The flight to Sydney can only be described in one word... Tiring! We had pulled an all nighter because the flight was at 7:00am and it really took it's toll as we landed in the 4th country of our travels.

The journey from the airport to our hostel was largely unorganised as we waited around for a poorly run shuttle service to get it's act together. But at the same time it gave us the opportunity to take in the sunshine (yes, sunshine!). However, on arrival to Base we were greeted with bad news... Checkin wasn't till 2pm! So 3 shattered Bristol lads were let loose on the city in a tired haze. First port of call was a stroll down by Darwin harbour which was a modern plaza of restaurants, bars and amazing boats. As we had the clearest of skies there was a plane writing messages in the sky whilst we made our way around the city. We took in the epicness of the harbour bridge and opera house before retiring for a well deserved power nap to prepare for the night ahead. We'd qualified for a free night out on the Oz party bus because of our length of stay. The bus was bar crawl with a difference. Of course you had your standard 6 bars with 6 free drinks but to get between the bars we were all carted around on a pimped out coach complete with on board DJ. The bus cruised through the streets pumping out tunes and rocking to the party. The bars were awesome too, many of which were attached to the numerous hostels. Safe to say it was a crazy way to start our time in Australia!

The next day we woke up to our crazy hostel room mates drunken stories - absolutely hilarious. It was another glorious day outside so after meeting the Woodruffs (Paul being joined by his brother Rich) we took the opportunity to walk down one of Sydney's busier streets down to the harbour side. Both the iconic opera house and harbour bridge are huge and look right out of a postcard. After the standard touristy photographs including the jet lagged Rich we took a walk through the relaxing botanical gardens before stopping for a bite to eat. It's strange to be walking around everywhere again, and certainly tiring! So after a short while relaxing we went back down to our hostels bar for a few drinking games before walking to the notorious Kings Cross, Sydney's 'red light district'. We weren't headed there for the dodgy clubs, we were in search of a few cheap bars to enjoy a few drinks. Only problem was, there were more seedy bars than anything else so after having a few quiet drinks we went back to the hostel for some much needed sleep.

Bondi beach was recommended to us as one of the many to visit whilst we stayed in Sydney. It's probably the most famous beach that surrounds the city and once we'd heard of an organised walk around the area we signed up to it straight away. It didn't start until 1pm so we first paid a visit to the rocks near circular quay to take in a museum or two. First off we hit the museum of contemporary art - not hugely interesting, very odd, spacious and hard to appreciate. Then came the rocks museum which exhibited how Sydney was settled by the British - significantly more appealing but a little on the small side. Both killed a little time before we met in the hostel lobby to make our way to Coggee bay where the coastal walk began. The walk was a 6pm track that took us around the bays and beaches near Sydney. It finished up at the infamous Bondi beach which was home to a number of surfers enjoying the spring sunshine and riding the waves. On the walk we were finally fortunate to catch glimpses of the much eluded dolphin and even saw parts of a whale breach the surface of the gorgeously clear sea.

The next morning i was up bright and early to go on the cities free walking tour. Being such a huge city, the tour was run for 3 and a half hours as a guide explained the local sights, history and other really fascinating facts/stories about it's architecture and features. The tour was a great introduction, albeit a little late, and really suited the backpacker lifestyle. The guide, and originator of the tour, had been travelling previously and highlighted some great free activities. The afternoon was then spent planning our trip ahead. We'd decided to go on the Oz-Experience, a coach tour up the east coast. It seemed to be built for backpackers as they offered transport and activity/accommodation plans as you made your way up the east coast. It even included a surf lesson, cattle ranch experience, rainforest trek and tour of the blue mountains! Granted it may not have been as cheap as the greyhound bus option, but we felt it was worth the money and would give us the opportunity to relax a little more during our stay.

Plans formulated, the next day we spent our time paying for the road ahead. We also put money down to do the main attractions - Frasier island and the Whitsunday's sailing! That evening we were told our hostels club was 'going off'. The 'Scary Canary' was a bar that was conveniently located right next door. Every night they'd throw themed events ranging from goon (horribly cheap wine) nights to quiz nights and the favourite Sunday roast night. On this particular night it was a wet t-shirt competition... I don't think much more needs to be said!

Hangover or no hangover, I was determined to go out and see Sydney. So the next day I went out to Paddy's Market to sample the local produce. The market is run between Wednesday and Sunday every week and due to Sydney's reputation as one of the best places in the world for fashion it seemed a good place to find a bargain. The market was huge and sold everything from fresh fruit and veg to jewellery and didgeridoos. Nothing really stood out though and to deal with the hangover we went to the cinema to watch the expendables (not really a classic but one of the best bad films you'll ever watch). Following that we geared up in our hostel room for another night out, even with the blue mountains tour scheduled for the next day. Our hostel room was a lot like that, we had some really great room mates that certainly knew how to party.

Thankfully I woke up the next morning feeling ok otherwise it'd definitely be a hellish walk to the pickup point at 7am. We were cruising up with our tour guide 'Worms' with plenty planned for the day. Unfortunately the weather wasn't on our side but it was still something not to be missed. The Blue Mountains are named so due to their appearance from a distance. The distinct blue colour is actually a result of sunlight passing through the eucalyptus oil. Our first stop was in the surrounding national park of area where we saw a mob of wild kangaroos including the cute baby joey. We then took an hour walk through the subtropical rainforest to see the Wentworth falls, the worlds tallest waterfall. It felt like being back in New Zealand with the mist covering some of the views and the rain falling from the sky. However, the walks were beneath rock overhangs and we learnt tons about the aborigine way of life and their connections with the area. The waterfall itself was breathtaking and it alone would have been worth the journey. We then ventured to the peak of the blue mountains for a spot of lunch before visiting the 'three sisters' - a formation of rocks fabled by the aborigine to be 3 daughters of a witchdoctor who he turned to stone. The weather did us no favours as they were mostly covered by cloud, but what could be seen certainly justified why the place was the 2nd most visited place in Australia. The tour was then finished up with a ride on the worlds steepest railway. It was formerly used as to transport coal from the area and took us up a 52 degree angle straight back to the top, incredible! The experience was unforgettable and it really did live up to all my expectations. It's a shame the weather didn't do us any favours but I would have been more disappointed to have not done it at all. We even got treated to a free meal/pint at a local bar afterwards, great way to start the inevitable Friday night out.

Saturday was a little bit of a write off and the only thing I managed to achieve was a haircut. However, I like to think I was resting for the evening. George and Beans had booked themselves on the party bus again, but I had chosen to go down to Woodys hostel and pre-drink with him and Fran who'd arrived back from her trip around Oz. It's strange seeing people you know from back home thousands of miles around the globe! The last night out in Sydney was a good one even if the majority of bars we visited were full of travellers and we didn't really meet any locals.

And so came our last full day in the city. It wasn't spent doing much other than preparing for the road ahead and recovering from the night before. From Sydney we were due to travel up the coast to 'Spot X' where we'd go on a surf lesson and then travel on to Byron Bay. I've really enjoyed my time in Sydney, it offers a number of iconic sights, has fantastic nightlife and has a similar city vibe to that of Bristol. What really sets it apart though is the surrounding beaches, botanical gardens and the harbour-side.