Chapter 178: Sydney (our new favorite large city), Canberra, & Beyond!

10 months ago 37

10.25.23 It's one of the most famous cities in the world, and one of the furthest south as well. It's not the capital of Australia, but it is the largest city, and contains almost 20% of the population. The...

10.25.23

It�s one of the most famous cities in the world, and one of the furthest south as well. It�s not the capital of Australia, but it is the largest city, and contains almost 20% of the population. The most iconic landmark?? It�s the famous Sydney Opera House, with the seashell shaped roof. Some places we visited have not met our expectations, but Sydney did, and we enjoyed our time there.

Prior to arriving in Australia we had many discussions on how long to stay in country, as well as in Sydney. We underestimated on both�. We expected it to be much more expensive, but it was similar to California. Since we only had a few days in Sydney, no sense in killing ourselves trying to see it all since we agreed that a return visit is for certain.

In three short days we walked through much of the town, and concluded that it is probably our favorite large city to date. It offers everything anyone would want, but was not overly crazy and was exceptionally clean! I don�t know when I�ve seen a large city so pristine. We spent several hours walking through the entire Harbor and the Botanical Garden, which was majestic, and just hanging out at a park where dozens of people were doing the same thing during lunch.

And on our final morning, we did something spectacular: we climbed the Sydney Harbor Bridge, which took about 3.5 hours, and required over 1,300 steps. Talk about a professional organization! We were strapped in a jumpsuit, a harness protected us, plus a guide wire led us during the entire length of the tour. Kat had concerns about the steps, but, like always, she came through like a trooper! The view from the top was magnificent, 360� all the way around.

We did find two things that were troublesome: it seems that the fly infestation is especially harsh this year, and they are always in our face, and our visit to the motorcycle shop to pick up our ride for the next 8 days ran into some complications� We�ll get into that next�

10.30.23

A challenging motorcycle ride through the cold�

After 2.5 days in Sydney it was time to move on, to head south to a few different small towns, then onward to the capital city of Canberra. I had the bright idea to rent a motorcycle to make this trek, but I was not specific in requesting the bike that we needed and we ended up getting a Ducati sports bike� The bike was lacking a rear luggage carrier, a wind shield, and it had a very narrow seat, more equipped for in-town riding for one person, and not touring.

But we had little choice, and after much hand wringing, we were forced to take our four backpacks and combine them into one small one since that was all we had room for. That meant for several days we are wearing the same clothes repeatedly, and we also had to worry about the cold since a chill had moved in. Our first stop was the small suburban town of Como, where we stayed with Laurel, who was a sweetheart! We enjoyed our brief stay there, and she left us with the best breakfast we have ever had at an Airbnb. The journey to our next location was very uncomfortable with relentless wind which made the riding cold. We stopped on the way and I purchased some gloves and some heavier socks, and we made it to our next location in Tomerong. This was a large ranch style home with high beam ceilings and a large pasture behind it. Truthfully, it was very calm and we got to view our first live kangaroo and baby, which is called a Joey! Our stay there was very brief as well, and instead of trying to make it to our final destination, we decided to break it up into two days, so lodged in Bateman�s Beach. We also were blessed with a lovely hostess and had a chance to relax before our last leg.

Day three was our most challenging since the sky was overcast most of the time, and fortunately the wind died down, but the temperatures were the lowest we have ever ridden in together, about 11� c, 52� f. Brrr!! We stopped on the way to warm up with some hot chocolate, but we made it on to our destination, where we got to meet fellow travel writers Christine and her husband, Maurie. And so began our 5 days in Canberra.

11.01.23

Canberra: what a pleasure!

Australia has been an endless series of pleasant surprises! Almost like Christmas every few days. First, the city of Sydney, a large metropolis that we both loved. Then a 3-day motorbike journey south along the coast, and then, Canberra, where we stayed for 5 days.

First we met Christine and her hubby, Maurie, fellow travel writers who were kind enough to host us for a few days. And we could not have asked for better friends to make us feel welcome. Along with sharing some amazing meals, we also took a tour of The Australian Parliament and the National Museum.

But the next two days after were two of the most amazing in our lives as we stayed at the Jamala Animal Lodge which adjoins the Canberra Zoo. Along with getting personal tours of the zoo, we got to feed meerkats, pet Cheetahs, and spend the night with giraffes outside out balcony. This once in a lifetime experience we�ll be sharing in greater detail after we go through the huge collection of photos.

Then back to Sydney, back to the east coast via Macquarie Pass National Park, an amazing ride through a narrow mountain road. A night in Shellharbor, and then, my final �must do� experience which did not happen since I missed a sign and never got to ride over the Sea Cliff Bridge, a spectacular feat of engineering, a highway that goes OVER the ocean through the rugged mountainous terrain, ending at the beautiful Pacific Ocean. It�s just north of Wollongong, which I had to note since it�s such a cool name.