Australia - Sydney

Well it's another day and we are off to another city. We are heading to Sydney.

The Motel has a shuttle bus so the trip to the airport is easy and takes about 20 minutes. Today we are flying with Virgin Australia.

When we arrive the airport is very quiet and we go straight to check in which is all automated. You scan your passport at the self service machines and confirm your name and seat. The machine then prints your boarding pass and your baggage labels which you put on yourself . You then take your bag to baggage drop off, put it on the conveyor belt, it is automatically weighed and off it goes with no need for any staff.

We head through the airport and security which all goes smoothly and is very quick probably due to the airport being nearly empty.

The flight takes about 4 hours 50 minutes so we have time for food and a movie.

We arrive at Sydney airport, pick up our bags and decide to get the train which takes you right into the city where we get off at St James station and then take a short taxi ride to our hotel. We are staying at The Macleary which provides suites on a self catering basis.

The room is a good size with a small bathroom and small kitchen but all you need.

It is now early evening and it is dark as the sun sets by 5.15pm. The city is lighting up and we have a great view from our room of the skyline, the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge which are all illuminated.

After settling into our room we head off out to explore the local area and get some food for our breakfast as we will be doing our own whilst here. Luckily there is a great little supermarket across the road from us. Afterwards we head out for dinner.

Day 2

We wake up to a lovely sunrise today and as it gets lighter can get a much better idea of where our hotel is in relation to the harbour. The view from our room is just as amazing in the daylight as it was last night in the dark.

We have breakfast and then head out to explore heading first down to the naval base area and The Finger Wharf in Woolloomooloo Bay. The Wharf has large warehouse buildings that have been converted into restaurants, offices and housing.

From here we head along the shoreline and onto Mrs Macquarie's Chair. It is a rock ledge that the Govenor of Sydney named after his wife as she liked to sit there and look out over the harbour.

We continue round the bay and into Farm Cove where we have a great view of Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bidge and views towards the Botanical gardens with the city beyond.

On the promenade the Australian army have set up some guns that will be fired today at midday to celebrate the Queen's 90th Birthday.

We continue on to the Sydney Opera house to get up close and onto Circular Quay where all the passenger ferries go from and into the old city area known as The Rocks.

At this point you are right next to The Harbour Bridge so we walk along the shore under the bridge and then go up onto the bridge and walk across to one of the towers to look at the view. Then it's back to the Rocks area and have some lunch.

After lunch we continue on having a look at the street market and onto Headland Park which overlooks the bay and has many old houses here that the government are trying to demolish but the locals are fighting this to save them.

We then continue up the hill to the Observatory which has a great view over the city and Harbour Bridge.

We then start heading back and go through the Botanical Gardens which is celebrating its 200th anniversary. The gardens are beautifully laid out and has an amazing collection of plants. Within the gardens are sculptures and buildings to add to the interest.

We continue on to St Mary's Cathedral and down through Hyde Park and on to the Anzac War Memorial then back to our hotel.

Day 3

Today we are off to Manly Beach which is about a half hour boat ride from Circular Quay.

The trip out across the harbour gives us another great view of The Sydney Opera House and more of the coastline within the harbour. There are many nice houses and flats overlooking the water some which cost millions of dollars.

We arrive at Manly pier and it only a short walk down the high street out to Manly Beach on the other side of the main shopping area.
Its a lovely sunny day and there is good surf so there are many surfers out on the water. Andrew decides to take his sandles off and test the water, it's a little cold.

We walk along the beach and follow the path around the rocky edge of the bay into the next cove which again has a lovely sheltered sandy beach. We continue on along the beach and then back to where we started to complete our walk.

That has been thirsty work so we head back into the main street and head up to a rooftop bar we saw earlier to check it out and have a drink. It has a great view from here over the street and out towards the sea. Its a lovely place to relax and watch the sun go down.

We catch the ferry back to Sydney harbour and then head back to The Rocks area of the city for dinner as everywhere is very busy and we know a nice little old fashioned pub tucked away overlooking the harbour.

The pub also turns out to be very busy but we get a seat and have some food. The reason everywhere is so busy is that Sydney is holding an event called Vivid.

Vivid is held during May and June as this is the darkest time here as it is Australia's winter.

The city closes many of the roads off to vehicles so that light sculptures can be set up and many of the buildings have clever lighting effects projected onto them to make a visually spectacular display.

We spend the rest of the evening wondering round the city and the gardens taking it all in. The streets are packed with people and at times it's difficult to move on some of the streets but it is well worth the effort.

We have walked miles today and are now tired so it's back to our hotel to rest and look forward to tomorrow.

Day 4

Today we decide to head to Bondi Beach so have a look at our map and decided the best way to get there will be by train and bus.

The transport system in Sydney is very good and we buy an Opal card that allows you to use buses, trains and ferries. You top up the card with money and swipe in and out on each journey to pay for that part of the trip, it’s very convenient and easy to use but strange that you purchase the travel card from a supermarket or corner shops rather than at a station.

We head to the underground at Kings Cross which is a ten minutes walk from our hotel, this take us to Central Station and we change there to go to Bondi junction where we get the bus to Bondi Beach.

It’s a lovely sunny day and as we come down the hill we can see the beautiful sandy bay in front of us and lots of people out on their surf boards which Bondi is famous for.

We walk along the prom and take a look at the interesting art that has been painted onto the Walls here by local people, then it’s time for a coffee and we sit for a while and watch the world go by.

After that we head in the opposite direction along the beach and go along the coastal path. As we go along the coastline changes and becomes rocky and in places the path has been washed away by a severe storm that hit this area only last week. It's a bit of a scramble in places but the locals seem undeterred so we continue on as well.

The route has beautiful scenery and it’s well worth the effort, eventually we end up at Bronte bay which is another surfing beach set in a cove with a lovely sandy beach.

From here we catch the bus back to Bondi junction and catch the train back to Central Station in Sydney and decide to get the light railway which is a tram that will take us to Darling Harbour.

At the station there has been a vintage train and bus day and there are still a few in the station when we arrive, there is even an old London Double Decker bus parked up outside.

The harbour has lots of old warehouses that have been converted in to pubs and restaurants and the whole area is being developed further with cinemas, hotels, and shops, it is a very lively area.

We stop for an early dinner at Cargo, one of the pubs on the waterfront and have a steak for 10 aussie dollars which is very tasty. From here we head back to our hotel and take it easy.

Day 5

Today we are off to explore the Blue Mountains which is a two hour trip on the train from Sydney Central Station to Katoomba in the mountains, we can use our Opal cards as it is part of the regional network and only costs 5 aussie dollars for a return trip which is great value.

At Katoomba train station we grab a coffee and head to the area know as Scenic World. You can take a tour bus or trolley bus to the area but we decide to walk and take in the sights.

We arrive at the cliff edge and it’s a stunning view across the valley and very deep gorge below. There are many walks around here which meander along the top of the cliff and down the rock faces into the valley below.

We first head to The Three Sisters view point and the Giant Stairway which takes you over a bridge and on to the outcrop. The walkway down is very narrow and in places has a sheer drop on one side, I leave Andrew to walk the last part down and onto The Three Sisters as he has a good head for heights.

We continue on our walk along the gorge, in places it’s a bit scary as the path is on the edge with a vast drop to the forest below, in fact you can’t see to the bottom.

We come to the Scenic Skyway which is a glass bottomed cable car that goes across one of the gorges and gives a view of Katoomba Falls.

We continue our walk along the ridge and then drop down into the rain forest area which is completely different from the flora and fauna on top of the mountains.

Here it is lush and green and the further down you go the darker it gets due to the ever increasing dense canopy of the trees. Beneath the trees there are an array of ferns and many trees ferns. It is still quite steep and rocky in places with the occasional stream and waterfall and as we descend the pathway we also come across viewing areas over looking the enormous valley.

The views are breathtaking and worth the effort as we get up close to the Katoomba Falls and continue down the Furber Steps which are a bit unnerving for me as they are steep and close to the edge.

We arrive at the bottom of the Scenic Railway which goes up through a gorge back to the top of the mountain. The train sits at a 52 degree incline and is the steepest passenger train in the world and goes up 400 meters.

I think we are both glad that we decided to do only the upward journey as the train starts at the bottom platform which is jutting out over the gorge and the trip up is facing backward so you see the shear drop before you.

I take a little glimpse as we move off and soon decide to look up through the glass roof and watch the sky and trees pass by until we reach the top, thank god that is over !! , one to chalk up to experience.

After a great day here enjoying the stunning scenery it’s a walk back to the town and pick up the train back to Sydney Central and back to our hotel to pack and get sorted for tomorrow as we are off to Melbourne.