rtw3

Well, after the clean air and tranquility of Tasmania, Sydney came as a big shock to us. The traffic seemed horrendous- fortunately we were staying in the centre so we didn't use road transport, other than getting to and from the airport. Our hotel was situated on Darling Harbour, so our main mode of transport was boat, which was great.

We had two full days in Sydney- the first morning we went by ferry to Manly, to see the aquarium. It was great- sharks, rays, and unfortunately the entire under seven population of Sydney. The noise was unbearable- so we saw the fishy bits and got out fast!

We then came back to Circular Quay, and caught the bus to Bondi Beach. It's just as you would imagine: big, great sand, nice water and surfers everywhere. It was good fun watching the surf schools taking place on the beach, but as we hadn't brought our bathers, we just dipped our feet in.

The next day we visited the Olympic Stadium, which was very impressive, if a little pricey. We then returned to the city and saw the historic area- yes there is one!- The Rocks. Once a downtrodden slummy part of town, it's now a very trendy address to have- so we were told, anyway. We'll remember this place as that's where we lost our camera; the pictures from this point on are taken with a cheap camera from Woolworths, Sydney- sadly, there's no difference in the quality- cheap cameras from now on, I think!
In the evening, after walking around the city again and stopping at a Carols in the Park concert (100,000 people), we went up the AMP tower, and got to the top in time to see a fireworks display below- this is the city of fireworks, after all. We liked Sydney, the harbour area had a nice feel, there was good food in the Chinese area, and plenty to see. But if we going to live in an Australian city, we both agreed we would put Melbourne ahead of Sydney.

So it was on to Ayers Rock, or Uluru, on the morning flight. We only had a night there, which is probably enough- how many ways can you experience a rock, after all?
We had a sunset trip to the Olgas, a nearby rock formation, which actually looked more impressive to me than Uluru, although we did see it in fantastic red sunset light. The following morning we were at the rock for sunreise, and walked around the base, with a guide to tell us the Aboriginal stories associated with it. It was good to see it from such a close distance, it gave us a completely different perspective to the standard long-distance view. The long detour is worth it, it is a unique place- but be prepared, it is very expensive- due to the remoteness, everything has to be transported vast distances to get here, and boy do they charge you for it!

We were then off to Alice Springs , but decided to go the slow way, so travelled via an overnight stop at Kings Creek, where our night in a tent was shared by several mice, who devoured Sam's treasured stash of sweets, crisps and even our sachets of rehydrating mixture. So not much sleep that night.
The following morning we set off early for King's Canyon, and did a 4 hour hike, to see this very beautiful area.The highlight was a dip in the waterhole, very welcome as the temperatures had long passed 30C.

Singapore-Melbourne                  Tasmania                    Sydney-Ayers Rock-Kings Canyon
(big cities and great coasts)     (devils, koalas and roos)       (operas, bridges and big rocks)

Alice Springs-Cairns                 New Zealand North Island      NZ South Is. Kaikoura-Queenstown
(reptiles and fishy stuff)           (big balls and gas masks)          (dolphins 'n' ice)

Routeburn Track-Milford Sound         Honolulu-Hawaii Volcanoes NP      Maui-San Francisco
(mountains, waterfalls and 4 wheels) (Volcanoes and Active Lava Flow)   (beaches, bridges and prisons)