Category Archives: Sydney

Up Up and almost away

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Bron in Rock near Watson\'s BayG’Day everyone

It’s Monday and we’re now up in Brisbane.  This is a quick re-cap of everything so far:

We spent a couple more days in Sydney. On the Saturday we went for an amazing walk along the Sydney coast, finishing in Watson’s Bay.  The weather was beautiful, the sea was blue and the food was excellent in the famous seafood restaurant Doyles.  To top it all we saw a whale just off the coast, not just swimming but playing in the water, diving in and out. The attached pictures sum up the day.

On Sunday after a trip to Centennial Park (footie and birdwatching) we flew up to Brissie. Our flight was cancelled so we ended up travelling separately. It meant Bronte and I had a few extra hours in Sydney. Teresa took us shopping. Teresa is a beautiful well dressed Italian and looked quite at home wandering the posh shops in Bondi mall.  It’s weird because everyone in Sydney thinks it’s cold and therefore is wrapped up warm in thick coats and cosy sweaters. Bron and I looked rather out of place, in boardies and flip flops.

The ClanWatson\'s BayKath had organised a welcome BBQ for us in Brisbane but it had to be cancelled because of the flight problems. Unfortunately a couple of people didn’t get the message and turned up with their deck chairs and BBQ all ready to go and we never arrived!  Laine and her daughter Jade picked up Bron and I from the airport. She’s lovely and looks just like Kath. I’ll add a picture of her later.

We are staying with Kath & T. It was great to see them again. We love spending time with them. The wedding is still on/off/on for various reasons too boring to detail. My hat may have to stay in it’s box for another year. Robbie and I are thinking that we might take their place..ha ha. 

Yesterday we were finally introduced to ‘La Beast’ (the new name for the camper).  It’s basic but good enough. I was expecting a little shower unit with nice curtain surrounds etc etc. Instead it’s pretty much a hose sticking out the back of the van!  Still it will do the job.  Robbie went to get another seatbelt fitted for PG today:-) I’d like to point out that it’s not me that writes PG’s blog!  I have better things to do with my time.  So tomorrow we will make sure we have everything we need for the trip. We plan to leave some time over the weekend.

We met the Granster today. She’s the oldest family member at 95. Still bright as a button, Gran has a great sense of humour and keeps everyone in check in her retirement village.  She kept telling Jack off for biting his nails. Jack said he was going to send his Dad over for the shock treatment as he bites his too.

Tonight we drove to the top of Mount Cootha. Famous for it’s fabulous views of Brisbane, this is a popular place for courting lovers. It’s amazing how many courting lovers you can get on the top of this mount. It was heaving!!  The view was stunning though. Thousands of twinkling lights following the river down to the sea. Brisbane is Australia’s third largest city.

Oh we also went boxing tonight…yes really!  Bron, Jack, Kath & I went to the local gym for a boxing class. I thought I was going to die!!

Gosh I’ve rambled on enough. In the next couple of days we plan to visit Australia Zoo (famous for the recently departed Steve Irwin)  We’ll keep you posted!!

 

The Story So Far..

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We’ve been here a day and things have gone pretty well so far. The trip was long and tiring but the Korean airline Asiana were great. Nice seats with lots of room, good films and lovely Korean food. We tried to eat it Korean style. Bronte was busy rolling lettuce leaves filled with rice and hot bean paste. Their food was much nicer than the traditional airport fare!

We finally arrived in Sydney on Thursday morning. Weather was sunny I thankfully found. We checked into a nice hotel for the first night to try and get over the jet lag. After a short rest we had a walk around Sydney harbour visiting the opera house and the amazing botanical gardens. The gardens were full of flying foxes (huge fruit bats). They all hang from trees like huge cocoons. When they fly their wing span can be up to 1.5 metres….so pretty huge.

Which one\'s which?Johnno & TeresaLater on we met up with Robbie’s brother Johnno and his girlfriend Teresa. They cooked us our first truly Aussie BBQ. The steaks were enormous and Robbie was feeling he was really home!

Today Johnno and Teresa took the day of work and we all took a ferry from Double Bay (one of the may bays in Sydney harbour) to the aquarium. Saw some huge sharks and great turtles. After a lovely lunch the Kids and I climbed Sydney Harbour Bridge. Who’s stupid idea was that?? After 3 1/2 hours and a few scary moments we finally made the top. The views were fabulous…well they would have been if I wasn’t too scared to look!

We’re too tired to go out tonight. Johnno & Teresa are putting us up for a couple of nights. She’s a fab cook and good host so we’re feeling very lucky at the moment. We’re hoping to see the resident possum that visits them on a regular basis.

Well that’s about it for now. Thanks to everybody for all their comments.