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Published: January 5th 2006
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The Harbour Bridge and the Heart
The theme of the show was "The Heart of Sydney". The heart was pulsing from 9:00 on and symbolized all the aid that Sydney had given to relief efforts during 2005. WOW!!! What a show! No one does it better than Sydney. The fireworks for New Year's Eve (NYE) were spectacular!! And that was after waiting for 14 hours to see them. Most of the close sites had a person capacity. So, to get to the Front Row of the Opera House quay area we had to go early. We were there when they opened the gates at 10:00am. It was a long, hot wait. The temperature reached 102 degrees in the afternoon. Thank goodness for our umbrella, cold water, and the ocean breeze.
Starting at 1:00 pm they provided some form of entertainment every hour. At 9:00 pm they did the first fireworks show. This was fired from 2 barges on each side of the bridge. After that show there was a lighted boat parade that included tall ships, yachts, sailboats, and a few of the local ferries. Then, at 12:00:10 am the REAL show began. The entire bridge was alight with explosions. At the same time there were displays being fired from 5 barges in the harbor. The show lasted for 15 minutes. The finale on the bridge was the biggest fireworks blast that I have ever wittnessed. The
Waiting for the Fireworks at the Opera House
Ron is the one sitting up reading the newspaper in the center of the photo. entire show was set to music, but we never heard it over the "ohs" and "ahs" of the crowd and the explosions of the fireworks. There were over a million people along the foreshores of the harbor to see the show. Did you happen to see us?? It was quite an event and worth every minute of the long, hot wait.
Sydney was very good to us. This is an amazing city with lots to do and lots to see. The city is very spread out and is one of the largest in the world. The subway system is not the best, but it helped us cover the vast area that is Sydney.
We spent most of our time in or near the Central Business District. The Quay area of the harbor is great for walking, sitting, eating, drinking, watching the boats, admiring the Opera House, and gazing at the Harbour Bridge. It's easy to spend an afternoon here enjoying the sun and the beauty of the city.
When not at the harbor we were usually checking out all the terrific shopping centers and malls. The Christmas decorations were fantastic and the city was bustling with shoppers.
It's a shop till you drop destination. We felt right at home with all The Westfield Shopping Malls. However, the Sydney ones are much bigger and fancier than those in FL.
The food courts alone are a culinary delight. There is a wide range of ethnic choices. Ron is able to satisfy his MacDonald or KFC cravings, while I can eat Thai, Indian, Malaysian, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Chinese, Turkish, French, Mexican, or Italian. It was great fun. If anyone had told me that I would be willingly eating in a food court, I would never have believed them. It has saved us quite a bit on food costs and the quality has been surprisingly good. Why doesn't the U.S. have food courts like these?
Our trip to the 2000 Olympic Park was most enjoyable. The area is well maintained and has lots of parks and facilities for families. We spent the afternoon walking around the grounds. Entrance fees were again quite high so we just checked out the park.
At Tarongo Zoo we were able to see the new snow leopard cubs. They were soooooo cute. The two cubs are a month old and are doing
very well. There were also koalas, kangaroos, and other typical zoo animals, but the cubs stole the show. The view from the zoo is exceptionally nice. It is located on the north shore area of the Sydney Harbor looking back to the city business district. It was a great way to spend our Christmas day.
On New Year's Day we took the train to Coff's Harbor. It is a small beach town about 8 hours north of Sydney. It is located near The Solitary Islands which are a prime dive spot. We didn't dive but enjoyed the beach and the small town.
Tuesday (1/3) we arrived in Surfers Paradise. This has always been one of our favorite areas of Australia. But, it has grown so much that now it looks like a Waikiki or Miami Beach or possibly an Orlando by the sea. The beach is a great Siesta Key type walking beach and goes on for 25 miles. So, we ignore all the highrises, shops, etc. and enjoy the beauty of the beach. We were up this morning at 5:00 and did our typical long beach walk.
Today (1/5) we went to a pro tennis match
and saw Martina Hingis play. It was a fun afternoon in a great tennis facility. We were happy to see her win.
This is the beginning of our journey up the eastern coast to Cairns. We have no idea how long we will be staying in any of the towns along the way. We're just enjoying the beaches, the great weather, staying as long as we like and leaving when we feel ready. What a way to travel!!
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Abby and Carl
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Australian Comrades
Dear Ron and Pam, Quite an impressive photo journal you have! Glad you're enjoying your time! We enjoy viewing your travels. G'day mates!