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Published: March 13th 2013
When planning my around the world trip, I allowed myself three days to do Australia. It became apparent that this might be a bit ambitious, so I narrowed my scope to
Australia's finest city, Sydney. It was a pleasant night flight, during which I watched the films Slumdog Millionaire and The Master (which appeared to be a mickey take of Scientology) and got no sleep. The only negative point was the safety video, which was presented by the Australian Cricket team - I object to being told what to do by Ricky Ponting, even if it is likely save my life!
On arrival, I was immediately caught out by the expensiveness, as the $37 I brought with me didn't quite cover the short taxi ride to the lively suburb of Newtown. Thankfully, I was spared accommodation costs by Jack and Grace, who kindly let me stay at their apartment and were great hosts - Jack used to live on my street when we were growing up and moved out to Australia a year ago. I caught up on sleep, then got the train into Sydney, with Jack as my tour guide. Noting that I was further from home than I'd ever been,
it was amusing to spend money with the image of Queen Elizabeth II and see place names such as, Sydenham, Lewisham and Liverpool, as well Oxford Street, Hyde Park and Kings Cross station. The "finest city" accolade appeared justified as we walked past the iconic Opera House and through the large and pleasant Botanic Gardens - the only issue was that I'd forgotten my camera! We walked on through the city centre, stopping for food at Darling Harbour, which is lined with restaurants and clubs. Jack had to dash off to work and I decided to explore Hyde Park, before boarding the train at Kings Cross and heading back to Newtown.
It would be insane to visit Sydney without photographing its main attractions, so after having lunch with Jack, Grace and two friends in Newtown, I went back into the city on the following day. I traced a similar route to the previous day, this time spending more time in the Botanic Gardens (to catch up on sleep). In the evening, I watched Skyfall on the world's biggest IMAX screen, which only served to magnify the film's many flaws. The ticket set me back $31 (over £20!), which seems
expensive, but going out for 3 pints would have cost the same!
On my final day, I visited Bondi beach, located just a few miles from the city, and had a brief swim in what felt like a very chilly sea compared to tropical South East Asia. I opted to have a nap in the evening, then kept myself awake in order to catch the train to the airport at 4am. It was a shame to leave Australia after such a short stay, but I am hopeful my decision to prioritise New Zealand will be vindicated.
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Haron Bishop
non-member comment
Eat more crocodile
Hope you're having awesome BBQs and beers pal :)