We had really nice weather for the most part - it is the end of winter there, so we averaged about 20 degrees and sunshine everyday. It would have been perfect weather had we not been living in the tropics for the last 7 months! Really though, we adjusted quickly and Ryan did make it into the ocean for quite a number of early morning surfing sessions before starting our day.
This last pic is actually Jeff hitting the end of a wave and his house is one of those dotting the cliffside. I lost track of which bobbing head out there was Ry and Jeff so I just started snapping when I saw someone get up, when we got home and examined the pics it turned out I got Jeff!
We stayed with my friend Jeff Driver, who moved to Sydney in April to work for the company that made Happy Feet. He lives on the cliffs overlooking Bondi Beach and needs about 2 minutes to walk to the surf.
And yes, it got warm enough one day for me to get some sun too!
It was absolutely gorgeous there, so it took some motivation to get us to leave the beach and head out further into the city.
We took a walking tour we found in the Loney Planet guide to get a good view of all the highlights.
We started at Hyde park where they have the ANZAC memorial - a memorial to the war vets from WWI, it was a massive structure and quite impressive really. After strolling through the park, we stepped into St. Mary's Cathedral, then off to the Royal Botanical Gardens where we saw some gorgeous orchids and some curious looking Venus Fly Traps. The highlight of the gardens were the Flying Foxes, AKA the largest bats I have ever seen in my life!! Surprisingly I was more fascinated than afraid of these massive creatures - there were so many of them and they were flying around at the tops of the trees, so I felt somewhat safe.
These bats fly around Sydney all the time, but I only noticed it one other time - when we were walking home from the pub and one dive bombed me! Of course Ryan thought I was making the whole thing up until he heard the thing move around in the tree it landed in and started making this really eeire chirping noise . . . and yes, this time I was VERY AFRAID!
After the gardens it was off to the Opera House and then around to the Harbour Bridge.
After a day of sightseeing we didn't feel too bad about more time on the beach. So we walked around on the rocks . . .
. . . and then took in a lunch at a cute little kiosk overlooking a nearby beach:
We did find time to celebrate at night too:
This last one features me, winning $100!!! Ryan handed me some change and said "here, why don't you get rid of some of our change in one of those machines before we head out". $1 and one button pushed later, and I won! We were all very impressed and slightly shocked. I literally pushed one button and the machine just kept giving me free rolls and going automatically. After about 10 minutes the guys wanted to leave, but I said "no way!" I didn't want to walk out on possible winnings. Finally a staff member came over and we asked what was happening with the machine and he said I was winning and to come see him when the machine finally stopped. I am still not sure how it happened, but we came out $100 bucks up!
We also managed to squeeze in a rugby game:
This was the first game of ARC, the Australian Rugby Championship - a new league for up and comers; the guys who are just about to play for the national team.
Our last Sydney highlight was the Aquarium, which is well worth your trip if you are there. It is very interactive and well done. We were quite impressed, and will probably never go to another aqaurium as the odds are it will not even compare.
This sign was on the ledge over the croc tank. It, among several other signs, became the humour on many of our outings. Aussies make funny signs.
The octopus gets coloured balls to play with to keep his brain active - they are very intelligent and get bored easily.
This is the tunnel through the seal tank. It was really cool to watch the seals play and swim right over you. The shark tank had the same tunnels.
This is a Pineapple Fish - he was really cute.
The aquarium also had some coral reef exhibits that allowed you to touch the coral and some creatures that live in and around the reef. We touched coral, sea urchins, star fish, and I touched a little shark.
With our Sydney adventures finished, we headed off to the Blue Mountains for more sightseeing and hiking, or bushwalking if you are Australian.
This is the famed Three Sisters. The blue haze in the mountains in the background is where the area got its name. The Eucalyptus trees gives off an oil that reacts with the sun giving off the bluish haze.
This was a really steep train ride down into the botom of the cliffs. It used to be used when they mined coal in this area. We rode the train down and then walked around the rainforest seeing traces of the old mining ruins.
Here is Ryan being a happy minor after a long days work.
Everything on the table was nailed down, so I guess they had a lot of theft.
Finally we headed off to our wine tour. Since we were staying close to Sydney we headed off to the largest wineries in the area, the Hunter Valley. I was looking forward to seeing where all the Aussie wine I like gets made, but it is mostly Southern Australia that I drink, so we were introduced to a whole new line of Aussie wines, all as yummy as anything else from this beautiful wine making country!
We don't have any pics of the wineries, its winter so it looks pretty boring. The trip was definitely a highlight. We booked a tour that made a number of stops teaching us different tidbits of Aussie history and culture.
Our first stop was Tea with the Kangaroos! We went to this little outcrop where Kangaroos, Wallabies and Emus ran around with you! There was supposed to be Koalas in there somewhere, but I only saw a stuffed one in the gift shop.
I accidently spilled my tea on this guys bum, but he didn't seem to notice! Roos are surprisingly soft, and these ones didn't seem to mind people wandering all around them. The ones in the surrounding trees were a bit more skiddish though.
These are baby Emus and they are the cutest baby birds in the world. We should have taken a video 'cause these little guys were really entertaining to watch.
Here is a big Emu. He tried to steal Ryan's muffin while he was taking a photo.
Oh yes, and the Opera House at night:
Well, believe it or not, that was the rushed version of our trip. I think I put in most of the highlights, so I hope you enjoy the pics. Any other stories you want to hear will have to wait, I'm going to have a nap ;)
