Like saying goodbye to the family at Manchester Airport and Kieran and Jordan in a Bangkok apartment, leaving Brian and Laura was an emotional event. For some reason the latter was even harder than the previous. Staying at the flat was so comfortable and I realised what a good and close friend I have in Brian. This and with them being the last link I’ll have with back home before I return home lead to a lump in my throat that remained long into my bus ride to Sydney. The bus trip itself seemed a lot longer than the 12 hours it actually was. It was unbelievably uncomfortable and I managed about 40 minutes of interrupted sleep. When I finally arrived in Sydney it was the usual story of not being able to check in till past midday so I set out and explored. I resisted going to the Opera House and Harbour Bridge as the weather was lousy and I wanted to see them in the sunshine so instead I walked round the shops. The evening was sedate; some food shopping was followed by eating said food and playing some cards with my new roommates.

The weather refused to improve the next day so I went to the Museum of Contemporary Art. As it is situated on the harbour I caught a glimpse of the bridge and Opera House but I felt slightly underwhelmed as they were both masked in clouds and rain. During the evening I had a few drinks in Side Bar with the boys from my room then went to Cheers to watch the footy. A group of West Ham and Spurs fans kicked off and were thrown out while we were there which made me ashamed to be an English football fan. Thankfully it quietened down for the Everton game and I finally got to see them win which is something that has been a long time coming.

The sun finally showed its face on the 29th so I decided to give the Opera House another chance. Now I had been pretty disappointed with Sydney up to this point. Especially when compared to Melbourne it was slightly grubby and a lot less cosmopolitan, however, a walk through the beautiful Botanic Gardens to a sun-drenched Opera House changed my mind and made me fall in love with the city. The iconic building is simply incredible when you get up close and personal. The sails cut gorgeous angles across the sky and the overall scale is breath-taking. I was so overwhelmed in fact that I was very spontaneous and bought a ticket to see an American singer songwriter called Andrew Bird. I had never heard of him but I thought ‘What the Hell!’, after all, how many other chances am I going to get to see a show at the Sydney Opera House?

The next day I arranged to see John, the Aussie I met on the Tiger Leaping Gorge all those weeks ago. I met him after he finished work (at Suncorp, where it turns out he is an EM) and had a few drinks with him and some of his colleagues. One of these was a Pakistani guy called Earthen who had lived all over the world including London for 5 years and has been shot at! Not in Bethnal Green or anything like that, when he was growing up in Pakistan. It was strange to think I was having a drink in Australia with a guy I met in China, it actually felt pretty special, like I was making connections all over the world. Anyway, banter did flow about the football and cricket and I had a really good time.

The next day was the big one. The event of the year that is special to every Sydneysiders; New Years Eve. Not really having a plan in mind I headed off with some food and drink with Tom and Luke from my room and some of their mates to Kings Cross. We stayed away from the harbour because it was going to be ridiculously busy (people were queuing up at 6am) and it was a no alcohol zone. However, as we walked to the site recommended by one of the lads I was a bit hesitant and thought we were going to have a poor view of the show. These doubts were unfounded though. Rushcutter’s Bay didn’t have a view of the Opera House but we could see the Harbour Bridge perfectly (although you can’t tell from the awful pictures I took). As the afternoon progressed drink was drunk and the park got busier, the sun even popped out to warm us up on the odd occasion. The atmosphere was great. It felt like a festival, with everyone getting on, having a good time and just enjoying the moment. After being there for over 6 hours we were treated to the 9pm family fireworks. They were great and had me wondering if the midnight show could get any better. I wasn’t disappointed. Standing there bringing in the New Year in Sydney was one of those moments that is completely unique and totally special in one’s life. Like on the Great Barrier Reef I felt like a kid in Florida. It is something I would recommend everyone to do at least once in their life.

As I walked home from Kings Cross I was on a high. I spoke to mum and dad and wished them a happy New Year and returned to the hostel. I didn’t go to a bar or a club or even hang round the hostel, there was no need. I simply went to bed and thought about the greatest New Year and one of the best days I have ever had.

New Years Day was very quiet; I just chilled at the hostel. This wasn’t because I was hung over (waking up on 1st January without a splitting headache felt very strange); I just didn’t have anything to do. That gave me itchy feet the next day so I jumped on the ferry and went across to Manly, the main beach on Sydney’s northern shore. As usual Mother Nature was not favourable on Sydney that day and a thunderstorm hit as I arrived at the beach. So, I had a quick walk around the shops, grabbed a fish and chip dinner and took the ferry back to Circular Quay. The great views of the harbour from the boat prevented the day from being a total disaster. That evening I went to Beverley and John’s for a BBQ which was great. I told them stories from my travels and they told me tales of Liverpool (they were there more recently than I was). I also met John’s mate Mitch who had some funny anecdotes of his own, including one about the time he pooed himself on the sofa. It was a nice night. It’s great to speak to friends and talk about people and places back home rather than the same generic conversations all the time. I also had kangaroo for the first time which I was glad of doing before leaving Australia.

The next day I had a brief walk around Paddy’s Market then occupied a couple of hours at the Powerhouse Museum. That night I had another amazing experience when I went to see Andrew Bird perform at the Sydney Opera House. Inside the building is just as spectacular as the outside. The concert hall is massive; I was sitting near the back and I could barely make out the band on stage. The ceiling towers over the stage and is supported by gorgeous beams, the architectural design is simply stunning! It was another one of those moments that left me totally dumbstruck. I found it hard to believe that I was sitting there in the Sydney Opera House, it was unreal. Like so many times already on this trip I found myself feeling quite emotional. I was very impressed with Andrew Bird too and was pleased I had gone to see him rather than Jamie T in a dingy little underground hall.

Afterwards I strolled down to Cheers to watch the Old Firm Derby and Man Utd Vs Leeds in the F.A Cup, that wasn’t so spectacular.

My final day in Sydney was spent making sure I was all prepared for New Zealand, basically packing and making sure all my documents were in order. I treated myself to a large Double Angry Angus Burger meal from Hungry Jacks (Burger King) because I had been meaning to do it the whole 2 months I had spent in Oz and in the evening I went to see Avatar in 3-D on the world’s biggest IMAX screen and boy, was it big! I’ve never seen anything like it, it was massive. I might see if I can get one in my new room when I get home. The film was really enjoyable, it was the first movie I had seen in 3-D which is wicked, I can’t see the future of films being in any other dimension.

So on 5th January I rose and headed to Sydney Airport, my 2 months in Australia had come to an end. I do think my decision to cut short my time there was the right one to make but it was a great 8 weeks. The East Coast had served me well and I had seen some great sights and met some amazing people. Rose and Stuart had made my time on the Whitsundays and Fraser Island and when we separated Matt and Carl replaced them with the funniest nights and most intense games of cards of my trip so far. As well these new friends I managed to spend special times with old friends in Matty, Brian and Laura, and Beverley. Australia had taught me things as well. Canoeing and kayaking are definitely up my alley, surfing, maybe not so but I did still enjoy it and will give it another go. I found I have an appetite for sushi and coffee and my appetite for instant noodles and Subway sandwiches decreased dramatically. I learnt to appreciate art and I found I am definitely a sucker for history and culture, of which Australia is unfortunately lacking (however it was not the reason I visited the country so it is unfair to focus on that as a negative). It became apparent during the 2 months that no one can pinpoint my accent and most people have trouble understanding it. As well as the countless times I was mistaken for Irish (mainly by Southerners!), Scottish and SWEDISH were wrongly guessed. Foreigners find British eating habits strange and sometimes offensive. Especially when it comes to putting crisps on sandwiches and the backbone to every honest, hard working and patriotic Brit’s diet: Beans on Toast! One thing I won’t miss from Oz is goon. It is the demonic beverage that floods the nation that even Satan himself would struggle to stomach after a while. But then what would you expect from a wine imitation made from eggs and fish extract. Finally I learnt that making new friends is both easy and exciting, especially when a night out is involved.