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Published: January 4th 2008
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After days of doing very little I was really glad to get out and do a day trip to the Blue Mountains, which are about an hours drive from Sydney city centre. They are called the blue mountains as from a distance they look blue and this is because they are covered with eucalyptus trees which let off a blue haze. We got on a mini bus and sat behind our driver/tour guide who was a huge loud mouth obnoxious stereotypical aussie. He did however tell us some good bits of information and pointed out places in Sydney like Russel Crowe's flat which is the most expensive apartment in Australia apparently. Anyway, the first stop on our trip was at a wildlife reserve (a zoo). The zoo was full of almost every australian animal you can think of. The kangaroos and wallabies just roam about among the tourists and you can get a photo with the koalas. My new favourite animal is the wombat, which doesn't do much in particular and really doesn't care about it. Other interesting animals to see were the echidnas and the tasmanian devil, which was disappointing as it doesnt spin round like in the cartoon. We
left the zoo and went to have our first proper look at the mountains. After walking down a path for ten minutes you come out to a lookout point where you can see trees as far as the eye can see and then to your left there is a tall waterfall cutting through the trees. It was one of quite a few amazing views we were to see. After a buffet lunch we drove up to another lookout point where you can see a mountain ridge and a massive rock formation shaped like a bulls head. We then went on to the most famous attraction in this area of the blue mountains called the three sisters. Which is basically 3 big rocks next to each other on the side of the mountain. We then visited an old town which had an old school sweet shop, butchers, cake shop etc. I bought a tiny pack of kola kubes for $4!! But it was worth it. We then finished our day by stopping off at the olympic stadium in Sydney. We didn't get to go inside but from the outside it looked like a top class stadium. The surrounding area was really
nice and you could see why the olympics here were such a success. I can't imagine us getting anything that good in London to be honest.
The next day Donkey's ear infection had flared up so I left him to go do a few sights around Sydney. I first walked to the near by Sydney tower which is 250m high. A ticket gets you a trip to the top and a go on a virtual reality ride called OzTrek which shows you all the different parts of Australia. The ride was nothing special but the views from the top of the tower were great. Unfortunately the opera house was blocked out by the skyscrapers but the views of the harbour and the blue mountains in the distance made up as good a city view as I've seen. After the tower I walked around Hyde Park and then went in the Australian museum through lack of things to do within walking distance. But I actually really enjoyed walking round the museum. In the skeletons exhibit you can ride on an exercise bike and then a skeleton will copy your movements on another bike right next to you. The exhibits on
minerals and on birds and insects were very boring. My favourite exhibit was the bbc awards for best animal photography of the year. I walked round it for about an hour amazed at how anyone could get these sort of photos maybe dedication, patience mixed with luck and a top notch camera. The one that I remember most is a picture of a big seal thing underwater with a small penguin standing upright out of its mouth. Im not entirely sure if the penguin was hitching a ride or getting eaten (probably the later) but it was unreal.
The next day was of course New Years Eve! We got up early and joined forces with Leah from our dorm and a liverpudlian called Les who we met in Malaysia and some of his room mates. We took a ferry over to the north shore to get a spot at about 11am and we only just managed to comandeer a square of grass. We brought alcohol, a bit of food and set up camp for the day. The spot gave a great view overlooking the harbour. At 9pm the fireworks for the kids went off and were pretty impressive but
they were nowhere near as impressive as the main event. The fireworks go on for about 15 minutes and after they finished we were all drunk and had no idea how to get back. I ended up losing everyone after we figured out there were no more ferries. I then started following the crowds and walked for ages before getting on a random bus and getting off in an even more random place. I walked round a lot again then ended up stumbling into a police station to ask for directions. The copper on duty confirmed my suspicions that I was now further away from my hostel than I was to start with and suggested I get a taxi. I flagged a taxi who took me over the bridge back into the centre. The traffic was bad so I got out before my hostel thinking I could get back. I then walked around for ages yet again before stumbling on it. In total it took me three and half hours to get back! Despite my unnecessary expedition I had a really good night.
The day after the night before was spent sleeping before me and Donk had a look
round the Paddy market and then went to watch Darjeeling Ltd in the cinema. The next morning we checked out and both left Sydney for Coffs harbour where me and Donkey split ways for the next two weeks. The train took around 9 hours before Donkey left to stay with family friends. I am fine with travelling on my own and it should be a good experience. The hostel I am staying in is not great. The first night I had to try and get to sleep while the club downstairs blared music out till late in the night. I have also developed an annoying cough hence the title of this piece.
I woke up and went for an explore of Coffs. Shortly into my exploration the rain came down and continued to do so for the next two days. When you are on your own in Coffs harbour and its raining there is very little to do. My umbrella broke but I just decided to go for it and walked on to the jetty beach where I got a glimpse of a soaked washed out beach. In Sydney I had bought an East coast train pass and intended
to stop off at all the places on the gold coast like Byron Bay and Surfers Paradise. But unfortunately they are all booked up for the next week at least. I have had to change my plans and will head straight for Brisbane. Today has been raining a lot too so I've been killing a lot of time by writing this massive blog. Tomorrow I head for Brisbane and hopefully sunnier skies.
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