Very glad I hired a car to get here, as you definitely need a car to get around!! Rocked up at the Avis office to pick up my hire car - the smallest cheapest one I could get, as the cost for an Easter holidays hire was fairly extortionate - to find I had been upgrade about 5 car groups to a very nice mid size executive saloon. I have to say, it's very weird driving a right hand drive automatic - I keep going to change gear, which I never do in the US as everythi...

Last day in Sydney - mostly spent running errands. My next stop is Hunter Valley, about 2 hours drive away and I had been told I could get a bus. Tourist info - they say no. No scheduled bus route up to Hunter Valley. Trains, yes, bus, no. So I looked at the trains - OMG, most definitely not!!! It's about a 5 hour train journey, changing trains twice, with all my luggage and to be back in Sydney for my flight to Auckland - I would have to start at 2 in the mornin...

Early start again, as off to The Blue Mountains just north west of Sydney. It's a couple of hours drive, but most definitely worth it, it's absolutely glorious up there! First stop was in a Wildlife park, on the edge of one of the Sydney suburbs, about an hour out from central Sydney. It's not the greatest, as most of the cages are far too small, but if you've never been up close & personal with Australia's wildlife (and I haven't) it was actually rather enj...

The Walking Tour around The Rocks was very interesting, though the guide didn't have a particularly attractive manner - he sounded a bit like Lloyd Grossman, which was disturbing and more than a little off putting. Aside from that, it was an interesting way to explore The Rocks and learn about the early history of Sydney and the development of The Rocks. The Rocks started life as the camp for the convicts from the first ship. It was the rocky headland in the ba...

Well, hello Sydney - after 2 days of travel to get here.... Actually it was quite a good thing, as it broke it up. Early start from Hong Kong, to fly to Singapore, which was fine - except one of my checked bags was rifled during the flight - cheeky b*****s hadn't even bothered to zip it back up!! Fortunately there was absolutely nothing of value in the bag, only clothes, so nothing was stolen. Overnight in a hotel just outside Singapore airport and then another ...