Sydney

Top Left: Paul watching Rovers on the internet on our balcony.

Top Right: Paul wining at the Star Casino

Left: Jo surfing at Manly beach

Right: A young aboriginal performer

Here: The view from our apartment

Well we are now in Sydney and have rented a flat for 28 days for our base. It is a little old fashioned inside but the location and view are fantastic! You can clearly see the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. The weather here has been mixed (with some rain) but mainly sunny and usually warm at the least. We have been to a few of the local beaches, such as Watsons Bay and Manly. We also paid a brief trip to Bondi Beach which was a bit disappointing so we go to the other ones now. Manly is where we have had a couple of surfing lessons, which is great fun. Very tiring but great once you get to stand up for a bit!

We have been on the Sydney tourist bus, to the art gallery and one of the museums. We have also been to a Hip Hop Dancing Competition and the Hoopla Festival - both very good. The great thing about Australia is that they seem to put on loads of festivals and community events, with loads to do.

We have found some great pubs and restaurants. One of the best bars is called the Opera Bar and is part of the Opera House. It has a huge courtyard area where you can sit outside and have a drink whilst listening to live music - they have bands on every day from about 2pm. Great atmosphere and a short walk back to the apartment.

Paul plans to walk across the Harbour Bridge (the actual arches of it) but I wont be doing that as it is very high. Loads of other stuff to do before moving on. Sydney is a great place with a good mixture of old and new, very vibrant.