Part 2 : New Year and More
Amazing fruit display in IGA Newtown (photo courtesy of IGA Newtown)
31 December 2019
This was the hottest day that we had experienced so far since arriving in Australia 3 days before.
I think it hit 39 or even 40 degrees at various points during the day; we couldn't imagine that there would have been any hotter days than this at any point during our time there, but little did we know then what meteorological wonders were in store for us.
I was glad that no excursions had been planned for the two of us that day as I would have struggled doing anything in that heat.
We spent the morning at home enjoying the air conditioning and doing washing then we went out for a coffee and our first shop at the local IGA (equivalent of Waitrose in the UK and Lunns in the US).
We loved the blast of air conditioning as we walked through the supermarket doors out of that blustering, oppressive heat; once inside we enjoyed looking at all the different products for sale there compared to our supermarkets back home; we were particularly impressed with the huge array of fruit and veg on display especially considering that this was a comparatively small city centre supermarket.
I suppose it was the height of summer in a hot continent where virtually everything is home grown so it's hardly surprising that fresh produce shelves were so well stocked.
Food is expensive though; certainly more expensive than in the UK, which took us totally by surprise; we had read that Australia wasn't cheap but we certainly didn't expect it to be so much more expensive than the UK.
We realised too that most Australian supermarkets don't stock alcohol; this needs to be bought in an off-licence which Australians call a bottle shop or a bottle O.
Luckily there was one next door so all was good.
The local bakery on the corner before turning into the supermarket was excellent too; lots of different types of bread all freshly baked every day.
We loved their wonderful walnut sour dough loaf; almost as good as Gennaro's sour dough in Sessa in the South of Italy, where we travelled to regularly, even though it did cost double in Newtown.
We had our mid morning coffee at the Coffee To Go cafe near the station where our daughter took us on our arrival day, (probably to make sure we stayed awake); the flat white I had there was the best coffee I had throughout our entire trip in both Australia and New Zealand; we even risked going back there in mid March during the pre lockdown period to have one final excellent coffee and to give them our verdict.
On our way home we walked past a very nice pub called the Court House Hotel with a beer garden that looked so appealing that we thought it would do no harm to pop in for a quick drink and a light lunch.
The quick drink lasted two hours; we ran into our daughters and future son-in-law on the way so they joined us.
We learned later that this was our daughter and her boyfriend's favourite local pub.
Apparently the quiz nights there were great as Happy Hour was extended to 8:00 pm to encourage more people to take part, but following our disgrace at the previous quiz the night before, we decided not to sign up to any more quizzes for the foreseeable future.
We were due to get to our evening event in central Sydney at 6:30 pm so we got home in plenty of time to get ready and even have a nice cup of tea.
On our way home we realised that the weather had changed; it was still very hot but it had become so windy that at one point we struggled to stay upright.
It reminded me a little of the Mediterranean summer scirocco winds that we experienced occasionally in Italy, except that this was far more violent; it was more like what I imagined a desert storm would feel like.
We had serious concerns as to whether we would be able to go out at all that evening especially as within a few hours the sky became very smoky again and visibility was poor.
I could now see why there were so many bush fires in this country.
Violently hot days, followed by raging hot winds and no rain has to be a recipe for disaster.
Fortunately for us the evening was not cancelled; it would have been a few days later as those hot desert winds continued to rage for several weeks in January and no doubt contributed to the worst forest fires Australia had ever known
The beer garden at the Court House Hotel Newtown
New Year's Eve in Sydney Harbour
The chances of us all being in Sydney Harbour again together on New Year's Eve were sadly extremely unlikely, more so in the wake of Covid which led to our daughter and her partner aborting their plans to settle in Australia or New Zealand for a few years at least.
But we were all there then, which was wonderful though we didn't know at the time just how lucky we were to have gone anywhere at all in 2020.
When you are not at all familiar with a new city and you are there on New Year's Eve, it is advisable to book an organised event in advance if you are in a position to.
I spent New Years Eve in Boston with a friend many years ago and we did not do that so we had a very frightening experience at the end of the evening when we returned to our hotel to discover that a New Year's Eve party had turned into a massive drunken brawl.
So on this occasion, we decided we to celebrate it at Sydney's Royal Observatory.
Many Sydneysiders take a picnic, a crate or two of bubbly, a couple of blankets to sit on and then they head out as early as 8:00 am to secure a prime harbourside viewing spot in Sydney's beautiful botanical gardens.
As our daughter had arranged excellent accommodation for us over the entire Christmas period and had booked and paid for all we had done so far since our arrival 4 days before, we decided that New Years Eve would be our treat.
I researched a few events online when I was still in the UK, including dinner and cruise in the harbour which looked lovely but at AU$3,000 a head we decided against that.
New Year's Eve in Sydney is big business.
Events I liked the look of ranged from AU$1500 to AU$22,000 per person.
At that point our daughter decided to get advice from friends and see what was available at a more reasonable cost.
She eventually opted for the NYE dinner and dance at the Sydney Observatory overlooking the Harbour Bridge.
This was far more reasonably priced at AU$180 per person; there would be a side view of the harbour fireworks rather than the full frontal one, which was a shame but we would have the added bonus of an excellent view of the two Darling Harbour displays at 9:00 pm and at midnight as well as the harbourside one.
The evening couldn't have been better.
We were welcomed with a champagne reception and canapés, and main courses and desserts were served as and when we wanted them together with wine, beer, cocktails and even more champagne.
Most of us found the canapés so filling that we didn't bother with mains at all.
We were joined by our younger daughter's friends from the Bondi Iceberg bar encounter so there were 10 of us on our table in the end which is always good on evenings such as these.
Of course the fireworks were incredible when they started, even with just a side view.
They went on for over an hour and together with the Darling Harbour and Kirribilli displays, they totally lit up the sky all around us and the sea below us.
I'm not a bucket list person myself but I can completely understand why NYE in Sydney Harbour is considered to be one of the most popular bucket list activities for people all over the world 🎇
Arrival at the Observatory in Sydney
Champagne and canapés
Dancing to fireworks in Sydney Harbour
New Year's Eve Fireworks, Sydney Harbour
Sydney Harbour bridge view from Sydney Observatory
Fireworks at midnight in Sydney
Crowds in Sydney on NYE (photo courtesy of the Daily Mail Sydney)
Getting back to Newtown
The evening had been a great success; it was everything we expected a new year celebration in Sydney to be; but when it did eventually come to an end, we soon realised that getting back home to Newtown would not be as easy as we thought.
The first sign of something not being right was when we noticed that our taxi was not waiting for us where it had dropped us off as arranged with the driver earlier that evening.
We then discovered that all roads everywhere in Central Sydney, were closed to traffic, (taxis included), and trains, trams and metros were at a complete standstill with all stations having been barricaded shut; so we walked from station to station with what felt like a million other stranded souls, only to be turned away from one after another.
When we eventually arrived at Wynyard station, one of Sydney's main transport hubs, we realised that though it was open, for Health and Safety reasons they were only giving platform access to a handful of passengers at a time.
As we had been walking for over an hour in evening wear and heels, we decided to wait and take our chances.
The scrum of people crowding around us pushing and yelling constantly was unregulated and completely unmonitored.
I was very concerned about safety especially as there were young children stuck in the crowd who were unhappy and crying and couldn't always be seen as they were so small.
When we eventually got to the front of the scrum, a ticket attendant counted the number of people allowed through by tapping them on the shoulder, as I was slower than most with my higher than usual heels, many pushed in front of me to get though, so I was urged to get a move on by the attendant and when I eventually did make it through the very narrow barrier, instead of tapping me on the shoulder, he pushed me quite violently through the gate and down the stairs, luckily a kind man broke my fall or I think this could have been a very different holiday experience for us.
I was visibly shaken at that point so my daughter's boyfriend joined by my younger daughter ran back up the stairs to sanction the ticket attendant in a vigorous and very colourful rage. I am sure he will think twice before doing that again.
The reason I am mentioning this at all in this blog is that we did not know that Sydney would struggle with the NYE crowds to such an extent.
I have never experienced anything like this anywhere else before and I have spent many NYE celebrations in the past in central London where London transport in the early hours of New Year's Day, tends to be completely free.
Why access to taxis and buses was totally blocked in Sydney that night, remains a complete mystery to me; I would have thought that encouraging the crowds to disperse as quickly as possible would have been the best course of action, but they did the opposite and kept us all in the city centre for hours walking from one metro stop to another.
We do not regret our lovely NYE celebration at the observatory at all, I would definitely do that again given the chance, but what I would do differently now is book a hotel room or Airbnb flat for one night for all of us, somewhere within walking distance of the venue so we would not rely on public transport to get us home.
That would certainly be my advice to anyone spending NYE in the iconic Harbour Bridge area of Sydney.
New Year's Day in Byron Bay
1 January 2020
Although we didn't get back home to Newtown until 3:00 am after the New Year's Eve Sydney transport disaster, at 11:00 am on New Year's Day, we set off for the airport to embark on the first of our many trips to beauty spots in different parts of this extraordinary continent.
This first one was to Byron Bay and was particularly special as it was the only one which would also include our younger daughter who would need to return to the UK the following week.
As we were hiring a car, our daughter had booked us all into a motel in an inland town called Mullumbimby.
It made sense not to stay in Byron itself as it kept costs low, but as it turned out we ended up really loving our time in Mullum.
Byron Bay itself was as extraordinary as we expected it to be but it was in many ways a typical seaside town with all the cafes, restaurants, juice bars, ice-cream stands, private art galleries, over priced designer clothes boutiques etc that characterise high end beach towns such as these all over the world.
But Mullumbimby was small town Australia regenerating gradually into a vibrant, vegan, modern hippy community where everyone lived as 'sustainable' a life as possible and which couldn't be more different from Byron Bay or indeed anywhere else we had been to in Australia to date.
It is definitely worth visiting Mullumbimby if you do go to Byron Bay and it is undoubtedly cheaper to stay there than in Byron itself, but just one word of caution, do check restaurant and cafe prices carefully before you order; we opted for breakfast in a 'trendy' vegan restaurant the following morning and we paid more for a very basic breakfast there than a substantial evening meal in the local pub the evening before.
Mullumbimby town centre
Byron surfer
A beach day in Byron Bay
Back in Mullumbimby
Ibis in sleepy Mullum
New Virus in China
It was at the airport on the morning of 1 January 2020 that we heard a news report stating that China had alerted the World Health Organisation to a new virus.
I learnt later that the announcement from China was made on 31 December 2019 but we first heard of it on the morning of 1 Jan 2020.
It wasn't the first time that we had heard of some sort of virus in China. I am sure it was reported in the UK in December before we left for Australia or maybe I had read about it on Social Media but even that wasn't the first time we had heard of a possible epidemic in China.
When we were on a mini Mediterranean cruise in mid November 2019, we met a couple from Mumbai where the husband went regularly to China on business.
They were extremely well travelled and when we told them that we would be in Australia for three months from the end of December, they gave us lots of advice on where to stay, what to see and even areas to avoid.
We also talked about possible stop-overs on our way there and on our way back; we explained that we would be visiting friends in Singapore and Malaysia on one leg of our journey but we were seriously considering a stop-over in China or Hong Kong on the other.
This they strongly advised us not to do.
Whilst in China the week before, the husband had been alerted to a flu epidemic which apparently was highly infectious and had already spread from one region to another in a comparatively short space of time.
He was due to return to China a few weeks later but he decided to postpone it until this had blown over.
Whether this was Covid 19 or not, I do not know but it is clear from what we were told on 12 November 2019 that there was a nasty virus in China already in early November 2019.
Stone and Wood Byron Bay
Stone and Wood Eatery at the brewery
Stone and Wood Brewery
2 January 2020
The next day after what was becoming our statutory mid morning dip in the sea followed by a few hours reading on the beach, we treated ourselves to a plank lunch and a beer tasting at the well known Stone and Wood Brewery just outside the Byron Bay area.
Stone and Wood produces some of the most popular beers in Australia and after sampling a few of them myself I could totally see why.
Their Pacific Ale is now available in the UK and can be ordered online at a very reasonable price.
Stone and Wood was awarded 'Champion Large Australian Brewery' at the 2016 Australian International Beer Awards and its Pacific Ale won a Silver medal at the World Beer Cup in the English-Style Summer Ale category.
Definitely worth trying if you haven't already and it can be ordered in the UK from the La Sanza online Antipodean distribution site.
The restaurant area at Stone and Wood Brewery Byron Bay
Friends old and new
Friends reunited
Meeting up with good friends after not seeing them for a long time is always special.
This was certainly the case when our younger daughter met up with her best friend from her undergraduate student days in Tuscany.
Fortunately for us we were all invited to spend the afternoon and evening with her and her family in their beautiful home in the Federal area of Byron Bay.
The lovely drive through glorious scenery on rural country roads was an experience in itself, rendered even more momentous when our younger daughter caught a glimpse of a koala bear high up in a gum tree.
We did not know then just how difficult it would be to see koala bears in the wild; although we saw plenty of other animals at various points during our travels later in our trip, we never managed to spot a koala.
Our other daughter who had been living in Australia for almost a year at this point had also never managed to see one out in the wild either so it was particularly noteworthy that our younger daughter who was barely there for two weeks in total, was the only one among us to have had that privilege.
The warm Australian welcome we received on arrival at our daughter's friend's family home was overwhelming.
We had not been there long before we felt as if we had all known each other for years.
It was clear that the girls had become such good friends not least as their respective families appeared to have quite a lot in common.
We reminisced about our Italian connections, we played scopa with a pack of traditional Neapolitan cards, we practised our Italian language skills and ate wonderful Italian food on their patio under the stars.
Other young friends arrived throughout the afternoon and evening so at one point there were 12 of us around the dining table.
It was without doubt one of the most memorable afternoons and evenings spent anywhere with good friends that you have a real connection with.
If you have the opportunity to spend an evening with Australian friends old or new, then welcome it with open arms as I guarantee that it will be a glittering highlight of your entire trip.
Glorious countryside in Federal, Byron Bay
Australian hospitality par excellence
Amici per sempre
Farewell Mullumbimby
Shopping in Mullumbimby
Farewell Mullumbimby
After our wonderful evening spent with excellent friends in Federal, Byron Bay, we decided to have a lazy morning in Mullum before going back to the beach and then straight to the airport for our flight back to Sydney.
As there appeared to be a mid summer sale in Mullumbimby at that time, we decided to have an impromptu shopping spree after breakfast.
There are no mega shopping malls in Mullum just individual, often family run boutiques which we totally loved.
We bought summer dresses, beach wear and tops which would be useful in Australia and even back in the UK from May onwards.
The thought of no winter for at least 8 months was such a good one, though at the time we were blissfully ignorant as to how most of those 8 months would be spent.
We were more circumspect with regard to our choice of brunch venue later that morning after our overpriced breakfast experience the previous day.
An ordinary run-of-the-mill diner did for us that day. No sustainably sourced vegan breakfast salads for us on that occasion, just toast, bacon sandwiches and blueberry muffins.
Once seated, we started chatting with a very friendly couple who were similar in age to us and who asked if they could sit at the other end of our table.
We discovered that they had recently moved to Mullum from Brisbane and totally loved the change of pace and the friendly small town feel of the place compared to Brisbane and Melbourne where they lived before.
They assumed we were 'Sydney Siders' rather than Brits. "You have no accent at all" we were told which was extraordinary as we had still only been in Australia one week so I doubt we had picked up the local lingo by then.
We realised later in our trip that there are huge numbers of Brits in Australia so the British accent is very common all over the country; at least everywhere we went; I expect Australians have grown so accustomed to it that it now blends in quite naturally with their own.
As we left Mullumbimby, we realised that this would actually be a lovely place to retire to; if of course we lived in Australia to begin with.
It was the first of many moments throughout our Aussie travels that we honestly wished we did
Simpson's Creek and Torakina Beach
Simpsons Creek Byron
Simpsons Creek with the bridge in the background
Australian Brush Turkey in Torakina Park
Beautiful Torakina beach at the Brunswick barrier estuary
Farewell Byron Bay
We thought of several ways of spending this our last day in the Byron area; we even toyed with the idea of driving to Brisbane for the day or to the Gold Coast which was barely an hour from Mullumbimby by car.
But in the end we opted for a lazy morning in Mullum and a trip to Simpsons Creek and Torakina beach as recommended by our friends the evening before.
The Brunswick River, where Simpsons Creek is located, is an open wave barrier estuary in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales bordering Queensland.
The water is crystal clear and ice cold, so it's a perfect place to cool off on hot summer days under the scorching Australian sun.
We found a pleasant spot with picnic table, chairs and sunshade near the South Bridge Road bridge.
I was and still am amazed at the facilities provided free of charge in Australian beauty spots all over the country.
Wherever you go there are always picnic tables, chairs, free barbecues for all to use, clean public toilets and showers often with shampoo provided.
Beach access is always free and we never saw anyone leaving their litter or bottles behind for others to clear up for them; people tend to appreciate what is provided for them in Australia and in general, they don't appear to take it for granted.
However, Australians do appear to be less concerned about health and safety than we are in the UK, at least this is the impression we had based on quite a few things we saw whist there.
We discovered on that day at Simpson's Creek, that leaping off the South Beach Road bridge into the water below, is seen by locals and some visitors as a sort of rite of passage.
I would certainly not recommend it myself as it actually looked quite dangerous but judging by the number of people jumping, diving, somersaulting and even belly flopping into the creek 4 metres below, this is a popular activity for young and old alike.
I was especially concerned at some of the jagged rocks protruding out of the water not far from where people were jumping; we were all amazed that people were actually allowed to do it; I expect similar feats of 'courage' and 'bravado' take place in the UK and elsewhere in the world, but as I have not witnessed them myself, I found this particularly unnerving.
Later that afternoon we walked across the road to Torakina, a sheltered, picturesque beach nestled between the two break walls at the mouth of the Brunswick River.
To gain access to this beach you need to walk across some grassy bushland known as Torakina Park.
One of the things I enjoyed the most about this excursion was the extraordinary wildlife everywhere around us.
The water in the creek was teeming with many different types of fish and the trees in Torakina park were full of brightly coloured parrots and very noisy cockatoos.
It was here that we also saw our very first brush turkey.
According to Wikipedia, the Australian brushturkey, also frequently called the scrub turkey or bush turkey, is a common, widespread species of mound-building bird from the family Megapodiidae found in eastern Australia from Far North Queensland to Eurobodalla on the south coast of New South Wales.
It appears that it isn't a turkey at all but as it looks like one, the early settlers assumed it was.
Although these are supposedly very shy birds, I was able to get quite close to one in the picnic area.
We actually found Australian birds far less shy of people than birds in the UK, probably because there are so many of them everywhere and they do make their presence felt.
Our younger daughter certainly felt the presence of a cockatoo when it flew over her while she was innocently reading her book under one of the gum trees.
Fortunately for her she had clean clothes in her bag. 🤣
This is definitely a good place to visit if you like wildlife but when in Australia try and remember that wildlife comes in all shapes and sizes.
Australian ants bite and the bites HURT a lot, as I painfully discovered that afternoon.
Maybe avoid sitting under leafy trees in summer in Queensland or rural NSW. 🐜
First Australian spider encounter in our back garden
Funnel Web encounter in our back yard
The collective mood on our journey back from Byron to Sydney was decidedly introspective.
It had clearly dawned on us all that our family Christmas and New Year celebrations were rapidly coming to a close; those last few days together were always going to be a little challenging, so when I was trying to think of suitable Christmas presents for everyone that were easily transportable from Surrey to Sydney, I concluded that what could be better than tickets to the Opera at the super iconic Sydney Opera House.
It was the mood booster we all needed; it may have been our final two days together, but all that mattered now was the fact that we were going to see La Bohème at the Sydney Opera House.
The three youngsters spent the morning sorting out what to take with them to Perth in two days time, what to discard and what to have sent straight back to the UK via our younger daughter who would be setting off from Perth to Heathrow in just a few days time.
The two of us oldies had a much needed lazy morning at home, relaxing in the garden with coffee and our new Christmas books which we had still not had a chance to read.
It was during this time, when we were least expecting it, that we had our first Australian spider encounter.
Neither of us are fans of large spiders; we certainly struggle with them in the UK and they're not even poisonous but in Australia it's a completely different ball game.
Before we left for Australia, friends and relatives everywhere had seemingly enjoyed researching all the venomous creatures we would surely encounter on our travels and enthusiastically advised us on how to avoid dying excruciatingly painful deaths at the jaws or tentacles of one or more of these monsters that we would definitely encounter at some point.
We were advised to check shoes and slippers every day before putting them on, examine toilet seats carefully before sitting on them and never walk bare foot anywhere at all.
We may not have taken all the advice we were given all the time, but we were super cautious, at least where poisonous arachnids were concerned, so when we realised that the large, thick mass that was on the ground in our back garden, a few inches from where we were sitting, was actually a spider, we literally jumped out of our skins.
One of the main challenges of foreigners on holiday in Australia is actually spotting and recognising the many different types of creatures that can actually kill you.
This particular arachnid was what our daughter described as a 'thick one', we don't have anything like this in the UK fortunately; its dense, large body was so well camouflaged on the soil in the nearby flower bed that I expect we wouldn't have spotted it at all had I not bent down to pick up a spoon.
Friends later told us that it could have been a funnel web as they are thick set arachnids and very common everywhere in New South Wales; apparently people often find them in back gardens and occasionally even in the house if doors are left open.
We were assured though that very few people die from spider bites in Australia as in general these are private, shy creatures and will only bite when attacked or accidentally stepped on.
This thought did not reassure us as much as our friends thought it would, sharing our living space with a potentially deadly spider is not something either of us were the slightest bit comfortable with, especially as we read an article published in the Guardian in 2014 that stated:
"The funnel web “classically speaking” is considered the world’s deadliest spider because it “kills so quickly”. “In terms of speed of death, in Australia we say funnel web, 15 minutes, no sweat,” “With a funnel web bite to the torso, you’re dead. No other spider can claim that reputation.”
On reflection, we probably shouldn't have read that article as it certainly didn't enhance our Australian experience.
The conclusion we came to on this several months into our stay, was that although spiders such as these are undoubtedly dangerous, as are most Australian snakes, their box jelly fish, a lethal variety of sea snails and so much more, they do not go out of they way to attack human beings.
I read and was also told that the most common reason for hospitalisation or even death in Australia from any type of animal bite, is your common or garden wasp or bee sting, just as everywhere else in the world, so providing you are vigilant and walk on designated paths when you are out and about, these lethal but generally private, timid creatures will leave you alone.
We discovered the following day that this thick spider had not moved at all since we first spotted it, so it was either dead or it had shed its skin, which it seems, is how they grow; we decided to believe the former as the thought of sharing our garden and possibly our home with an even larger and moving version of this static yet terrifying beast, was not appealing to us at all.
At this point we all decided that sitting in the garden was probably not a good idea so we fled to the beer garden at the Court House Hotel for a well needed stiff drink and a sharing platter of salt and pepper squid and cauliflower fries.
Drinks and Dinner in Darling Harbour
Our thoughtful and very organised daughter had also decided that a mood booster was what we all needed to get us through the last two days of our Christmas and New Year celebrations in this extraordinary part of the world, so unbeknown to the rest of us she had booked early evening drinks and dinner in a wonderful port side restaurant in Darling Harbour.
Had we not been totally smitten by the Circular Quay area of Sydney, this would certainly have been our favourite place in Sydney so far.
Based on its Wikipedia entry and on other online information we read on this area of Sydney, we learnt that Darling Harbour is a harbour adjacent to the city centre and is now made up of a large recreational and pedestrian precinct that is situated on western outskirts of the Sydney CBD.
The area is named after Lieutenant-General Ralph Darling, who was Governor of New South Wales from 1825 to 1831.
It used to be known as Long Cove, but was generally referred to as Cockle Bay until 1826 when Governor Darling renamed it after himself.
Cockle Bay was originally part of the commercial port of Sydney, including the Railway Goods Yard.
During the Great Depression, the eastern part of Darling Harbour (Barangaroo) became known as the Hungry Mile, a reference to waterside workers searching for jobs along the wharves, so it clearly wasn't always the glittering social hub that it is today.
Darling Harbour now extends northwards from Chinatown, along both sides of Cockle Bay to King Street Wharf 3 on the east, and to the suburb of Pyrmont on the west.and is one of the most vibrant areas in the whole of Sydney.
We had early evening drinks at Cyren bar right on the waterfront and we had a pre theatre meal at Adria, a wonderful fish restaurant opposite Cyren on the other side of the harbour.
Our daughter had booked this restaurant via a site called Fist Table which we would later join and use on multiple occasions throughout our travels all over the country.
If you're happy to eat early, you can enjoy a full meal for half the usual price often with a glass of wine or Prosecco included.
You would have to get to the restaurant by 6:30 to 7:30 depending on the time slot available but once there you can have an aperitif or two first and eat later, and restaurants are never in a hurry for you to finish and make way for the next sitting; we stayed till after midnight on two occasions and the bill was always so reasonable.
I was hoping to continue with it in the UK when we got back but Covid 19 had other plans for us which didn't include eating out, but we highly recommend it to anyone travelling in Australia, especially if watching the budget is a priority.
A Night at the Opera
Our night at the Opera was every bit as wonderful as we thought it would be.
Friends in the UK thought it might be a bit of an anti climax compared to the thought of it or the anticipation in the run-up to the event.
I can assure you that it was not.
Every minute we spent in that wonderful building was totally precious, not least the interval on the middle terrace from which we caught our first glimpse of flying foxes circling above us in the fading light.
Although I had already booked very good seats in the front stalls, we discovered on arrival that we had been upgraded to the best seats in the house in the centre of row B of the front stalls, at no extra charge.
It was a truly magical, totally unforgettable evening which I recommend unreservedly to anyone visiting Sydney on a short or long stay.
For us it was the perfect end to one of the best Christmas and New Year celebrations that we had ever had ❤️
Final family drink at the Courthouse Hotel, Newtown
Darling Harbour Sydney
Dinner in Darling Harbour
Beautiful Sydney Opera House in the evening light
La Bohème at Sydney Opera House 4 January 2020
Inside the Sydney Opera House
Inside Sydney Opera House - roof detail
Beautiful terrace at Sydney Opera House with flying foxes circling above us
Best seats in the House at La Bohème at Sydney Opera House
Our final day together in Sydney
This was the day that none of us were looking forward to.
Our wonderful holiday season together in beautiful Sydney had far exceeded any of our expectations and we didn't want it to end.
But we also did not want this, our final day together to be a sad one; we were determined that it would be as good and as memorable as all the others, and that it was.
Opera House Sydney
Sightseeing in Sydney
As our daughters would be leaving Sydney the following day for Perth, it was decided that we should spend the entire day sightseeing.
We walked to an area of Sydney called The Rocks.
I had read about this part of Sydney the evening before on: https://blog.goway.com/globetrotting/2016/02/the-rocks-sydney-australias-oldest-neighbourhood/
This is Sydney’s oldest historical area and is located directly under the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
It was originally the home of the Cadigal people.
The Cadigal were coastal people who were dependent on the harbour for providing most of their food.
They were one of seven clans living in coastal Sydney who spoke a common language and became known as the Eora people.
When the early settlers from Europe arrived, this also became the site of the first European colony, established in 1788 when convict-bearing ships came from England to set up the colony of New South Wales.
The name itself came from the original sandstone buildings.
When first colonised by European settlers, The Rocks was populated by what might be termed, low life, and was somewhat squalid in nature. It remained this way until 1900, when the bubonic plague broke out causing 3800 houses, buildings, and wharfs to be demolished. Later, several hundred more were demolished in the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the 1920s.
Today, The Rocks has been restored for the most part, and is a thriving area with numerous cafes, restaurants, and a lively nightlife. It is also home to a charming market where you can find an excellent array of street food stalls as well as bags, shoes, clothes and souvenirs. Definitely worth visiting.
From the Rocks, we walked onto the Harbour Bridge where we enjoyed excellent views of the harbour below us, then we went back to the Circular Quay area where we were treated to a wonderful performance of Aboriginal music and dance and from there we walked all around the Opera House to Sydney's internationally acclaimed botanical gardens. Although it was one of the smokiest days we had experienced since our day at Bondi, the view of the harbour from the central point in the botanical gardens was excellent. I could now understand why people would come here as early as 8:00 am on New Year's Eve to secure a prime viewing spot of the harbour bridge for Sydney's new year festivities over 12 hours later.
According to its website and Wikipedia, The Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney expands over 74 acres in an area called Farm Cove on the eastern fringe of the Sydney central business district.
It was opened in 1816 and the garden is the oldest scientific institution in Australia and one of the most important historic botanical institutions in the world.
The overall structure and key elements were designed by Charles Moore and Joseph Maiden, and various other elements were designed and built under the supervision of Allan Cunningham, Richard Cunningham, and Carrick Chambers.
The Garden and The Domain are open every day of the year and access is free. Its stunning position on Sydney Harbour, the Sydney Opera House and the large public parklands of The Domain make it is one of the most popular attractions in all of Sydney.
Sydney Harbour Bridge
Aboriginal Street Performance in Circular Quay
The Rocks Sydney Harbour
View of Sydney Harbour from Sydney's Botanical Garden
Final Surprise at Appetito
Our daughter had booked another First Table meal for us all for that evening, this time at a restaurant called Appetito, an excellent Italian restaurant in the Rocks, which in the evening transforms into a trendy social hub for people of all ages.
As this was our younger daughter's final night in Sydney and final weekend in Australia, her sister had planned a very special surprise for her.
Once we were all seated at our table, happily drinking Aperol Spritz aperitifs and tucking into an excellent selection of pre dinner crostini, in walked one of our younger daughter's best friends from school in the UK.
She had moved to Australia the previous year but had returned to the UK to spend the holiday season with her family so our daughter did not think she would be able to see her friend at all either country on this occasion.
Her surprise, therefore, at seeing her walk in and join us, left her completely speechless, (for a few seconds at least), after which the talking, hugging, laughing, reminiscing was incessant and rendered this one of the best evenings of the entire trip for all three girls.
We could not have asked for more. From the moment we had our first Christmas drink in Newtown whilst opening presents under the tree to this final magical evening in The Rocks.
We had enjoyed every precious minute of our wonderful family Christmas in Sydney and we would all treasure the memory of it forever more ❤️
Surprise reunion at Appetito in the Rocks, Sydney
Surprise reunion
Final evening in Sydney
Final evening in Sydney and last few days in Australia
6 January 2020 - Epiphany
The following morning came far quicker than it should have done; before we knew it the taxi had arrived, luggage was loaded into it and all three of our precious young people were gone.
We spent most of the day cleaning the house and sorting out luggage, trying to decide what to pack, what to discard and what to take to charity shops, from the large selection of rejected excess baggage the girls left behind as well as our own.
We had a quiet day and an early night but when we went for our evening walk, we noticed a beautiful nativity scene outside one of our neighbour's homes and we suddenly realised that the night of 5 January had been 12th Night - so today was the Epiphany, and the official end of the Christmas holiday season for 2019/2020
Beautiful Epiphany Nativity Scene in Newtown