Sydney

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15 September, Friday... Arrived Syney International airport at about 7am and went to check into our dorm. Decided to go for a walk around the botanical gardens to check out the view of the Harbour, the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. We even made it into the Opera House to use their facilities but the Operas themselves looked a bit pricey so we decided against the show. The day was a bit of a non starter as we went to catch up on 2-3 days of lost sleep from buses and planes and only woke up in the early evening to get some food and pop out to Kings Cross (all English names round here) for a couple of beers. Kings Cross, Sydney has a rather similar atmosphere to Kings Cross in London but maybe the bars are a bit nicer.

16 September, Saturday... Maybe another wasted day... we did get to check out the Australia Museum to learn a little about the natural history and the mistreatment of the aborigines (the kids were taken away from families and taken to boarding schools where they were taught to act and look more white). We then went for a walk around Darling Harbour which is a pretty little place next to the aquarium and then went out on the tiles in the evening.

17 September, Sunday... What could be better to cure a hangover than a trip to the Sausage King competition in Darling Harbour? We had headed for the Aquarium but this kinda sidetracked us. Different butchers cooked up batches of sausages for consumption by the audience and the whole time they were being interviewed about different sausages and ingredients. Very odd. Enough of that and we went into Sydney Aquarium, Australia's number one attraction I'm told. And it was really cool. The highlights are definately the corals (under strong lights so you can see all the colours super clear) and the sharks which swim with the rays (one massive one) in a tank that completely covers your head so you feel underwater, but a little safer.

Finally I got around to buying a new camera so I'll have photos from now on. A little tip for anyone going to Australia, spend over $300 and you get the VAT back at the airport if you leave within 30 days. Also prices are negotiable even in department stores. To celebrate we headed to the airport to sleep as we had an early flight in the morning. I wouldn't recommend sleeping in Sydney airport, they close the airport at night (there is a sleeping area) and they close all the food stalls early. And there's no Irish bar to watch the footy in. Darn.

Will return to Sydney from New Caledonia in about a week.

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Photos

Harbour Bridge
(Sydney)

Sausage King
Not Thom