City Slickers

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Sydney

We left the Blue Mountains National Park towards Sydney, which was around 100kms East. We were really looking forward to visiting a city as we'd been camping for three months...which becomes hard work!!

Ally and I spent a day driving around Sydneys' central sites, such as: the Harbour Bridge, Opera House, Kings Cross and financial districts. We then drove to the only campsite in Sydney, where we'd spend our last night with 'The Cow'...aahhh!

The next day we dropped off the few camping bits that we had purchased along the way.... ie, table, gas stove, ropes, Body Board, Maps, Camp Books, Mosquito Coils, Big Furry Duvet, Cd's, Food, Basin, Axe and washing powder....at a hostel in Kings Cross!!

We then returned the Cow back to 'Wicked', which was conveniently located miles out of the city in Botany Bay...grrr!! It was a somber moment as the cow had done us proud, many good memories will stay with us, especially when I took it 'off road' and got it stuck on three wheels with the forth wheel about a meter in the air..blah, blah, blah....ANYWAY, it was on-foot from here on.............

We stayed in central Sydney in a place called Kings Cross. King's Cross has for a long time been known to most Australians as the drugs and red light capital of Australia. Most Australians who have visited Sydney at one time or another have wandered through 'the Cross', if only for a look at how the "other half" live and play. In recent years, however, this sleezy pocket of Sydney has started to evolve, albeit ever so slowly, into a richly vibrant part of the city. The strip clubs, topless waitresses, adult bookshops and tacky nightclubs are still there, but small, trendy cafes have sprung up on the fringes of the Cross that are attracting a different type of visitor - especially backpackers on a budget - like us!

The Cross is most sleazy at night, when the bright lights come on and the action hots up. During the day it can look a lot less threatening, but you still get loads of haggard women wearing short skirts walking the streets. Not the most aesethically pleasing sight in Syndey.

We spent the rest of time in Sydney with two English lads, Simon & Loren, doing the 'tourist' thing, ie, we walked through the beautiful Royal Botanical Gardens; visited the Opera House; took a ferry through Sydney Harbour to Manley beach; and went to many pubs and bars along the way! Sydney Swills mind!

Sydney is a cool city, very clean and stylish with a charming mix of old & new architecture...we enjoyed our time there.....now for Melbourne

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Photos

Sydney
...a view from the harbour

Check out the bats
...a fine example of wildlife living amoungst innercity life! Excellent intergration, well done bats!

Simon, Loren and Ally
...doing the Syndey tourist walk!