Last port of call in Oz - Sydney

Trip Start Aug 21, 2006

Trip End Nov 24, 2006

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Where I stayed

Wake Up! Sydney Central

(Sydney hotels)

Flag of Australia Sydney, Australia
Friday, October 20, 2006

So after the disappointment of being unable to rent bikes we caught the train back into Sydney central and checked into a sweet high rise hostel bang in the middle of the action called Wake Up! We set off exploring the city and had a colossal meat feast of pork, duck and beef in the nearby China Town - lovely ol'job! In the evening we went to Bondi beach to check out the night life but were left disappointed as it is extremely quiet on week days so we headed back feeling somewhat unfulfilled!

The next day we went to explore the city further, walked through the botanical gardens, went up to the city lookout point to get some snaps of the bridge and the opera house. In the arvo we went to the aquarium which was really impressive and saw a large number of sharks, huge manta rays and much more! In the evening we headed for the supposed backpackers nightlife Mecca of Kings Cross, but were left distinctly unimpressed for the 2nd night in a row - step up your game Sydney!

'Old Coathangar" - Which we Climbed!

! It turned out a good night in the end though, the funny thing was, the most happening place was below our hostel in their own bar!

The following day we went to Bondi beach to see if it could live up to its reputation in the day time and not be as big a washout as it was in the evening! Also I (Pipe of course!) wanted to test out my newly acquired surf skills! The breaks were poor though s we didn't bother getting the gear and just chilled out on the surprisingly clean beach. In the evening we went to see a symphony orchestra at the world famous Sydney opera House! We got a really good deal on the tickets and the show (The Promised Land) was awesome - there was a young Asian guy playing the piano who was the undoubted star of the show, he had the most amazing lightning hand speed ever!!

Eager to find the killer waves which we craved we caught the ferry to nearby Manly beach to see if the surf was any better. Although the beach and town were very pretty and reminiscent of Byron bay in a way the surf was poor so when the weather turned grey and it started to hack it down we caught the ferry back in preparation for our night Bridgeclimb over Ol'Coathanger (Sydney Harbour Bridge). The climb was excellent and not too strenuous considering we climbed approx 1500ish steps over 3.5 hours

Awesome

. The funniest bit of the climb was the military precision and rigorous safety checks we undertook before being allowed to basically walk along a walkway with a hand rail!! We had so much "just in case equipment" and even a head piece that is only used by Bridgeclimb personnel and the Navy seals! Once we were suited and booted we felt like soldiers from the flick Starship Troopers and were ready to fly straight into battle! Unfortunately we have zero pictures from the Bridgeclimb because cameras are banned on the climb but we got a complimentary one which you have to see - Sam's outrageous unintentional 'Trout Pout' is hilarious - that tart puts Lesley Ash to shame!!

Anyway it was an excellent end to A cool city and an awesome country - Bring on new Zealand!!!

xxx

P.s We have awesome photos for Sydney and the Blue Mountains but we have been online for 2 hours now and this crap computer will not let me put them on - pls check back next time!!