Day 1 - Bondi beach
We made it to Sydney, sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure I am not dreaming! After all the running around in Melbourne we thought we would spend a day checking out the famous Bondi beach. Bondi beach cannot be missed from the bus and the photographs do not lie, the sea was full of surfers and the white beach was a great place to catch a few rays. The UV rays are very strong and we only managed an hour on the beach before we decided to walk the costal path heading to Coogee.

A cliff top coastal walk extends for six km in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. The Bondi to Coogee walk features stunning views, beaches, parks, cliffs, bays and rock pools. The beaches and parks offer a place to rest, swim or a chance to eat at one of the cafes. We passed through Tamarama and Bronte before reaching Coogee. It takes about two hours to complete the Bondi to Coogee Beach section of the walk and another hour and a half if you choose to continue to Maroubra.

Day 2 - Blue mountains tour
We prepared ourselves for a jam-packed day of adventure in true blue Aussie style. First we stopped at a bush reserve to spot kangaroos and other wildlife in their habitat and then visited a historic village - Glenbrooke, which is the gateway to the blue mountains.

Over the millennia, the ancient sandstone of this national park has been weathered into gorges lined by steep cliffs and separated by narrow ridges. Some activities in this area include seeing the magnificent rock formation of the Three Sisters or hiking along paths offering excellent views of the valley, sheer rock walls, tumbling waterfalls, and magnificent forests.

Our tour stopped in Euroka to do a 2 hour guided walk to see some of the most spectacular scenery including Wentworth Falls, Princess rock and Fletchers lookout. We then stopped for a picnic lunch before continuing our walk into the Jameson Valley via the Fuber Steps, Juliet's balcony, witches Leap and finishing the tour at The Three Sisters.

On the way back to Sydney we stopped for a well earned beer or cider (depending on what you preferred) at one of Australia’s most famous, historic hotels.

After a quick shower and a bite to eat ($1 hot dogs at the hostel!) we joined Maya and Amy who we met at the hostel so a drink and a dance at Scubar. I was even lucky enough to win a snorkelling trip in the Great Barrier Reef however was really disappointed that the expiry date is in two weeks time and I won't make it to cairns by then so won't be able to use it!

Day 3 - Walking tour
Bobbi and I decided to separate for the day so I decided to join the free walking tour of the city. Which was fantastic and I learnt so much about Sydney and it's history.

The tour started at the in between the Town Hall and St Andrew’s Cathedral and went on to explore Sydney’s beginnings and development from it’s early days as a convict colony right up to the major developments that have made Sydney the world city that it is today. The tour guide Danika covered things to see and do in Sydney especially things that are free at the moment.

On the tour we visited all the major tourist sights including Queen Victoria Building, Underground Tunnels that are now home to big shopping malls, Hyde Park Barracks, St Mary’s Cathedral, The ‘Rum’ Hospital, Customs and Parliament House, Macquarie Street and Sydney Tower. The tour was celebrating its seventh birthday so we stopped in Australia Square for some celebratory cupcakes before continuing the tour.

Next stop was The Rock’s District - The Rocks are one of the most historic parts of town with narrow lanes, fine colonial buildings, sandstone churches, and Australia’s oldest pubs. We were nearing the end of our tour as we passed through the Friday food market it was making me hungry - definitely finding my way back here for a bite to eat once the tour has finished!!

Finishing the tour at the Opera House and the Sydney Harbor Bridge – The bridge was built in 1932 as a government employment project during the Great Depression. While tours to climb the bridge are expensive, it is free to walk across the bridge and see great panoramic views of the harbor and Opera House.

I then took the opportunity after the tour had finished to explore Circular Quay and see the Opera House in more detail before taking a walk through the Botanical Gardens and then onto meet Bobbi by the Sydney Tower.

From the tower we stopped at the nearby cinema to see Deadpool for a relaxing evening.

Day 4 - Day trip to Manley
Ferry to Manly Beach – Manly is one of the better known beaches in the city. We stayed in the main pedestrian area where you can swim, sun bathe, eat ice-cream, and simply people watch. There is a superb walk along the coastline to the tiny and protected Shelly Beach, with cute marine sculptures and a tidal pool. Using an opal card (similar to an Oyster card at home) you can catch the ferry ride which has great views of the Harbor Bridge and Opera House. We joined up with others from a nearby hostel who we met on the Blue Mountains tour a couple of days precious but we weren't lucky with the weather, when the rain came we took the opportunity to have some lunch undercover before heading back to Circular Quay.

The sun came out as we got off the ferry and took a stroll round to Darling harbour for a drink. Every Saturday throughout Jan-March there are fireworks in Darling harbour at 9pm. We took the opportunity to head back to the hostel for a freshen up before heading back out for a drink before the show started. I was pleasantly surprised the fireworks lasted 15 minutes and was worth seeing.

Day 5 - Watsons Bay
On our last day in Sydney we decided to visit Watsons Bay is located on the southern head of the entrance to Sydney Harbour. To the east is the Tasman Sea and to the west is the Harbour with a glorious view of the city of Sydney in the distance. However the weather was not great and we got caught in the rain so took shelter in a Cool Beach Cafe. When it brightened up we took a stroll along the beach before heading back to Sydney Harbour by ferry.

We met Christian and Shona who we spent the previous day with to have a drink just down from the Opera house before doing a spot of window shopping!

7pm arrived and we boarded a night bus to Byron Bay ready to try surfing