Blogs from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, Oceania - page 8

If you think adventure is dangerous, it is better than routine, that can be lethal– Paulo Coelho I woke at 07:30 this morning after another decent night’s sleep. Roisin had already been awake since 06:30 but she did go to bed an hour earlier. Our first activity today was to join a free walking tour around the city. Roisin and I always check for free walking tours if we are staying in a city for more than a few days. Most cities accommodate this sort of tour and we find they are excellent value for money. They’re free after all so you can’t get more excellent value for money than that!! (unless the tour guide pays you!!) It is customary to just pay the guide what you think the tour is worth. The tours normally last ... read more

It's been a hot summer... severe drought in Eastern Australia...record temperatures preventing us venturing West to support drought-torn economies...air-con humming constantly...violent hail and lightning storms flooding occasional relief. I venture into my Aussie backyard...Berowra Valley National Park...gotta be careful some hiker not report me 'cos I'm creeping through the bush with a camera...up to no good I'd warrant would be the report. I move like a cat...step by step...flash of movement...stop...head still...eyes darting...sniffing the molten air...smile...extending my telescopic monopod...adjusting my zoom lens...straining for focus...on macro. A hoverfly zips past then doubles back...hovering in front of my face...zooming away...resting on a twig...my lens up real tight... streaming sweat stinging my eyes...brain screaming for respite...mopping my brow...biting my lip.... read more

this is my fourth day in sydney and i am at customs house writing to you. it's starting to feel like home here. we had to tender in again, but we will be back beside the opera house tonight around 6 pm for the evening. it is saturday here and much quieter. no loud construction noise and most of the office buildings are closed. the weather is still overcast with showers and around 22 degrees. i was speaking to another passenger and they just heard from their daughter in yorkshire, england, and it is sunny and 18 degrees there! we had an update from the captain this morning. we are now heading out early tomorrow (sunday) morning, but unfortunately we will be heading east instead of north and not stopping in anymore ports in australia. so ... read more

Hello Sydney - we flew overnight and gained 3 hours in the process- we eventually found our Uber driver who was about to take off with the wrong passenger! Once in and after blaming everyone else but herself for the mixup we set off. 45 mins of mind numbing babble ( she wouldn’t shut up) we got to our Airbnb in Manly and collapsed. Great spot with great views and even better the son of the owner who was supposed to stay all week with us left after 2 days and we had the apartment to ourselves- result! That evening we met a friend of Jacks, Matt and his girlfriend Meg for dinner at a Mexican restaurant on the Wharf -sombrero alert! Great to see them both and they advised us on what to do and ... read more

Day 2 Sydney Jingi Walla! That means “hello, good day” or “welcome everyone to country” in the language of the Arakwal people one of the 500 aboriginal tribes in Australia. This a.m. we took a 2 hour walking tour of The Rocks neighborhood with our guide, James who is aboriginal from north of Sydney. The Rocks is in the shadow of the Sydney harbor bridge and it is the oldest neighborhood in Sydney. Full of pubs, restaurants, shops and the popular Rocks outdoor Market that is every weekend January and February. Most of buildings are all made of sandstone in this historic area. The oldest buildings in Sydney are right here. Sydney began in 1788 when the British arrived with a fleet of ships and the foundation of a penal colony began. Prior to this, the ... read more