Flat Hunting in Sydney

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After a disastorous start to Sydney, we awoke refreshed and without any bites thankfully (so it looked like the bed bugs hadn't hitched a ride), and looking forward to a day of sightseeing. Despite the lack of accommodation after the 19th of December being at the back of our minds (we booked in with our new hostel until then), we were desperate to actually see some of the famous sights of Sydney!!

We headed off down George street, armed with my new camera desperate to catch a glimpse of the Sydney harbour bridge and the Opera house. It was a lovely day and when we arived at the harbour we were amazed by the view. Both of us got a bit carried away with the cameras walking along the harbour, up to the viewing platform, snapping the camera at every opportunity in order to get the best possible picture. Needless to say we had a lot of pictures that were almost identical to the one previous so when we returned home we had to curtail some from our cameras.

We headed back to the hostel via "The Rocks" one of the oldest parts of Sydney which is nowadays lined with many pubs and eateries, buying a local paper on the way in order to start our search for appartments and jobs!!

The following day we headed down to the Travellers Contact Point, a backpackers home from home, well so they advertised, where we gained some helpful information on setting up postal addresses, bank accounts and tax file numbers which are required for working in Australia. Fueled with lots of information and ideas on accommodation and jobs, we headed to a local cafe for a cup of tea and time to discuss some of the advert.

We telephoned and enquired about a number of accommodation options, many of which were already taken and lined up a number of viewings for later on that day. The first was in Bondi Junction a short train journey away, both of us were slightly disappointed with the tiny room and bathroom that would barely allow you to turn 360 degrees.

Our next option was Potts Point, a one bedroom appartment with a gorgeous view although more expensive than the room at Bondi Junction. It was definetely much better that we had imagined, although there were a few marks on the carpets and walls, the appartment was clean and the view was amazing!! The window took up an entire wall and had a long balcony which was crying out for a barbeque. The appartment was costing us the same per night as what we were currently paying at the hostel which wasn't too bad, that hostel price of course was due to rise dramatically over xmas and new year!!

After a short discussion we agreed to the flat and arranged to pick up the keys at 9am the following morning!! Bags packed, papers signed, keys in hand and we opened the door to our new place!! Well at least for the next 4 weeks!! What a lot of weight had been lifted from us, as after all, time was drawing closer and closer to christmas and what little accommodation was available was quickly diminishing and at a ridiculous cost!! Our only concern now was that we had just paid 6 weeks accommodation up front and the funds in our accounts were looking very desperate, so we transferred money over from our other UK bank accounts, although that would take 3-4 working days with a weekend in between!! Minimal living was on the cards for us with some serious job hunting over the next few days!!

We joined a number of employment agencies, which of course resulted in interviews, so we had to go clothes shopping for something a little smarter that shorts and a T-shirt!! It was so strange putting trousers on again not to mention socks and shoes especially in the heat!! However it was something that we had to get used to, well at least for the next month or so till we saved up some more funds for the rest of our trip!!

All in all, we were extremely satisfied to have a pad for Christmas and New Year, but also the fact that it had an amazing view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House so settling in wasn't a problem!!

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Photos

Sydney Opera House
From across the harbour.

Sydney Harbour Bridge 2
Slightly closer than the other one...

Aboriginals
With obligatory digeridoo playing.

Christmas Tree
A reminder, that despite the heat, it was coming up to Christmas.

Sydney Harbour Bridge
Very picturesque.

Us & Opera House
The photographer was kind of crap.

City Buildings
Some of the views of CBD from the harbour.

Gary & Opera House 2
We liked to have ourselves in front of famous landmarks.

In The Pub
The pub must have been built in the 40s because the picture came out black and white.

View From Our Flat!!
From the balcony. It's great to wake up to it every morning.