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On Wednesday morning we got up and headed to the airport for our early morning flight (0830) to Sydney. It was a short 1hr 20min flight, which seemed mad to us as we had just driven from the outskirts of Sydney to Adelaide over nearly 2 weeks! When we arrived we jumped on a shuttle bus to our hotel in Sydney. Keen to make the most of the day we dumped our bags, freshened up and went out for a wander around the city. We were staying in between Chinatown and the Theatre district so we made our way along towards Darling Harbour where we admired the cityscape and caught our first glimpse of the famous harbour bridge. We grabbed some food before we visited the National Maritime Museum.
We decided to have a look round two de-commissioned warships moored in the harbour, HMAS Vampire which was a gunboat and HMAS Onslow, an old submarine. The submarine was tiny inside, not much personal space to be had anywhere. It was really interesting seeing how the ships were used and hearing some of the stories from the volunteer guides.
After the Museum we continued around the harbour, taking a look in the Harbourside shopping centre and the old pedestrian bridge crossing the harbour before deciding to catch the monorail to the city CBD. We bought an all day ticket and decided to get our monies' worth and bearings so did a lap of the city before jumping off in the city centre... right next to the Sydney Tower. Pete wanted to go up it, and Hol was brave enough to join him so we got into the lift, before any change of hearts and a few seconds later we were at the top. The views were superb. It was a bit cloudy and hazy but still the views extended out to the coastline, the airport and views of the harbour bridge and Opera house. After lots of pics and laps of the tower we returned to the ground and again caught the monorail back towards home. We grabbed dinner and headed home for some well deserved sleep.
On Thursday we again headed down to Darling Harbour but this time we caught a boat out to Taronga Zoo. We passed under the Harbour Bridge, through Circular Quay and past the Opera House on the way. The Zoo is the opposite side of the harbour from the Opera house and is built into the hillside so has lovely panoramic views across the city. When we reached the Zoo pier we caught the cable car to the top entrance and slowly made our way down seeing all the different animals. We saw Kangaroos, Koalas and Duckbill Platypus before seeing Elephants and Giraffe Feeding. We watched a seal show which was very funny and then a 'Birds of Flight' show. The Bird show was spectacular, set in an amphitheatre with a backdrop of Sydney Harbour. Various birds flew free above the harbour. There was an Owl that flew over the audience so low that we could feel the wind from their wings in our hair. There were also various birds of prey and native parrots which all showcased their particular talents and hunting skills. After a long day we headed back into the city and did a little shopping and sightseeing around the pretty older buildings in the city centre before crashing out.
On Friday we caught a free bus down to Circular Quay and then headed up to pick up Pete's ticket for the bridge climb later that day. When we got there we were told that it was too early and could only be picked up an hour before! Grrr. We decided to have a walk on the pedestrian footpath onto the bridge anyway, and ended up walking the whole way across it. It certainly is big, carrying eight lanes of traffic, 2 railway lines, a cycle path and a pedestrian walkway! When we got to the other side we walked down to the base of the bridge and into Luna Park. From there we caught the ferry across to Circular Quay, then changed boat and headed to Manly. Its a pretty little town on the coast but also with a beach/jetty just inside Sydney Harbour. We explored the town a bit, watched a surf competition on the beach then whilst heading back towards the ferry pier along a side road, Pete saw some people from work... small world hey! After the crossing back to Circular Quay Hol headed back to the hotel whilst Pete went to climb the Harbour Bridge. It was a twilight climb so after putting on all the safety gear and trendy overalls Pete headed out in the fading daylight up the bridge. It was an amazing experience, climbing such a world icon sometimes along narrow gangways and ladders with amazing view across the harbour directly beneath. After a leisurely climb and a few photo stops we reached the summit just as night fell. The views were spectacular over the harbour and the city all lit up by thousands of lights. The guide was really informative and just towards the end of climbing down the main arch the rain started. Fortunately it was time to climb down to a gangway under the bridge so we were sheltered from the rain. It was a truly amazing experience. After that Pete headed back to the hotel and as we both were shattered we crashed out.
On Saturday we again caught a ferry, this time 50min along the harbour to Olympic Park. This was the venue for the Olympics in 2000 and the Rugby World Cup finals where England beat Australia! We had a mooch around; the buildings are quite impressive and all concentrated in one place. However, it was no 'Birds Nest' and the park seemed quite forgotten about as it's only used for major events and rarely. After the Olympic park we got back on the ferry and then caught a bus to Bondi Beach. The traffic was terrible but we eventually got there and had a walk on the beach and around the town before ended up in a German Bar for dinner. It was quite strange coming all the way across the world to find such a place! :-) We headed back into the city centre and decided to check out the Opera house, having passed it so many times but not had a look round it. We walked around Circular Quay to the Opera house in the dark. It was Saturday night so the atmosphere was buzzing. It was lovely, the Bridge was lit up, as was the Opera house. After a wander around we headed home to pack ready for our early morning flight to New Zealand.
We both really enjoyed Sydney, and will have to spend longer here next time! :-) See you in Christchurch.
Pete and Hol
xXx
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