We got back from our two-week trip down under a few weeks ago. As I have done previously, I wanted to provide my first impressions of the trip. Afterwards, I will go into more detail on specific aspects of the trip. The best way to sum it up: AWESOME!
This is also a special shout out to Kelly and Nils, who were the best hosts anyone can have and for little Lenny to give up his bedroom for us. You can see a country so much differently when you have local hosts.
The Great Barrier Reef is not to be missed
We split our time between Sydney and Hamilton Island. Hamilton Island is on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef and next to the famous Whitehaven Beach.
The beaches are so white and the views during low tide are ones not to miss. We did a day trip to experience it all and it didn’t disappoint. Just let me say that pictures don’t do it justice. If you have Australia on your list, this is something we can’t recommend enough. We also did a day trip out to the Great Barrier Reef to snorkel around the Hardy Reef. Lucky us, we finally saw some sea turtles and were able to swim with one for a quite a while all by ourselves.
Too many beaches to count
One thing I didn’t realize during my last visit to Sydney was just how many beautiful beaches there are. The amount of beach and water-front is amazing and we took full advantage of visiting many different areas. One more beautiful than the next. Since we were north of downtown Sydney we ventured all over the North Sydney Beaches. Manly Beach is probably the most famous one. However it is also the most crowded and touristy. It also feels like every person in Sydney lives on or near a beach and by the thousands of boats you see, owns a boat.
Celebrating my birthday in style
I also celebrated my birthday on this trip and we had something special planned for that too. We did the aptly named Bridge Climb. You literally walk up the famous Harbor Bridge in Sydney. We did the sunset walk where there were had incredible views of the city and the famous Opera house, all while the traffic underneath bustled along. We finished off the night with dinner at Café Sydney that overlooks the Harbor.
Fun Fact: They budgeted AUD 7 million to build the Sydney Opera House. Final cost came out to AUD 104 million.
Don’t sleep on the Blue Mountains
To mix it up, we also took a day trip to the Blue Mountains. They were a 90min car ride away for us. We went early in the morning to do a hike. When we arrived, there was a thick fog and visibility was nearly zero. While on our walk and down 900 STEEP stairs, it started to clear up. Once we ultimately got back to the top we could see the whole valley in a stark contrast to earlier in the day. Oh, and we came across a snake that is listed in the Top 10 of dangerous snakes in Australia. I guess a trip to Australia is not complete if you don’t fear for your life at least once.
Summary
We couldn’t have asked for a better two weeks with great friends. Having that local experience was one we won’t forget anytime soon. It certainly helps that Kelly and Nils went out of their way to make our stay unforgettable. Even for me, this time around I felt I saw a completely new side of Sydney and tremendously enjoyed it.
