Day 1:
Down Under, here we come! We (Wendy, Steve, and Skylar) departed LAX at 10:30pm, and enjoyed the friendly Kiwi service aboard Air New Zealand
to Auckland (approx. 12 hours) followed by a connection to Sydney (approx. 3.5
hours). I personally enjoyed watching the movie Australia on board the plane,
since it featured Darwin in the 1930s, and we’ll be there in just a matter of
days. Got me in the mood for some Aussie accents and stunning scenery!
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| By the end of the lesson, Skylar was a pro. |
We're determined to make the most of our time in Australia, so we hit the ground running! We were met on arrival
by a friendly driver with Royale Limousines, who transferred us to our hotel,
the Travelodge Wynyard. Great location, walking distance to many of the major
sites! We have a large apartment style room, with a Queen bed, a rollaway, and
a small kitchen area…perfect for 3 of us.
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| Can't beat the meat pies from Harry's Cafe de Wheels |
After freshening up, we headed to Circular Quay on foot.
Within 15 minutes, we were on board the Sydney Explorer hop-on/hop-off double
decker bus. Of course we sat up top for the best views and fresh/chilly air (it
is winter, after all!). We connected out to Bondi Beach, and had Skylar join
Let’s Go Surfing for a 1-hour private surf session. They have a great office
location at the north end of beautiful Bondi Beach, and Sky was standing up
within about 30 minutes. Great instruction by Shannon, friendly service, and a
fun time at the beach!
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| Yum!! |
We had heard about Harry’s Café de Wheels through Anthony
Bourdain, and had to try their meat pies “Tiger” style, topped with mashed
potatoes, mushy peas, and gravy. Hit the spot!
Back on the Sydney Explorer bus (bundled up for the top
deck, of course), for a sunset/night drive back to central Sydney. What a
fantastic first day in Sydney! Tomorrow…Blue Mountains…can’t wait!
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| A little chilly on the upper deck, but worth it for the views. |
Day 2:
Early morning, up and at ‘em! We had planned to go and
grab a quick coffee shop / café breakfast, but quickly learned that Sydney
likes to sleep in on Sundays. I hate to even admit that we ended up at a
McCafe, but what are you going to do? The ham & cheese croissant actually
turned out to be a good start to our day.
We met our driver from AEA Luxury, Scott, at the lobby of
our hotel at 7:15am and boarded our comfy van that would be our home for the
day. On board was a mother/son pair from Alabama, who were at the end of their
trip, after visiting their daughter/sister, who is studying abroad on the Gold
Coast. We made one more stop at the InterContinental to pick up a mother with
her twin daughters, one of whom was studying abroad in Sydney and at the end of
her term…poor thing, I’m not sure she was ready to leave Australia!
The Blue Mountains experience was really enjoyable. Although
there is a lot of time in the vehicle, it’s very comfortable, and we made a number
of stops that were well spaced out, and gave us plenty of time out in nature.
Our first stop was Featherdale Wildlife Park…a MUST, in my
opinion! They have several animal enclosures throughout the park, but there are
also wallabies and kangaroos wandering freely about, so you can get up close
and personal! And of course the koala encounter is always a hit. In this part
of Australia, you can take photos with the koalas and pet them, but not
actually hold them like you can in the state of Queensland. The number of
animals and birds in this small park was fantastic…well worth a visit.
From there, we made several stops to see the majestic,
sweeping views from lookout points; walk to a waterfall, and enjoy a nice lunch
at a golf club. The afternoon highlights were champagne and OJ at a rocky
point, followed by a stop at a botanical garden. We were back in the city by
5:00pm, and bade farewell to our companions for the day.
Back on our own, we walked over to Darling Harbour for some
exploration and dinner. Darling Harbour is a lively waterfront area with a
number of day cruise boats, Madame Tussaud’s, an IMAX theatre, Sealife
Aquarium, Wildlife Sydney, etc. A bit touristy, but still worth the visit.
We came back to our hotel tuckered out from our big day out of the city. Tomorrow
will be a busy one, starting with the Sydney Opera House, bike tour, and Bridge
Climb. We're making the most out of our time here, that’s for sure!
Day 3:
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| A great way to see the sights. |
Today was packed full! We did more than I would normally
recommend for travelers in one day…starting with the first Sydney Opera House
tour at 9:00am. What a fantastic hour of information and insight. Our guide,
Steve, was our perfect ambassador as he guided us through the various theatres,
and gave us the full history of how the Opera House came to be as it is today.
We then raced over to the Bonza Bike center in the Rocks
area for our 10:30am Classic Sydney 4-hour tour. Our guide was Matt, a Sydney-sider
bike tour guide / actor with a vast knowledge of Sydney factoids and
recommendations. This tour is a great way to explore a large area of the city
(17km in total)…including the Rocks area, out to Dawes Point, Sydney Observatory, part of the Sydney
Harbour Bridge, Darling Harbour, Chinatown, Hyde Park, the Botanical Gardens, the
Opera House, and Circular Quay…with a stop at the Lord Nelson Pub partway
through (for an optional bite to eat and a beverage). It certainly didn’t hurt
that it was a stunningly beautiful day!
We stopped at the Renaissance Patisserie, just around the
corner from the Bonza Bike office, for a cappuccino and almond croissant that
just melted in our mouths.
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| The view from the top on a beautiful evening. |
Next stop…the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb. We joined the
first night tour of the day, which commenced at 3:55pm. After some prep time to
get into the jumpsuit and don the gear, we joined our guide for nearly 3 hours
on the bridge. The views are absolutely spectacular! We lucked out with a
clear, crisp winter day, so we could see as far out as the Blue Mountains.
But…it was windy as heck (or “blowy” in Aussie-speak), and pretty darn chilly.
Of course we were prepared with fleece jackets and beanies, supplied by the
Bridge Climb staff.
We finished up our climb at about 7:30pm, and were ready for
a warm and cozy spot for dinner, so we chose The Australian, a pub-style
restaurant and hotel. We put on our brave pants, and got a 2-sided pizza:
Side one: Pepper Kangaroo (marinated in native pepper with
roasted capsicum & cranberries)
Side two: Saltwater Crocodile (marinated in spicy coconut
cream & fresh Thai herbs with spinach)
We were really impressed…the two types of pizza were very
different, but both incredibly delicious! Pair that with an Aussie brew and a
local Shiraz, and it was pretty much a perfect meal. Skylar went for the
not-so-exotic Caesar Salad, but sampled a bit of kangaroo, which she said
tasted like pizza. Huh!
Needless to say, we are exhausted from our very full day of
walking and biking, and ready to get some shut-eye. Tomorrow we head to Darwin
to start our Northern Territory adventure. Stay tuned!
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| A few action packed days in Sydney and we're off to a completely different world in the Northern Territory. |
Interested in having your own Australian Adventure? Visit our site to view sample itineraries or call us at 1-800-554-9059 to get started!
We woke up to a cool, crisp morning in Sydney! Steve and I were on a mission to get back to La Renaissance Patisserie for another almond croissant, but found that The Rocks district in Sydney is a little slower to wake up than the main business district (CBD)…so we settled on a different café for a quick bite and coffee. No almond croissants, but they made a delicious cappuccino and ham/cheese croissant.
On arrival in Darwin, we took a taxi to our hotel, the DoubleTree by Hilton Esplanade…only about a 15-minute drive, and under AUD$30. It’s MUCH warmer here in Darwin! Temps are in the 80s, and it’s their dry season, so it’s perfectly comfortable. We checked in, and then met a friend who showed us around the city. Kerrie took us to the Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, a free museum that showcased several excellent exhibits, including one about Cyclone Tracy, which destroyed the city on Christmas in 1974. Other exhibits are on aboriginal art, local wildlife, and history; they even have a huge crocodile named Sweetheart on display...the most famous croc of the NT. We also went on a nice walk in search of wild wallabies, and saw close to a dozen racing around the fields…so cute!
Kerrie and her husband Barry (or “Baz” as the Aussies say), took us to a phenomenal seafood restaurant called Pee Wee’s at the Point. I had the traditional local seafood dish of wild caught saltwater Barramundi, and it just melted in my mouth! Steve and Sky absolutely loved their meals as well…braised pork belly and roasted duckling.
