Sydney

Fri 27 April

Took off from Los Angeles on Friday, landed in Sydney on Sunday!

Sun 29 April

Checked into Grace Hotel at 8:30am and room was already available which has handy. After a quick shower walked down to Darling Harbour and then walked North along the harbour up towards Dawes Point. Here we caught out first glimpse of the Sydney Harbour Bridge (aka the coat hanger).

Walked up to the Rocks and then through to the main harbour at Central Quay with the Opera House on the opposite bank.

Bought ticket for hop-on hop-off bus and did tour of city centre which took around 90 minutes. Then had a quick lunch at Zia Piña pizzeria. After lunch we came across a stretch-Kombi limo, which brought a smile to our faces.

Took the second hop-on hop-off bus tour around the Eastern suburbs which included passing the world-famous Bondi Beach. Being autumn, we didn't bother getting off at the beach.

As the bus climbed to the top of Dover Heights we had some great views back across the city. When we got back to the CBD (central business district) tiredness hit us and we had an early night (asleep by 9pm).

Mon 30 April

Walked to The Rocks to find Bonza Bike Tours on Harrington Street. As luck would have it we were the only two people touring that day which made it a very personal experience. Our guide was Matt (a budding actor, hoping to move to the UK to further his career) and we set off at 10:30am. This was a great way to see the city. Highlights included Darling Harbour, Anzac War Memorial, the Royal Botanic Gardens and cycling on Sydney Harbour Bridge. Also enjoyed stopping at the Lord Nelson for a pint of Three Sheets. It's good to know that the Aussies like decent beer.

At the end of the Botanic Gardens we reached the iconic spot where you can take a photo that includes both the coat hanger and the opera house.

After grabbing a burger for lunch we jumped onto the government ferry for a trip to Manley (recommended by Matt). Also a great way to see Sydney from the harbour. We saw quite a few people out surfing on Manley Beach. Had a quick drink at Manley Wine Bar and then set off on our mission: to walk to North Head. The sea level walk to Shelly Beach was easy and then we followed the gentle climb away from civilization on the Blue Fish Track. After about 1.5km we passed the parade ground (for the police?)

Some 3.5km from the start of the walk we finally reached North Head and Fairfax Lookout which offered views of Sydney. By this time dusk was falling so we headed back to a bus stop we had spotted 15 minutes earlier. It was now too dark to read the timetable so out came the phone to light it up. It showed that were were two buses per day and the last one had left about 4 hours ago. So it seemed like we were in for a long walk in the dark, albeit on a proper road now rather than the dirt footpaths we had walked earlier. Twenty minutes later we saw a bus waiting at a stop, so we legged it to catch it back into Manley.

The views of Sydney on the return ferry ride were pretty good.

Tues 1 May

Met up with the Eady-Muxlow family at the hotel. Neolie had not aged one bit. Headed out to Central Quay to catch the ferry to Taronga Zoo. Saw kangaroos, platypus, meerkats, elephants playing, giraffes, lions, tiger, snow leopard, koala, seal show, flying birds show. Karin, Neolie and kids had their photo taken with a sleeping koala.

We all had a great day out and was a lovely way to meet David, Darcy and Gemma. Later on, David and I went into the Apple Store to check out a couple of sound systems for possible use at the wedding reception. The sales guy refused to let us hear what they sounded like. His attitude was that because Apple are selling them, they must be good. Looks like Apple are just as arrogant in Australia as they are elsewhere in the world. Needless to say, David did not buy one.

In the evening we ate back at the hotel. The barman recommended Coopers Pale Ale and it was great. Definitely a Coopers fan now!

Wed 2 May