We were also fortunate enough to be picked up from the airport by our friend Steven Perez. Steven took us on a nice private sightseeing tour up the northern beaches all the way to Palm Beach and Newport Beach. A very special treat was the afternoon cruise on his Whitecap power boat in the Pittwater.
(Good to be back in Newport Beach for the day)
Sydney welcomed us with sunshine - we could even see the famous opera house and harbour bridge during landing. Sydney felt a little like California. A morning "coffee cruise" (which was generously given to us as a gift by another very kind Australian....) around the whole harbor served as a very enjoyable first overview of greater Sydney.
Not having enough from the harbour, we boarded a ship once again in the evening - this time for a Salsa cruise. It was a great way to see the Sydney citylights at night. The salsa performance was pretty weak and we were not able to dance much. However, we did find another dance opportunity at the fancy bar called The Establishemnet on glitzy George Street (every Tuesday evening Salseros...).
We can highly recommend the Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel, Sydney's oldest pub (pubs are called hotels in Australia) and brewerylled with its real B&B-style friendly sandstone rooms. It is situated in the historic district called the Rocks with lots of nice cafes, bars, restaurants and art shops and in walking distance to the Circular Quay (main terminal for harbor ferries and city buses).
After visiting the beautiful Chinese Gardens in Chinatown, we took a 45 minute bus ride to one of the south Sydney beaches called Coogee. From our hotel in Coogee we jogged along the southern coast to the famous Bondi beach. The scenery was quite spectacular. There are tons of wide soft sandy beaches not only within the harbor but also all along the sea coast, hidden in protected bays. Bettina's favorite beach was Bondi (as you can see from her favorite shot).
Our excursion to the Whitsunday Islands in the inner Great Barrier Reef was a little dissappointing due to the heavy rain and stormy weather. Whitehaven beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, did not look quite spectacular in the rain but we could still see and feel the fabulous white super soft coral sand and turquoise blue warm water. The ride to Whitehaven on the yellow Ocean Rafts was very bumpy and wet but fast and fun wave riding. Ideally we would have liked to come with our own seaplane.....
The Whitsunday coast's main town is Airlie Beach where we met tons of Germans and Australian college kids on "spring" break (Australia's Daytona Beach...). Magnum's Backpacker hotel's Double rooms are a great deal, clean and equipped with a/c and fridge. If we were to visit the Great Barrier again we would fly to Port Douglas since so many other travelers recommended this cozy town north of Cairnes.
Hayman Island Resort (one of the Leading Hotels in the World) welcomed us with a great local rate but did not quite live up to the standards of a real LHW. Hayman's huge signature hexagon shaped pool is unique.
After a strenious hike to Blue Pearl Bay I off Hayman Island and snorkeling for 2 hours (roundtrip) to Blue Pearl Bay II to see the rich coral covered underwater world, we enjoyed our lunch on the beach.
Now we are looking forward to our flight in the upper deck of the first A380 (largest passenger airplane) in service.
Aussie notes:
- flys (really stick to you) – brushing off the flys from your face is known as the Aussie salute
- Words: Trainers = Running Shoes, Barbie = BBQ, Howareyougoing?, Bathers = swim suits
T^4
Sydney, Australia: The Rocks rock, stay in this part of town at the Lord Nelson Brewery Pub & Hotel (pie night on Mondays), go salsa dancing on Tuesdays at The Establishent on George Street, take the Coffee Harbour Cruise with Captain Cook, jog/walk from Coogee Beach to Bondi Beach along the scenic coastal walk (have $7 Steaks at the North Bondi Veteran's club on Wednesdays after 06:00 p.m.).
