46. Sydney - Part two

First thing in the morning we caught the bus out to Sydney's most famous beach, Bondi. The sun was shining out of a clear blue sky, but there was also a cold, gale force wind blowing straight off the ocean, so rather than being in our swimming gear we were wrapped up again the elements. To be honest, it wasn't a very pleasant place to be although on a warmer, calmer day, I am sure it is a fabulous place to relax, have a swim and enjoy the surf. Having said that, there were a number of hardy locals on their boards catching a wave or two.

So we made our way back into the city but enjoying some lovely views of the Sydney suburbs. Lunch revitalised us and we then got another hop on hop off bus around the streets, ending up at Darling Harbour. This area has been massively developed over the last few years and is now a fabulous waterfront, with lots of restaurants, swanky apartments and a lively boardwalk. Imagine Canary Wharf, but ten times better. After a brief wander, we stopped for an hour or so to visit Sydney sea world and its vast fish tanks and aquarium, seeing all kinds of sharks, rays, reef fish, dugong, and even penguins.

Moving on, our next stop was for a close up look at Sydney Harbour Bridge itself. We climbed up from street level to the pedestrian walkway and proceeded to make a double crossing of the bridge on foot, ie, there and back. The views across the harbour were picture postcard perfect...it was just a shame about the nagging cold wind.

By this time it was early evening and we made our way back down towards Opera Quays to find something to eat. The Aussie band, Crowded House, was due to play an outdoor concert at the Opera House later in the evening, so as you can imagine the whole of the harbourside was heaving. However, there are so many eateries around that we had no problem in finding a nice, but busy, establishment for dinner....very welcome after yet another very busy day!