Australia Part I: Sydney

June 2nd, was the Queen's Birthday, which is a national holiday in New Zealand, and we used the opportunity of having an extra day off to take a trip over to Australia. We spent roughly four days in Sydney and four days in Melbourne, with some day trips in between.

As people don't like slideshows, we'll be doing this in a couple of posts so as to not overwhelm with photos. So be sure to check back later this week for pictures of koalas, wallabies and more!

We couldn't go to Sydney without visiting the Opera House! While we didn't take a tour, we did some independent exploration and stuck around for a drink in the sun. The bottom left is the view from our hostel and the bottom middle is what the outside of the Opera House looks like up close.

We were there during the Vivid Festival which mean that among other things, a light show was projected on the Opera House. Our first night we took a ferry to Manly for dinner, and got these shots on the way out and back. We also spent one glorious evening sitting on our hostel's rooftop deck with a bottle of wine and watching the show!

True to form, we did a lot of eating and drinking. In the top left are two items I haven't had since moving to New Zealand - delice de bourgogne cheese and Mariage Freres French Breakfast tea! We found a store in Sydney that carries both, and I might have brought $100 worth of Mariage Freres back to Auckland. Also, one of those meat tastings is kangaroo.  Can't say I recommend it. Kind of tastes like a zoo smells.

We also did some nerd things - including admiring a chocolate Iron Throne, visiting a bunch of comic book stores and seeing Godzilla (what else?) at the world's biggest IMAX theatre. Not pictured - the yarn store we found.

Our final day in Syndey we took the bus out to Coogee Beach and took the 6km walk along the cliffs and beaches to Bondi Beach. Despite it being a Tuesday in winter, and the signs bragging about the ocean's deadly creatures, there were dozens of surfers out - and with good reason! We also passed one of the most beautiful cemeteries I've ever seen and one of the most unique swimming pools!

The Coogee-Bondi walk was my favorite part of Sydney - especially considering what was waiting for us at the Canadian bar  in Bondi! If you don't know what put that curd-eating grin on my face, you haven't been paying attention. Despite the warnings from the bar tender, we each got our own poutine, plus an order of fried pickles and some hot wings. And then we didn't eat anything for 24 hours.