This will be most just picture of Sydney and surround area

George St. has more high rises than any other street in the city.

Chinatown

Hyde Park and Anzac memorial to all war dead. And Australian Museum …. Where are to change to city(red)tour…. Later. Next William Street

1974 Coca Cola sign

Kings Cross St. To Victoria St. Then Jewish Museum. Oxford st where gay and lesbian Mardi Gras is held with 200,000 attending. Paddington town hall Centennial park…. Lots of older 3 story buildings

We met Lori and Randy from Orange County CA on the hop on bus and kept running into them. Bondi beach fir lunch and look around

Bondi …means “place of breaking water” in the Aboriginal language . Did you also know that when the white nan came they asked what the name of the kangaroos was. The aborigines replied “I’m don’t understand what your saying” and so the name stuck…. Lol!

Back in bus for rest of tour through area of pretty nice homes. …most exclusives

Hyde park barracks for info obtrusive res sent to Ai.

The Sydney Bridge was also called the Iron Lung bridge because it brought life back to Sydney. It employed 3000 people from 1922-32 and so saved it from a crippling depression.

Rose Bay first international air port in 1932 but today only seaplanes rein out of there.

Double Bay -luxury cars

KingsCross area is the red light district for anything you want to see plus regular nightclubs.

Largest Vertical garden in world

Heritage building residences cannot be torn down

April 25 … Anzac Day… holiday

Maritime museum followed by area of decline then redevelopment huge convention centre

Crown Casino and 5 star hotel… most expensive suite is 25,000/ night

Barangaroo

The Rocks …cruise ship centre.. pubs and shops

Anzac bridge with flag on top

April 25 … Anzac Day… holiday

11 ships brought convicts here in 1788. Men, women and children were brought from Britain for very minor offences…. 20% of the population can trace their origins from those convict.

6000 steps….. mostly on a bus. Sorry this is so discombobulated. Not feeling myself.

I noticed that some pictures seem to be cut off. If you click on the picture it will enlarge and show the whole thing.

I am just a little annoyed when I have to replace pictures cuz this platform won’t handle too many and then I neglect to also replace the descriptions. Sorry !!!

A beautiful day as was yesterday… should mention that cuz it’s been so infrequently.

Off to the big city of Sydney at 10 am but first to Jelly Bean Pools for a swim…. a 40 minute drive.

After lunch it was into Sydney and a drive through the downtown area ending up at Mrs. Macquarrie’s Chair. It has a terrific view of th Sydney bridge and Opera House & downtown. Fort Dennison in harbour is former penal colony and military site.

Woolloomooloo is the area that Sam hung out in as a teen. Can you believe there is a name such as that???

After checking into our hotel we went for a walk around the city. First we went to the Memorial to the ANZACs (Australians and New Zealand Army Coros) that went to Turkey in 1915 …..5000 were slaughtered It’s called the Pools of Reflections. It is In Hyde Park…a 16 hectare park in the middle of the city. The walk included the Botanical Gardens. The park extends to Sydney Harbour. The area has quite a number of heritage buildings abutting it.

Hyde Park barracks in since1917 … was originally to house prisoners. L. Macquarie—- governor 1917

More pictures to follow…. The platform keeps crashing with too many pictures

When the Sydney Opera House was built it was to cost 7 million but eventually ended up costing 108 M

We walked around it and the waterfront…. We were faced with a spectacular sight. Right up there with Dubai and Shanghai with their awe-inspiring designs.

Thunder and lightning struck at the same time so you know how close it was, while we were eating dinner in a Vietnamese restaurant. The workers ducked for cover like it was a bomb going off. It was quite the thrilling experience. And then the downpour!!! And I thought the suggestion that we bring a rain jacket on our walk had been foolish.

13,871 steps today

Leura is the area where our accommodation is. Katoomba is the town where we go to “ScenicWorld” and where we went for lunch. Scenic World has the steepest railway in the world (a 52 degree incline… check the pictures. I would say it was a funicular instead of a railway but that’s what they are calling it. Getting in and sitting down was interesting. The seat was in the form of an open “V”.

Walking through the rainforest we heard a Lyrebird… a cool chirping sound but we didn’t could not see one. There are vines that are so strong they can hold up the family car.

The cableway is 240 meters … breathtaking!

Another cable car skyway 270 meters is the highest in Australia ……where we see the 3 Sisters …spectacular scenery. The view reminds me of God’s Window in South Africa only better. There was really tall waterfall called Katoomba Falls that we could see on the way across the open span

On walk to a lookout to be closer to the 3 Sisters there were plants that resembled Protea but were called Bancksia.

Now off to a hike to a waterfall and another lookout. My right leg is not liking this climbing up and down stairs/inclines.

After we had lunch in town in Katoomba, we wandered through an alley with some pretty awesome street art. I would prefer it if instead of the tagging that is done at home, they did stuff like this. While on the main street I noticed a “strange looking dude” with blond dreadlocks, explanation-mark like face paint, a knitted torque with earflaps, wearing a ruffled black skirt over jogging pants. I’m now wondering if he was one of the artists!

One thing we have found was that many of the hotels have no one on their front desk beyond say 4pm. They leave a key in a lock box or leave the keys in the open room.

10,712 steps.

If there are no pictures someone let me know and I will send them separately. I seem to have them up and then I don’t.

We left for town to grab breakfast just after 8 and were to leave by 9 with our next stop to be the koala hospital/sanctuary for the victims of the fires a couple of years ago. We all piled back into the bus only to have it not start. Our bus driver/ CEO Sam hunted down the battery (not easily found) but didn’t have hardly any tools. First he went to a mechanic’s shop for ideas on how to fix it cuz we didn’t have trouble starting it in the morning. He came back and tried to fix it but was lacking a proper sized wrench so then had to go and purchase one. 2 hours later he turned the key, it started, everyone cheered and we were off to see the koalas.there is a wealth of information that might find interesting if you read the info boards…

I was mistaken that these koalas are there only because of the fires. Mostly they are there because they’ve been hit by vehicles. Of course drivers don’t stop for pedestrians so why would they stop for koalas. Also they are losing their natural habitat and will not hesitate to cross a road in order to find another tree. We saw a momma and a baby Joey (just like a baby kangaroo… because they are both marsupials…. they both keep their baby in a pouch). The Joey was under a year, had been born in the sanctuary. There was another a bit older. The momma had been found wandering in the middle of town so they don’t know where her area was to release her back to. Other koalas have eye injuries, another has no pads on its feet and hands because of fires so can never climb again. Damn they are so cute and cuddly looking. Did you know they sleep 20 hours a day….. it’s kinda hard to get a. Picture if one awake and moving. I have a video but unable to send.

We all go back to the bus only to find we have the problem again. It wasn’t long before Sam got it going again but then he decided it would be good to get a new battery so back to Port Macquarrie we went to spend several more hours hanging around the beautiful waterfront. I watched a group of young teens jump into the water from posts on the wharf. We left just after 3pm.

Blue mountains get the name from the blue haze that the eucalyptus trees give off.

Stopped at Lake Macquarrie on the north side of Sydney…just for a break. Saw some birds in the trees…. Looked like parrots.

Arrived at our destination at 11pm….knackered!

Only 6526…. Not surprising!!!

I awoke to pouring torrential rains….again! It’s relentless!!!

After getting breaky at bakery (they make fabulous pies in Oz) we went from jungle and relentless rain to rolling hills and sun (and cloud) in under 10 minutes…… amazing!

Passed through an area just around Ballinas, that obviously have had fires in the eucalyptus trees. They seem to have regrown the leaves on most. I missed it but there was a ladder that crossed over the highway so that the koalas can safely cross the highway.

Stopped at Coffs Harbour at the”Big Banana”, an amusement /theme park, etc.

From there to Port Macquarrie, and Wauchole where we are spending the night.

January 25, Australia Day the day the British came ashore and massacred the aboriginals. For the natives it’s a day of mourning. Also called the “Hottest Day when they hear the hottest music, bbq and drink too much beer.

8512 steps

Irukandji jellyfish is the name of the little stinger buggers in Australia. They are little…..the size of your thumbnail. You cannot see them in the water but they can kill you. The other day while snorkeling, I felt a little bite on my upper pec, realizing the zipper on my suit wasn’t pulled all the way up…,.. no lasting effects. Others felt them too.

The weather is very nasty (winds and torrential rains) so some activities were cancelled…. Skydiving and ocean kayaking but some brave souls got going at 7:10 to have a bite and then went to learn to surf. Since stuff was cancelled our CEO Sam is touring us around. Sorry cannot send videos.

Stone and Wood is the brewery pub where we went for lunch. The company said it would hold out on any buyout by Coopers but caved too. There are only 1% of all craft breweries left that are independent

Next to another brewery for most people trying a “flight”. From there we went to the Byron Lighthouse, the most easterly point in Australia.

It is most powerful light, strongest in Australia with the light having 760 prisms weighing 8 tonnes. We just about got blown away and I lost my yellow “Sou’wester hat” that I got in Nova Scotia 😢. I am hoping that I won’t need it ever again…. Yah right!

6850 steps

I was going to mention before but kept forgetting to but OMG the room/suite numbering is weird. For example, there were several rooms booked for us on the same door as us….,on Level “3” that was above level L-street level, B-car park level & level 1… reception and restaurant. We were on the next level but our room number was 7H, others were 9F and others were 10 something or other. Insane!!! Anyone ever heard of that kind of numbering?

We don’t actually have to leave here before 4 today so since we could leave our luggage in the lobby, we took a walk into town…..for me to get fridge magnets. I also ended up buying a top. On the way I spotted a Masked Lapwing. We all picked up some food and drinks & Sam bought more food (at the park by the beach) & a cake in celebration of Alan’s birthday.

I am not, I am not, I am not complaining about the heat and humidity but it is f..n stinking uncomfortable ….. makes me quite ill.

At 4 we head to the airport for a 7:10pm flight to Brisbane followed by a bus ride to Byron Bay, arriving around midnight….. yuk! Actually we arrived at 1am New South Wales time (time change) in the pouring rain.

We have been upgraded to a 5 star hotel in Byron Bay called Crystalbrook

8528 steps

We are to go out on a sailboat for the day, to snorkel the reefs and such…..so meet the CEO for 7:15 for it bus ride to the marina. ….that was late and now we sit waiting at the marina…. for what I don’t know….. the deckhands to show up.

First full moon in November the coral spawns… catch it nets to replant.

Tricadesmia-coral spawn

10:40at spot. ….Hook Island …Cockatoo Point where we snorkelled for an hour, then lunch on board. We got lots of videos (that are impossible to load on this site. Sorry but only a few stills.

Hayman Island (was a 6 star… the help is never seen cuz they use tunnels… now a 5 star because of the damage) and Hamilton Island – cyclone Debbie destroyed much of the vegetation (some still has not recovered) and a good number of homes.

Only 5123 step although some of us walked up to the lookout on the island, into town for dinner and back. We had quite the workout and are all exhausted. The day was supposed to be terrible with rain and lightning but instead had a beautiful day…. Too beautiful. We all got burn regardless of wearing sunscreen.