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Published: February 12th 2009
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Aaah thank goodness for tripods!
Posing on our balcony on Dad's birthday. Mum and Dad arrived in Sydney on Monday 26th January, Australia Day. Mike and I met them at the airport around 7.30am and we got a taxi to the Goldsbrough apartments in Pyrmont near Darling Harbour where we would be staying for the next week.
Australia Day
We caught up over a cuppa then went to Circular Quay to watch the annual ferry boat race, just one of the many events taking place in the city to celebrate the anniversary of the first white settlers. Our view was not spectacular - we did not see which boat won the race, but it was good to soak up the atmosphere. We spent the rest of the day chilling out and Mum and Dad caught up on some much needed sleep after their 23 hour flight.
Just before 9pm we headed down to Darling Harbour to watch the firework display. Thousands of people turned out despite the rain and it was another fabulous light show, backed by music all from Australian artists.
The Aquarium and IMAX Theatre
We woke up to rain on Tuesday so decided it would be a good day to visit the aquarium.
Many others had the same idea and by the time we got in, it was nearly midday. We spent 2 hours wandering around the Murray/Darling River System, Great Southern Oceans, the Oceanarium and the Great Barrier Reef Display. Our favourite exhibits included the parading little penguins and walking through the glass tunnel in the Oceanarium where we got up close to many sharks, a giant stingray and a turtle.
Sticking to a marine theme, we went to the world's largest IMAX theatre in the afternoon to watch 'Wild Ocean'. It was a 50 minute film about a food chain off the coast of South Africa which had not been affected by over-fishing. It showed in 3D the migration of sardines from the Southern Cape to the Eastern Cape and their predators from diving gannets, dolphins and seals to sharks.
Taronga Zoo
On Wednesday we visited Taronga Zoo by ferry. After catching the monorail to the main entrance we were ready to explore, beginning with Wild Australia. In Wild Australia we saw lots of kangaroos, wallabies, an emu, an echidna and many native birds. Then we walked to Reptile World where we looked at several native snakes,
lizards as well as a Komodo Dragon, the largest lizard in the world at 2m long.
After a picnic lunch we walked through the African Waterhole and Wild Asia. It was fun watching the chimpanzees playing together. In Wild Asia I especially liked seeing a fishing cat which looked like an over-sized tabby cat. To attract fish it taps the surface of the water and then scoops them out with its poor - very clever!
Great Southern Oceans was our penultimate stop where we snapped pelicans, fur seals and more cute little penguins. Our last stop was to see some spiders - Mike's idea to help me conquer my fear. This did not really work because we only saw a funnel web and I am still scared!
Tower for Lunch and Opera for Tea
Mike and I loved having lunch in Sydney Tower with Uncle Mike and Helen back in November so wanted to take Mum and Dad there. We spent over 2 hours enjoying a buffet lunch and taking in the 360 degree views of the city. For lunch we ate salads, seafood, Chinese, Thai and roast meats with all the trimmings followed by
an assortment of cakes and fresh fruits - it was delicious. Mum and Dad thought that the whole experience was fabulous and did not want to leave once we had finished eating!
I managed to get us tickets to the opera, Madama Butterfly that evening and at around 6pm we headed to the Opera Bar for pre-performance drinks. Unfortunately the drinks did not go to plan because it was extremely busy and we could not get a seat, but the main event was still to come...
The opera was sung in Italian and had English subtitles. We had brilliant seats with a good view of the stage and more importantly, the subtitles! The first act set the scene about a wealthy American, Lieutenant Pinkerton who marries a poor 15 year old Japanese geisha, Madama Butterfly, but then returns to America. The second act begins 3 years later and shows Madama Butterfly awaiting the return of Pinkerton. She now has a child and has never given up hope that one day he will come back to her. Pinkerton does eventually return, but with a new American wife called Kate and an offer to adopt the child. Butterfly cannot accept
Get out of it
Little Penguin at Taronga Zoo. that Pinkerton has a new wife and commits suicide. We all thoroughly enjoyed our first opera and the whole experience of being in the opera house, even the men!
Discovery Climb and The Powerhouse Museum
On Friday Mum and Dad did the Discovery Climb on the harbour bridge. They were both a little nervous, particularly Mum who is scared of heights, but we convinced them it was worth it. "Fantastic" was the verdict once they had completed their climb and their photos showed that they had a great time.
Meanwhile, Mike and I visited the Powerhouse Museum of science and design. One of the more interesting exhibits was the Strasburg Clock Model built to celebrate the centenary of Australia. In the afternoon we went to the fish markets to stock up for tea.
The Rocks Markets and the Botanic Gardens
Mum and Dad looked around the pylon on Saturday morning then met us in The Rocks to wander around the weekend markets. We all bought something from the markets and then walked to the botanic gardens for a picnic lunch. On our way through the gardens we walked around Farm Cove to Mrs
Macquarie's Chair and competed with Japanese tourists for photos!
Manly
On our last day in the city we caught the ferry to Manly. Mum treated us to fish and chips for lunch and then we walked from Manly Beach to the more sheltered, Shelly Beach. Mike and I took a dip in the calm sea then we sunbathed the rest of the afternoon.
That evening we did not need to leave our apartment to see more fireworks, this time to celebrate Chinese New Year, the year of the ox. Mike and Dad managed to take some good photos through the window.
Beaching It
We moved to Coogee in our second week to spend some time by the beach. Our apartment was not as good as the Goldsbrough, but we made do.
On Tuesday we did the Coogee to Bondi coastal walk. We spent the majority of the day covering the distance, stopping at most of the beaches along the way. I enjoyed swimming at the 'lagoon like' Clovelly Beach, but Mike's preferred beach was Bronte where he and Dad surfed the waves.
Mum and Dad did a day trip to the
The Daws
Sitting on Mrs Macquarie's Chair. Blue Mountains on Wednesday which they thoroughly enjoyed, especially the sighting of a wild kangaroo. Whilst they were in the mountains, we had lunch with Agnes and spent some time at the beach.
We attempted to walk to Maroubra Beach on Friday, but the coastal path just stopped not far from the ocean baths so we ended up turning around and going for a swim in the baths. That afternoon we swam at Coogee, but spotted many blue bottles - pretty jelly fish that are transparent in colour with a bright blue tentacle. They are not deadly, but their sting hurts. As a result we only went into the sea once before spotting them.
Art and Culture
On Saturday we all went to Australian Museum with Linda and her Mum, Judy to see the 2008 Wildlife Photographer finalists. The photography was of a high standard and there were some beautiful photos including a striking close up of a grizzly bear taken by a female photographer in the 11-14 year age group. It was nice being inside in the comfort of an air-conditioned room escaping the heat outside.
After the museum we walked to St Mary's
cathedral, one of Sydney's most treasured buildings and took a look inside. It was a lovely building built in local yellow-block sandstone in an English-style gothic.
Dad's Birthday
Our last day in Coogee coincided with Dad's birthday. To celebrate, we decorated the apartment with balloons and went out for a cooked breakfast. The afternoon was spent on the beach and in the pool and then in the evening we took Dad out for a tasty birthday meal at Thai me up, a tasty Thai restaurant just a short walk from where we were staying.
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Wendy Davies
non-member comment
Wondered how things are going. Glad you're still having a wonderful time and enjoyed your Mum and Dad's visit ,Lisa. You are certainly making the most of your year out ! I haven't kept up-to-date all the way along but the photos and blog have been really good. Take care, love Bob and Wendy