Sydney is the countries capital in everything but name (canberra is the capital but it is tiny). Sydney is the economic heart of australia and is also the oldest and largest city, with a population of around 4 million. The whole of oz has a mere population of 20 million which isnt a lot considering how big it is- im not sure if this fact is true but i have been told it by 2 different oz people so i think it is! It is a city that is alive in so many ways, boasting towering sky scrapers and vibrant night life, unique restaurants and brilliant shopping. It is also home to a surprising array of natural beauty from the harbour with its sandstone headlands and surrounding bush to its world famous beaches. We chose to stay in 'the pink house' a hot pink hostel in the middle of kings cross which is a rough area full of druggys and prostitutes but i like being a city chick it toughens me up as little! We are sharing a rroom with a lesbian couple from birmingham. The transport system here is great and we can be in the city centre within mins. In the evening we met some of our tour drivers from our east coast trip including beaver and squirtal (don't ask!) where we had a steak and beer night. Gemma was squirming as my medium rare steak but it was lovley! I went home early though as was still on medication and it was making me feel weird. The next day we set about exploring sydney on foot covering much of the city and its major attractions. We visited the naval dockyards near wooloomooloo bay and the art gallery of new south wales where we took in some art and had a coffe on the veranda looking out into the city.

Next we walked past the water looking at the ships and yaughts and came across mrs mcqueries cahir, famously built for her by her husband so she could watch the ships come in. We walked a little further to the end of the point where we saw the best view in sydney- the stylish opera house with the harbour bridge behind which made the perfect kodak monet if not hindered a little by the poor weather! We spent a little time checking out the botanical gardens and saw many huge huge bats hanging in the trees it was eery. We saw plenty of wild cockatoos flying around the park and a variety of tropical plants and flowers near the government house. We headed closer to the opera house where we admired its 1950's architechture- inside it has 48 dressing room as well as stages and cinemas and is sydneys most famous building. We looked closer at the beidge which is the largest single span bridge in the world!

At the other side of cicular quay was an area know as the rocks- the oldest part of the cirty where we found all sorts of quaint and intersting shops and cafes in beautiful sandstone buildings, we had a banan muffin as we wandered round the streets. For tea we cooked a prawn stir fry back at the hostel. I love living here we feel part of the city and have sussed out their transport system and picked up their habits and slang.