Australia

Wow!!!! We have just spent our last day in Australia with what we hoped would be the highlight of our stay in Syndey - the Harbour Bridge Climb. And we were right!! It was an absolutely amazing experience and an incredible piece of engineering - done without the aid of a single computer!!!

We were really lucky with the weather - it was fine, warm and not too windy when we set off, although the wind and rain did come in as we reached the final descent.

It has left us feeling on top of the world as we now head back to the hotel to pack ready for our trip onwards to New Zealand tomorrow (Monday) morning.

Footnote:

Some things we have found interesting in our time in Australia but have not mentioned before:

Vegemite is definitely no substitute for Marmite!
A lot of brand names taste different here to the UK.
There is no alcohol for sale in supermarkets - you have to go to a "Bottle shop" to buy your beers and wine etc!
Thongs are flip flops (Bob was very disappointed!!!)
The Aussies shorten any word they can.
Customer service is much better than in the UK!
IT DOES RAIN IN AUSTRALIA!!!!!!!!!!!

What can we say??? The experience has been an experience!!!! We have enjoyed being here and have to admit that the better team won but it would have been nice if we had put up a bit more of a fight!! At least the abuse is now over and we can carry on our fantastic journey!!!

Yes, we went to days 3 and 4 at the SCG to see the coup de grace applied by the "old men" - the only saving grace was the enthusiasm and noise of the Barmy Army!!!!

In between we have had a good time - going back to Manly for some sunbaking and a trip to the Sydney Showground for some Aussie speedway. A bit different from England but entertaining none the less. Besides the speedway there was a display of vintage racing cars, some amazing motorcycle stunts and monster trucks, together with a fireworks display to rival New Year's Eve!!!!

We have also met up with Peter and Declan (Ardmore House) who looked after us on our first few days in Australia (when we were both somewhat under the weather!!!) and had a lovely meal at a local Italian restaurant called Alfredo's. Peter's stories of his time as an opera singer kept us entertained and they are both very knowledgeable about Australia.

We are still pinching ourselves every day as we cannot believe how lucky we are to be seeing all these amazing sights, and none more so than New Year's Eve on Sydney Harbour!

Things kicked off the night before, with lots of people camping out on the seafront to get the best position!!!

We had a leisurly start with a trip to the local shops to get provisions for the day (and the champagne of course!!!). We then decided to have a wander down the Cremorne seafront to see how things were going and found several more people had set up camp ready for the evening. As we were wandering along we came across a bench at the top of the wharf which had an excellent view of the Bridge and the Opera House and after sitting there for a while to people watch we decided that this was a good spot for our camp!!! So Bob went back to the hotel to pick up a few bits and pieces and we settled back to enjoy the event. By this time it was midday - so there was still a 12 hour stretch before us!!! Bob went walkabout (well he went on the ferry across to Circular Quay to see what was going on over there) and I sat with a book in the sunshine and enjoyed watching the masses of people and boats jockeying for the best position!!! Apparently Richard Branson was in town with his liner, but he obviously didn't know we were there as we did not get the call!!! Paris Hilton has been in Sydney creating a storm, and Nicole Kidman too, so we have managed to keep out of the limelight!!!

The first real event was at 9pm with the family fireworks from the Botanical Gardens and these were spectacular enough, although surpassed by those at midnight.

There were firework barges positioned all along the river, and when they started we could see five lots of the same fireworks all syncronised, along with the fireworks on the Bridge itself and on skyscrapers in the city.

All in all it was a breathtaking experience. We drank a toast to all our friends and relatives around the World as we saw in the New Year and hope you all have a great 2007!

After a couple of relaxing days we had an early start for our coach tour to the Blue Mountains, but it was well worth the effort as they were spectacular!!

There really is a blue haze around them caused by the oil from the Eucalyptus Trees vapourising into the air - amazing!!! Unfortuantely this is also the main cause of bush fires when lightning strikes ignite the vapours! Fortunately the recent fires had been put out by the rain, so we had a clear view of the scenery.

We started off with a stop for Billy Tea (made in a billy can!!) in a clearing full of kangaroos and other wildlife!!

We then went on to Echo Point for a magnificent view of the whole area, and a special rock formation called "The Three Sisters".

We then went on several high altitude journeys including a Skyway, Cable Car and Miners Train - all of which offered more spectacular views of the area. In the Rainforest below we were able to do a circular walk taking in all the flora and fauna, as well as see where they used to mine the coal - absolutely amazing how they used basic technology to remove the coal and get it so far uphill to the surface!!!

We then went to Cahill Lookout for the most wonderful view of the Blue Mountains, stretching miles across to the Great Divide. We had been warned of storms and heard thunder rolling round in the distance, so had to make a hasty exit.

Our coach driver took us to Olympic Park on our return to Sydney to demonstrate throwing a boomerang - and yes they really do work in the right hands!!! Unfortunately we were not allowed to try because of a recent accident involving a boomerang and a Dutch lady who failed to duck when necessary!!!

We then had a leisurely cruise down the Paramatta River back to Circular Quay. All in all an excellent day out!

Having sunbaked enough we decided to head up river to Parramatta - a city in its own right on the outskirts of Sydney. We took the ferry cat - a journey of 1 hour through the many inlets of the Parramatta River from Sydney Harbour. Parramatta itself was interesting with many old colonial buildings and a lovely park. This was one of the first major convict settlements and in Australia's oldest cemetry was the grave of "The Flogging Parson" Rev Samuel Marsden who kept the convicts in order!!!

We spent the morning wandering round and then headed by train to Sydney's Olympic Park. This is an amazing area - full of stadia for all the sports you can imagine. I wonder if London 2012 will be able to match this venue - we hope so!!

We then hopped back on the ferry to Circular Quay and back to the hotel for a quick wash and brush up before heading back across river to the Opera House for a concert "Not New Year's Eve".

We had a brilliant night with excerpts from operas, musicals, classical music, jazz and country and western. Some of Australia's international singers and musicians were taking part, including the amazing jazz instrumentalist James Morrison. To cap it all we had our interval drinks looking out to the floodlit Harbour Bridge where the bridge climbs continue into the night!!!

We have now joined the masses and booked our bridge climb for Sunday 7th Jan - the day before we leave Australia, hopefully as a fitting finale to our wonderful stay. Keep your fingers crossed for the weather, as they carry on regardless unless there is an electrical storm!!!!

As we go about our travels we can see a lot of activity going on around the Harbour in preparation for the New Year's Eve celebrations with some large barges being loaded with the firework displays to be positioned along the river at key points. The anticipation is growing as we see the action developing!!!