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Published: January 21st 2010
We were up early to pack our bags and get a cab to the domestic terminal. We had to wear jeans and boots in the hot weather because we needed to bring our bag weight limit down to get on the Virgin Blue flight. When we arrived it was chaos!! Like Stanstead all over again, but luckily they were a lot more organised and we got through ok. On our flight to Sydney, sweating in all our heavy clothes!! We got a cab to the Formula 1 hotel in St. Peters - a suburb of Sydney. We were staying there with Baz and Ali and Rick and Danielle because it was the cheapest place over New Year. We dropped off our gear and changed into shorts, before heading to Darling Harbour on the train. Met up with Baz and Ali and Gareth and Jane. Who had flown in from England that morning. Was good to see them as we haven’t seen them in a few months. It was baking hot so we decided to get the ferry to Manly Beach to meet up with Orch and Will. We got the first ferry to Central Quay and then another ferry to Manly.
The views from the ferry were awesome of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. When we got to Manly we walked to the beach and sat there for a while as Gaz went and had a swim. From there we went to meet Orch and Will in a rooftop bar and also their mates Gos and Liz. Had a few beers there and laughing how burnt Orch and Will had got in such a sort space of time. Was good to have a huge group of mates together, considering most of them had come over from England especially for New Year. We went for dinner and some of the guys went home for some sleep because they had jet lag and to prepare themselves for the big day tomorrow. We stayed with Baz and Ali and met up with Russ for a few more drinks before getting the ferry home.
New Years Eve We were all staying at different places so met up at Central Station. Went to pick up our alcohol for the day and night and got on the train to Waverton. We were going to Bulls Head Reserve and chill for the day
because it was free entry, one of then only places where you can take you own alcohol and had a good view of the bridge. We walked down to the reserve and set up in a great spot in the roots of the tree. We set up base camp at 2pm and had our first drink of the day. It was a awesome day and there were loads of us. , Me, Zo, Baz, Ali, Gaz, Jane, Orch, Greg, Janet, Will, Goz, Liz, Liz, her friend, Russ, Si, Dan, Danielle, Rick, Haydn, Sylvia, Catc, Lyndall and I think that was it!!! Haydn had driven up from Melbourne especially for New Year! We had music playing and just laughed all day. Best New Year ever. We watched the first set of family fireworks at 9pm and they were pretty spectacular. It was pretty dark by now as there was no light but that didn’t stop us. We all got in place for the big ones at midnight and they didn’t disappoint. It was just amazing and never seemed to end. The only problem was that there was a council tower block in the way of some of the bridge but it
New Year's Eve Day
Janet, Alison, Jane, Liz and Me.didn’t really affect it. We carried on partying in the dark for a couple of hours before getting the train back. Got back at about 4am and was shattered - what a day though!!
Zo’s Birthday We were all wanting a bit of a lay in but had to meet at Central Station for Zo’s Birthday treat. We took a walk to Darling Harbour where our yacht and skipper were waiting. Turns out that Ali’s sister has spoilt the surprise by mistake but Zo didn’t know exactly what was happening. We set off at 1pm for our 4 hour cruise of the harbour. Our skipper looked a bit worried at the start because he thought we were going to turn it into a booze cruise, but by the end of it he was loving it and even turned down a tip because he said he had enjoyed our company. We set off out of darling harbour via motor where I took the wheel. When we had gone under Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, we pulled into a bay to let the sails down. Our skip, Alan, was teaching us the basics of sailing and giving us
a lot of information about the harbour. We sailed around for a few hours, whilst Baz was being violently sick off the back. He tried to say it was sea sickness but it was definitely a massive hangover. He went down below to have a sleep, which mean we had to put the sails away and go back to motor (Health and safety reason.) Ali was next to be sick and soon they were both below deck sleeping it off!! We stopped for a few of the guys to have a swim, whilst the rest of us studied how bad Orch’s sun burn was. Looked like a proper fire burn!! As we were going back to land the depth meter changed within seconds from 33metres to 8metres. Alan reckons it was probably a shark swimming under us!! Alan took us back via some spectacular yachts and back to dock. It was a great day and the best way to spend new Years Day. Went to grab some food where Orch bet will $5 that he wouldn't eat all the chilli's. he took the bet and it was very amusing watching his alreday burnt head getting redder!! From there Baz and
a few other went home for a sleep and a few of us went for a drink at a local bar. From there we walked around to Circular Quay and to the Sydney Opera House Bar. It was a lovely evening and we sat there waiting for the others watching the sun go down. Baz and Ali turned up later, feeling a little better and we walked to Phillips Foote restaurant. You buy your steaks and then go and cook it yourself on a BBQ. Great concept and good fun - the steaks were massive!! We finished up at about 10pm and went to get some sleep because we were so shattered. Zo really enjoyed her birthday and we all had a good day.
Met some of the guys again at Central Station and headed off to the famous Bondi Beach. Got the train and the bus out and stopped to get some lunch when we got there. Just tucking in when the heaven opened and it poured with rain. We walked down to the beach and stood under some shelter for the rain to stop. The good thing about Oz is that when the sun comes out it
dries up very quickly. The rain stopped and we hit the beach. Bondi isn’t the greatest beach in the world but famous for it’s lifeguards, and there were so many of them. They were filming Bondi Rescue whilst we were there so if you are watching Living TV, have a look for us!! The weather improved a lot and the beach wasn’t as busy as usual because of the weather. This meant we managed to get some Volleyball and American footy in and have a play in the sea. All of a sudden we could see a storm coming in and it was an amazing sight. We fled the beach before the rain and headed back to get changed before our last night as a group. We met for some cheap drinks at Scruffy Murphys and went for a really nice dinner in Chinatown. Back to scruff’s before going to the Kings Cross hotel. It was Baz and Ali’s and Gaz and Jane last night and it got messy. We made it home at about 5am and Orch and Will didn’t get back until 10am!!!
Said goodbye to Baz and Ali, who were flying back to Melbourne and had
already said bye to Gaz and Jane the night before. The day was wasted due to the previous nights antics but we had to go meet Orch to get some shoes. Went into town at about 2pm and went to grab some food with the remaining guys. Got some shoes from Gos before heading back to get change for our meal. Cath and Al had bought us a meal at the top of the Sky Tower at their revolving restaurant. Put on Gos’s small shoes and we got a cab to town. The restaurant is beautiful and is revolving - very weird. This meant that you get to see 360 degree views of the city and they were amazing - especially at night. The food was beautiful and we both had fillet steak - yum!! The night was lovely as we hadn’t had time together for a while and it was just what the doctor had ordered.
Felling rested after a good night sleep we met Orch, Gos and Liz and walked to the Opera House Bar to meet up with the other Liz, Yonsin and Todd. We had a walk around the Opera House, and got given a
Getting Ready for midnight
Gaz, Jane, Orchie and Russ small tour by Orch, who I think was making most of it up, before getting a cab over the Harbour Bridge and walking back. Very impressive! We stopped for a beer and an ostrich pizza at the Australian Hotel before going for a few more drinks at a roof top bar. Orch was meeting a friend for a drink in Bondi so we all headed out there. He went for a meal with Charlie and we went for a curry. Met up with Orch and Charlie later for a few more bevvies before heading back.
This was our last full day with Orch and Gos. We got on a bus out to Coogee beach and did the coastal walk to Bondi. It was a stunning walk and took us about an hour and a half. It was nice to get a coastal breeze to take away the heat. We got to Bondi and had a few beers as a reward for our hard efforts. Back in town we met up with Will and Greg and Janet and went out in Kings Cross for some drinks. Found a bar which served $3 drinks but it was like a sauna so
Nearly there
Dan, Si, Orchie and Liz ended up in Scuffy’s with a live band and left at about 3.30am!
Orch and Gos were leaving today so we met up to say goodbye. It had been such an amazing week with some great friends and one we will never forget. We have decided to get the group together for next New Year in Rio!! We left them at Central Station and went to Darling Harbour to meet Cath’s friend Vicky for a few drinks. It was good to see her but so hot!! We needed a rest so went back to our hotel and watched a film before getting a good night sleep.
Up and out of the Formula 1 hotel to get our hire car for our trip to the Hunter Valley and Blue Mountains. Sydney has been amazing and was such good fun. Need a rest from all the partying though but well worth it!
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Liz Munns
non-member comment
So pleased to read the next 2 episodes of your travels! We have had a long wait! But I can inderstand why!!!!! What a lot of partying. Happy New Year. Is Zo's birthday really the sane as Nigel's? Enjoy your tour of the mountains. I look forward to the next chapter of your travels. Love Liz