We arrived in Sydney absolutely knackered from being in the airport all night. The flight in was with jetstar and we were expecting them to be like easyjet but were actually really good. Ash made good friends with the male cabin crew when he told him his cartoon eyemask (bought from a pound shop it just has cartoon eyes on it) was 'bold'. We had an amazing view of Sydney from the air on the way in and saw the opera house, beaches and harbour bridge.

We were expecting the quarantine controls to be really strict in Australia (we have both watched too much border force) so we made sure we did not take any food and declared every little thing to customs! But it was actually okay and we got the train at the airport direct to Wynard station and started walking to our hostel. It was really hot and we went the wrong way and were a bit gutted when we were told we could not check in until 2pm. We decided to make the most of our time and got the bus to Bondi Beach. It was blazing hot and we thought we were in for a nice afternoon on the beach but a storm decided to roll in. This storm just so happened to be the biggest storm we had both ever seen! There was fork lightening, loud thunder and really massive weird dark clouds. We got soaked and decided to go back to the hostel. We liked what we saw of Bondi, it was really busy being a sunday afternoon the sea was packed with surfers and swimmers but it was quite funny seeing everyone run off the beach when the clouds rolled in! We also saw the Bondi rescue film crew filming the madness of the storm but Becky hopes we won't be on telly as she had not had a shower and had no make up on after travelling from NZ! That night we went out and sampled some of the bars around 'the rocks' area we were staying in. We went to this German bar and also to a bar that gives out coupons to the hostel guests so that made beer a bit cheaper but by no means cheap! A pint of beer was about 6 pounds! We walked around the circular quay and saw the bridge and opera house all lit up. At the end of our first day we were really chuffed because we could see the Opera House and Harbour Bridge from our hostel room window (Sydney Harbour Rocks YHA, possibly the nicest hostel in the world!)

The next day we woke to the sight of the harbour bridge and opera house through our window and also torrential rain! We were a little disapointed but decided to wear our waterproof coats and head to Manly Beach on the ferry. It is a famous ferry journey because it only costs $6 and you get to sail past the harbour bridge and opera house. It was a lovely cruise and we decided to sit outside all the way to admire the views despite the rain! We then spent all day wandering around the shops, having lunch and sitting on the beach. It was a nice day but a little dull with on/off rain and it was even a bit cold(In Australia?! In December?!) That night the hostel was putting on a barbeque for everyone with kangaroo burgers on offer for jujst $5 so we jumped at the chance! The kangaroo was really nice we expected it to be gamey but was a bit like beef but not as tasty! Then we headed out to sample some Australian beers!

The next day we booked onto a trip to the Blue Mountains. We got up early and got picked up early at 7.30am. The driver was a really nice Aussie bloke and told us all about the history of Sydney on the way to our first stop which was Featherdale Animal Park. It was a fun little place where we got to have our photo taken with a koala and also feed kangaroos. We saw all kinds of Australian wildlife, birds, wallabys, poisonous snakes, all you would expect and we really enjoyed it! Then it was on to the Blue Mountains where it became increasingly misty, it had been cloudy all day but this was some serious fog! We could not see anything and the driver took us uo to a look out point for the mountains but we could not see anything! Noooo! We went for lunch at a country club which was an odd combination of salad, fried fish, chicken wings, veggies and chips, we also got given pudding which was apple crumble but the crumble part was made with museli, must be a healthy way to make it and it was lovely so Beck wants to try it when we get home. Then we headed off to the Scenic world railway which is the steepest railway in the world and it was COLD! The dude who worked on the railway told us he heard it was the coldest December in 120 years and it was 10 degrees when it should be 20 plus! Also it was so foggy we could not see anything at all :( The train was old and pretty terrifying to Beck as it was so steep almost vertical at some points but Ash really enjoyed it of course and he made sure we sat at the front with the best view. When we got to the bottom we had a bit of a better view of the Blue Mountains as the fog started to clear up. We had a walk through the jungle along the 'scenic world pathway' where Ash thought it was really funny to shake the branches above Becks head beacuse she could not stop thinking about poisonous snakes and spiders! It was a pretty walk but it was also really damp and humid! We went back to the top of the train again and were whisked off to a scenic viewpoint. The clouds had lifted and it was so pretty but also so hot once the sun was out! The view was amazing and we took lots of good photos which later got lost due to us not formatting our new memory card :( Then we made our way back to Sydney via the Olympic games site and via a harbour cruise where we again got to see the Opera House and Harbour bridge but also how the other half live as there was loads of massive posh houses along the shores! That night we got given a voucher for a steak dinner and a beer for $10 at the hostel so went to the pub next doors the offer and the steak was amazing! We decided to hang out on the roof top at the hostel that night as it has excellent views of the harbour and becky sipped a cheap bottle of wine and Ash had some of his favourite whiskey and coke imported from New Zealand and took some photos. The next day was our last so we booked a taxi pick up to the airport, left our bags in the hostel lockers and headed out for a walk. We went into the Botanic gardens and walked upto the opera house (which is covered in tiles??) and past the Sydney Museum which cost $10 so we did not go in. We had lunch and then made our way to the airport. We got upgraded to premium economy as the flight was so busy which meant bigger seats, more legroom, real glasses and plates and cosy blankets etc and it was an excellent flight!