After spending 10 days in northern Queensland, we headed down to New South Whales to Sydney for New Years.
We stayed at a bed and breakfast in the beachside suburb of Cronulla, just south of Sydney. It was very convenient because it was a short walk to the train station, and then a direct route into downtown Sydney. Cronulla is located on a peninsula, surrounded by colorful bays and beautiful beaches. There is a sidewalk that travels all the way around the city along the beach... it goes for miles and miles, and was perfect for running along the coast.
On our first full day, we headed downtown to Sydney. We were instantly awed by the amazing surroundings and had one of those, "I can't believe we are actually in Australia!" moments. By far the most beautiful city I have ever seen. The weather was perfect - 70's, sunny, & breezy. The first thing we did was walk across the Harbor Bridge to check out the scenery.
Picture of part of the bay from the Harbor Bridge.
Next, we walked over to the Sydney Opera House. Then we spent almost the entire day wandering around the historic "Rocks" area - the oldest part of Sydney, and home to numerous pubs, cafes, restaurants, and shopping.
Sydney had a couple breweries and many pubs. Joe enjoyed trying all the different beers! I was surprised to discover that Australia has quite a large variety of ciders, which was perfect for me.
If you have never heard of TimTams, now you have. They are delicious 'biscuit' cookies - and come in a variety of different flavors. My favorite was the cookie filled with caramel, while Joe's was a tie between mint and double chocolate. I was thrilled when I discovered that Gloria Jean's Coffee makes TimTam frappuccinos (and without coffee, so Joe even had one)!! I tried the original, Joe tried the dark. Both were amazing! :)
Near Cronulla is Royal National Park, the world's second oldest National Park (after Yellowstone). So the next day we drove around the park, and stopped at a few of the many beaches. The park had quite a wide diversity: surf beaches, cliftop views, rainforest walks, lakes, picnic areas, and much more. This picture is at Wattamolla - it's unique because on the left-hand side there are freshwater lakes and waterfalls, and on the right-hand side is a gorgeous ocean bay.
One of the cliff views while driving through Royal National Park. We stopped for ice cream here and enjoyed watching hang gliding.
On New Year's Eve, we headed back into Sydney for a cocktail & dinner harbor cruise to watch the fireworks. Sydney has two fantastic fireworks shows, the first at 9:00pm when New Zealand celebrates the New Year, and the second one at midnight.
Enjoying wine while watching the sunset over Sydney.
Happy New Year! Sydney spent over 5 million dollars on their fireworks show. They were all choreographed, and set off over multiple places along the harbor. It was spectacular! The entire sky was lit up! Definitely one of the highlights of our trip!
We stayed at a bed and breakfast in the beachside suburb of Cronulla, just south of Sydney. It was very convenient because it was a short walk to the train station, and then a direct route into downtown Sydney. Cronulla is located on a peninsula, surrounded by colorful bays and beautiful beaches. There is a sidewalk that travels all the way around the city along the beach... it goes for miles and miles, and was perfect for running along the coast.
On our first full day, we headed downtown to Sydney. We were instantly awed by the amazing surroundings and had one of those, "I can't believe we are actually in Australia!" moments. By far the most beautiful city I have ever seen. The weather was perfect - 70's, sunny, & breezy. The first thing we did was walk across the Harbor Bridge to check out the scenery.
Picture of part of the bay from the Harbor Bridge.
Next, we walked over to the Sydney Opera House. Then we spent almost the entire day wandering around the historic "Rocks" area - the oldest part of Sydney, and home to numerous pubs, cafes, restaurants, and shopping.
Sydney had a couple breweries and many pubs. Joe enjoyed trying all the different beers! I was surprised to discover that Australia has quite a large variety of ciders, which was perfect for me.
If you have never heard of TimTams, now you have. They are delicious 'biscuit' cookies - and come in a variety of different flavors. My favorite was the cookie filled with caramel, while Joe's was a tie between mint and double chocolate. I was thrilled when I discovered that Gloria Jean's Coffee makes TimTam frappuccinos (and without coffee, so Joe even had one)!! I tried the original, Joe tried the dark. Both were amazing! :)
Near Cronulla is Royal National Park, the world's second oldest National Park (after Yellowstone). So the next day we drove around the park, and stopped at a few of the many beaches. The park had quite a wide diversity: surf beaches, cliftop views, rainforest walks, lakes, picnic areas, and much more. This picture is at Wattamolla - it's unique because on the left-hand side there are freshwater lakes and waterfalls, and on the right-hand side is a gorgeous ocean bay.
One of the cliff views while driving through Royal National Park. We stopped for ice cream here and enjoyed watching hang gliding.
On New Year's Eve, we headed back into Sydney for a cocktail & dinner harbor cruise to watch the fireworks. Sydney has two fantastic fireworks shows, the first at 9:00pm when New Zealand celebrates the New Year, and the second one at midnight.
Enjoying wine while watching the sunset over Sydney.
Happy New Year! Sydney spent over 5 million dollars on their fireworks show. They were all choreographed, and set off over multiple places along the harbor. It was spectacular! The entire sky was lit up! Definitely one of the highlights of our trip!
after watching the fireworks at the Spaceneedle they showed fireworks shows from around the world to celebrate new years - I saw the Sydney fireworks and thought of you guys - was wondering if you were watching them =(
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