Sydney: Fair Dinkum and a pair of thongs...

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And so the love affair begins….

After a whirlwind six months, travelling from place to place, returning home, and then finding myself back at work in Hong Kong, my planned trip to Sydney crept up on me!

After three weeks back in Hong Kong, I was walking to walk on Thursday morning with luggage in tow and as soon as the end of school bell rung, I was headed straight for the airport and onto the overnight flight to Sydney! I couldn’t quite believe it myself and it didn’t feel real. For years I have dreamed of visiting Australia, and finally the opportunity came!

I landed early in the morning, and despite only a +3 hour time difference, flying overnight meant I didn’t get much sleep. Aerial views from the plane were fantastic! I was lucky to be staying with a family in Sydney after having met one of them through a friend in Hong Kong (prime example of good Aussie generosity!) So I spent my first morning catching up on sleep at their huge house in Padstow. Blue skies and sunshine…I was ready for Sydney!

I headed into town for my first afternoon and explored Darling Harbour. When the rains came I happened to be outside the aquarium so I thought why not begin the tourist trail, and I went and spent time watching dugongs, rays, platypus’, sharks and such like!

On the weekend, Kylie who I was staying with drove me down to Kangaroo Valley, a really cute little old town in beautiful countryside, and we had a very relaxed stroll around, with some shopping thrown in of course! I ticked another tourist box with a pie for lunch. Back at Padstow and I had dinner in Cronulla followed by a stroll along the beachfront and a late night out.

I took a trip to Manly, and the ferry across there provided some good views of the harbour, as did the ferry across to Taronga zoo, which is in a fantastic location and is a very good zoo as well. In the city, I walked for miles, doing lots of shopping on the way too of course! I went up the centre point tower for a view across Sydney, I wandered circular quay and across the Sydney harbour bridge. I spent hours in the botanical gardens which are beautiful, and went for a swim in an open air pool there. Basically, I had a whole week in the city, and there is still more to do and I am not finished!

I’d been put in touch with a Sydney local by a girl from work, and he kindly invited me to ‘Tropfest’ in the Domain. Tropfest is a short film festival, where everyone sits outside on the grass having a drink and some dinner whilst watching a series of short movies on a big screen. It was such a good atmosphere and everyone made me feel very welcome.

I spent three nights at Bondi which is a must-see. The Bondi to Bronte coastal walk was stunning, with a steady flow of joggers and walkers at all times of the day, and what a place for a morning run - beats my standard running track! I walked from Bondi to Coogee beach which took a while and was tiring in the sun, but well worth it, and I had a dip in the cold Bronte sea pool mid-way around, watching the waves crash against the edge as I swam inside. Bondi town was buzzing too, especially on the weekend, it’s probably the biggest beach I’ve ever been to and still it looked crowded!

I also did an overnight stay in the Blue Mountains, which are stunning! I arrived early one morning and checked into my youth hostel. The owner asked me if I was up for a walk in the mountains and I was keen, so he sent me off with a map and directions…he failed to tell me it was an epic hike! It was incredible though, walking past waterfalls all day and then climbing up high for amazing views across the valleys, ending at the three sisters rock formation. The next morning I did a shorter walk from Katoomba to Leura, both of which are really cute small towns! Again, the views en route were fantastic.

When I arrived in Sydney, I knew I liked it, but I couldn’t put my finger on why. There was nothing that I could pin point as being radically different to any other western country I had been to, yet as the days went by, I just began to fall for Sydney! The sunshine and the atmosphere, lots of friendly and welcoming people, and just a good way of life is the impression I got! I was lucky to go to meet lots of people through the family I stayed with, and every time, they were all so welcoming and we had a good laugh. There’s something about the place and I still don’t know what it is, but I know I like it, and I know I need to go back!

J x

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