Home Again, Home Again

This morning we gathered up our belongings and headed to the Sydney airport.

Our flight left Australia at 10:30AM (no delays!! – believe it or not) on Monday, July 23^rd.  We flew for approximately 14 hours and landed in Vancouver, Canada, at 7:30AM Monday, July 23^rd. 

Timelords once again; we traveled back in time, which technically placed us in two places at once.

By intentionally planning a lot of time before our connecting flight, we were able to take the train into Vancouver and wander around for a while.  It was nice to get a glimpse of the Canadian west coast; however the Australian winter weather followed us and we ended up spending our few hours exploring the city in the drizzle.  

We did manage to pay homage at the Rogers arena, home of the Vancouver Canucks; which made it all worthwhile.

When we boarded the flight for the last leg home to California, everyone was sufficiently exhausted.

We arrived in LA in time for dinner (still July 23^rd).

Thank you for coming along with us on our voyage to Australia.  We had a wonderful time meeting relatives, visiting beautiful places, trying new food, and cuddling unique animals!  I hope you enjoyed sharing some of our memories.

Day 21: Sydney (last day)

It is our last day in Australia and we managed to squeeze in as much as we could.

This morning and early afternoon, the weather was on and off rainy, so we dodged raindrops and downpours by visiting museums and getting to know some interesting facts about Sydney and Australia.   

Our first stop was the Police and Justice Museum, where we learned about the history and development of Australia’s police force and early justice system, as well as some more infamous Australian crimes.

Next we went to the Museum of Sydney, which was built on the foundation of the original Government House built in Australia in the early 1800’s.  Here we learned a lot of Australian history and got to see lots of artifacts from the early settlers.

Our third museum of the day was the Sydney Barracks.  It was originally built to house all the convict immigrants as they entered the penal colony, until they were sorted out and settled within the new, developing society.  It functioned as such for almost a century and processed hundreds of thousands of people.

I think all the museum hopping really tired everyone out...

When our minds were satisfactorily saturated with historical facts and the majority of the inclement weather avoided, we ventured out into the city to refuel with some hot chocolate and ice cream.  Once sufficiently replenished, we walked to Darling Harbour where we popped inside one more building, the St. James Cathedral, for one last bit of history. 

The rest of the day and evening we visited Chinatown, explored the harbour shops, and completed some last minute souvenir shopping.

After dinner, we headed back to our place to pack and get ready for our flight back to North America tomorrow.

Day 20: Sydney Opera House

This morning’s start wasn’t as early as yesterday’s; however, we still had a very full day.
We crossed to Circular Quay in time for the first tour of the Sydney Opera House of the day. We had an hour long guided tour of the facility which included detailed commentary about the construction and access to the various venues within the complex. We even got a private viewing of the world pianist competition rehearsal with the Sydney Symphony playing Rachmaninoff and a glimpse of the stage preparations for our opera later this afternoon.

After an early lunch and some window shopping, we headed back to the opera house to see the matinee performance of Aida. Even though it was a THREE hour performance with two intermissions, everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. (I think Lukas had a little snooze during Act III). It was quite spectacular.

After the show we rushed back to our place for a quick change of clothes (warmer). Dave’s cousin, Hani, and his son, were waiting for us to take us to their home. The kids were very excited to meet some more relatives their age. We were able to have a good visit, before we went to a restaurant for an amazing Lebanese dinner. Once again, our visit was far too short, but it was still nice to meet everyone and make some connections on the other side of the world.

Day 19: Blue Mountains

Today was a whirlwind of tourist activity!

We woke up very early to catch the first ferry of the day to Circular Quay, to catch a bus to the bus terminal, to catch another bus to the Blue Mountains (all went smoothly).

Our first stop en route to the Blue Mountains (100km from Sydney) was a quick visit with the critters of the Featherdale Wildlife Park.  This was another animal sanctuary that shelters only Australian critters, so, not only did we get up close to koalas and kangaroos (including some with joeys in pouches), but we also got to see some penguins, wombats, and, a crocodile.

We arrived in the Blue Mountains in time for lunch.  Our driver gave us an hour at Echo Point, close to the Three Sisters rock formation, to grab a bite.  We also managed to catch an Aboriginal demonstration at the Koomurri Aboriginal Centre where we were shown various tools used for everyday life and hunting.  The presentation included a didgeridoo performance which was quite entertaining and impressive.  By the way, didgeridoo is not its real name – there are many; all of which translate to “hollow log”, but not “didgeridoo”, which was Darwin’s nomenclature based on the sound he heard.  Before we had to run, we were fortunate to catch a glimpse of a traditional dance too.

Our driver dropped us off down the road to commence our Scenic World experience.  We boarded the Scenic Skyway which transported us 270m above the Jasmison Valley across to the Scenic Railway.  The railway, the steepest in the world, dropped us to the valley floor where we had a quick walk along the boardwalk to observe the rainforest and coal mine exhibitions.  Then we ascended the Scenic Cableway back up to the bus.

Our next destination was in the quaint mountain village of Leura, where we had a minute to buy some chocolate.

Back in Sydney, our driver took us past Homebush Bay, the 2000 Olympic Games site, for a drive-by of the Stadiums and facilities.

The bus tour culminated with a delightful evening cruise on the Parramatta River with commentary back to Sydney Harbour and Circular Quay.

Our touring completed for the day, we ate dinner in The Rocks, browsed in a book store, and then headed back to our jetty to turn in.

Day 18: The Rocks

This morning we took the ferry from our neighbourhood to the Circle Quay in the city centre.

Our vessel passed under the Bradfield Bridge and pulled up right next to the Sydney Opera House.

We spent the day exploring a section of Sydney called The Rocks, which is the oldest section of the city.

Our exploration included an interesting tour of a housing complex called Susannah Place which was built in the 1800’s.  The restoration of the different rooms provided representations that spanned the eras since it was established, including sections of wear that showed the layers of change.

After a full day of walking, we headed back to our own 19^th century abode for dinner and an early night.

Day 17: Cairns to Sydney

Our flight to Sydney was not until this afternoon, so we had a late leisurely breakfast at a restaurant on the beach and then walked along the beach quite a long way.  After our walk we changed into our “cool” weather clothes for the trip down the coast. 

In keeping with the theme of our flight departures, this one was also delayed.  Only 20 minutes this time and we had no connecting flight to worry about, so it was not a big deal.

When we arrived in Sydney, we took a “maxi” taxi, which we all fit in (!), to our new and final abode.

Our new temporary “home”, is beautiful.  It is a single home dwelling built in the 1800’s that has been eloquently renovated and decorated to preserve its heritage.  It is right on the Sydney Harbour and from the vantage point on the rooftop lookout there is an amazing view of Sydney.

We are all looking forward to exploring Sydney tomorrow.

Day 16: Another Beach Day

With our rental car returned, we were forced to spend another day relaxing at the beach. 

It was somewhat windier than the other day, but that only made the waves that much more fun to play in. 

We strolled along the beach and out to the end of the jetty.

It was a good day for Beachcombing.  The girls collected shells while the boys enjoyed launching semi-waterlogged timber.

This, our last evening in Northern Australia, was spent at a beach restaurant, enjoying some cocktails & mocktails in the sea breeze.