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SUNDAY 28TH DECEMBER
At midday today, having fully recovered from our venture into Hamilton Island's nightlife, fully packed and ready to go, we were ferried to the airport to catch a flight back to Sydney. The airport was in absolute chaos! In the sweltering heat, hundreds of people were queuing up, bustling around in all directions, desperate to reach the flight on time and the amount of luggage that we were carrying made the whole experience unbearable. Finally, sweating profusely, we made it through security and, havin boared the plane, collapsed in our seats soaking up the extremely welcome full-powered air-conditioning. We arrived in Sydney a couple of hours later, my 3rd visit to this city, and found our way to the Hotel Intercontinental in the heart of Sydney's CBD. This hotel is perfectly located with access to the central shopping and tourist attractions that the city has to offer. Having taken some time to sort ourselves out, we wandered down to Circular Quay for some dinner. This is probably one of Sydney's busiest destinations from where you can catch ferries to the numerous surrounding bays and beaches, see the dominating Harbour Bridge and unique Opera House, and wander down to The Rocks. We randomly chose one of the touristic restaurants that lined the waterfront and enjoyed a quiet casual meal, a pleasant break from the formal dinners we had had the past few evenings.
MONDAY 29TH DECEMBER
After a bit of a sleepy start, we ventured out of the hotel to visit the classic tourist attractions that Sydney has to offer. The first of these was the Harbour Bridge. This gigantic steel structure, nicknamed "The Coathanger", was completed in 1932, having cost around AUD$20 million, to form the main link between the city's CBD and that of North Sydney. It is apparently the world's widest long-span bridge and, to me, bears an uncanny resemblance to the Tyne Bridge in Newcastl. I had really wanted to do the Bridge Climb which gives you the chance to walk over the top of the bridge's arch but as it took 3 1/2 hours to complete, I decided to do it when I returned in the Spring so the others didn't have to wait around. Instead, therefore, we walked from one side to the other, taking in the views of Sydney harbour on offer. On our way back to Circular Quay, we wandered through The Rocks. This is the site of the first European settlement of 400 settlers and 750 convicts in 1788. It was once a rather dismal area to live in and contains the highest concentration of historic buidings in the city itself. In 1970, its significance as a historic site was finally recognised and, because of this, the quaint Victorian style, remains today in the now commercialised streets. Just after lunch we booked onto a harbour boat tour to take us around the important sites within the harbour. The harbour itself consists of many bays, islands and beaches that offer all sorts of attractions to tourists and citizens alike. We passed by Fort Denison (a diminuitive Alcatraz), Goat Island (a former convict prison), Shark Island, Sydney Harbour National Park and Watson's Bay to name but a few. We also got a peek at Darling Harbour, a world-renowned tourist destination that was celebrating its 21st birthday this New Year, as well as Anzac Bridge. This prominent structure, with the very visible Australian flags on its 2 towers, was built in December 1995 in honour of the Anzacs, the Australian and New Zealand troops that played a part in World War I. Having disembarked back at Circular Quay, a lot more knowledgeable about the harbour itself, we headed on a short walk down to the Opera House. This iconic building was built and designed by a Dane, Jorn Utzon, who never got to see the completed work. This was down to arguments between Utzon and the governing bodies which led to his resignation before the project was finished. In 1973, the Opera House was officially opened by the Queen and has played host to many well-loved operas and other theatre pieces ever since. It is an extraordinarily unique piece of architecture, definitely catching your eye no matter how many times you've seen it. On the way back to the hotel, we wandered into the Botanic Gardens. These were established in 1816 by Governor Macquarie and their peaceful atmosphere makes the hustle and bustle of the city seem miles away. One of the highlights here was Palm Grove, masses of palm trees from which huge fruit bats were hanging, chattering to each other. It was quite incredible, if a little eerie, to have these massive creatures soaring over our heads. For dinner, I left Mummy and Emily by themselves, having arranged to catch up with my Adventure Tours group after the Christmas break. We had a good laugh in one of the clubs on the other side of town, especially since our last tour guide showed up with his group, and it was in the morning's early hours that I finally said goodbye. Back at the hotel, after a hugely long walk, I collapsed in a heap into my welcoming bed, exhausted, and had one of the deepest sleeps I had enjoyed for a long time.
TUESDAY 30TH DECEMBER
I was awoken at breakfast this morning so that we could pay a visit to the circus that is Bondi Beach. As you can probably tell, I am not it's biggest fan. This is probably one of the most famous beaches in Australia, if not the world, and one which everyone wants to say they've been to. The name "Bondi" comes from the Aboriginal for "the sound of the surf hitting the rocks" and its harbour front is filled with cafes, fast food restaurants, surf shops and the classic Quicksilver and Rip Curl outlets. As it was baking, we chose one of the few empty spots on the beach and watched the many who were attempting to surf. Even if they managed to stand onto the board, there was not really anywhere for them to go, being surrounded by hundreds of like-minded bodies. After I taken a wander along the sand by the water's edge, I lay down and promptly fell into a doze. I have to admit I was pretty exhausted. Having grown tired of sunbathing, we decided to try the walk from Bondi to Bronte but gave up half way. Although we were passing by some pretty splendid scenery, it was pretty much the same all the way along and so we decided to make our way home for a sushi dinner.
WEDNESDAY 31ST DECEMBER
New Year's Eve in Sydney! The day we had all been waiting for. Despite all the stories about how early the city would fill up, with thousands making the journey into the centre to watch what are probably the most famous New Year's Eve fireworks in the world, the start of the morning seemed pretty tame but I was buzzing just at the thought of what was to come. I met some friends early in the morning, while they were queuing to enter the Botanic Gardens and gain the perfect spot, and stayed with them for a few hours before heading back to join Mummy and Emily in the hotel. The atmosphere in the Gardens was very festive, with people setting up picnic blankets and playing ball games to keep themselves occupied for the long wait ahead. For the rest of the day we remained in the hotel lounge, trying to save the best seats from which to see the fireworks. Down below, we could see the Quay slowly filling up, and as night fell, the music and singing began. At around 9pm, there was what is known as the Families' Fireworks for kids that need to go to bed early. This display was spectacular enough, proving that for the real thing, we were going to be in for a treat. At midnight, as the bridge suddenly blazed, illuminated by the fireworks bursting directly above, I have to say I felt a shiver pass down my spine. The show was truly amazinf, with the focus all on the bridge, despite the 5 identical displays that were at different spots within the harbour. For th finale, a fountain of white light poured down from the bridge's base into the water, while a four-pronged sun lit up in the centre, which would remain there for the following 4 days. It was a far cry from passing the 2,000 word mark in my dissertation that had been my midnight celebration the previous year. At around 1am, with the lounge preparing to close, I headed out down to Circular Quay to meet up with a friend. It still, despite the very efficient street cleaners, had a vibrant carnival atmosphere and people carried on, singing the night away, until horseback policemen came to clear the streets. Without a doubt it had been my best New Year's eve for a very long time...Sydney, expect me back next year!!!
THURSDAY 1ST JANUARY
Welcome to 2009! We emerged surprisingly early, a bit bleary-eyed and some of us feeling a little worse for wear, and hungrily ate some breakfast. Emily had to catch a flight back to England at lunch time so while Mummy accompanied her to the airport, I enjoyed a nap in front of "The Great Escape", one of my all-time favourite movies. When Mummy had returned, we both boarded a ferry to Taronga Zoo on the other side of the Harbour. This wildlife park, located with perfect views over towards the Opera House and CBD, contains all sorts of creatures from my favourite, the koala bear, to snakes, crocodiles, elephants and giraffes. This was also Mummy's first sighting of a kangaroo! That evening, while Mummy went to dinner with some friends, I went out to catch up with Sarah and Louise, two Irish girls from my Intrepid tour around Thailand and Malaysia. It was wicked to see them again and we had a great laugh in a couple of bars in Sydney's centre. What a coincidence though when we wandered into Scruffy Murphys, a complete dive to be honest, for one last drink and bumped into 3 other members of the same tour in the doorway. It was a very random evening...but I guess they tend to be the best!
FRIDAY 2ND JANUARY
At around lunch time today, having checked out of our rooms, we walked down, or rather waddled under the weight of all our bags, to Circular Quay to catch the ferry to Manly. I was to stay here for a night and Mummy for 3 before heading off to my next destination. This was more hassle than it was worth saving on a taxi fare. The ferry was brimming with people and I couldn't help but knock into those around me, being twice my normal width and very unaware of my bearings. Having finally reached the reception of our hotel, we checked in before going to find a well-earned drink. Manly Beach is one of Sydney's most famous, but in contrast to the ever popular Bondi, produces perfect surf and sunbathing facilities. Unfortunately the weather was a bit rubbish so we couldn't really enjoy it to it's full potential. In the afternoon I travelled back into the city to say goodbye to a couple of friends and then met up with Mummy for dinner and ice cream. Stuffed, we boarded the late boat back to Manly, before falling asleep in front of the tennis. It had been an awesome holiday!
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