before - not true - there is just so much to do in Sydney that you'd need at least 2 weeks to cram it all in); we went to Taronga Zoo. Back in December we decided to forgo Taronga Zoo and instead went to Featherdale Wildlife Park, however Taronga is quite a bit larger than Featherdale and supposedly has great views over the Sydney skyline across the water.
Taronga Zoo more than lived up to its reputation, a huge place that requires a full day to see everything and even then its a rush to try and see a few of the scheduled feeding times and talks. Our priorities were to see Koalas and all the other native Australian animals but we were also transfixed by the Chimps and Gorillas who were on top form and drew in the crowds like no other animals could manage. Despite the fact that we had already seen all of these animals before we still had a few surprises that we were glad to have seen, namely a couple of Koala Joeys and a huge Koala walking along the ground and jumping from tree to tree! We were over the moon and spent ages just staring and smiling at the gorgeous little furballs. This was the first time that we had really missed our camera, especially as Andrews parents camera ran out of batteries just as the huge Koala came right up close! Sony has a LOT to answer for!
The zoo was really fun and had a great array of animals from all over the world, and the constant backdrop of the Sydney skyline was a truly stunning and unforgettable sight - no other zoo could boast such a view. The only drawback was that, at times, the animals did seem to bee too enclosed and restricted, a fact typified by the sun bears who spent a large amount of their time pacing back and forth in their pen - a sad sight. This is one area where Featherdale seems to have the upper hand. The animals in featherdale have much more room and can move around, often amongst the visitors and they seem happier for it. Fair enough, there are some animals in Taronga that simply could not be allowed around the paying public but a few 'exhibits' did leave a sour taste in our mouths as we stared at their meagre accommodation.
Back at Manly we took Andrews parents to the great Thai restaurant around the corner from our flat before saying goodbye. They would be going to the Blue Mountains the following day before heading over to New Zealand for a week. The rest of their trip would take them to Cairns, Uluru and Perth before returning to Manly for a few days and then back to Blighty - not a bad little holiday, eh?
