Sydney

Sydney, the most famous city in Australia! We spent a week here doing some city camping, which is as good as it sounds, but it was cheaper than an AirBnB! We had quite a jam packed week here and were trying to work out whether we would rather settle here or in Melbourne... So it was important to get a good feel for the city.

The first day we spent doing a walking tour, which gave us a bit of history (there’s not very much) although it finished with the truly iconic view that is Sydney harbour! It was a surreal feeling seeing the opera house and bridge, akin to seeing something like the Eiffel Tower for the first time. What you don’t realise seeing it on TV is how there’s also a ferry system operating in the middle of it all as a part of the public transport system!

We were in Sydney over Easter so after a very energetic Easter service at a Hillsong church (they had giant balloons filled with confetti to finish off!) we got the ferry to Manly. The town was absolutely packed with people on their holidays and we grabbed a quick kebab before heading to the beach where we saw an ominous sign reading ‘shark spotted today, enter water at your own risk’! We entered the water anyway as no one seemed too worried and you know, safety in numbers!

After a brief dip we met up with Leigh, a friend from home who’s also just moved out to Australia and her boyfriend Michael. We went for a walk and it was nice to see a familiar face and to get to know Michael.

- Catch up with friends.

- View of the Sydney skyline from Manly.

By the next day Sophie had got quite a number of mosquito bites and a particular cluster around her foot, which promptly ballooned up, limiting our options as walking was sore, so we went to see Peter Rabbit in the cinema, which was actually good fun!

After Sophie’s foot had calmed down we went to a local climbing gym and can confirm that the Sydney options are definitely much better than the Melbourne ones.

We had a few nice walks in Sydney, one was from Coogee Beach to Bondi, the scenery is amazing and it’s even more incredible when you think that’s in a major city. Unfortunately by the time we got to Bondi the weather had turned and although it’s maybe not the most beautiful beach in the world, it’s absolutely massive for a city beach.

- Start of Coogee to Bondi beach walk. (note the beard has now gone...but how long will it last?)

- Bondi.

- Bondi again.

The other smaller stroll we took was across the harbour bridge, it is an absolute icon and the views off it are amazing before it drops you into the Rocks on the south side, which is one of the oldest parts of the city.

- View from Harbour Bridge.

On our final night we went to a comedy night and saw seven acts, which was good fun and a nice way to finish off our trip.

Sydney vs Melbourne

Sydney

• Two hours away from the Blue Mountains, which are incredible!

• Better beaches.

• Better climbing gyms.

• Better weather.

Melbourne

• Better public transport (trams, trains and buses vs trains, buses and ferry’s).

• Nicer feel in the city (wide roads, lovely big parks and lots of them).

• More events, comedy festival, Australian Open, Grand Prix etc.

In the end we have decided we are going to try and settle in Sydney, initially Melbourne seems nicer and Sydney was a bit of a grower, but it’s just easier to imagine what our life will look like there. Having said that I feel like Melbourne would probably suit more people and in the ideal world you would probably put Melbourne where Sydney is located to get our perfect blend.

Nature (Kookaburra) Watch

Saw a very bold Kookaburra near the opera house. Next time on Nature Watch we try to see other animals! Nature Watch!

- Kookaburra in Royal Botanic Garden. Incredible scenes.