We flew to Sydney after our four day visit to Melbourne. Sydney is a very different city compared to Melbourne. It is much larger and spread out and also sits on some of the most beautiful harbors in the world. We were there for a week, and spent four days in and around the city and two days in the Blue Mountains. There was so much to do and we had a lot of fun. Some of the highlights from our trip were seeing the harbors and the Opera House, walking across the Harbor Bridge, going on a cruise boat out into the harbor, and going to see the awesome aquarium with the sharks, crocs, and Australian marine life from the Great Barrier Reef. We also spent time walking around and checking out different areas of the city. We went to the areas of Paddington, Circular Quay, the Rocks, Kings Cross, Darlinghurst, Bondi Beach, and Chinatown. Up in the Blue Mountains we saw the some spectacular rock cliffs, waterfalls, and went on a nice 12 mile long hike. It was also fall up there so the leaves were starting to change. Most of the trees that change color are not actually native to Australia. The weather was great for two days, but we did get three days of good solid rain. The rain was acutally quite nice and a welcomed relief to the drought. Here a few photos from the things we saw and did while we were there. There are also more photos in our photo gallery so be sure to check them out as well.
The Harbor Bridge in Sydney connects the north and south parts of the city. It was completed in 1932 at the cost of $20 million. The height from the highest point to the water is 134 meters or 400 feet. The length of the bridge spans just over a kilometer in length, or about 2/3 of a mile. It is really a huge giant bridge and it was neat to walk across it and see the city. For the people more adventerous, not afraid of heights, and finacially well endowed you can walk up the arches to the very top with a guided tour group.
The Syndey Opera House is probably one of the most recognizable buildings in the world and the icon of Syndey. It was started in 1959 by Danish architecht Jorn Utzon who expected it to be completed in a few years for $7 million. After years of disagremeent and poIitical problems Utzon quit in 1966. It was then handed over to a select few Australian architects and contractors to finish. It was complted in 1973 at the cost of $102 million. It sits out on the harbor with the city and harbor bridge behind it. It was really neat to see the Opera House up close as well.
This is the inside of the 19th century Victorian style designed Queen Victoria Building. It has four floors with over 200 botique shops and cafes. One store we really enjoyed was the photo gallery exhibt of Peter Lik- he is an up and coming amazing photographer from Australia. You can check out some of his work online at http://www.peterlik.com
Bondi Beach! This is the world famous Australian surfing beach- they film a local show here called Bondi Beach Rescue- where they actually follow around lifegaurds in a reality TV show style. Nice beach but I thought it was crowded and overated and have seen much nicer beaches elsewhere in Australia- however I think Bondi's claim to fame is that it has some great surfing waves, a nice wide beach area, great lifegaurds, and tons of beautiful scantliy clad people lying around all over the place. The neighborhood of Bondi was nice and had some good cafes and a nice outside Market they run every Sunday.
Getting down on the Didjeridoo! This was a concert called "Sounds of the Outback" and was a live didjeridoo show set to sounds and images of Australia. The aboriginal didjeridoo player was Lez Beckeh and he was gerat. He tours and plays all over the world not only on the didjeridoo but also as a beat box player (mimicking drums and beats with your mouth to a microphone) in a hip-hop band. We talked to him for a briefly after the show about his experiences, but he quickly had to leave because he another show that night at the Opera House.
Seals and fish from the Sydney Aquarium. It was fantastic and they have tons and tons of neat interesting fish and marine wildlife. We saw playtapus, crocodiles, sharks, giant fish, manta rays, jellyfish, seals, sea turtles, eels, and many more. It really displayed the diversity and richness of the marine life in Australia, and the Great Barrier Reef. It has several transparent underwater tunnels you walk through and parts of the aquarium are actually built into the harborside.
This is Katoomba falls in the Blue Mountains national park. Kim and I had a nice relaxing two days there. It was very easy to get to and was only two hours by train from downtown Sydney. The hostel we stayed in was the best hostel I have ever seen, nice comfortable rooms, a huge kitchen and rec area, big screen TV for movies, and a giant size chess board outside. Very nice place! We did some great hiking and enjoyed the quiet relaxing pace in the mountain towns of Katoomba and Leura.
Working on my chess skills- Knight to H4- CHECK!
There was so much to do in Sydney. One of the things Kim and I really enjoyed was just walking around the harbor and seeing everything, especially around the Circular Quay area. Sydndey was a fun exciting city to visit with great people, food, and things to see. Without a doubt we will be back!
