Last Stops - Sydney and Newport

Sydney was bittersweet for Jeff and I because it marked the end of our unforgettable trip, but the city and it's skyline views are absolutely gorgeous.  The Harbor Bridge and the Opera House were stunning and we were lucky enough to get a room with a view of both.

Amazing view from our room

The weather was perfect for our bridge climb at dusk and I made it to the top with a manageable amount of anxiety.  Coming down in the dark was a challenge, but it was absolutely worth the amazing sights.

Bridge climb

View from the Manly Ferry

The famous Bondi Beach

Symphony at the Opera House - Choppin

After living it up in Sydney we headed north for a visit with Brendon and Sue, our close friend's parents. Brendon showed us the best restaurants and viewpoints, guided us on a bushwalk to explore aboriginal art, and even grilled up some amazing lamb for dinner .  He outshined an offical tour guide we met along the way and shared all the details about what the art meant and the ceremonies that took place, which made the sights so much more interesting.

Viewpoint in Newport

Aboriginal carving - several thousand years old

Our tour leader - Brendon

Our trip completely revived us for another year in Asia.  I'll leave you with a few of our favorite Oz sayings we heard along the way:

• bonnet - hood of the car
• rumble strip - bumps on side of road
• pokies - poker slot machines
• boot - trunk of the car
• strawbs- strawberries
• schooner - glass of beer smaller than a pint
• bush - not city or road, countryside (can be used as bushfire, bushwalking, out in the bush, bush whacking, bush folk)
• bunyip - a mythical creature that a guy in a laundromat told us to look out for claiming one had eaten his dog
• drop bear - another mythical creature we were warned about that drops from trees onto victims
• old bloke - old guy
• good on ya - well done
• slap on some lippy - put on lipstick (hear this one on the news!)

Tweet

Pin It