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Published: December 9th 2008
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Opera House and Harbour
View from the Sydney Harbour Bridge What we've learned in Australia so far:
1. Everyone's your mate.
2. The UV Index doesn't stop at 10.
3. The people, like the cars, travel down the wrong side of the road.
4. It hurts to carry your pack on sunburnt shoulders.
5. McDonalds has 30 cent ice cream cones and free wi-fi
Our Air New Zealand flight was more comfortable than expected with an empty seat beside us and a plethora of movies, t.v. shows, games, and music to choose from on our remote controlled seat-back entertainment system. We had left L.A. on Wednesday November 26, but arrived in Sydney on Friday November 28 - crossing the International Date Line en-route, November 27 simply did not exist for us. After a short stopover in New Zealand (it looks gorgeous from the air!) we were at the International Arrivals gate in Sydney. We collected our packs and waited for the shuttle to the hostel. And waited, and waited…. By the time the shuttle arrived we could have flown back to NZ! We were, however, thankful to be on solid ground and for the complimentary transportation. Settling into the hostel in the late afternoon, we took a short stroll around
Jingle Bells
Enthusiastic street performer playing lots of music including Christmas tunes outside the market in Central Sydney Central Sydney and retired early for the night, hoping to rid ourselves of the jetlag, which wasn’t too difficult considering neither of us slept very much during the flight.
The 20 minute walk to the harbour turned out to take hours as there was much to see along the way including the Queen Victoria Building, a fancy shopping center with an animated clock, and a side trip to Darling Harbour. Rounding the corner, the impressive Harbour Bridge came into view, towering over Sydney. A short distance later we came into sight of the infamous Opera House. With its white sails shining against the blue harbour backdrop we both agreed - now we feel like we’re in Sydney! You can climb the harbour bridge, but it costs $200 - $300 per person, so we opted to walk across it instead. Still high above the city, it proved to be a magnificent view. Walking through the streets and around the harbour, a few things became apparent: this city is clean, makes you feel safe, and does not have the problem of homelessness like at home. In fact, the only people we ever came across asking for money on the street were
the amazing street performers working very hard for their money. Quality street performers were everywhere - contortionists, aboriginals playing the didgeridoo, flame throwers - you could get lost for hours walking along the harbourfront watching the performers. We even came across the Sydney Christmas Parade! A little strange without the snow and hot chocolate, it was still full of Christmas spirit with many marching bands, dancers, and floating balloons.
After a few days exploring the streets of Sydney we were ready for the beach! A short bus ride and we were at Bondi Beach - Australia’s most famous - and with good reason. It was beautiful - the water was that perfect aqua blue, and the sand was as white as our legs. Watching the surfers, we were anxious to get in! The water was clear and refreshing. Getting pounded by the relentless waves, we body surfed (or at least attempted to) and splashed around. We only got yelled at by the life savers once for drifting out of the marked swimming area. The ocean waves proved too strong for our bathing suits, so we both perused the markets and shops to find ones a little more snug (Apparently
Mackenzie Bay
Along the "Coastal Walk" Bondi - Coogee Paris Hilton and I have the same favourite store in Bondi…lol). We spent a day doing the Coastal Cliff Walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach. Beautiful rock formations and flowers against the ocean backdrop, we felt like we were walking through paradise. After staying one extra night, we had to leave Bondi to head back to the city to sort a few things out (bank accounts, cell phone, etc.) before leaving for Canberra.
Situated approximately half way between Sydney and Melbourne, Canberra, literally translating to “the meeting place” is the nation’s capital. The bus ride took about 4 hours, with nothing but picturesque and unique scenery in between. On the way we saw our first kangaroo! Unfortunately, it was dead on the side of the road, but it was still morbidly exciting. We can’t wait to see one alive and hopping! A purpose-built city, Canberra was nothing but pastureland for sheep at the time it was chosen to be the capital in the early 1900s. Maintaining its rural feel, Canberra is dubbed “a city within a park” and its true to its name - we’re still trying to figure out where all the people live! We spent a
Helicopter Flight Training
Inside the Australia War Memorial in Canberra day at the Australian War Memorial. With an excellent guided tour from a Vietnam Veteran and interactive exhibits, it was an interesting and educational endeavor. Australia has a rich war history that we do not learn much about in Canada, despite them being right alongside us in many of our own major victories (and even claiming that a couple of them may have been their own) and they are still very active today with peacekeeping.
The Parliament House is a unique contrast to what one would expect with its modern design. The building is actually built in Capitol Hill, rather than on Capitol Hill; with the symbolism that the government must answer to the people, as the people are above it. And we did just that: we took an elevator up to the roof, and walked on the grassy crown of parliament. Much of our time so far in Canberra has been spent walking through the parks, and waiting for the bus (the transit system here isn’t fabulous). We are staying at a campground just outside of the city, where we are awoken by cockatoos every morning (they’re noisy little buggers!). It’s been very enjoyable to spend all this
Parliament House
Built Into Capitol Hill time outside, and we’re very happy to finally get some use out of the camping equipment that we’ve been hauling around! As the Christmas season coincides with the beginning of summer holidays here, it’s difficult to make bookings this time of year, so we’re not sure where we’re headed next. The joys and surprises of traveling without an itinerary await us!
Lots of love,
Cass & Andrew
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diane
non-member comment
Mini Beers???
hi! The travel-show scouts should be checkng this out. I look forward to this more than the amazing race every week...but seriously...what's up with the mini beers????