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Published: March 3rd 2007
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The QE2 is in town!
Moored at Circular Quay The worst hostel in Sydney
Returning to Sydney for our second stint (blog:
Arrival in Sydney), although not before Jason had completed his Giant Stairway challenge in the Blue Mountains (blog:
The Blue Mountains), we got the train back and checked into a hostel that was to be our home for the next three nights - Maze Backpackers.
I have to put a health warning here - I feel it is my duty to warn other backpackers about this hell hole! We had already been warned that the hostel was not the best around (but we couldn't find any other accommodation in our price range, as Sydney was fully booked everywhere - maybe it had something to do with the bad weather in the north of Oz!). We checked in and found our room after being given the wrong directions from the guy at reception (he directed us to the wrong floor, not a good start!!!). The room was very basic, with no power points (heritage listing is apparently the reason, although that didn't stop them in the tiny Kitchen or money making internet room) and only a fan that you had to stand precariously on a chair to
Hyde Park & Cathedral
View from the Sydney Tower switch on at full stretch. There was building work going on across the street from us, which nobody had bothered to mention. Maybe they think all of us backpackers are the dreggs of society and we don't need to be informed about such things - certainly that seemed to sum up the whole, filthy place.
On each floor, there were two blocks of toilets/showers for the women and two for the men. The two blocks consisted of about 6 loos and 8 showers, which may seem fine but when it is for about a hundred rooms, lots of which are dorms, it isn't that many. The men's situation on our floor was even worse, as one block of their facilities were out of order, leaving them with three loos and 3 showers. This meant that if you won't lucky enough to get a shower at a reasonable time you either had to wait until really late at night (midnight) or very early in the morning (6am). To top this off, I received about 20 bites on my feet and ankles during my stay there, which I am convinced were from nasty specimens lurking in the carpet, as it looked
Sydney Tower, from Darling Harbour
Looking up to where we'd just had lunch. as though it hadn't been cleaned for years.
The kitchen and fridges looked disgusting, so we decided not to risk our lives eating there and went out for meals instead. The only thing going for this filth hole is its location and its price (the double rooms are very cheap, although we have heard that the dorms are no cheaper than other nicer, cleaner hostels). We'd recommend Wake-up (where we stayed for our final night in Sydney - superb!). Or YHA or Footprints (the latter opposite Maze, but has won several awards and was recommended to us). It is worth paying the extra money so that you don't feel your life is under threat from hidden germs!
Back onto the subject of Sydney itself... We were advised that to get the best views of Sydney (without climbing the Harbour Bridge) was to go up the Sydney Tower and have a buffet lunch in the revolving restaurant. We booked it for the Saturday ($50 each). The buffet itself was okay. It didn't cater very well for vegetarians (good job I eat fish) but had
lots of small different deserts (which I was more than willing to sample). As usual with buffets, Jason couldn't resist from visiting the counter several times to pile high the food on his plates. After about the sixth time, I think it suddenly dawned on him that he had eaten too much, as he losened the belt he was wearing and began to feel a little worse for wear (he never knows when to stop, I don't know where he puts it all).
The views from the tower were amazing. You could see as far as the northern shores. Allegedly, on a good day you can see all the way to the Blue Mountains. We stayed up there for about three hours, on our revolving floor (which can be a bit disorientiering when you go to the loo and you come out and find your table has disappeared). Afterwards, we carried our heavy loads (our stomachs) to Darling Harbour. Great place to eat/drink, go to the IMAX, Maritime Museum, Aquarium etc. None of which we did, by the way!
Manly On Sunday we took the 30 minute ferry to Manly. We headed straight for the beach, just
like the other 100s of passengers that had arrived with us. Luckily Manly has quite a big beach so its didn't seem too crowded for a weekend. We got a couple of hours sunbathing in before having to retreat from the heat and find a cafe to eat in. We happened to come across an organic cafe that did heavenly fresh juices (the best we've had so far in Oz). We also tried their tasty food (a tofu burger for me and Jason had what was called an 'Alberta'). Anyway, it was very tasty. We then had a stroll around the headland to get better views of Manly and happened to come across what I imagine to be millionaires street. The houses were huge, some with infinity pools, others with a BBQ area that is as big as our back garden. Some of them looked fantastic, as my thoughts turned to winning the lottery. We were feeling a little jaded (as our life is so hectic at the moment!) that we decided to go and lie on the beach again, to capture some more sun. You'll be pleased to know the tans are coming on nicely.
The QE2 arrives Harbour view from North Sydney
Well worth the walk across the bridge. Can you spot the QE2 docked in Circular Quay? in Circular Quay
After a 2 night stint in Bondi (blog:
Beautiful Bondi Beach) after escaping the Maze experience, we returned to the centre of Sydney for our last night in New South Wales. Fortunately, for our last day in Sydney we were able to get into a fantastic hostel called Wake-Up near Central Station. For our double room it was a bit more pricey as we went ensuite ($95 versus $68), but after Maze Backpackers the extra GBP 12 was well and truly worth it. These two places were polar opposites. It was more like a minimalist boutique hotel than a hostel, everything brand new, clean and made to look like a hotel rather than a cheap hostel. We'd stay there again on a return visit to Sydney for sure, even if we were in well paid jobs and able to afford the Four Seasons!
On our last day in Sydney, we spent some more time in the Botanic Gardens as our first visit was kept slightly brief as we got a sniff of the stunning view of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge (we kind of raced through to get to the icons). Took in 'that' view again,
only to discover something new...sure we'd seen cruise ships moored in Circular Quay before we headed over to Bondi, but this was different...the QE2 was in town!!! And what an incredible sight it was! It is an enormous ship, more long than anything. It managed to make huge Harbour Bridge look a great deal less huge! We took to Cahill walk (posh name for a flyover!) that overlooks Circular Quay for a better view.
Later, on the news we discovered that both the QE2 and the Queen Mary had arrived a day earlier, whilst we were still in Bondi and that there had been fireworks and all sorts going on in the harbour. A couple had decided to basically streak on water skiis in the harbour past the QE2, but sadly we'd missed that too!
North Sydney From our vantage point over Circular Quay we followed Cahill walk all the way up to and over the Harbour Bridge, with fantastic views all the way. It's a walk well worth doing, as the views of the harbour from under the shadow of the bridge on the north shore are stunning. We could still see the QE2. Jason had
View across Sydney Harbour to sea
View from Sydney Tower, with Mrs Macquaries Chair and beyond. been trying for days to find a way to get the most prized but difficult of photos - the Harbour Bridge and Opera House in the same frame! Eventually, from Luna Park he got it, plus the added bonus of a distant QE2 in it! We'd done a lot of walking (from Pitt St.) and it was a particularly hot day, so copped out and caught the train back from North Sydney to Central Station!
The next day we flew to Melbourne, Victoria to start our road trip (blog:
The Great Ocean Road).
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