What's The City With The Opera House And Bridge?

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Geo: -33.8671, 151.207

CAMPERVAN ROAD TRIP!! The best way to get around Australia as the country is so friggen big and there is so much to see and do. Our trip was from Melbourne to Brisbane in 2.5 weeks, we had no real plan but we had to be in Byron Bay by a certain date.

Our campervan pick was Hippie Campers, booked quite a few months in advance. We picked it up near Melbourne Airport and headed straight up the dry and yellow grassed Hume highway and Victorian landscape to Sydney. We were running late and we arrived in Tumut at the base of the snowy mountains around 10pm through some heavy and constant rain.

With no real time to stick around we headed off early to Sydney and arrived around 2pm at our accommodation which was the driveway of the Campsie L'Arche House. We were lucky to have Raphael, a family friend of Anna's, who is working in the L'Arche community. Some strings were pulled we were able to park the car as well as use the facilities. Not bad for an expensive place like Sydney.

We were lucky enough to be able to join the house for dinner that night and then settled in for the night. We set off early the following day as we had much to see and do. Anna had been looking forward to seeing the sights and icons of Sydney and after a cloudy morning we were blessed with a beautiful sunny day.

We caught the train in to the city but it was on the week that the line we were catching had track works so we transferred to a bus which took longer. We started in Town Hall and made our way to Darling Harbour where they had short dragon boat races happening. We then walked up through North Rocks and on to the picturesque Sydney Harbour.

A huge cruise ship dominated the small Circular Quay and the place was buzzing full of activity. We proceeded around to the Opera House and to the Botanical Gardens for an iconic shot of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge backdrop. It had been a stunning day but still not over as we headed back to the house for some dinner then hit the town with Anna's cousin Chip and Raphael.

A late and slow morning was backed by a trip to Manly Beach, with a hope for a bit of a surf, but the realization was shot down by more than strong conditions. They ended up closing the beach to everyone, although it was still possible to swim in the water's edge. The beach was pretty busy due to a stunning day and we couldn't pass up the opportunity to indulge in some fast food for dinner followed by a gorgeous sunset on the ferry ride back in to town where the fight for a bit of space to take a photo proved challenging.

We had a great time in Sydney and contemplated a further day as there is still so much to see, but due to time constraints we bid a farewell to the house and set off for the Blue Mountains the following morning. We left early and arrived in Wentworth Falls by 10.30 am where we took a small walk around to view the falls and then headed in to Katoomba. The weather had closed in but it was still good enough as we got to the Three Sisters.

I had previously stayed at the YHA in Katoomba, so we had the idea to sneak in and use the kitchen and lounge room facilities. We waited for someone to enter and we passed in casually and cooked up some Kangaroo steaks for dinner much to Anna's excitement but it wasn't as enjoyable as she'd thought. Upon leaving, the night had turned completely foggy and visibility was down to only a couple of meters. We were lucky that the weather turned for the worse later in the night because it constantly rained and the fog hung around the next day.

We had been told that it had been a pretty crappy summer and the floods up north had us worrying, but so far the weather had been pretty good and only rained when we were driving.

Sydney was great, I am starting to like the city and surroundings more and more every time I come back and looking forward to the next time!

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