Picked the car up from the Hertz, and Sal expertly navigated us through central Sydney, and up to Leura in the Blue Mountains. Unfortunately, it rained all day and the visibility was poor, so the drive was a bit grim. We arrived in Leura in a downpour, and dodged from shop to shop trying to keep dry. It reminded us of Betwys-Y-Coed, it's usually raining there, too! On the upside, we had our first Aussie pie for lunch. Pies, it would appear, are the national dish ...

Another good day in the fine city of Sydney! We took the ferry to Manly Beach, watched the surf dudes do their stuff, chilled out on the beach for a while, and then had a lovely lunch! The weather forecast was poor, but it was nice at Manly, and when we got back to Circular Quay, it looked like it had really rained heavy, result!

A fine day again in Sydney, we walked from our hotel in The Rocks, to the iconic Sydney Opera House, via Circular Quay. What a stunning waterfront, up there with Liverpool, I'd say! We then took the Darling Bay ferry, and as we passed under the famous bridge, one of the many Asian tourists on the ferry asked Sally-Anne, 'what is that bridge called?', I think Sal thought it was a trick question! Had a mooch around Cockle Bay, where Lamby made a new friend, then ...

Had a great day in Sydney! At breakfast, a parrot flew onto our table, grabbed a sachet of sugar from the tea-tray, opened it using claw and beak, and tucked in! Amazing! Toured the city in the open-top bus, which was fantastic, then did the tour of the beaches and suburbs, got off for lunch and mooching at Bondi Beach, which was lovely! Came 'home' for a nap, then out again for the Sydney Festival, we went to the 'urban' stage, which was rammed, and saw Arres...

Landed in Sydney, 8.30 am, and it was raining! Got to the hotel, which is spitting distance from 'the bridge', and Denise Kelly's advice to e-mail and request an early check-in came up trumps, and we were in, unpacked and out by lunch! A bit like the Aussie batsmen! So tired now, though, but we're trying to stay awake until at least 9pm in an attempt to beat the jet-lag!