How many iconic landmarks can you deal with in one day? It started with a quick walking tour of Epping. A small but perfectly formed little community - and by coincidence it's where Tim & Kam live (so that's nice). I may have noticed a number of building and shops that (if I'm honest) have seen better days. There may be a surprisingly large number of Chinese takeaways. But altogether it is very pleasant.

From there we moved on to Sydney Opera House for lunch. What am I saying. Not just "lunch" but "designer lunch". Created by someone with a French name, whose yellowfin tuna had (we were assured) 'won awards' and whose nougat glace with peanut sauce was to die for -especially of course if you have nut allergy. Washed down with a really refreshing Riesling (Bloodwood) from the Orange valley - where by chance I'm heading tomorrow.

Could it get any better. Yes it could. A quick ride over to the SCG. That's the Sydney cricket ground and one of the most hallowed places in all cricket-dom. To be honest, the match between the New South Wales blues and the South Australia Razorbacks wasn't quite as thrilling as one would have hoped. Perhaps because about one third of the SCG is a building site as they race to put up a huge news stand before a team from England turn up to play for something called the ashes. Anyway enjoyed the atmosphere but decided it was time to soak up even more of what Sydney has to offer.

Which was a walk through Moore Park (home to the SCG) via the Greenwich-village-like area of Darlinghurst and Oxford Street, back down to Hyde Park in the central district. Then into the botanical Gardens and the Gov Gen's house. And from there back to Sydney Opera house.

We finished with a quick but impressive visit to Bradfield Park on the North Sydney side of the harbour bridge.

If this trip was an episode of Masterchef this would be the point where a judge would say "iconic landmarks don't get any better than this."