Blogs from Coogee, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, Oceania

Geo: -33.9191, 151.258We went for the routine WorldMark "Member's Update" this morning and got 'incentivised' into upgrading our membership. Booked some accommodation for Erin in Austin TX, where she and Peter are going to the South by SouthWest Interactive festival next weekend.Following Baddie's suggestion, we then bought two Opal transport cards and caught the bus to Bondi Beach. On the slow bus trip we had a good chat with some holidaying US servicemen from Montgomery, Alabama. After checking out the Bondi Icebergs Club we took the coastal walk to Coogee Beach. A pretty walk, maybe 8km long.Enjoyed lunch and the terrific free wi-fi at the Coogee Pavilion (50Mb/sec up and down!) then caught a Uber ride home.We leave tomorrow for Brisbane after a very enjoyable visit and seeing valued friends.NB. A taxi from home to the ... read more

G'day! Apologies for the radio silence, my laptop died a sudden death and quite a few people tried quite a few things to revive it but to no avail, so i splashed out on a new one, buckling to the peer pressure of my relatives. Since my last blog I've been working i don't really have much time for sightseeing . I did manage to go for a daytrip to the Blue Mountains in the outskirts of Sydney a few weeks ago. We caught the train from Central Station to Katoomba where the Blue Mountains National Park is. Stepping off the train it was noticeable how different the difference in temperature to sydney- it was freezing! The views were spectacular and a two hour walk around whats known as ' the three sisters' mainly consisting of ... read more

It's my last proper day in Sydney today before I head off to the Blue Mountains, so I've arranged to meet Rebecca, a friend and former housemate from the old Manchester Uni days. I met Becs last time I was over in Oz in 2008 but at that time, she and her partner Ross had only just moved to Sydney and were just beginning to find their feet. A lot can change in 4 years! Ross and Rebecca are now the proud parents of 4 week old Elise, and I'm very excited to meet her today. They now live in Coogee rather than Bondi, so I headed off on the bus - too hot/too lazy to do the coastal walk despite the fact that it's almost certainly quicker. Coogee was just as I remembered it - ... read more

We started the day with a trip into the city to meet a couple of Jo’s friends, Anthea & Dave, to watch the rugby in Surry Hills – England v’s Romania, followed by New Zealand v’s France. We met a few Expats and Will quickly made friends through drinking games – Will was challenged to ‘Arrogance’ which consists of flipping a coin and the loser downing their schooner. It took 4 or 5 schooners before Will finally learnt his lesson and stopped taking part!! But at least we were well lubricated for the evening when we went to a cartoon character fancy dress party at Ben’s friends place in Coogee dressed as Smurfs… Check out the pictures, we met Popeye, Beetle Juice, Big Bird, Buzz Lightyear and Duff Man to name a few!! Will’s earlier drinking ... read more

The last few days in Sydney, 14th to 15th April 2010 So back into the car for what would transpire to be our final journey in the Beast. We had decided to take the scenic route back to Sydney after several recommendations from some of Doddy’s work mates. First stop was Berry, a small town with some interesting up-market shops and art galleries. We had a nice wander round trying our best to decline all the delicious looking offerings that the many bakeries in town had to tempt us. We then got back into the car and drove along a very narrow and windy road to Kangaroo Valley. The drive, although a little hairy at times, took us through some beautiful countryside, rolling hills with thick dense forests and kangaroos in the fields lining the road. ... read more