The Huge Australia

Sydney

I arrived in Sydney after a brief stop in Melbourne in a state of utter shock. Culture shock. I had been whisked back into the the busy, advanced, expensive and cold western world. I called on Stu on my arrival who so kindly offered his sofa to accomodate me until I made a plan.

I decided to spend a few days in Sydney before making my way north back to the warmth of the tropics. Whilst in Sydney I made sure I took in all the sights and sounds my budget would allow. The price hike between Asia and Australia was a real strain on my funds from the outset. Everything was expensive.



I walked for hours and hours every day. No longer could I afford to get a taxi let-alone hire a motorbike! I saw Darling Harbour, The Opera House, Circular Quay, The Harbour Bridge amongst other top local sights. Stu was living right in the centre of town which was a big bonus for me. This is a view of the business district taken from the opera house.



I was quite surprised when I arrived in Circular Quay to find the arrangement of the Opera House and the bridge weren't as I had imagined them, at all. All the photos I'd seen in the past gave me a very different perspective to what stood before my eyes. This is a statutory shot of the Opera House, recognisable the world over, I imagine.

I also visited the Sydney Aquarium. I was in Australia, I wanted to see sharks! Thankfully my prayers were answered in stlye. The shark tank was awesome. It housed quite a few different species; Nurse sharks, Black Tips, White Tips, Lemon, and Grey Reef Sharks. I was well satisfied with the array of these underwater stalkers.




Stu was great. He asked his parents to put me up along my route north. His mum and sister were living in Gosford and Terrigal, respectively. I spent a couple of nights in Terrigal hanging out with his sister, Sarah. My first encounter with the wild wildlife of Australia.



Then it was back on the train to Newcastle to spend a couple of nights with Stu's dad, Trevor, before flying off to Brisbane. This is a shot of The Knobbys at the foreshore in Newcastle