Once we arrived in Sydney we made our way to Panania where we were going to be staying for a few nights with an Australian family. After being advised by my friend Lee back in June to start looking for hostels for Sydney in December ASAP, we did exactly that. But even back then, most hostels were fully booked due to Sydney being such a hot-spot for Christmas and New Year, and the hostels that were not quite fully booked were charging between $60-$100 per night for a 10 bed dorm. Being backpackers on a very strict budget there was no way we would be paying that price for a hostel. If we had we would probably be home about now!

Emma and I discovered that my sister who lives in Manchester shares her flat with a girl named Kirsty who just so happens to be from Sydney. Kirsty very kindly got in touch with her parents in Panania who kindly let us stay with them for a few days until we got ourselves sorted with accommodation. Emma had advertised us on the internet as a couple looking to flat share for a month, so we were hoping to hear some good news whilst we were staying in Panania. After unpacking our cases and having a much needed lie down we were treated to a barbie for dinner cooked by Kirsty's dad Wayne.

The next day after having a nice lie-in we got the train into the city. After getting off at central we walked to Darling Harbour. After noticing a man wearing a U2 crew t-shirt strolling around I engaged him in conversation with the intention of becoming his best friend so I could score a back-stage pass or something or other. His name was Sam and he was Larry Mullen's drum tester and setter upper. Despite being a friendly fellow he didn't want to become my best friend and offer us free stuff. We then walked up a large flight of stairs to the Rocks which had a market on as it was Sunday. After enjoying the market we walked to Circular Keys which is where the Opera House is. The big news in Sydney at the time was Oprah Winfrey as she was filming an Australian special of her show. She was all over the front pages and magazines for the first week we were in Sydney. In front of the Opera House there was a huge stage that had been erected for the show and the area was busy with people getting ready for the filming. After food shopping we headed back to Panania to cook spaghetti bolognaise for the Lovegood family. After dinner Emma and I watched 'Paranormal Activity'. Scary!

On the 13th and 14th we went to see U2 and JAY-Z at the ANZ Stadium. Emma had got a reply to our add about wanting to flat share so on the 15th we went to meet a couple called Mercedes and Oktay so we could view their flat. We loved the flat, it was very modern, had an amazing view and even had a communal swimming pool and gym, so in the evening we left Panania and moved into our new flat in Rhodes.

It didn't take long for us to get settled in Rhodes. What made it even more homely was the nearby shopping centre which had an IKEA in it and it was identical to IKEA Gateshead (although I'm sure IKEAS worldwide are all identical!). The plan was to job hunt once we had somewhere permanent to stay in Sydney but all that was available was retail and neither Emma nor I had a drive to go out and apply for retail jobs. We also realised that should we get a retail job then we would probably be required to work over New Year and the whole point of being in Sydney was to see the New Year celebrations so we decided to look for work beginning of January.

On Sunday 19th we had a nice lie in before going into the city to visit Paddy's Market and then off to Sydney Football Stadium for Bon Jovi's third and final concert of the tour. The concert was amazing and was made even better by the heavy rain which soaked the band and everyone on the pitch. Luckily we were seated under part of the roof.

The next few days we spent visiting other attractions in the city such as St. Mary's Cathedral and the Hyde Park Barracks, home of the first jail in Australia (where it all began) and getting ready for Christmas.

On the 24th Emma and I went into the city in the evening and began a desperate hunt for Christmas crackers. After much walking we eventually found some. As we were cooking our first Christmas dinner we wanted it to be perfect so we had to have crackers! We waited around Darling Harbour for the carol singing to begin but it ended up being 3 people on a small stage who couldn't really sing. This was advertised around the Harbour so it was extremely over-hyped. We left after only 5 minutes and went to check out the carol singing at St. Mary's Cathedral. The atmosphere inside the Cathedral was very warm and cosy with a choir singing classical songs. Outside the Cathedral the Australian girls' choir sang more traditional Christmas carols. After the carols there was a fantastic light display on the outside of the Cathedral.

As soon as we were awake the next morning we were up like a shot to see if Santa had been. I was particularly worried that he wouldn't know that I was in Australia but yey he did!!! After opening pressies and making pancakes for breakfast, we went for a Christmas morning swim before going back to the flat to begin making Christmas dinner. After making a very successful Christmas dinner for ourselves and our housemates we did the usual Christmas day thing of relaxing in front of the TV.

The next few days were spent relaxing and watching films in the flat. I spent a day walking around the city putting CVs through letterboxes of film companies as I was hoping to get some work experience whilst travelling. I emailed over 100 film companies but this led to nothing. Turns out it's just as tough to get into the film industry as it is back home.

On New Year's Eve we went into the city at 6pm and found a good spot at Circular Keys where we had a good view of the bridge and the Opera House. The first firework display was at 9pm then all we had was a 3 hour wait to the main display. The fireworks were really good, however, they definitely look more impressive on television. We thought we would have a long wait to get on a train back to Rhodes but managed it with ease.

On Sunday 3rd January Emma and I got the train to Bondi Junction and had a walk around the town - just the same as every other town on the east-coast! We then got a bus to Bondi Beach where we met Mercedes and Oktay. We spent an hour sunbathing before the clouds came out and decided to leave. Bondi Beach reminded us of a typical English beach town with the shops on the main road facing the beach. The beach really wasn't that nice though and was spoilt by the graffiti on the concrete walls circling the beach.

We spent the next few days relaxing, swimming, walking back and forth to Rhodes shopping centre and watching Lethal Weapon 1-4. We visited the Maritime Museum at Darling Harbour. It featured a shark exhibition which I was very much looking forward to seeing. One of the highlights was seeing props from the film 'Jaws'.

On Thursday we got up early to catch the Rivercat (ferry) to Circular Key and then another ferry to Luna Park for a walk around the theme park. After this we walked to Milson Point where we treated ourselves to a caramel/peppermint slice each from a bakery. This was the place where you could get access to walking over the Harbour Bridge. The view from the bridge was lovely and I got a bit carried away with taking pictures (as I do).

On Friday 14th we went into the city to walk around the Markets by Moonlight at the Rocks. The markets are sponsored by Smirnoff and there was a Smirnoff stall giving away free flavoured vodka drinks which we took full advantage of and so had quite a bit to drink. There were a few nice food stalls which we had food from, the nicest being a Turkish gozleme with chicken and spinach.

Our next big day out was to visit the Blue Mountains. We got up early as the train took just over 2 hours to get to Katoomba which is in the Blue Mountains.When we arrived we bought a ticket for a hop on/hop off bus company which had a few busses constantly doing a loop around the mountains. First stop was the Bygone Beauty's Treasured Tea Pot Museum where we had a tea and scone each. The tea room was very quiet and surrounded by antiques and was the perfect start to the morning. Gordon Falls was the next stop and although it was very misty, the views were still amazing. Other stops included Three Mysteries (same lookout as Gordon Falls but from a different perspective), Leura Cascade and lastly the most famous of all the sights at the Blue Mountains, the Three Sisters. After we saw all the sights we wanted to, we headed back into Katoomba to look around the shops. After looking around shops we decided we had enough time to visit Kat Falls. Kat Falls turned out not to be a very impressive waterfall at all so we left without even taking a picture and got some chips and caught the train from Katoomba back to Rhodes. The Blue Mountains was a very nice day out.

On Monday 17th Emma and I made a picnic and took it into the Botanic Gardens in the city where we had a great view of the bridge and Opera House.In the evening Emma treated herself to a kangaroo charm from a Pandora shop to add to her bracelet. The Sydney Festival had just begun in the city in which many different events such as art shows, concerts, films, talks etc. were being held. At 7.30pm I went to the Town Hall to see 'John Malkovich in Conversation'. I was a bit disappointed with the event as although it was great to hear John Malkovich discussing his film career, he talked a lot about 'The Giacomo Variations'- a production he was starring in at the Opera House which sounded really dull and boring. All I wanted to hear him talk about was 'Con Air'! ('Put the bunny back in the box').

The next day we went to the shopping centre for our last IKEA hot dog and packed a box to send some things home. Then it was time for our last ever swim L

We spent the next morning packing our bags and making lunch to eat on board the Indian Pacific. We said our farewell to the flat and headed to the city to catch our train at 2pm for a 2.50pm departure. Our first impression was that the Indian Pacific was not as nice as The Ghan but on board the Indian Pacific there was a lounge car. We paid $10 each to sit in this area and got free tea, coffee and fruit for the 24 hour journey. It was also a lot more comfortable to sit and relax in this area so it was worth it. We probably also drank $20 worth of tea and coffee too!

Both Emma and I couldn't wait to leave Sydney after we'd been there for a month. The intention had been to work for a month but we kept on putting this off and the thought of working in retail didn't help. We got too settled in the flat and found it easy to spend time relaxing and watching films. After travelling constantly for 3 and a half months it was just so nice to do this but after spending a whole month in Sydney we couldn't wait to get back on the road again and progress with our travelling. We also discovered we really missed staying in hostels! Being cooked up in a flat for a month meant we didn't socialise at all. Socialising with other backpackers is all part of the fun. Towards the end of the month we also began to really dislike our housemates. The longer we spent in their company, the more we realised they were not really very nice people. Another reason why we couldn't wait to be out of the flat!

Sydney is a nice city but it is nothing spectacular. Even the Opera House and Harbour Bridge are not as impressive as we were led to believe. They are just big attractions that stand out in a not overly inspiring city. Sorry Sydney - we had some fun times, but you're not one of the highlights so far.

Matthew