Sydney, April 2014

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My dream of finally returning Down Under is suddenly just two weeks away and I am starting to get nervous. Dry-mouth-nervous. Yesterday, the visas came through, brother got updated with the flight details and started making jokes about missing planes. I'm more worried about the length of the flight and what I'll find when I get there. But I'm really excited too, I finally get to swim in the Pacific, it's about time. Maybe I'll even see some sharks if the cull has left some alive. It's spring here and after all the rain and floods the sunshine has finally returned with magnolias, daffodils and cherries all in full bloom. It'll be autumn in Oz, hopefully not too cold to swim.

9th April: Finally we arrived, after a smooth and plush flight. I was a little disappointed to fly over the red heart of this vast continent at night. Africa certainly isn't the only continent to claim a heart of darkness. The first day was spent with April showers and an unreal feeling of being all at sea. Luckily staying awake for the rest of the day meant that we got to see the Opera House and Harbour Bridge in all their surreal glory, along with a really scary roundtrip through the snaking, narrow roads which are incredibly reminiscent of the UK. Driving in Sydney rush hour traffic certainly puts paid to the myth of the laid-back lifestyle. Suicidal lane changes with last-minute signalling, under-taking to your heart's content, a road hog's wet dream.

So far we have managed to go spider spotting at Watson's Bay; Manly would be my retirement dream and Balmoral as well as Chowder Beach looked so inviting today, I was deeply annoyed not to have brought my bikini. Taronga Zoo deserves a mention as well, despite the notable absence of any funnel web spiders. Plenty of koalas and kangaroos though, I even spotted the fabled Cassowary hiding in the undergrowth. Pictures to follow. Tomorrow's task: find a new memory card for the camera and explore Sydney centre on foot for a change.

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