Australia - Sydney - Sydney, Australia
Sydney, Australia
Where I stayed
Central Perk Lodge ($22)
I was supposed to take the train from Melbourne to Sydney but due to track maintenance, i could only take the train to Albury. I completed the second leg of the journey by bus. This voyage saw me leave Victoria and enter the state of New South Wales, home to Australia's capital. I arrived in Sydney Central at 06:00 where i had to hang around for a few hours. I was only a 20 minute walk from my hostel but reception doesn't open until 09:00, so there was little point making my way there any sooner. In Australia, you usually can't check-in until 14:30. But i could at least dump my backpack at reception and have a wander. Coles was my local super market again. So after getting a shop in, i relaxed at Hyde park between information hunting. The next day i walked to Mrs Macquarie's Point. From here you get a nice view from across the water of Australia's most famous landmark, the Sydney Opera House. I then walked through the Royal Botanic Gardens which ultimately lead me around what's known as Farm Cove, to the Sydney Opera House itself. The Opera house is one of those landmarks which has to be seen from a distance to appreciate. It's a stunning piece of architecture. After a quick walk through the harbour and Circular Quay, i made my way up to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. There is a pedestrian walkway allowing one to cross the bridge by foot. It affords the best views of the Sydney Opera House and surrounding area. It's absolutely stunning from up here. On the return journey, i stopped off at The Rocks. The Rocks is a tourist hub full of overpriced clubs, bars and restaurants and convenient stores where everything's convenient except the price. However, it's also home to the historic area of Sydney and is well worth a visit, to see the old buildings here.
Another day trip involved a coastal walk from the infamous Bondai Beach to Coogee Beach. After making some sandwiches, packing plenty of fruit and a big bottle of water, i took the bus to Bondi. From here i walked south, passing through a multitude of other beaches, bays and attractions. Stopping off on sandy shores and clifftop lookouts along the way. It was a long and hot day out. But a great one too. The pictures will explain the various sights i saw that day in more detail. Between these days out i had a mooch around the city and spent a lot of time with some people at the hostel. The owners are Chinese and i made friends with a Korean girl here too. I seem to connect with Asian people more than Westerners. Maybe i've spent too long in Asia. Or maybe i've yet to meet a westerner who can hold a conversation without needing to play with their ******* smart phone every 2 minutes. I was really lucky in Sydney too. I explained in the last blog entry, Melbourne (or rather the entire state of Victoria) has a Myki card for public transport use. Well, Sydney (by which i mean the entire state of New South Wales) has its own version of this, called Opal. As i checked-in to the hostel, i got chatting to someone as they were checking-out. They were on their way to Melbourne. It was only logical to give them my Myki card in exchange for their Opal card. His card had $7 on it, which just so happened to be the exact fare needed for my return trip to Bondi Beach. Whilst my Myki card only had $3 on it, the card itself costs $6, where as the Opal card is free. So it was a pretty even deal. It's great when things like this happen. I always carry my old maps and items to the next location as i usually meet someone who's travelling in the opposite direction that can make use of my now obsolete supplies.
I loved my time in Sydney. It's an absolutely beautiful city and i met some great people here too. It's one of the nicest capitals i've ever been to. From here, i took the night bus to my next location. Australia's most sublime stretch of coastline, the Gold Coast.