Sydney

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We've now been in Sydney since the 12th, and i think so far its the best place we've been to, its a city that really seems to have everything, there's always something to do. We've also been joined by Rob Linsell for around 10 days, whilst he's on leave from the army, which is really cool!

The hostel we're in seems much posher than all the other ones we've been to, the rooms are much bigger, there's a cafe/restaurant, and even a swimming pool and sauna (although the sauna doesn't seem to have been working yet). And its situated right in the middle of the city which is excellent. It's also got its own small bar next door which is amazingly cheap, you can get 2 pints, and a pizza for the equivalent of a fiver! So i think we'll have to go there again.

As for the stuff we've done so far, its been a pretty hectic few days, the first day was just spent getting to know the city a bit more and find our bearings, and obviously had to check out the opera house and harbour, which look really spectacular at night (see photos). We then went for a schooners at a place called the 3 Wise Monkeys (recommended to us by Ginge and Will) and it seemed like a decent place, and had a pretty good band playing as well.

The next day we went down to Bondi Beach (probably Sydney's most famous), and went for a swim/body surfing. Almost everybody else was wearing a wetsuit, but we managed to survive, it was still a lot lot warmer than any English sea! In the evening we went down to an Irish Pub called Scruffy Murphy's to watch the FA Cup Final (which didn't kick off until midnight over here). I'm sure most of you already know it was by far the most exciting FA Cup final for a long long time, and the atmosphere was electric throughout. Nearly everyone in the pub was supporting Liverpool (we reckon because Harry Kewell plays for them), so it was great when they finally won.

We though no trip to Sydney would be worthwhile without going to the Telstra dome in the Olympic park (this was the place where England won the Rugby world cup back in Nov 2003), so we bought some tickets to the Rugby League match between the Electric Bulldogs, and the Paramatta Eels. It was quite a close game, with Fuifui Moimoi starring for the Eels, but in the end the Bulldogs scraped the victory by a few points, so overall not a bad game, but I definately think Aussie Rules Footy is a lot more exciting.

Yesterday we planned on going down to the beach to try and learn to surf, but the weather was pretty crap, so instead we decided to take a boat trip around the harbour, and a visit to the Sydney Aquarium. We got some really great views of the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and the city skyline from the boat, although i think we all agree it looks a lot more spectacular at night when its all lit up. The aquarium was really interesting as well, got to see some penguins, giant crabs and lobsters, seals, and even a crocodile, but i think the best bit by far was the shark tunnel, where basically you're in a glass tunnel surrounded by water, with sharks and rays everywhere! Some of the rays were absolutely huge, at least 6ft long, and looked absolutely disgusting from underneath!

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Photos

Surfers!
Me and Rob with our surfboards at Manly Beach, Sydney

Opera House
It looks so much better at night we all think!

Sydney at night
a view from the opera house

Sydney
Harbour Bridge at night

Sydney
Bridge at early evening

Rob
Rob trying to climb the opera house..........and looking scared!

The Telstra Stadium
Where England won the Rugby World Cup in 2003!

Sea Turtle
At the Sydney aqaurium

Aquarium
This is one of the giant 6 ft rays i was talking about, it really does look disgusting when its stuck up against the glass!

Sea Turtle
At the Sydney aqaurium

Comments

[james]

whatsup josh tom and robe!
thats awesome that you guys are all in aus, i'm jealous it sounds sweet. sydney looks like a great place to go. i'm off to thailand tomorrow (scary stuff) so i'm just trying to sort out my b*stard ipod (tom i feel your pain). how much longer is robe with you guys? i wateched both the games as well, it is pretty sweet them being on in the middle of the night, good atmosphere etc, but both days after the games were complete wipe outs for me because of how late the games were and something to do with how much i had drunk. anyway keep blogging, its a good way to keep up with what you guys are up too. anyways i'll talk to you guys later