Sydney (Mon 29th Dec - Sat 3rd Jan 2009)

Arrived Sydney Monday lunchtime after a 3 hour Quantas flight from Auckland. After the relative luxury of our Auckland apartment we are back to slumming it. Our hostel in central Sydney is rather depressing. It's a very busy, noisy place with loud music blaring from morning to night. I wonder whose idea it was to play loud music at breakfast time. We also seem to be the only people over 25. Our room reminds me of a prison cell with no windows to speak of and lumpy bunk beds

However after a 30 minute walk to Circular Quae and a first view of the Harbour any depression soon lifts and I remember why I have returned. Sydney is one of my favourite cities and I've been meaning to come back to visit ever since I was last here 22 years ago. The harbour must be the most beautiful in the world with its many bays, the bridge and the Opera House. If I had the money this is where I would live for at least part of the year. One big change I did notice was the number of asian (Chinese ?) residents. I know Sydney is a cosmopolitan city but I was still taken by surprise by the number. Admittedly we were staying near Chinatown but I found walking through some parts of the city more like Hong Kong than an Australian city.

On out first full day we took the ferry to Manly (on the north shore), hired bikes and had a very lazy ride along the beaches. Unfortunately half the population of Sydney seemed to have the same idea - Manly Beach and the cycle tracks were mobbed and proper cycling was impossible.That evening we went to a show at the Opera House - you can't visit Sydney without seeing something there. We saw a group of stand-up comedians giving their version/impressions of 2008. Cant say I had ever heard of any of them and the quality of the stand-up was very mixed.

Sydney is famous for its fireworks as part of its New Year celebrations particularly around the bridge. We decided to locate ourselves in Darling Harbour which had its own spectacular fireworks display. There was one show at 9.00 pm which attracts lots of kids and another at midnight to bring in the new year. We therefore did not get great views of the main display but at least we could watch in comfort rather than be crushed to death by the hordes surrounding the bridge area.

We saw plenty of the bridge 6 hours later however when we did the Bridge Climb. A few years ago some mad entrepreneur decided that there would be a demand for climbing the bridge. So far 2 million people have done the climb (at $200 per person) including Richard Branson, Madonna and Prince Harry !. When you check in you are breathalysed, have to sign a form stating you are in good health and wear a special suit. You are also given a harness which is then attached to a wire on the bridge, radio and head-phones so you can hear your guide. You then proceed to the bridge, climbing various ladders before you make your ascent to the top of the bridge. It was not too strenuous and there are great views of the harbour from the top. Unfortunately you are not allowed to carry a camera so we don't have any of our own pictures of the walk or views that could be included in the blog.

Another day we caught the Bondi Explorer bus from Circular Quae (doesn't matter what you do , you always seem to start or finish up at Circular Quae) which takes you to some of the beaches and suburbs outside the centre of Sydney. This hop on, hop off style of transport is a great way of seeing the bigger picture and fully recommended. We got off at Watson's Bay which is famous for Doyle's seafood restaurant and the slightly cheaper Fish and Chip takeaway. Both had long queues but you can't go there without trying something. The fish and chips were good but I still prefer Harry Ramsdens ! We caught a later bus to Bondi Beach and walked 45 minutes to Bronte Beach before catching another bus which took us back to the centre.

On our final day I decided to show Gwen how to spend a day in Sydney without spending money. We visited the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) which was free and then watched some excellent street entertainers. Spent our final evening-yes back at Circular Quae for dinner in a restaurant overlooking the harbour and the bridge.