Leaving India behind I arrived in sunny Sydney to the blissful temperature of 22 degrees. I never thought I would say that Australia is cool! I only had a couple of days in Sydney so ignored the jet lag and headed straight out to Bondi beach – full of surfers, bikinis and speedos. It is great to be so close to the beach, though the water is a little colder than the Arabian Sea (though still definitely warmer than Newport)!
On my only full day in Sydney I bought a combination ferry and Taronga zoo pass – the easiest way to get to the zoo is to catch a ferry from Circular Quay, giving you great views of the Harbour Bridge and the Oper House, then a cable car to the top of the zoo. Set on a hill, the zoo has amazing views over Sydney and plenty of animals including some Australian natives. I saw platypus, kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, possums, gliders and rather a lot of snakes that I am hoping never to see again. After the zoo I hopped back on the ferry and headed out to Manly beach – another famous Sydney surfing beach. The ferry was definitely the best way to see the harbour – being out on the water was lovely. Eating ice cream and watching the sunset over the moored boats was beautiful.
On my last morning in Sydney I wandered around the Botanic gardens and The Rocks – the area where the convicts settled when they first arrived. The Rocks has a very different feel from the Sydney CBD – it is a much older neighbourhood with winding streets and narrow passages.
After my first greyhound bus journey I arrived in Canberra. It had been lovely to spend a few days with family. The farm is beautiful and getting to see them all was wonderful. While in Canberra I explored the National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery and both the old and the new Parliament Houses. To build the new Parliament House they removed the top of the hill it sits on so the politicians would not be looking down on the people.
I went to a rugby game (Brumbies vs Bulls) with Sarah and sat in the seats that Great Uncle Frank originally got when the Brumbies first started. On a day out with Katie and Jen I ate the biggest milkshake I have ever seen, saw the destruction caused by the 2003 bush fire and koalas in the wild at Tidbinbilla nature reserve. In some of the woodland wiped out by the 2003 fire the National Arboretum has been planted – a vast expanse of different trees with beautiful views.
It has been a great first week in Australia – off to the Great Ocean Road next.
a wandering almond 