My time in Australia comes to a close with the final leg of our trip in Sydney!
{I know it has been a month now since I have been home and I haven’t finished my blogging … but it is surprising how fast time goes by, especially when your focus is catching up with loved ones. But now it’s time to wrap up my Australian adventure}
Thursday June 28th
Alison and I hopped on the airplane in Cairns and arrived in the famous city of Sydney 3 short hours later. The trip to our AirBnB however did not seem to be so short. We bought our Opal cards and hopped on the train that took us from the airport to the Milsons Point stop. There was no issue in this. The only issue is that I had to haul my 2 large suitcases and backpack around. (Basically everything I’ve lived with for the past 4.5 months) Now imagine a train car full of schoolchildren and me trying to drag my bags on and off the train … comical, I know. Yes, my suitcases did drop not once, but twice while hauling them off the train. And then once we got off the train station nearest to our AirBnB, it was still another mile. Thankfully there is a wonderful service called Uber.
After unpacking a bit and getting settled into our AirBnB (a nice boathouse) we ventured out and walked about 20 minutes back to the neighborhood, Kirribilli, around the train station. Our stomaches were growling so we stopped for kebabs and chips at a local shop called Spitroast Shop. As we were finishing up eating, the dark clouds finally opened up and down poured on us. So instead of walking down to the harbor, we grabbed some groceries (PB&J sandwiches everyday for lunch which was a great way to save money) and fast walked back to our AirBnB in the rain. Unfortunately, our AirBnB owners didn’t turn the heat on for the evening so we were quite freezing for a while until the heat kicked in (see Alison below haha). We both were feeling like having a bit of a recharge evening, so we settled in and watched movies for the evening – excited for our days to come in Sydney.
Friday June 29th
We started our morning off with a walk down to Kirribilli to the water’s edge of the Sydney Harbor. Massively stretching over our heads was the famous Sydney Harbor Bridge and out in front of us was the iconic Sydney Opera House. To say the least, we were giddy and all smiles seeing the two most iconic architectural structures that scream Sydney. It seemed so surreal. We continued to walk along the paths and went to see the famous Luna Park (if you remember from my Melbourne trip, we visited the original one. Sydney’s Luna Park of the only other one out of 5 that are still in operation).
After this we finally stepped foot on the Sydney Harbor Bridge. It is 3,770 feet long and much to our surprise, we saw 8 lanes of traffic zooming across. Per the suggestion of my Australian roommate, we stopped at the Southeast Pylon Lookout. (Which was a mere $10 compared to $200 price you’d have to pay to physically climb the bridge) If you look at the side of the bridge closest to the Sydney Opera House, you will see large pillars – that is the pylon. We climbed 200 stairs, stopping at exhibits along the way to learn about the bridge construction, until we reached the top. Outside, there was a 360° lookout of the city. It was quite amazing to see the city from above, especially to see the Opera House from that height!
After this we continued on the bridge and down to the harbor on the other side. We found a perfect spot with a view of the Opera House to enjoy our PB&J and apple lunch! Doesn’t get any better than this, huh?
Once we were finished eating, we headed over to Circular Quay (pronounced key) and hopped on a 30 minute ferry ride to Manly Beach. A plethora of people had suggested this since if you take the older, slower ferry it is completely free with an Opal card! And the ferry ride was 100% worth it. On the way there and back we drove right next to the Opera House and it was an amazing way to see the city. After being dropped off at the Manly Beach harbor, we walked around the streets and checked out some shops (even scored some awesome deals). We continued down to the beach and walked along the coastline all the way until we reached the aptly named Shelly Beach (the picture of Alison holding shells is all what the beach was made out of). As we made our way back to the ferry, we decided that we needed a gelato stop – so we both tried gelato in between 2 donuts (good but not the greatest invention ever) while sitting in the harbor. We strategically picked the perfect time to catch a ferry back to Sydney since it was right at sunset. Don’t miss out on that view if you go here, it is a stunning one!
After this we had to see the beautiful Sydney Opera House all lit up at night, and it did not disappoint. (If you want to see what the Opera House looks like up close check out my Instagram @anotherpointofviewblog) In fact, the whole city lit up was such an amazing site to see! With 10.9 miles tracked for the day, we decided to walk back to our AirBnB, make mac n cheese, and settle in for the evening. Only making homemade mac n cheese didn’t go so well … a little ingredient called flour had been forgotten to be bought … and if you know anything about homemade mac, well it didn’t turn out well. But we shared many laughs, made the most of it, and enjoyed our noodles with “dipping sauce” haha!
Saturday June 30th
We started off our day with a free tour @ 10:30 am beginning at Hyde Park. Since we arrived early and had some time to spare, we self-toured St. Mary’s Cathedral which is across the street from Hyde Park. It was definitely one of the more gorgeous cathedrals I’ve ever seen!
Our guide started the 2.5 hour tour of the city and did a good job at it. It was great to learn the history behind a lot of the architecture and stories of Sydney that we would not have otherwise learned about.
Since our tour ended at Circular Quay, we decided to return to our lunch spot from the previous day and enjoy our PB&Js with a view! Then we explored a craft market nearby and found a couple great buys. After this we took a walk from the Opera House to Mrs. Macquarie’s chair. (She was the wife of Major-General Lachlan Macquarie, Governor of New South Wales. Folklore has it that she used to sit on the rock and watch for ships from Great Britain sailing into the Sydney harbor). The start of the walk was particularly great because we walked around the backside of the Opera House and got so close to it. Also, on the way we stopped to take a picture at the most photographed spot of the Sydney Harbor Bridge and Opera House (the image that is featured for this post). The chair was located near the Royal Botanic Gardens so we continued to walk through there and take some great pictures. We ended up back in Hyde Park where we took a break from walking and sat by a fountain. Later, Alison noticed Christmas lights across the street so we walked over to see what was going on, and we found an ice skating festival happening! It seemed funny to have ice skating in June and in a place where it doesn’t snow, but technically it was their winter! After dinner at The Burger Project, we headed back to our AirBnB with tired feet (12.2 miles today) and called it a day.
Sunday July 1st
Today was our final day in Sydney 😦 But it was a great one! We started off the day with brunch at Pancakes on the Rocks – we split an order of Nutella pancakes and Raspberry White Chocolate Pancakes. They were so delicious but so filling, we couldn’t even finish!
Next on our to-do list was the Coogee to Bondi Beach coastal walk – another thing that we’d heard was a must-do. We first took a 45 min bus to Coogee where we started the 3-mile walk. Halfway through the walk we arrived at Bronte Beach, and we were wishing we had swim suits to jump in the cool, blue water. The sights along this costal walk were absolutely gorgeous and it wasn’t too heavily trafficked of a route.
After this, we took a short break back at our AirBnB – walking another 11 miles today plus about the same each previous day really wears you out! That evening, Erin and her family (who we met up with in Cairns as well) arrived in Sydney and invited us to come out to Cruise Bar in Circular Quay for $5 happy hour. Great company, lots of laughs, two glasses of Moscato, and the Opera House and harbor to our left was a perfect was to spend our last night in Australia! Her family was craving Pancakes on the Rocks after we shared how delightful it was, so we had a late-night dinner there. We all said our goodbyes and Ali & I walked across the Sydney Harbor Bridge one last time and settled in for the evening.
Monday July 2nd
My last day in Australia had arrived. It was a very bittersweet moment. I was excited to see everyone again, but not ready to leave this beautiful country. As we packed up our suitcases, rode to the airport, and took off on the airplane, I said my goodbye to Australia. Our 14 hour flight to LAX was horribly long. Since it was daytime to us, we were wide awake for all of it – but hey, I got to watch a lot of movies! Thankfully my excitement for getting home kept me wide awake. We were extra thankful upon arrival to LAX to find out we could get on an earlier flight home and not spend 5 hours of a layover waiting. I called my Mom to ask if she could pick me up earlier and she responded, “I’ll figure out how to get there earlier. Just get on that flight and come home!” As I waited as MSP for my Mom, Shawn, and Logan I wanted to cry, laugh, and smile all at once. Out of the blue I saw my mom running for me and embracing me in a hug (she told Logan that she got the first hug since she’s loved me longer haha!). Next I jumped into Logan’s arms and kissed him for the first time in 4.5 months. Then I gave Shawn a big hug, and we loaded out suitcases into the car and headed off to my first American wish: Chipotle! It was the most bizarre thing seeing them again. I had to keep touching them to make sure they were real because I had been dreaming of this day for so long. They all seemed so familiar, yet so unfamiliar. But I was sure glad that I was not dreaming!
4.5 months in Australia seems to last forever, but it also was the quickest 4.5 months of my life. It was so bittersweet to put an end to this chapter. I know I will soon return for another trip to the land down under!
Link to the video from our trip: https://youtu.be/r3OsYBc-qEw
Another Point of View 