Christmas and New Year in Sydney!

On 22nd December I got the overnight train to Sydney for Christmas and New Year as I was lucky enough to have 2 weeks off work and Ellie my friend from home was coming to visit!
The journey wasn't too bad considering it was 11 hours long.. it was actually more comfy than a plane as there was much more leg room. Still hardly got any sleep though, so when I arrived in Sydney on the morning of the 23rd I was pretty tired so spent most of the day just relaxing then met up with 2 girls I did farm work with in the evening. Was so good to see them!
Managed to fill up most days in Sydney so I'll write about each day separately!

Christmas Eve!
Met up with Shweta who I did OzIntro with in the morning to buy fancy dress for the Christmas Eve Party Cruise that evening! I made no effort at all and just wore a red dress and a Santa hat, but Shweta dressed up as a Christmas tree!
It was such a fun night. Had to wait aaaages to get on the boat but it was worth it. There was free food and an open bar (only a small selection of drinks though - but still good!). The boat went all round the harbour, under the bridge and past the Opera House so it was pretty amazing!
I was good though and didn't get too drunk as I had to be up early the next day to meet Ellie at the airport, and I didn't want to be hungover on Christmas day!

Christmas Day!
Woke up the next morning to glorious sunshine! Went to the airport and met Ellie, then we went to the hotel we would be staying in for the next two nights thanks to Ellie's mum! Yey! As we couldn't check in straight away we decided to head to Bondi Beach where most people where heading for Christmas Day. I'd already arranged with Mitika to get some BBQ food so we arrived to a BBQ on the beach in the sun! Perfect Aussie Christmas - though it didn't feel like Christmas at all! So we just spent the rest of the day lazing on the beach.
Once back at the hotel we checked in, only to find that the air con wasn't working in the room! So we managed to get ourselves an upgrade to a better room with working air con thanks to the friendly guy at reception who always seemed really happy! Had a quick skype chat with family back home to say Merry Christmas, then had an early night as Ellie was still really tired from her long flight.

Boxing Day.
Decided to have a chill out day and make the most of the hotel! So we swam in the rooftop pool, went in the jacuzzi, read our books and made a yummy tea as our room had its own kitchen! It was nice to just relax and not be in a hostel!

27th December.
Checked out of the hotel that morning even though we didn't really want to, and checked in to Sydney Central YHA where I stayed when I first got to Sydney back in April. We headed straight back out again to the shops as Ellie wanted to buy a hat and some shoes. It was a successful trip as she found both and they were in the sale too! Then in the afternoon we went on a tour of the Opera House which was actually really good. It was really cool to see all the different performance spaces and we even got to listen to a rehearsal of a concert that was going to take place that evening - it was amazing! Then we had a late lunch as you can get a cheap lunch at the Opera House with a tour ticket, so we took advantage of that and had food and wine outside the Opera House with a view of the Harbour Bridge - very civilised!
That evening we noticed that the free cinema in the hostel was showing the final Harry Potter film - so guess what we did that evening! Such a good film!

28th December - Wine Tasting day!!
Had to be up really early for our Hunter Valley Wine Tour. It was a really fun day and got to try LOADS of wine! 29 different wines to be exact!
First we stopped at the Ku-Ring Gai Chase National Park where we went for a short walk and learned about some Australian plants and animals. We saw some little crabs, cockatoos and of course kangaroos! We went to 3 winerys in total, one of which also had cheese tasting which was good! We stopped in a little village for lunch where there was optional wine tasting which we took advantage of! So throughout the day we tried a huge selection of red, white, sparkling and port! Me and Ellie both bought a mini bottle of Moscato to have on New Years Eve! Ellie also bought quite a few other bottles including a 2L bottle of port for $15! Bargain!
Needless to say I spent the 2 hour journey back to Sydney sleeping!

29th December
Had a bit of lie in that morning as we were tired for the wine tour! Then we headed over to the Westfield shopping centre as we'd heard that Cory Monteith (aka Finn from Glee) was going to be making an appearance! When we got there the crowd was huge! We waited for quite a while and eventually he appeared! Think we were probably some of the oldest people there, it was mainly screaming teenagers! So we just took a few photos from a distance and left!

In the afternoon we decided to do the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk as it was a really sunny day! The walk took about two hours and takes your past some really pretty beaches including Tamarama, Bronte and Clovelly, then finished at the lovely Coogee Beach! We sat in the sun at the beach for a while and treated ourselves to an ice lolly for $1 each! We stayed in Coogee til tea time and went to a Burrito place I'd been to when I did OzIntro - it was yum!

That evening we met up with Mitika, Shweta and her friend Kat and went to Scubar where there was a silent disco! I'd never been to one before, it was really fun! Everyone is given a pair of headphones on entry and there are 2 channels so you can choose what song you listen to! It's really funny when you take the headphones off and everyone is dancing to nothing! Was a fun night though :)

30th December
Got the ferry over to Manly at about midday and spent the afternoon lying in the sun and reading - it was nice to just chill out on the beach! Went to Chinatown in the evening for dinner which was good, found a cheap food court and ate lots of food!

New Years Eve!
Got up and ready pretty early as we wanted to get a good spot to see the fireworks! We took the advice of someone Ellie met on her plane journey and went to McMahon's point, which is the other side of the bridge to the Opera House, and has a really good view!

Luckily it was really nice weather so we spent most of the day lying in the sun and reading! It's crazy that we got there 12 hours early just to watch some fireworks! It was so worth it though - they were amazing! Definitely the best fireworks I've ever seen. It was funny looking round at everyone - when the countdown finished and it was new year, no one wished each other happy new year, everyone was just looking at the sky mesmerized by the fireworks!

New Years Day
Had a lie in that morning as it had been a late night! In the afternoon we decided to go to the Harry Potter exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum. It was really good! Before you went in to the actual exhibition you had to be sorted into houses, so we got to try the sorting hat on! I was put into Gryffindor, and Ellie into Ravenclaw! The exhibition included loads of props and costumes from all the films. It was really interesting. I really liked seeing the Marauder's map - must have been a really cool thing to design and draw, it was so detailed!

Had to buy these!!

That evening we just chilled in the hostel and watched Bridesmaids as they were showing it in the free cinema - was a funny film!

2nd January
Had a lazy beach day at Coogee which was good! Then in the evening we met up with Ellie's friend Kylie for food and a few drinks, we later also met up with Shweta and her friend Kat for a drink at another bar!

3rd January
Last day in Sydney! We decided to get the train over to the Blue Mountains! It was a really nice sunny day so clear skies to see the amazing scenery. We walked from Katoomba station to a picnic area where we had some lunch, then walked to Scenic World where we bought passes to go on the world's steepest railway, and a couple of other cable car type things! We also had a walk round on the scenic walkway. 

We got the train back to Sydney Central, went back to the hostel to pick up our bags, then got the overnight train to Melbourne!

OzIntro!

My OzIntro week has now come to an end. It's been such a fun week and I'd recommend OzIntro to anyone backpacking Australia on their own. I met lots of nice people and I've done quite a few things I wouldn't have done on my own.

Monday 2nd May

Met the rest of the OzIntro group that morning as they all checked in to the hostel. At about 12pm we all got picked up in the OzIntro bus for a city orientation. We parked up in the Botanic Gardens and took some group photos in front of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. We then walked through the gardens and saw some interesting birds and bats in the trees!

Next was Jet Boating on Sydney Harbour! It was so much fun! The boat did 360 degree turns and we all got soaked! 

After a quick change into some dry clothes back at the hostel we went out for a group meal at Five O's. OzIntro gave us a VIP card so we can get a main meal, side and drink for $10 which is pretty good. 

We also got a voucher for 2 free drinks at the Palace bar so that was our next stop! I had my 2 free glasses of wine, then a few more! After the bar we decided to try the legendary 'goon' (cheap boxed wine) I've heard so much about. Needless to say it wasn't good! It ended up being a pretty drunken night!!

Tuesday 3rd May

The next day I woke up with a bit of a sore head! In the morning we headed into the city to sort out our bank accounts and medicare. After a tasty lunch at Darling Harbour we went to Sydney Aquarium which was actually better than I expected! I found Nemo! Also in the shark section there was a map showing Sydney Harbour and how many sharks are swimming around during the year - it's pretty scary!

Went for a quick drink after the Aquarium then headed back to the hostel to get ready for a night out at The Gaff - a backpacker bar & club. I didn't drink too much because I still felt a bit hungover from the night before! It was still a crazy night though, never been to a bar like it! There were many inappropriate competitions to win trips up the coast, like wet tshirt contests... I didn't enter, but one girl in our group did! It was mad.

Wednesday 4th May

Surf day! Probably my favourite day of OzIntro! We got picked up at about 10am and had an hours drive to Cronulla Beach. It was a nice quiet beach with small waves - perfect for beginners! The two instructers were stereotypical Aussie surfer dudes! 

We started off with a lesson out of the water. We were told how to hold the surfboard and how to catch a wave. To start you have to lie on the board but not put too much weight on the front otherwise you will 'nose dive' (kind of like going over the handlebars on a bike!). We were then told about the 3 steps we should take to stand on the board. First was to lie on the board with our toes tucked round the end of the board to hold us in place, second was to push up and stick our bums in the air and put our toes back onto the board, then third was to put our back foot in place first, then slowly stand up! Easy! Well, on the sand it was!

After a few trys out of the water, it was time to brave the waves!

I couldn't believe how tiring it was! After quite a few tumbles, I eventually managed to stand up and ride a wave! Sweet dude! After a few more attempts we stopped for lunch then quickly got back in the sea for more surfing fun! Managed to stand up a few more times before heading back to the hostel.

Definitely the best day!

Thursday 5th May

After a crazy day of surfing we had an easy morning as it was time for a travel talk! We got to the OzIntro office at about 9.30am and Nicola, our group leader told us all about some of the amazing things we can do here in Australia!

After the talk we got on the bus to Bondi Beach! We lazed around there for an hour or so before starting the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk. It wasn't too far a walk but the scenery was beautiful. 

Then when we got to Clovelly beach we had a BBQ waiting for us! Yum! After food and some games of beach volleyball (I only joined in for the last game as volleyball isn't my strong point!) we went back to the hostel. Had a quiet night in and watched a bit of Despicable Me before falling asleep!

Friday 6th May

Another amazing day! Early start though as we got picked up at 6:45am for our trip to the Blue Mountains! Smokey, our guide picked us up and we began the 2 hour drive where he told us a bit of Australian history. I didn't realise how horrible the Aboriginals were treated! Apparently when Australia was first discovered many aboriginals were killed and driven out of their homes. Our first stop was to find some wild kangaroos! We managed to find a family of 3! It was amazing to see kangaroos in the wild as I've only ever seen them in the zoo. Our guide also found it necessary to fish around in the bark of a tree and showed us a Huntsman Spider. Yuck! It was huge and horrible, but fortunately not one of the deadly ones.

Next we stopped in a small town to get some breakfast before setting off again! It was crazy how beautiful the scenery was when we were so close to the busy city. We set off walking to see a waterfall, our guide seemed to know everything about everything and he told us all about some of the plants. One plant he made us smell, and we had to guess what it was - I correctly guessed tea tree (are you proud of me Mum?!) We also saw some crazy plant that inspired the invention of velcro as the plants hooked together in the same way!

We eventually got to the waterfall after walking down LOADS of steps, it was pretty impressive! 

Then we were told we had to climb all the way back up to have lunch! Our already aching muscles from surfing were exercised even more!

After a nice lunch (ham and cheese salad rolls and pasta) we headed over to the famous Three Sisters. They were a bit smaller than I expected but impressive all the same.

We had to walk down lots of steps again but luckily we didn't have to walk back up as we were going on the Katoomba Scenic Railway - the world's steepest railway! And it was VERY steep! It was fun though, and much better than climbing back up all those steps!

We got back to the hostel at about 7.30. Made some tea then went for a quick drink!

Saturday 7th May

Happy Birthday Becca!!

On Saturday we had a free day apart from our travel appointments with Nicola and the Party Bus in the evening!

A few of us went in to Sydney centre to get our fancy dress for the night ahead. Our theme was ravers! So we got some paints, highlighters, glow sticks and hairspray! I got a white vest top which I decorated with the paint and highlighters!

When I got back from Sydney it was time for my travel appointment where I planned my East Coast adventure! So in the next couple of months I'll be heading up the coast on the OzExperience bus. My first stop is Spot X surf camp where I'll be spending 3 nights and spending the whole time surfing! Next is Byron Bay, Surfers Paradise, then Brisbane where I may stop and work for a while to save some more money! Between Brisbane and Cairns are some very exciting trips like Fraser Island and the Whitsundays! I'll also be doing a skydive over Mission Beach and white water rafting! Once I get to Cairns I'm going to go to Cape Tribulation for a night and do Jungle Surfing! Can't wait!

In the evening was a big night out on the Oz Party Bus! It was the craziest thing ever! Loud music, disco lights and one rule - no sitting down! We got picked up quite early and headed into Sydney! 

Our first stop was a bar in Darling Harbour, it was quite a sophisticated place with people dressed up having a quiet drink, then we arrived in our raver clothes! With the Oz Party Bus we got a free drink in each bar! After Darling Harbour we got back on the bus and danced our way to Scary Canary, another backpacker bar! The other bars we went to were Scubar, Sidebar then finally The Gaff! We were all out til about 5am so it was a pretty mad night!

Sunday 8th May

Woke up at about 11.30 with no hangover thank goodness! Lazed around most of the day then went up the Sydney Tower in the evening for our farewell meal. It was a revolving restaurant with an all you can eat buffet, including crocodile, emu and kangaroo! I tried them all and I think kangaroo is my favourite! Also had lots of prawns and calamari! Nicola our leader made a little farewell speech before we headed back to Coogee for a final drink as a group.

We then went back to the hostel to pack as we were checking out of the hostel the next morning.

Monday 9th May (Today!)

I'm now sitting in the OzIntro office waiting for my vouchers for my East Coast travels, then I'm moving to Base hostel in the city centre for 4 nights before heading up to Spot X!

I'll try and do a quick update on here before I head up the coast.

Had such a good week!