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Published: January 2nd 2009
So we finally arrive in Sydney for Christmas and New Year. Checked into our hotel which was to be our home for the next 10 days. We went up to our room and wow!! amazing views over Sydney Harbour. The room was huge after staying in hostels, a bedroom, sittng room with two day beds and a large bathroom with a jaccuzi.
After making use of the fantastic bathroom we head down to the bar to celebrate arriving in Sydney. Bill ordered his favourite Dirty Martini but realised it was a mistake when it turned up looking very greasy. Ugh!. The barman had put cooking olive oil in it instead of oil from crushed olives!! Needless to say Bill wasnt impressed and we moved on somewhere else. We found a good Chinese restaurant along the waters edge and stopped there to eat and drink.
Christmas Eve, we awake to a overcast and rainy day, rather dissapointing but we had plenty to do. We purchased our 7 day bus passes and went around the city on the Red Sydney Explorer Bus. This bus stops at all the sights and attractions and you could hop on and off whenever you pleased.
Some of the places we stopped at were:
- Royal Botanical Gardens, a big garden in the centre of the city
- Mrs Macquaries Chair, a big stone seat that overlooks the harbour. Great for taking photos of Sydney Bridge
- Harry's Cafe De Wheels; a very famous pie van which is an institution in Sydney - a lot of visiting celebrities eat there - and so did we. The meat pie was really nice
- Darling Harbour, a nice area to walk around
- Kings Wharf, to look at Starship Sydney - our boat for New Years Eve - and it looks great
Tonight we ate at 360 Degrees - a revolving restaurant at the top of Sydney Tower. The food was great, Wagu Steaks, but the view across the Sydney skyline was even better.
We wake up on Xmas morning to bright sunshine, open our pressies (thanks Jo & Chris) and decide to take the Bondi Explorer bus to Bondi Beach, seeing other places of interest along the way. By the time we get to Bondi the beach looked packed (little did we know) so off we go to find a spot. Everyone on the beach had
xmas hats - except us as we had visited lots of shops yesterday but could not get any. Still Bill volunteered to give it one last try and left Sue on the beach sunning herself. And success - in Bondi Park there was a guy making a killing selling $5 xmas hats out of a big carrier bag - and you can see the results in the photos. After about 4 hours the beach was heaving and hardly any space (the next days papers estimated 10,000 people) so we decided it was time for lunch and found a restaurant overlooking the beach called Nick's where we were squeezed in. By coincidence Jo and Gaz ate here as well ! Anyway, xmas lunch for us was champagne and a mixed seafood platter for two, including Lobster & crab. Bill did see someone with a big turkey, but this must have been pre-ordered as it was not on the menu. After lunch it was back to the hotel for the traditional post xmas lunch snooze, drink the champagne prezzie from Jo and to take a phone call from Gail & Malcolm singing Merry Christmas 😊
Boxing day didn't feel like it,
but we took the ferry over to Manley Beach, which is much nicer than Bondi and just as packed. Tonight we decided to visit the Sydney Hard Rock cafe, only to find it has shut down permanently. Still we did find a local restaurant in the middle of Kings X - the Sydney Red Light district !
Next day we took a 30 minute Seaplane scenic tour along the Sydney coast and harbour. The seaplane was a first for us and the views were great, including sea fog rolling in off the sea and over the cliffs inland - quite an unusual event. We then took the Bondi Explorer bus up to Watsons Bay, where Bill had a swim in the public baths, a bit of a strange pool as it is basically the sea with concrete arches with bars to keep the sharks out. Sue chickened out claiming - too cold ! Back in Sydney we walked round the outside of the Sydney Opera House - it is huge and very impressive. Tonight its off to Doyles on the Beach - a famous fish restaurant - where we can spend our Doyles Dollars, kindly provided by Jo &
Chris. Decided to get a water taxi to the restaurant as its a long way by road. What should have been a pleasant boat trip turned into exactly the opposite as the rain came in and made everything dull and very wet. Still the food was great - we both had fantastic fish and chips, yummy and Bill got to drink a Dolyes Lager ! By the time we came to leave the rain had cleared and our water taxi back gave Bill another free beer and took the long way round to give us great views of the opera house and bridge lit up at night.
Next evening we decided to do something a bit off the wall and took a Ghost Tour to the Dark North Side of the Rocks. Not just an ordinary follow me round tour - oh no - everyone gets to play a part - Sue was Mum Ryan - she gets to look after 12 men ("so many men - so little time") and Bill was a Bubonic Plague Rat ! Our tour leader - Ghost Host James - dressed in black sets off round The Rocks - telling lots of ghost
stories and grisely tales - all true. Great night and we learnt a bit about The Rock history.
Early start next day as we have booked on the Sydney Opera House Backstage Tour, which only goes at 07.00, before work starts for the day. A small tour party, 8 people, which set off backstage, entering via the Stage Door we see the Opera House from the performers pespective. The Opera House is huge, with 5 performance venues (which we visit), but our main interest was in the Opera Theatre. We were taken down the main corridor which runs the length of the Opera House and through which everything comes and goes. The have up to 5 Operas rotating at the same time and the scenery storage space is organised to manage this. There is a big scenary lift to the stage, but we have to climb the stairs - shame. Still we arrive at the orchestra pit and look out to the auditorium, and both have a go at being the orchestra conductor. Then its onto the Opera Stage - looking out to the rows of empty seats, the stage has been set for an opera later in the
day and we are not allowed to take pictures of the scenary. We also went into the main concert hall, and the stars dressing rooms - they have great views of Sydney Bridge.
A short break and it is off on the Sydney Bridge Climb that we booked ages ago. First stop is a safety briefing, then a breath test and then its off with most of the clothes, and on with nice grey jump suits. Anything metal, cameras, phones etc all had to be stored in lockers - then through the metal detector to be kitted out with safety harness, rain jackets, caps, sunglass holders, etc which are all clipped onto the suit or belt. We meet out guide who turns out to be great fun and very knowledgable. Then a trial run on a dummy bridge before heading out. Initially we are along a walkway which leads under the bridge to a set of ladders which lead up to the start of the arch. At this point everything comes to a grinding halt and we catch up with the group in front who are also waiting to climb. There is a problem and they have to evacuate
Sydney Opera House
Every blog must have this so why should we be differentthe bridge (its only happened to our guide twice before). Apparently an electrical storm has appeared and is heading towards the bridge and everyone has to get off. We are led to a maintenance area under the bridge pylons and endure a 40 minute wait not knowing whether the climb will be aborted. Eventually the storm passes and we are allowed to contiune, except to make up time we are put in lift that bypasses the up ladders to the bottom of the arch - no many people get to go in the lift and it makes the start a bit easier. Onto the arch and the views are great - we walk up to the centre of the arch, pose for photos and look at the preparations for the fireworks in a couple of days. Then we cross over to the other side and back down we go, to get our t-shirts and photos. After a 4 hour walk we are both pretty tired.
Next day is special - Sue gets a haircut 😉 and Bill does a 90 minute Harley motorbike tour of Sydney, including traveling across the bridge twice and visiting Bondi Beach. 90 mins is
a long time - and leads to a sore bum ! While Bill is out on the bike Sue decides to turn the jacuzzi in our room into the hotels fountain, spraying lakes of water all over the bathroom. Apperantly the nozzels were turned up, not down and there was a fault that meant it could not be turned off 😞. Housekeeping & maintenance were called to dry out the room !
New Years Eve and Bill is out early to do a couple of dives of of the Sydney coast, Magic Point & Wedding Cake. Conditions were very similar to UK diving with low vis, strong current and bloody cold. Still he did manage to see 2 Weedy Sea Dragons (a first) which are really weird looking. Rest of the day was chilled while we waited for the evening. We were told there would be crowds everywhere so decided to set off for the Starship Sydney a couple of hours early. Only to be able to walk straight up to the boat. Still we did beat the queues to board and were drink champagne while most peale were still waiting to get on. The boat is has 3
Sue Conducting the Orchestra
Not really - but she was in the right place decks and plenty of open space, what is enclosed is made of glass so you can see views all around. Lits of champagne and beer later the food starts to come round - very nice. Its then time for the early evening fireworks - we grab a spot at the front of the boat and off go the fireworks - spectacular. Then there is the cirle of light - 50+ boats (including ours) all lit up with nautical themes, going round in a big circle in Sydney harbour, very pretty. A bit of dancing and more drinks and we go back to the front of the boat for the main event. Countdown from ten and boom - bigger, better than anything we have seen before - light everywhere, the bridge, boats, and skyscrapers all going off - so hard to describe - 12 minutes later and its all over amid much kissing and champagne and "Happy New Years". A great night - we get back to the hotel about 2.30 and crash out.
1st of January and we make our phone calls home and have an easy day before going of to meet Sues school friends Sally & Colin.
The just happen to be in Sydney on a tour on the same day as us ! We waited for Sally and Colin along the harbour as the bar we had decided to meet in was closed. It was really good to meet up in such great surroundings. After the hugs and photos we went for a drink before going to our restaurant Wolfies Grill to eat. A great last evening in Sydney for us.
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