This is the view from our window now we have upgraded our room. It is a very grey day and it is raining. We went to the tourist information place and booked a couple of trips and other things which will keep us occupied for most of the week.
At 12:30 my cousin who lives in Newcastle North of Sydney came to collect us and took us out for a drive. We left the city and it took us ages to get out of the city through the suburbs because of the traffic. This part of the city is very much like the outer suburbs of London and quite run down in areas. We eventually came to an area just outside of Wooloongong which was high up and looked down onto the coastal plain. Some beautiful scenery but slightly spoiled by the murky conditions. We then descended to Wooloongong and drove through the town and out to the coastal road. The drive back along the coast road was quite spectacular with the cliffs towering up on the landside. Once again the beaches were very sandy and we passed several delightful bays. We could see hang gliders in the sky and reached the area where they were launching from. We stood and watched them taking off and even saw two brave men doing doing a tandem flight. It was very windy here and the thermals were obviously very good for hang gliding and paragliding. We also saw three red and blue parrots different from the normal green ones.
After the coast drive we entered a national park which was very green and forested and stretched for miles. They obviously have more rain here than Perth as the vegetation is much more lush.
Once back in Sydney we went again to Chinatown for a meal. Just before we left the heavens opened and it poured with rain. Luckily for me I had bought my umbrella with me but Mick and Maurice got just a little wet on the way back to the hotel. As our hotel wasn't doing coffee we popped next door to The Novotel for a drink. It was very plush.