Day 8 – Cairns to Sydney
Our last leg of the trip started with a three-hour flight from Cairns to Sydney. When we arrived, we had a little trouble finding our driver. Prince Harry and Meghan had just arrived in the city and we think he was late because he wanted to wave at them! This was evidenced by the hard to see video he showed us of the royal couple waving out a car window as they passed him in the crowded street.
We got to our hotel, Park Regis City Center, and showered up to go out on the town. Our first stop was the noodle festival held in Hyde Park about a block from our hotel. This festival was a great introduction to the many cultures of Sydney. It had tons of vendors with different noodle-based foods including Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese and more. We grabbed several things, chowed down and took a walk to the harbor for our first look at the famous Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.
This picturesque place is all it’s cracked up to be and I loved taking it in. There was a chill bar on the edge of the water near the opera house where we sat and relaxed. We saw about a thousand tourists take about a million selfies and watched the seagulls try and steal food. These birds are legit, and the bar knows it. They serve food with a lid to avoid accidental mishaps.
Day 9 – Sydney Museums & Wildlife
There wasn’t a breakfast option at our hotel and nothing but a Starbucks close by, so we saw a sign for a food court in the train station and found a local coffee shop. We grabbed breakfast sandwiches which also featured the classic hot tomatoes that Australians love so much. These were good though because it was a tomato relish on the sandwich along with bacon, egg and cheese.
Next, we went to fill an Opal card, Sydney’s public transport card. We took the bus to the Maritime Museum where we had seen signs for an exhibit about James Cameron’s deep-sea explorations. The extended entry gets you into that exhibit, but also lets you tour several ships in the harbor. The first was a submarine. This tour isn’t for the claustrophobic, but the vessel was amazingly sophisticated, and every inch of space was accounted for. I can’t imagine living there for months at a time with several other people. Matt and I were in there less than an hour and that was enough.
After the museum, we found the Pyrmont Bridge Hotel, a renovated restaurant with a great balcony view and plenty of beer. We got some Bangers and Mash and went on with our day.
I knew I wanted to see and learn about Australia’s wildlife during our trip but didn’t know the best approach. Sydney has a few choices. Besides trying to see them in their natural habitat, there’s Featherdale Wildlife Reserve located a little way outside the city, Taronga Zoo, the city’s main zoo and a ferry ride from downtown or Wildlife Sydney – a smaller zoo that gives you the main staples of Australian Wildlife.
We chose Wildlife Sydney due to our own time constraints and loved it. However, the other two choices are supposed to be better according to reviews, but they say you need several hours to see them, and this took us under two. The tickets were cheap, and we saved with a combo to visit the Tower Eye.
We landed on “O” which is a very fancy restaurant in the sky. We were out of place when we walked in because we were just in our day clothes. This place is a rotating restaurant with several courses on the menu. We went with a three-course meal and while it was very tasty, it wasn’t the best thing ever for the money we paid. However, we got some awesome dessert there and I’m happy we chose it.
Day 10 – Last Day in Australia
We had yet to have a particularly satisfying breakfast (compared to Nashville brunches at least) and I wanted to find one. We took an Uber to Balmain, a suburb of Sydney, and ate at a little café called Kafeine. They had some unique dishes and I got a hash that was superb. It was a crowded little place because it was so small, but we ended up chatting up a local couple. They gave us some tips and told us to walk around their little town.
We came upon the London Hotel, an old place with a historic feel, including a big square bar. We grabbed an early beer and then decided to take the ferry back to the city. I didn’t realize the ferry was also part of the Opal public transportation card. Once we got it figured out, it was easy. It also gave us a nice tour of the area and a chance to get some out at sea shots of the opera house. I would recommend using this instead of spending money on an actual boat tour because you get the same view on the cheap.
After our view, we grabbed some pizza and beer and headed back to the hotel to pack up and get ready for our trip home.
Day 11 – Australia to U.S.A.
I wanted to give you an idea of our long trip at the beginning of this post, but I won’t bore you with all the details of our way home. It was basically the same. We had a very long flight, got back to the U.S., had a long layover and finally, after a very, very long, long time, we made it back to Nashville.
Thanks for reading about Matt and I’s Australia adventure. The goal is to share our experience so you can plan one for yourself one day. If you ever have any questions, feel free to reach out!
Once through security, we still had three hours until flight time. But after a movie and a quick snooze, it was finally time to fly. We boarded our huge Qantas airbus complete with three entrances and no more leg room than your standard domestic flight. Luckily, the seats had a generous recline, because it was our home for the next 15 hours.
Our hotel, Travelodge Southbank, turned out to be in a perfect location. As soon as we cleaned up, we walked a few steps to the tallest building in the city. We took the “lift” 88 floors to the Eureka Skydeck for some fabulous city views. I highly recommend this starting point because it helped us get the lay of the land and pick out what we wanted to see. We also opted for the bonus “Edge” ticket. This elevator, encased in glass, slides out sideways from the building. It was fun experience with a different perspective but could be terrifying for some. Plus, I’m not sure it was worth the extra money. 
Next we had some retro entertainment at Luna Park – a place that could have come straight out of the movie “Big”. It had creepy jesters and weird carnies, but we bought a one ride pass and settled on the ghost train. We were the only riders and it was anything but scary. We laughed the entire time.
Katie flew out of Nashville on time, but when she arrived in New York City, she realized Megan was delayed in Atlanta. Megan’s flight was supposed to leave at 5 p.m., but the delay clock kept ticking and Megan knew she wouldn’t make the 9 p.m. flight to Scotland. Thus, both Katie and Megan would be stuck in New York City for the night. Delta had rebooked them to leave a whole 24 hours later, cutting in to their 2-day trip to Edinburgh.
myslantonlife 