Down Under!

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Australia was amazing. It is a beautiful country, and I greatly enjoyed my two-week vacation; a great way to get away from the Korean winter. I spent most of my time in Sydney, with a day trip to the Blue Mountains and a three day jaunt up to the Gold Coast. Though everything was much more expensive than Japan—or any other place I have visited—I had an amazing time while traveling and walking around the country: and, it was my first time being in the Southern Hemisphere.



The highlight of the trip was definitely the New Year’s celebration at the Sydney Harbour. The fireworks with sights of the Opera House were stunning. The Harbour Bridge was beautifully lit. The Rocks had great public houses that provided good beer throughout the night. Other nights at restaurants at The Rocks provided amazing dinners, with the highlights being Zia Pina Pizza and the German beer garden around the corner.



My first week and a half I spent it walking around Sydney; getting to know the city’s streets and the world-renowned landmarks. The Sydney Opera House was amazing and enjoyed seeing it in the sunset and dusk. I walked the Harbour Bridge. The views of the city center, harbor, and the Opera House were breathtaking. The weather was beautiful, and the stroll to North Sydney was great. On the north side of the bridge, cool cafes and restaurants line the street down to a grand and beautiful view of the city. A short walk under the bridge will get you to Luna Park, which is a cool area.



The beaches that are around Sydney are beautiful and relaxing. My favorite was definitely Manly Beach (which you can take an amazing ferry ride if you leave from Sydney Harbour), but Coogee and Bondi are also real cool places to spend the day—Coogee has some places for refreshing, cheap draft beers. I made a day-trip to Wollongong, but the highlight of the trip was the fish and chips, not the beach.



The Natural History Museum was nice but a bit on the pricey side. Hyde Park was beautiful in the sun and provided great views of the city. Another view of the city worth checking out is at the Sydney Tower Eye, with a definite must-visit at sunset.



Newtown was a really neat place to visit, and it reminded me of Portland, OR—great cafes, restaurants, and hipster-ish shopping areas. Darling Harbour is also a really cool area, with amazing restaurants and a fireworks show on Saturday evenings. The Blue Mountains are magnificent. I made it down to Katoomba for a day and visited Scenic World. The attractions are reasonably priced and are amazing.



The Gold Coast was nice. It reminded me a lot of the Spring Break towns in the Southern US, like Panama City, Destin, and Myrtle Beach. The Vibe Hotel where I stayed was amazing, though a bit expensive. The food was good; the beers were cheap; and the pool area was great. The beach at Surfer’s Paradise was amazing at night but, during my stay, was windy and the sand hit us strongly during the day. The food around town was amazing, however.

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