Blogs from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, Oceania - page 11

Well it's been some time since I've added an update to this blog! Time has flown by and we are currently less than 90 days from starting our epic adventure. In the time since our last post we have managed to book just about everything save for the small Big Bus Tours and Museum entries, but these will be done in the next 3 - 4 weeks. So as an update I've been very fortunate to be able to book our return flights from Europe using Qantas Points yet again. This time however we have upped the game and Gretta and I have been able to secure 1st Class tickets aboard Emirates, but more on that later. On my last entry I had just given a basic outline of our trip as we had no way ... read more

Before coming to Australia, we had been told numerous times by numerous people that no visit to Sydney was complete without a trip to the north side of the harbour, out to world renowned Manly Beach, so Kevin and I packed our towels and set off. We took the ferry from Sydney harbor, a 30 minute trip across the open water. There were dozens of ships of all shapes and sizes dotting the water. Traffic was busy and it was fun to watch the sailboats make a quick effort to avoid our massive ferry, which has the right of way apparently. Sydney is a nautical enthusiasts dream, if I had a boat I would set sail for these waters immediately. Before long we arrived at Manly Wharf. It's a very picturesque beach town and although our ... read more

Sydney What a city. It has everything: beautiful beaches, amazing old and new architecture. It’s a lovely city to spend time in. The modern history of Sydney started in 1788 when a fleet of British ships came in to the harbour. From then until 1900 Sydney was the capital of the British Colony of New South Wales. In 1900 it became the state capital. Sydney was original named New Albion but the colony acquired the name Sydney after the British State Security Thomas Townsend Lord Sydney. Today Sydney is Australia’s largest city and has played host to many international events, including the 2000 Summer Olympics. Laurent and I spent a fun filled time in the city. The day we arrived it was late afternoon and we didn’t have time to start a full activity so we ... read more

Blog 17 Part 1: Sydney - March 28, 2018 – Weather forecast: mostly sunny, daytime temperature of 27°C; overnight temperature of 18°C Ah, cruise day has finally arrived. We have repacked our bags, ordered the cab (actually a van that can hold four adults and all the luggage) and now we are off to a leisurely breakfast. Right at 11:00am the cab arrived and the hotel porters loaded our bags into it, didn’t have to lift a finger. Check-in, security screening all went along smoothly and we were aboard by noon and at lunch in the main dining room by 12:45pm. By the time we finished lunch our bags were in the room ready for us to unpack. The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring the ship, but not before we got our laundry ready ... read more

Blog 15 Sydney - March 26, 2018 – Weather forecast: mostly sunny, daytime temperature of 26°C; overnight temperature of 14°C Our 18-day tour of Australia officially ended this morning and we are now on our own for two days before we board our cruise ship for the next leg of our journey. We opted to walk down to Circular Quay and The Rocks area of the city. After viewing the cruise ship Ovation of the Seas docked at the cruise terminal John and I decided to visit the Bridge Museum and Lookout that is housed in the Southeast Pylon of the bridge. Brooke and Mary Ann opted not to take on this strenuous exercise as it involved a great number of stairs, 200+ in the pylon alone. The museum provided a historical perspective on how the ... read more