Sydney and the end of the noughties

As the build up to Christmas begins, we catch a train back to Sydney Central station on the 23rd Dec. After a brief taxi ride (a bit of a luxury, as we always go by public transport to the hostels – but our rucksacks are feeling just a bit too heavy and we’re just a bit too tired!) we arrive at the Summer YHA – basically they have converted the University of Sydney’s halls of accommodation into a hostel for 1 month over the festive period – perfect for us.

It feels like re-living student days in Leeds when we check into our room – but it has everything that we need, and is a fraction of the cost of some of the other hostels we’ve seen! Our first mission of the day – Rucksack repairs. Andy’s smurf pack (my nickname for it due to its lovely bright blue colour!) seems to be coming away at the seams – literally. Not good as we still have a few months and a fair few miles to go! After contacting the rucksack company, we’re invited to their offices in Sydney Central where they say it can be repaired!

A quick bus ride takes us into the centre and we manage to locate the office block. Little did we realise that we would be meeting the owner of the whole company! A lovely chap, very friendly and clearly very knowledgeable about the “backpack industry”. We’re sent away to wander for an hour whilst the technician works on it – brilliant. On our return, we’re told the technicians diagnosis – smurf is actually fine. It is just superficial/aesthetic stitching that is coming away – such a relief. For our troubles (and also for some free advertising) I’m handed a brand new bum bag (okay so I wouldn’t actually choose to buy one, but it’s a freebie and it’s kind of funky – bright orange! So I’m a happy bunny)

With our minds put at rest that Andy’s backpack won’t fall apart in the depths of south East Asia, we set off in search of the SCG – Sydney Cricket Ground! Unfortunately we are struck again by what happens to be quite a common occurrence here in oz. When a local tells you that a place is “just down the road”, “just around the corner” or “only 10 mins away” – what they actually mean is “just down the road in OZ distances” (i.e. A couple of km ) and “only 10 mins away” usually means 10 ozzie minutes which entails a distance about 3 times what you would normally imagine. Perhaps it’s just part and parcel of being in a country where 10-12 hour drives are perfectly normal? Alien to us Brits!

Anyways, after about a half an hour walk we eventually reach the SCG. This day and night match is between NSW and Victoria!! A first for me (Jules) – so, Andy soon takes to explaining the rules. I have to say – it was pretty enjoyable! (Apart from the bit where I seemed to be used for target practice by a bunch of young boys playing cricket outside the stands – I just wanted to get to the toilet!) . All in all, a great way to spend the evening.

Xmas Eve
It was time to start thinking about what we would actually be doing on the big day itself – one thing we were sure of – food and drinks would be needed! After a whizz around the supermarket, trying to think outside the box on how to make an xmas lunch from cold-buffet-food , we unloaded our feast back at the hostel and headed out to Darling Harbour to meet up with Laura and Olly and Laura’s parents for the Christmas carols and fireworks!

The Xmas carols were...interesting to say the least. My favourite being the part where “dashing through the snow....” became “dashing through the bush...” and there were definite references to Skippy! So THIS is how the Ozzies do it? It’s so upsetting, generation after generation of misled children...These aren’t real carols! Anyways, the fireworks soon distracted from the bizarre songs – and boy were they good! If these were anything to go by....NYE would be out of this world! A great way to whet the taste buds....

Andy and I set off in search of some dinner and stumbled upon Chinatown. Although there were one too many touts outside restaurants for our liking, we eventually managed to find a small cafe to eat in. Delicious! Time to call it a night, in the hope that the man in a red suit might visit over night (on a jet ski no doubt)

Xmas Day
Mr Claus did indeed make a brief stop at the Summer YHA – and left a couple of little goodies for us. However, actually being in Sydney is the biggest gift of all. After loading up our cool bags we jumped on a bus to circular quay – Manly Beach – here we come!

It’s strange to see the roads so busy with cars and lots of people walking around in the streets. It truly is an ‘outdoorsy day’ here. Our bus is quite packed, and 4 vile English and Irish lads threaten to ruin the festive cheer. Already swigging on a bottle of whisky (bearing in mind it is 9am) one Irish lad first of all begins ranting and raving about Catholics vs. Protestants, then moves onto misogynistic arrogant rants and finally, hurls verbal abuse at the driver before alighting and finishes off by mooning at him. Absolutely disgustingly vile, and at this point Andy and I actually feel ashamed of being British! We endeavour to put the whole nasty 15 minute experience out of our minds and hastily head away from them at the ferry terminal! We’re not letting anyone ruin our Xmas day in Sydney!

After the 30 min ferry ride to manly, we hotfoot it down to the beach and pick our spot. Despite weather forecasts of rain – it seems to be just fine. The beach is pretty busy, with lots of families gathering together, fathers and sons out surfing and people just generally chilling out. This couldn’t be any further from what Xmas day would normally entail, but we set about embracing it! Lying down, soaking up the warm atmosphere and watching in awe as some amazing surfers catch waves – we’re soon ready for our little feast and it is just perfect. We decided to head back on the ferry at about 2pm as 1) this is when the forecast said rain would strike and 2) it looks like they were pretty accurate – the sky is turning all sorts of shades of grey! We’re just chuffed that we lived the dream – Xmas lunch on manly beach.

Our day reverts back to a more traditional type of day...lots of chocolates, coupled with a few drinks and mindless TV. Thanks to the cabled internet connection in our room – we’re able to watch TV on demand online. It’s been the perfect day – just the right combination of activity and lazing!

Boxing Day
As the rain continues to lash down on Sydney, it seems to have been relentless since beginning on Xmas day; we make our way to Watsons Bay, where we are meeting Olly, Laura and Laura’s parents to watch the beginning of the Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race. It’s at this point that we really regret having sent our waterproof jackets home from NZ! Oops – who would have thought though??

Thankfully, although still tipping it down when we arrive at the Bay, it soon eases and eventually stops completely. It’s great fun watching all the yachts circle around Sydney Harbour in preparation for the start – we can’t quite work out just how so many huge yachts are navigating themselves so carefully around one another without colliding – very impressive! Once the canon sounds – they’re off and what an amazing sight it is! Sails of all possible sizes, caught in the wind powering them along. As far as you can see in the distance, sails are cutting through the winds. The sheer size of the maxi yachts is breath taking as they pass us by and enter the Tasman Sea – I can’t imagine witnessing anything like this anywhere else! We’re so glad we made the effort to go and watch as the rain could easily have put us off. The remainder of Boxing Day isn’t particularly productive, we attempt to brave the Boxing Day sales – but the absolute chaos of them is far too tiring and we don’t last very long.

Over the next few days, we visit the Paddys indoor markets at Haymarket and marvel at the huge variety of items on sale (just a taster of what SE Asia will be like we’re sure), Andy visits the Maritime Museum, unfortunately unable to step onto any of the boats that are docked (including a submarine!) as the entrance fee for each vessel is pretty hefty! Finally, we take a walk over the Sydney Harbour Bridge – which provides stunning views looking down over Sydney Harbour, the Opera House and all the surrounding gardens! Most important of all, we move to our new accommodation – a studio apartment opposite Hyde Park that we have for the next 5 nights. It is such a luxury to have our own bathroom! Proper towels! AND unsure of what to expect , as we had heard that the room would have “coffee and tea making facilities” – therefore we were ready to find a wee kettle, we were amazed to find a full kitchen! Absolute Bliss!

As NYE grew closer, we had 2 more places we particularly wanted to visit. Firstly, the Opera House. We booked ourselves onto an “essential tour”. Whilst waiting for the tour to begin we watched a street entertainer at circular quay who did a combination of fire juggling/chainsaw juggling etc (we couldn’t work out whether this chap from Devon, UK was very very funny or actually a little crazy). The opera house tour was brilliant, we learnt about the history/creation of the building and looked inside the different performance suites/stages – We would absolutely love to go back and watch a show there! Secondly, Bondi Beach – a brief bus ride away. As preparations for NYE were underway, a huge stage was being constructed by the beach – this just got us more excited thinking about our own NYE celebrations! There was a great atmosphere down at the beach as everyone was clearly still on a festive high!

With tickets to go and watch Avatar at the 3D IMAX cinema at Darling Harbour that night, we had one last important task. Supplies for NYE! The supermarkets and liquor stores were chaotic, but needs must. Armed with a box of wine, a keg of beer (excessive? We will be waiting for a good 12 hours or so for the fireworks) and lots of nibbles we make our way back to the flat.

Avatar was brilliant in 3d! Our first experience of watching a movie in 3D certainly wasn’t disappointing. On saying goodbye to Olly and Laura, we make plans to meet at the harbour at 10am the next day – New Years Eve!

31st NYE –
Our first challenge of the day: Andy and I are told that we cannot enter the Darling Harbour area carrying alcohol...as I am carrying the keg of beer in my hands; it is a little difficult to claim otherwise! There is a fatal flaw in security’s’ plans though.....they have left one of the bridges into the harbour unmanned. Scurrying past quickly, and endeavouring to look as un-suspicious as possible (which I’m sure just made us look 10x more suspicious) we manage to hotfoot it over to the ferry point to meet Olly and Laura! Phew – that could have really scuppered our NYE plans. Just 20 mins on the ferry and we have reached Balmain and our vantage point of choice for the day (just to note, choosing this vantage point entailed approx 3 hours of deliberation and collaboration between Laura and Olly and ourselves. References were made to websites, transport information and even Google earth images – this was not a decision that was taken lightly!) We were really pleased with our choice, ahead of us we had a clear view across the harbour to the side profile of the bridge. Perfect. Now it was just a case of ‘saving’ our area. With tactical placement of beach towels and travel rug we not only managed to ensure we could sit on the comfy grass, but also keep hold of a spot by the fence. We would have an unspoilt view – that was certain! We thought our arrival time of just after 10am was pretty early, obviously not according to some people as the park is already quite full. Most entertaining is the man who has painstakingly tacked string into the ground, to form a boundary fence for his area – which is quite a greedy helping! He was getting allot of unimpressed looks from people! (We’re sure he was wishing his friends would hurry up and arrive to give him some backup!)

The consensus is that it would be wrong to start drinking before 12pm. So, the countdown to midday begins (the countdown to midnight seems far too big to even mention yet!)
Thanks to numerous card games and lots of nibbles, we manage to keep our selves entertained pretty well and most importantly, keep hold of our ‘space’ as the park REALLY begins to fill up. It’s amazing how many people can fit into such a small area when people are determined! A particular highlight is when a large group of Argentineans setup camp next to us, complete with lots of drum instruments. Their performance creates a great festival atmosphere. Some people have clearly started on the alcohol early (and in copious amounts) as we are all amused to watched the string of men (note – ONLY men) who proceed to strip naked and jump off the jetty into the harbour. Hilarious – that is until they realise the jetty is too high to haul themselves back onto. Oh the shame, stuck half way, clinging on to the concrete – butt naked waiting to be dragged out! Great entertainment for us. I dare say there were some very sore bodies the next day with scratches and scrapes in very delicate places!

The somewhat rubbish weather forecast seems to have been a little overstated as fortunately the rain never quite breaks through. Just some intermittent drizzle! By the time the countdown to the first (family) fireworks begins, everyone is dying to see some bright lights! We’re certainly not disappointed and again, we are left wondering how much more can be done for the midnight display! Sadly, the excitement is a little too much and somehow, in passing the camera between us, we manage to drop it – into a pint of beer. Quite a spectacular aim! Initially it seems to be fine.....more on that later.
As it nears midnight, any toilet breaks become more and more challenging. Firstly, it’s becoming nigh on impossible to GET to the toilets, secondly, their conditions are declining rapidly! Laura and I made one last dash before midnight and let’s just say, the drinking reduced rapidly after then! (Less drinking = less chance of needing a wee!)

And then it happened.

The fireworks begin - wow! Absolutely stunning. As we exclaim amazement over one set, the next set is even more impressive! A once in a lifetime opportunity and I’m sure the best fireworks we will ever see!

By 12.30am the police have moved into our park area and are directing people to move on and disperse. As with any night out, our thoughts are now on getting home and to bed, it has been a heck of a long day.

Nothing could have prepared us for the nightmare that would be getting home. Organised chaos would be the best description, although probably a little too flattering to the bus attendants and police presence. No one seemed to have a clue what was going on, where buses were going or how to queue. After narrowly escaping getting caught up in a few scuffles, we decide to take a step back and wait for things to hopefully calm down. Walking was not an option, 2-3 hours was just far too long. There were no taxis around. A bus it would have to be!

It was not until almost 3am that we managed to get on a bus – and what a relief it was. Entering back into the city, it looked like a warzone! We were happy for our night to end now – we just wanted sleep. Finally reaching our stop, we bid Olly and Laura farewell and Happy New Year one last time! Just a 10 min walk and we would be back to the sanctuary of our apartment! I couldn’t believe the number of girls walking through the streets in barefoot, there didn’t seem to be a square foot of ground that didn’t have shattered glass all over it! Maccy D’s resembled a nightclub with music blaring and hordes of people gathered around. We were so relieved to get into bed and close our eyes on 2009.