Sydney, Syd & The Blue Mountains

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As we stand in Sydney Harbour both the Opera House and Harbour Bridge scream "Welcome to the other side of the world" - amazing!!

We were warned that both these sights could be a major disappointment, but this definitely wasn't the case! These are the iconic Aussie images and we enjoyed them in all their glory as the sun set over the harbour! There was a great buzz about the place and whilst all the high fliers enjoyed the flashy harbour restaurants and bars we embarked on a grueling two hour hunt for a cheap bite to eat - no such thing exists, oh how we took the 60p street food in Asia for granted! Just as we are about to give up and have yet another Maccy D's we came across an Irish pub with cheap(ish) pints and grub - bonus! We filled our bellies and off to our grubby twelve bed dorm we went! Hostels in Oz are not the best as lots of travellers just live in the dorms so it often feels like we are kipping in someones bedroom. So on this note we are tres excited to pick up our camper van!!!

After lots of bargaining we bagged ourselves a jucy deal and were on our way to pick up our home on wheels - a lime green 'campa', called 'Syd'! We were soon out on the open road and already loving the freedom of having the camper! Our first stop was Bondi beach, which was a beauty and fulfills all the Aussie surfer dudes/beach babes stereotypes. Bondi being our first Aussie beach we were quick to jump into the crashing waves and soak up the scorching sun!! After being suitably baked in the sunshine we set upon an own brand supermarket bonanza, seeing as we will be cooking our own grub for the next two months - cornflakes, pasta and peanut butter being our diet staples! After stocking up on such delights we were in search of somewhere to kip for the night and found ourselves in a completely deserted National Park, cooking out the back of Syd and hoping to avoid a run in with any dingos!!

After a surprisingly comfy sleep we hit the road to head inland to The Blue Mountains, in the hope of seeing the mountains themselves as well as the famous three sister cliffs. A two hour drive later and we disappointed to see nothing but a thick cloud of fog. Not to be disheartened we set out on a three hour trek down the valley and came across some stunning waterfalls, so all was not lost! We stayed around the mountains for a couple of days, wandering around the surrounding villages and trying to cook dinner in the pouring rain!

Time to hit the coast again I think....

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