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Published: June 14th 2011
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Blog Six - New South Wales
Exiting the Tasmania ferry, at 6:30 am., we found ourselves once again driving through Melbourne, only this time we didn't get lost!!! We were unaware of what awaited us South of Sydney and were more than pleasantly surprised at the beauty of the Sapphire Coast. Once again we came upon one secluded white sand beach abutted with dense forest after another. We were able to take time out to stop, walk, and enjoy this coastline.
After four days of secluded campsites, we arrived in Sydney where we decided to urban camp on the outskirsts of the city and use the trains, buses, ferries, and our feet to get around. We were surprised at how easy it was once we learned how. Sydney boasts being the most beautiful city in the world and we'd have to agree. Where Melbourne had night life and delicious food, Sydney had beauty and "sights" to see. Our first stop presented the Harbour Bridge and Opera House before us. We were astounded by it presence! The first thing we did was to walk across the bridge at sunset and look out upon the harbour and Opera House. The most amazing
thing about Sydney was that we inadvertantly were there during its 'Festival of Lights, Music, and Ideas". Each night the buildings had light shows projected upon them that were jaw-dropping. The Opera House Light Show hardly ever repeated a design. The Museum of Art had light being thrown upon it by people's arm movements, and the Custom's House had a story projected on it through light. Hard to explain, but beyond amazing!!!!!!!!!!! We even went back for a second night of viewing and we weren't alone - people, people, everywhere. Thousands of people were as taken by the sights and sounds as we were. We've never heard so many cameras clicking away as we did on those two nights - we wish we had the same caliber of camera as many others did to be able to capture this on film.
Michael had been having trouble with his foot and toe, so while in Sydney (staying in the suburbs), he was able to get an appointment with a podiatrist. The doctor took his toenail off, threw away his hiking boots, and did minor surgery on his thumb ("my poor bunny" as Charlie and Julie would have me say). Back
on his feet, we continued touring the city, having a "sticky beak" (Australian for "a look at") the City Center Point, Queen Victoria Building, the Pitt Mall, Chinatown, and The Rocks. We took a Harbour cruise over to Manly Beach and watched the surfer's surfing the large, pounding waves. Our friend, Julie, had us over to her house for lunch and a break from the fast pace that the city possessed.
Three days in the city were enough for us, so after much trepidation about driving through it, we left early on Sunday morning and threaded our way through the heart of the city, over the Harbour Bridge, and out to the Hunter Valley Wine Region without a hitch! We were rewarded with this beautiful wine country for the remainder of the day.
North of Sydney we no longer are "the only car on the road", "the only camper in the campground", or "the only people walking on the beach". However, Australia is still showing its beauty---long, sweeping, crescent shaped bays, National Parks and State Forests abutting the forshore and surrounding the highway, and small, quaint surf towns (such as Diamond Head, Seal Rocks, Crescent Head,Point Plomar,Scotts Head,
Yamba, Iluka, Lennox Head, Broken Head, and Michael's favorite-Evans Head) . We have now arrived in Surf Australia! Michael has finally gotten in the water and scored some decent waves (at Rainbow Beach near Crescent Head and Angourie, where the creator of Billabong resides). For a time the weather warmed up and we shedded our outer layers and enjoyed the sunshine. Then came the two day deluge! The end of our lucky good weather streak. But, it did give us time to get laundry done, see a movie (in keeping up with my book club, we saw "Water for Elepahnts"), and write this blog.
Next comes Queensland!
Cheers,
JuneandMichael
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