Due to our unexpected visit to Fiji, our stay in Sydney was limited to two days only. But, since we arrived well rested from our business class flight, we decided to go explore right away.
Sydney
After picking up the rental car we decided to first head to the Koala Park, about 30 minutes west of Sydney. The short visit to this park was quite nice, as it was possible to come up close with the koalas and kangaroos. Also, there were a collection of parrot-looking birds who literally asked for crackers. Hilarious!
From the Koala Park we drove to the coast on the other side of Sydney. We wanted to get a quick picture of the beaches around Sydney. We picked Bondi Beach, which was quite busy with surfers trying to catch one of many waves. Temperatures were decent, but not very good for sunbathing or swimming, so we decided to head to the Sydney harbor to catch the sunset.
It was still light when we arrived in downtown Sydney. After a short drive along Martin Place and George Street we arrived in Dawes Point Park. This park has great views of the Harbor Bridge and Sydney Opera House. We waited for the sun to set to catch the Opera House against a purple sky. Beautiful.
We ended the day by visiting the Opera House sidewalk, and walking around in downtown in search for a quick bite to eat. All in all, Sydney turned out to be a very nice city with lots to see. We, however, still had a two hour drive ahead of us as we stayed with friends who lived in Kiama.
Blue Mountains
The next day we decided to go on a long drive once again: from Kiama to the Blue Mountains is about three hours one-way. We didn’t really know what to expect from the Blue Mountains, but we can confirm all the good stories we heard were true. Our first impressions when hiking the trails around Wentworth Falls is that the mountains look a bit like the Grand Canyon covered in trees. Not a bad view!
The next stop was at “The Three Sisters,” three rocks lined up next to each other. Apart from this sight, the scenery all around was beautiful. We headed back to Kiama after, but not before trying a few Blue Mountain chocolates.
Kiama
It was already dark when we arrived back in Kiama. We would fly out the next morning, but we decided to leave a bit early so we could drive by the beaches first. Despite the (for Sydney standards) cold weather, the beaches looked alright, and as always there were a number of surfers out in the ocean riding the waves. After seeing the Kiama Blowhole, where the water jumps meters in the air as the waves get caught under the rock, we headed back to the airport to catch our flight to Melbourne.
