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Hi all Gem here.....
Wow is all I can say New Year was AMAZING!!!! But I will come back to the later...
So on the day we left Fremantle we didnt really do alot, when for a lovely fish and chip lunch on the harbour and tidyed the flat. We were flying out that night so couldnt really do to much. The flight to Sydney was pretty standard, very unexciting and very disappointing that we didnt have tvs in the back of our seats! As is becoming the norm when we have to travel anywhere, I slept all the way and Tom didn't get one wink!
We arrived in Sydney at about 6.30 so were all still half asleep and way to early to check in so we dumped our bags at the hostel and headed out exploring. Straight away we stumbeled accross the sydney opera house and bridge and they didnt disappoint. After our McDonalds breakfast we had a snooze in the park and absorbed some Sydney atmosphere! Feeling a little bit refreshed we wandered through the Rocks before back to the hostel for some proper sleep! That night we headed to another local hotel where you could get a roast dinner and drink for $7 (about 3.50bp)bargain! But not as good as mums! Who should we meet in there but our friend Rob from uni, Sydney obviously isnt big enougth! After a good catch up it was back to bed for a good nights sleep.
Next day was tourist day we toured the opera house and botanical gardens in preperation for finding the best spot for new years! We saw hundreds of bats (which are actually flying foxes) they nest in all the trees in Sydney. That night we had our first proper Aussie night on the tiles and God it was eventful! We met up with my firend Libbi and also Rob and his friends and headed to the local backpacker club. In mid dancing flow all the lights came on and the music off and we were herded out the club. Tom being the gentleman rushed back into find me, although I had walked out with all the others. Standing very bemused on street the policeman told us there had been a bombscare. Surpirsing we were all unconcerned and worried parents fear not I feel it was a hoax and it just added a little bit of extra entertainment to the evening! From there we headed off to an Irish bar for a bit of a jig before calling it a night.
Next day was monorail day, much to Toms enjoyment we toured Sydney on the monorail and did more of the standard tourist siteseeing. A military operation then started to prepare for New Years!!!!
So up very early we expertly packed our picnic and million bottles of water... it was going to be hot! Meeting up with the others we took our place in the Botanical Gardens que and there we sat.... for nearly 3 whole hours!!!!! We werent in a bad position and smugly watched as more and more people joined the que behind us as it began to loop the park, I have honestly never seen a que as big in my life! Of course us Brits love queing and sadly most other countries dont get the concept so with more people pushing into the que than they could let in even the occasional Mexican wave couldnt convince us it was worth staying. So a few phonecalls later we were rushing in a taxi off to Observation hill and it was the best decision we have made since leaving home! Our view was amazing and to make things even better the place wasnt to packed to begin so we could just chill out soak up the sun, make new friends and admire the amazing view! As the sun began to set the atmosphere got more excited the place got a hell of a lot more packed and the view just kept getting better. You could watch round the harbour as every single piece of open space became crammed with people. The boats came out and so did the planes... dodgey sky writing kept us entertained for a while as did a few hunred rounds of Guess Who. But as the sun set there was only one place we were looking and that was the river! The theme for the year was creation in the very loose sense of the word. At 9 the family fireworks started to a massive cheer and we were given an insight into what to expect for midnight. 4 barges lit the sky with perfectly timed rockets. After the family fireworks the kids left and more people crammed in the boats came out dressed mostly as sea creatures all illumintaed in lights. Then all to soon it was time for the count down, with no one to actually tell us when it was time many numerous count downs started around the hill and im not sure we actually made it down to 1 before the Sydney bridge lit up, we all jumped up and down, cheered and fogot about hugs and stared again at the river. This time 6 barges lit the sky down the river and the bridge dominated the whole river, it was honestly breathtaking! We couldnt actually see finale of the 2009 being lite up but we saw the bridge engulfed in smoke and lasers for what has to be one of the most breath taking photos I have ever took. It will be up here very soon! After the fireworks the boats were back out and setteled ourselves in for the possibility of watching sunrise. - We didnt make it! At 4.30 we left the park and the mound of rubbish and returned wearily home all with big smiles on our faces! Poor sydney was left looking like a rubbish dump but for us it was all worth it! We Loved it!
Take Care
Gem
xxx
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