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I have been in Australia for a whole week now, so I thought it might be time for a bit of a blog update...
Eager to get away from the Bangkok riots (which were too close to our hotel for comfort), we arrived at the airport a whole 7 hours before our flight. Factor in 8.5 hours on a plane with a shrieking child, and you may get an idea of how weary we were when we arrived in Sydney at 4 in the morning. By 7, we were out exploring the city - we headed straight towards the Opera House (impressive, but rather ugly) and the infamous Bridge (again, impressive but not the prettiest tourist attraction). After such a productive morning, we crashed into bed in the afternoon and caught up on some much-needed sleep. The next day brought a gruelling surfing lesson, which was a lot of fun, and very tiring. Standing up for a couple of seconds was definitely an achievement! We spent the next couple of days aching (a lot)... We did a lot of walking for the rest of our time in Sydney - the coastal walk from Coogee Bay to Bondi was gorgeous, and we had a picnic in the Botanical Gardens, marvelling at the bats and the parades of cockatoos.
A night bus up the coast brought us to Byron Bay, where we headed straight for the beach. It was a typical Aussie beach - lots of surf and bright white sand, with the added bonus of mountain vistas (Mount Warning in the distance). The next day, we walked to the Cape Byron lighthouse and the most Easterly point of Australia. The scenery was stunning, and we spotted two pods of surfing dolphins, a diving turtle and a couple of chatty parrots - I definitely fell in love with Australia right then!
We arrived in Surfer's Paradise yesterday, in torrential rain (we are obviously nearing the tropics...). Because of the rain, we haven't really had a chance to see much of the area, beyond the obvious high rise buildings and marinas, but it doesn't have the charm of Byron of the bustle of Sydney. This afternoon, we catch the Greyhound to Brisbane, as the hectic race up the coast continues...
- comments
Christine C Hope you'll find the sun again on your way up north!
Liz Sewell Glad you got out of Bangkok ok, was concerned about the riots. Looking forward to seeing some photo's!