Last Summer I was lucky enough to go on a world rugby tour to Australia and New Zealand, it was an amazing trip and I am going to review each section of the trip, to let you know how fantastic it was! I will try not to do it in a blog style and hopefully tell you what the places were actually like, how good/bad parts of the trip were rather than simply 'how great the trip was'.
Then hopefully if you are planning a trip to Australia and New Zealand you might find something in my review that you would like to do or a place which you want to see. I will put up lots of pictures as well so you get a feel for the places I'm reviewing. Basically our tour consisted of flying to Sydney for 3 days, then to New Zealand for 9 days, then back to Brisbane in Australia for a final few luxurious rugby free days and finally home. A lot of flying was involved but for someone who wants to be a pilot that doesn't really bother me! I won't let you know how we did in the rugby as I am focusing on the places, the people and the experiences.
We arrived safe and sound in Sydney after our mere 19 hour plane journey, which included 2 hours in a very hot and steamy Singapore airport! I would definitely recommend when going on a long flight like that to take advantage of the stop in Singapore and have a shower in the airport facilities, as it is an extremely long flight, so remember to pack a wash kit and towel in your hand luggage as you may not be able to access your main suitcase! Also make sure you go outside and have some fresh air, after been in a plane for so long, fresh air is indescribably nice, as well as the need to stretch your legs making having a wonder outside the airport a very good idea! We weren't allowed to leave the airport due to the fact out tour organisers/coaches were worried one of the 40 odd boys would miss the flight, but for a family or smaller group going, a walk outside is invaluable and would rejuvenate slightly the system.
However you might not even need to transfer planes, they may just re-fuel and you will have about an hour to wait before taking off again. If you go in a few years from now you might not even need to stop off, flying from the UK to Australia might be done in one long haul.
Anyway this is the first part of what will hopefully be a sting of helpful and interesting reviews about Australia and New Zealand; this is the first instalment which is about my experiences of Sydney Harbour Bay, including Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera house.
So when we first arrived in Sydney at 5.30 am we were collected by our "legendary" driver "Stevo" who took us on an initial tour of the city. As this was a tour rather than a holiday we tried to save as much money as possible and this coach driver although friendly was a bit reckless when driving and didn't really tell us anything about the city although he was a true Aussie which fascinated us English blokes enough! Even though it was early in the morning we still managed to stay awake and stare out the windows at this famous city waking up. Although we managed to spot most of the main sites when driving around we didn't really get to see them properly; that was for later in the day! We arrived in our steamed up bus at our accommodation at The Olympic Park Lodge situated on an old Naval Base. My advice for anyone apart from gap year students or rugby tourists is don't stay in an old naval base! It really was the bare essentials with bunk beds, but it was the most basic place we stayed in. And perhaps appropriately the most uncomfortable on the first few days, when we were absolutely knackered from jet lag and would be prepared to sleep anywhere.
Our first real day of the tour (not in a plane), we officially 'did' Sydney Harbour bay. However if you go to Sydney do not do it the same day as you land. We were knackered and this may have meant we didn't appreciate the places we were seeing in Sydney as much as you would if you were 'fresh'.
Sydney Harbour bay is the most iconic place in Australia and the most popular tourist destination. This review is about Sydney Harbour bay rather than Sydney as a city:
We took the local Sea Cat Ferry down river into Sydney Harbour. The best way to see the harbour is by boat and this sea cat ferry was so fast; it must have been cruising along at 40 knots or something, you really had to hang on to your hat if you went out on deck. The boat stopped right next to the Opera House and famous Sydney Bridge, giving plenty of opportunities to take those priceless snapshots (I have put some up with this review). It was an unbelievable and breathtaking sight!
The Sydney Opera house is undoubtedly the trademark symbol of Sydney and I'm sure most people would be able to name the city just from seeing a picture of this epic building. We didn't go inside but from the outside its incredible and kind of surreal in that you always hear about people going there, you remember film footage of the millennium fireworks going off around it and of course the Sydney Olympics, but been there yourself is a breathtaking experience. As we were there straight after the long flight we were in a kind of daze when looking at this and it kind of made the whole experience a bit dreamlike, like the sort of feeling you get when going around Disneyland Paris.
It was great that the ferry drove all the way around it so you could get the best possible pictures. On the ferry you could go inside and sit down if you were feeling a bit sick and you still get a good view from inside! After seeing the opera house we cruised over to the Harbour Bridge which I personally thought was awesome!
A staggering engineering accomplishment Sydney Harbour bridge is so impressive; it's understandable why it's so special. Apparently one gold bolt is somewhere on the bridge and if anyone finds it they get a money prize. But to be honest the millions of bolts make this a bit of a daunting task! Also you can walk 134m above the harbour, across the top of the bridge on a walkway. However this is not something you do if you don not have head for heights. We weren't allowed to do this for health and safety regulations (you will hear me go on about this in other reviews), but it must be an amazing experience to stand right at the top of such an amazing bridge and survey Sydney. As well as seeing those two must see sites we saw the whole of the city with some vast buildings and boats juxtaposed with the small private boats where you can just imagine celebrities chilling with their champagne. We then left the boat after a good couple of hours (just about the right time) and had a walk around Sydney and had lunch.
One thing I really liked about Sydney was how friendly people are towards you. When we split up to look around the place, me and a small group went right up to Sydney opera house and were just standing there admiring it when a pleasant Aussie chap came over and offered to take a group picture of all of us. He also insisted on taking a picture with all 6 of our camera's, which was really nice of him and it just makes the experience so much more enjoyable. I'm sure if this was in London, you wouldn't just give a local stranger 6 smart camera's which really does show the trust and community spirit which Sydney has! Although a bit expensive walking around Sydney is an awesome experience everything seems so laid back and relaxed, there isn't much pollution/rough areas and it just seems like everyone is happy there. We then walked up to the top of a little hill, again wonderful views, and a chance for us to paddle our feet in the warm waters of the Pacific.
After this we took another boat back over to the other side of the bay where our naval base was based. This boat was a big old thing and bounced along the waves in a more conventional boating style rather than the sea ferry which cut through the waves. This boat trip took quite a long time but was one of the highlights of the day for me because by this time it was dark and Sydney by night is something else!
Anyone who goes to Sydney absolutely must, must, must see Sydney by night, everything's lit up and there is a distinguished sophistication about Sydney at night as well as a special buzz that this is the place to be. You can almost taste the excitement that is Sydney and if you have been there you will understand why people regard it as a must-see place before you die. At about 7.30 we returned to the Lodge as we were now very tired having been awake for so long. On return to the lodge silence fell within minutes. An excellent start to the tour! The really good thing I think about Sydney Harbour bay that absolutely anyone can enjoy and appreciate it. Young and old different people will get different things out of it. Some people say that Sydney is a lot smaller than they imagined but I found it everything I had hoped and more. A splendid, prosperous and relaxed city, anyone who goes to Australia must go to Sydney Harbour bay to see the sites and if possible go on one of the many boat rides.
Things to be aware of when visiting Sydney Harbour:
----- Boat trips can be extremely blustery and if you get easily sea sick perhaps they aren't the best thing to do. Also look after your hats if you go on a sea ferry they are pretty rapid, and hats will get blown off.
----- Make sure you go when it is sunny, a dampened day does not ruin the experience but when the bay is reflecting the suns hot glaze (like it does most of the time), the time you spend looking around will be enhanced.
-----If you have a camera take lots of pictures, memories fade but photo's last forever.
----- Make sure you plan the day to get the most out of the harbour, on the face of it you might think there's not much to do apart from see the bridge and opera house but there's lots of things available to do, so plan your day well and expect to find things you hadn't planned on doing.
----- If you are going to other places, don't buy corkscrew hats, boomerangs and didgeridoo's etc here, you will find them cheaper and more authentic at other places. Sydney targets tourists with its shops so unless you are staying put in Sydney for the duration of your trip I wouldn't recommend buying souvenirs here!
----- I was away in Australia and new Zealand for 3 weeks and I very efficiently got all my postcards done the first day, so that I didn't have to worry about doing them and hopefully they would get back before me which they did (they took 1 week apparently), Sydney is also a great place to get postcards and to be honest if you send a postcard from Aussie you want one with a picture of Sydney Harbour on don't you?!?
----- Perhaps a rather trivial point, drink lots when you're walking around the city. You should do this anywhere but it prevents head aches and subconsciously makes you more alert and able to enjoy the sites more!
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