Sydney

On our way out of Cairns, we got one last look at the Great Barrier Reef.



Then we were off to Australia's largest city. Sydney has a population of 4.5 million people, more than the entire country of New Zealand. The city was originally used as an exporting location for convicts from England. 750 convicts originally landed in Botany Bay, but could not survive there, so they moved on and established the colony in Sydney Harbor. The convicts were in charge of building their own shelter upon arrival, and many of them used the available sandstone, which the city still rests on today. Many of these buildings are still being used today as shops and restaurants, and this area is referred to as The Rocks.

Our first night in Sydney






Fort Denison is a small island in the middle of Sydney Harbor, and was used as a punishment for prisoners. Prisoners were marooned here with nothing but bread and water and had to endure the elements without any shelter. It is now the home to a restaurant.



Sydney Opera House







In 1959, construction began on the Opera House with an estimated schedule of 3 years and a cost of $7 million. In actuality, it took 16 years and $102 million! There was a worldwide competition to find an architectural design that would stand out. The original construction design was initially rejected during the competition, but it was given a second chance and eventually won due to its unique features. The roof is made up of 17 different types of ceramic tiles and the tiles reflect the light of the sky. So if it is an overcast day, the Opera House will have a grayish appearance, while a clear day will make it a bright white. These tiles are self cleaning, which greatly reduces maintenance.







There are a total of 5 theaters in the Opera House. The Concert Hall has world class acoustics, which means that a trained musician requires no microphones to be heard throughout the hall. It also houses the largest mechanical organ in the world, with 10,138 pipes! It took 10 years to build the organ alone!



After our tour, we took a cruise on the harbor where we were able to get a wonderful view of the city from the water. Later that night, we were able to see a performance in the famous opera house. We saw Mathinna, which was a contemporary dance about aboriginal culture. We fully enjoyed both the show and the amazing surroundings!





Taronga Zoo
After our cruise, we visited the Taronga Zoo to learn more about some of Australia's native animals. For example, emus and kangaroos both of hinged hips, which prevent them from walking backwards. Both of these animals are on the national crest to symbolize that the country is always moving forward.



The red kangaroo can be up to 2m in height. It is the most dangerous of the kangaroos when cornered, and can travel up to 30 mph. A group of kangaroos is called a mob.



The platypus uses electromagnetic impulses from their bill to guide themselves because they must keep their eyes closed underwater. We were also able to see many other native animals such as the dingo, the blue tongued lizard, the black swan, and a very active Tasmanian devil!






Bondi Beach
This beautiful beach was the home of the 2000 Olympics Beach Volleyball competition. It is also the origin of surf rescue. In order to become an official surf rescue member, you must run 200m, swim 200m, run another 200m, and then demonstrate proficiency in rescue equipment, including surf boards and other flotation devices. During the summer there can be over 60,000 people on Bondi Beach, and they can average 138 surf rescues per day. In 1938, Bondi Beach endured one of the greatest rescue attempts in history. This day, known as Black Sunday, saw a number of freak waves hit the beach in succession. 250 swimmers need to be rescued simultaneously, and required the efforts of 80 rescue swimmers. Miraculously, only 5 people drowned. Despite a general fear of sharks in the ocean, the last shark attack on Bondi Beach was in 1929, before shark nets were put in place to make the beach safer.



Bridge Climb
On our final day, we got to experience the Sydney Harbor Bridge Climb. The Harbor Bridge, which is affectionately referred to as the Coat Hanger, stands 134 meters above the water. 150,000-160,000 cars pass over the bridge each day. It takes 7,000 gallons of paint to cover the bridge, and as soon as workers finish painting at one end they must immediately start again from the other side. It took us about 4 hours to get prepped and complete the climb. The sights over the city were absolutely breathtaking!

We were here!


The view of the Opera House after our climb


We finished our vacation at a farewell dinner right down on the harbor. It was a wonderful meal and it was hard to say goodbye to all the wonderful friends we had made throughout the tour, especially our spectacular tour director Mark. We'd like to give special thanks to Marty, who took most of the pictures of the two of us that are on the site.

Our wonderful tour director!