Sydney

Craig:

We started off our Australia experience in the largest city of Sydney.  Auckland to Sydney flights were selling like hot cakes, so we hopped on the band wagon.  The traditional backpacker trail in Australia is from Melbourne to Cairns, but Sydney seemed like a decent place for us to start.  We started our day out in Sydney with a visit to the fish markets.  The oceans around Australia produce some incredible seafood including blue/yellow fin tuna, pacific oysters, marlin, and prawns (shrimp like creature).  The fish markets are a very busy place at 8:00 in the morning with distributors and restaurants owners claiming their catch for the day.  Bridget could have prepared a feast for us if we would have had a refrigerator but we sadly had to leave empty handed.

Not too sure on how you get "Atlantic" Salmon in Australia

Our next stop was the “Rocks” district, which a cool little neighborhood right below the harbor bridge.  It is home to many of Sydney’s oldest restaurants, pubs, and shops.  It is also home to Sydney’s contemporary art museum.  We ventured into the museum and were pleased to find that admission was free.  Contemporary art is hard to understand sometimes, but I did my best.  I was surprised to find a lot of Barack Obama art.  Our President is fairly well liked in this part of the world.

We then headed down to the water to admire of the view of the Harbor Bridge and Opera House.  Sydney’s skyline has to be one of the best in the world.  The bridge, opera house, and skyscrapers make for a cool view.

We made our way over to the Opera House and walked around it.  The Opera House is very impressive.  I was surprised to find that the outside of it is covered in basically bathroom tiles and is supported by huge concrete columns.  The designers and architects did a great job putting that much weight up into the air. 

On our way out of Sydney, we took a drive out to famous Bondi Beach.  Surf life saving (being a lifeguard) is very popular in Australia and Bondi Beach is the mecca for it.  It has its own TV show called Bondi Rescue.  It is one of the busiest beaches in Australia being so close to Sydney.

Our plans for the next day included a side trip to the Blue Mountains which are located about an hour west of Sydney, so we made the drive out to Katoomba to camp for the night.  We got up in the morning and drove into the Blue Mountains National Park.  The Blue Mountains are known for their deep, wide canyons and great rock climbing.  We visited the popular lookout called Echo Point to get a good view of the “Three Sisters” which are three rock spires that tower above the canyon floor.

After exploring Katoomba’s outdoor gear stores, we got back in the car and headed north.  We were ready for some of Australia’s great beaches.

Next Stop: Crowdy Bay National Park