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Published: February 12th 2008
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After a hard weeks work we were ready for another weekend break!! This time it was a long weekend due to the public holiday for Australia Day. We had heard mixed opinions from locals about Australia Day but we decided to join in the festivities and have a wander through the city to see what was on offer.
We headed to Hyde park where there was a large selection of vintage cars on display, some of which were for sale but way out of our price range!! The park itself had a number of food stalls offering a wide range of local and international cuisine. We decided to keep it Aussie and enjoyed a nice roll and sausage from the BBQ while sitting in the sun around the fountain. Nothing can beat the smell of snags on the Barbi!! The park was full with both locals and tourists enjoying the celebrations and the gorgeous weather, many of whom came prepared with their picnic baskets and table and chairs.
After relaxing in the sun at Hyde Park we took a stroll down to Darling Harbour, however we were slightly disappointed with the list of events that were on, as most
of it seemed geared towards the under 10 age group so we retired to the nearest pub and continued to enjoy the day with an adult refreshment!!
Australia Day was all a bit cheesy for us, with far too many Australian flags and transfers on the arms of children and adults alike. Patriotism that was definitely more in the American mould, although we had July 4th to look forward to when we were there. Hyde Park was much more laid back and relaxing and both Gary and myself had half wished that we had stayed at Hyde Park. As with a lot of similar celebrations the heat and alcohol consumption goes to some peoples heads and with no surprise a number of fights broke our around the city later that evening which became news worthy the following day.
During the day on Sunday we decided to head to the cinema to see Sweeney Todd, where horror meets musical. It was actually really good and as it was recently out it was shown in the G-Max screen with more luxurious seats for complete relaxation and luxury!! It was a good cinema although not in the same league as the
Cars visits Australia
One of the mini's at Hyde Park decided to come in fancy dress!! Gold Class cinema.
Sunday night brought the much anticipated Neighbours night!! Despite the fact that neither Gary or myself have watched neighbours for years at home, and the episodes are about 6 months ahead of the UK over here, we decided that the Neighbours night was a compulsory event for backpackers in Australia. We were a bit worried however that we would not know any of the cast members, but our fears were put aside when we were reliably informed by the internet that Dr Kennedy was going to be there!!
It was an early start, doors opened at 5, although trying not to appear too eager we casually strolled in to the bar just after 6, giving us plenty of drinking time before the stars arrived just after 8. They were later than planned but this was due to Max's flight from New Zealand being delayed!!
The 'Stars' were introduced one at a time giving a little speach, as they entered onto the stage. It was Dr Karl, Max and a guy called Adam, who we never knew but had been in Hollyoaks. They were quite entertaining and answered random questions from the audience. As the
stars went around all of the tables individually, greeting 'fans' and getting their photographs taken, the hosts started the pub quiz. Karl Kennedy claimed to have remembered Gary having briefly met him before in Glasgow, but we both took it with a fistful of salt.
In between each of the rounds of the quiz members of the audience went onto stage to carry out silly tasks in order to win a prize of some kind. These prizes ranged from drinks from the bar to a weekend away at the Gold Coast. Much to our surprise, we won the pub quiz and pocketed $100 cash which helped pay for the night.
Monday was the official holiday, which was nice for those australians who got a day off work, but not so good for us temps who did not get paid for it!! We had planned to do the Bondi to Coogee walk, but we decided to leave that for a weekend and enjoyed a relaxing day about the flat. I took a walk into town and around the shops getting a few last minute surprises for Gary's birthday.
On Tuesday night, after another exciting day at the office,
Good Morning Australia
Our view from the bedroom as we opened the blinds in the morning!! A reminder just incase we had forgotten it was Australia Day!! we headed out to the Thai Princess to celebrate Gary's birthday. The food was amazing and the service could not be faulted. In fact both Gary and myself believed that it was the best service that we had received throughout this whole trip. The restaurant was also licensed for BYO (Bring your own) so we enjoyed a nice bottle of wine with our meal at a much reduced cost!! A bonus!! We ended up meandering up to O'Malleys near Kings Cross, which is unsurprisingly, an Irish pub. The promise of live music wasn't kept though and after sampling the rank beer that was on offer (don't think the pipes had been cleaned in a while), we ended up heading back.
The rest of the week was spent working hard in order to save money for the next leg of our trip and we planned to visit the blue mountains at the weekend weather permitting.....
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