All Summer Long

Circulating ourselves around Sydney was easy enough from our base in Ultimo near Darling Harbour. Central Station was only a short walk along the Goodsline, an elevated walkway through the city and underground that follows the route of the long-neglected railway line. We picked up a couple of Opal cards, which are the Oysters and Walruses of Sydney, and these were valid for all our remaining travel by train, bus and ferry, including a return journey to the airport, which spared us from suffering another violent slalom through the city centre in a van.

From Circular Quay we saw the Opera House and bridge then caught a ferry to Watson’s Bay. Here we saw a phoney pelican flex its beak by the water, almost biting the hand off a tourist who ventured so close he could have only been interested in photographing the inside of its stomach. This is when we made the fatal error of allowing ourselves to be seated by a waitress at a restaurant that didn’t advertise its prices – not until you were ushered in and, before you knew it, were imprisoned at a table with a bib in your lap. The cost of the fish on the menu was astronomical and we refuse to be bankrupted by a cod. Our silent flight out of the restaurant was witnessed only by the beady eyes of the pelican, which became mocking when I realised I had left my Raybans on the table. Nicola said “you’re kidding”, and I had to quickstep it back into the building on the tips of my trainers, weaving my body between silver platters of lobster. And just as I was on the threshold of saving face I encountered the same smug waitress. “I think you’ve left your sunglasses on the table”. Smooth. The pelican opened its beak again on my way out, and we ate battered cod and chips out of a box down by the port.

Afterwards we did a ferry trip to Manly to walk on its paradise beaches and Nicola saw whales leap into the horizon. We went to Coogee (not pronounced coo-gee) and walked on its cliffside to Bondi Beach. We also visited the outskirts of the city, met some bogan Aussies in the Carousel and ate at the Panthers Stadium with our friend, Sarah. It was really good to hang out with somebody from home and go somewhere that we probably wouldn’t have otherwise had chance to! The Museum of Modern Art at the Rocks looked ace but we were zombies by the time we got there. We had coffee in lieu of cocktails at the Opera House bar to make us alive for the flight. Our verdict on Sydney is a good one and its a shame we had to leave! Next stop: wet tropics.