We got to Sydney early Saturday afternoon and walked a bit around Potts Point, our neighbourhood. There are a lot of attractions that are within walking distance, so on Sunday, we walked to Ms Macquarie's Point, the Botanical Gardens then to the Sydney Opera House. We caught an afternoon show at the Opera House then went to the Rocks district for dinner. The park and the garden were very nice, the Opera House is quite impressive and the Rocks district is neat, with all its little shops and restaurants. It has been a very nice first full day in Sydney!
Monday morning was spent doing laundry! We then travelled by public transit (train/metro and bus) to Coogee beach, to hike to Bondi beach - a walk of about 6 km along the water. It was very windy and a bit rainy, but the scenery was quite impressive. Tuesday was a rainy day, so perfect for shopping.
We had a 2 hour train ride on Wednesday to get to Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains. We checked out the rock formation called The Three Sisters, and then hiked from Katoomba to Leura, going by the Bridal Veil and Leura Cascade along the way. The whole area looks a lot like the Grand Canyon in the US, except it has vegetation.
We did a little bit more shopping on Thursday, going to the Queen Victoria Building, a nice old building with many shops inside. It was impressive to see. We then walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge and had dinner in the Darling Harbour area, which has restaurants after restaurants along the water. It was very pretty.
We did a little bit of shopping at the Strand on Friday morning, another nice old building transformed into a mall, and then went whale watching for the afternoon. It was a beautiful sunny day, and we saw many dolphins and humpback whales. It was quite an enjoyable day!
We went for a short hike on Saturday, going to Watsons Point before taking a ferry back to Circular Quay, close to the Opera House. Our hike on Sunday was much longer, as we walked from Spit Bridge to Manly Bay, approximately 10 km. The scenery was again very beautiful.
We were very impressed by Sydney. It is a very nice city that has something to offer to everyone, regardless of what your interests are. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Australia!
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| Cool reflection of the water on Jacqui's glasses! |
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| Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour bridge |
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| At the Botanical Garden |
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| The place is a little crowded on weekends! |
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| A german restaurant in the Rocks district |
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| On our walk from Coogee Beach to Bondi Beach |
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| Sidewalk art |
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| Had to walk by this huge cemetary on our way |
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| Bondi Beach |
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| Swimming pool by the ocean. Has to be a tough dude swimming in there; it's cold outside! |
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| Sydney by night, from our hotel window |
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| The rain is falling sideways |
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| What we see when it doesn't rain! |
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| Queen Victoria Building shopping mall |
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| Street art |
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| At Blue Mountain |
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| The three sisters |
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| Not sure how that tree is holding up! |
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| The Bridal Veil rock formation |
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| The Leura Cascades |
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| Art work at Leura |
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| Hope you don't have to many questions! |
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| Sunset at Darling Harbour |
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| Seen on our way to Darling Harbour |
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| Lighthouse at Watsons Point |
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| We saw many dolphins |
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| And humpback whales |
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| The Opera House seen from the bridge |
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| Downtown Sydney, seen from the Sydney Harbour bridge |
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| Just happened to walk by this McLaren, parked at a hotel downtown |
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| Lighthouse at Watsons Point |
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| Nice place for sailing |
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| Poppies |
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| On our walk from Spit Bridge to Manly Beach |
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| City of Manly, on the left hand side of the picture |
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| Poinsettia in a tree |
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| Refreshments after our 10 Km walk |
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| Manly Beach |
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| Waiting for the train/subway at Circular Quay. Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background. |
