Another day at work is complete. The rocking of the train as it rumbles through the tunnel under the city makes my eyelids droop but they are pierced open again by the low slung sunshine streaming through the windows as the train emerges into Circular Quay station. As I step off the train a vista of epic proportions fills the windows of the station. The Opera House and the Harbour Bridge compete for glory while the Manly Ferry chugs across centre stage at what must be the most famous viewpoint from a public transport interchange anywhere in the world. Ticket swallowed, barriers withdrawn and i'm spewed into the early evening crowd of commuters chasing soon to depart buses and ferries. Tripping lightly in the opposite direction I saunter past mingling tourists tossing coins to street artists ... read more

It's been a while since I wrote a travel blog, mostly because I've done no travelling. I've rather thrown myself into working life in Sydney and not ventured outside the suburban sprawl since landing some five months ago! That's not to say I haven't found time for the odd day out sightseeing in this fabulous city. The end of January saw the brief visit of some of Jeff's friends from the UK and this was the perfect opportunity for 'Trip Leader Jeff' to make a comeback, organising a one day spectacular Sydney tour. In the preceding weeks we had been bombarded by him with emails with hour-by-hour itineraries, weather reports, money off vouchers and strict dress code instructions so we had great expectations for the day! First obstacle was dragging a grumpy, overworked-underslept me out of ... read more

Wowza, I've been in Sydney for two months! The first two weeks here passed in a whirlwind of Gumtree searches, CV touch ups, sightseeing and catch up lunches. While the next two were a blur of introductions and inductions, sleepless nights in a noisy dorm and blisters ballooning on my toes. Then the routine and rigmarole of daily life took over and I settled into a pattern of work and wandering around my new city and hanging out with new found friends building a little expat community around myself. With the wind blowing and the drizzle clouding out the skyscrapers I could be back in Blighty! Exploring my new neighbourhood and meeting the locals For six weeks I have been hanging out in the hip and happening suburb of Newtown in Sydney's Inner West. The area ... read more

Aimlessly wandering the streets of Sydney on my days off has given me another glimpse into the Australian psyche based on their choices for city artwork and adornments. The colonial past is evident in the drab, grey regal statues of Queen Victoria and Albert in Hyde Park. But look a little closer and you realise those pesky Aussies have added their own mark to Queen Vic and her hubby. Whether it was a council approved art installation or a bunch of students tanked up on VB stubbies I'm not sure, but the art of clothing statues seems to have taken over Sydney. Dressed in their colourful rags the great, the glorious and the not so salubrious founders and monarchs of this great nation now cheer up intersections and the shadowy canyons between tower blocks. The wildlife ... read more

Wow, have I seriously been in Australia for two weeks already? In some ways I feel like I've arrived home, partly because I have a comfy bed and home cooking, but also because the weather has been more British than it is in England itself right now. So much for the Pommie pipe dream of sunshine and surf downunder; all you guys reading at your office desk back home while the Indian summer warms your back through the window will be pleased to hear that it has been blooming freezing here. I've had to go shopping and begging for a hoody and socks! Everyone assures me summer is just around the corner though so hopefully soon I'll be laughing, and back wearing my shorts! After a few days relaxing, pretending I had jet lag so I ... read more