Sydney

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There is a great rivalry between the cities of Melbourne and Sydney. Sydney has the iconic landmarks while Melbourne has the art and culture scene. Melbourne has historically been the larger and more lively city, one highlight of which was hosting the Olympic Games back in 1956. Recent times have seen Sydney spring to the for as Australia's most dominant city, some proof being their opportunity to host one of the best Olympic Games ever in 2000. It is also at least partly true that the choice of Canberra as the country's capital - almost exactly halfway between these two cities - was to avoid an unresolvable argument over which should be Australia's official capital city.

We arrived in Sydney early in the morning after a 12hr overnight bus from Melbourne. Our hostel (Pink House) was situated in the King's Cross district of the city and like its namesake in London, is a mecca for all kinds of unsavoury activities. After spending over 3 months in Asia and having been exposed to a few 'eye-openers', this was not about to bother us.

The Pink House hostel is a weird place, the majority of the guests appear to have been there just a little too long. This point can be well illustrated if I describe our dorm. The 3 lads inhabiting it had they're own sofa, widescreen tv and playstation. Not your average travellers. Still, it was a pretty good base to see Sydney from, in particular as it meant a stroll past the world's most famous pie shop, "Harry's Cafe de Wheels" - Home of the Tiger Pie (Steak Pie, topped with mash, mushy peas and gravy. Needless to say we didn't go hungry here!

Over the following days we proceeded to see all of the famous sights that the city has to offer; Sydney Harbour Bridge (including a climb up one of the towers for a great view of the city), the Opera House (including guided tour), a Harbour Cruise, Power-boating outside the harbour where each turn drenched us with icey cold sea water, a tour of the world-famous Sydney Aquarium, as well as trips to Manly and Bondi Beach - two renowned surfing destinations, although a little chilly at this time of year.

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Photos

Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge
What a view.....

Sydney Opera House
Architect Jorn Utzon has never seen the completed building