We tried to take a budget flight from Byron Bay to Sydney but Australia had had a bit of rain and the runway had warped (Australias version of leaves on the line?) so we were
driven by bus to Surfers Paradise to get a replacement plane. We had
some time to kill so we went for a little wander, Chloe even got a
haircut.
My
old mate Duncs picked Chloe and I up from Sydney airport. He and his
wife, Claire, had moved to Sydney a few months previous – a sad loss
for London not that you find them shedding any tears – and
they were already lapping up the Aussie lifestyle i.e. hitting the
beach after work, regular barbecues, a summer...
We
had a great time staying with Duncs and Claire, it was great to see
them for a start – the first familiar faces seen for 3 months –
and they really looked after us. Duncs had a Huntsman spider, the big
ones, in his garden. He calls it Fat Tony. We used to check on it
every night. Duncs and Claire also got an official pet in the form of a puppy, called Winston, who was great fun to play around with.
Their
house is in the Paddington area and located conveniently, for Duncs,
between two pubs, The London & The Grand National. Its a nice
neighbourhood close to Centennial Park which is typically Australian
with its bizarre array wildlife. Its also a 10 minute drive to some
of Sydney's finest beaches. So that's; pubs – tick; parks – tick;
beaches – tick. Good work.
We
had some other friends to catch up with in Sydney: Helen (uni mate)
and Blair (school mate). One weird Sunday afternoon in The Grand
National I called Helen to arrange to meet her and discovered that
she not only lived on the same road as Duncs and Claire but opposite
the pub. A few drinks later and Blair walks through the door. An
amazing coincidence – we didn't even have to leave the street to
see everyone. We met up with them a few times before we left Sydney
and one each occasion it was great to see them. Andy and Vicky, from
the Whitsunday Islands sailing trip, also live in Sydney and we
shared a nice catch-up lunch with them too. All in all a very social
Sydney.
We
gave the city a good explore too. We ticked off all the main sights;
went to the aquarium, did the bridge climb and walked the the coastal
path with all its associated bays and beaches. We hired a car too and
went out of town for a few days to see the Blue Mountains. We'd heard
a lot of good things about them and they lived up to the hype.
Awesome views into the canyon. Whilst there we did a trek along this
path that was like walking onto the set of I'm a Celebrity...
it was brilliant.
Before
returning to Sydney we headed to Jenolan Caves, the world's largest
limestone caves. I wont bore you with the details but if you're in
the area make sure you pay them a visit. Back in Sydney we saw the
latest Bond film and cooked Duncs and Claire a thank-you meal (spag
bol – a bit too bacony if I remember correctly). We owe them a
great deal for looking after us so well – they both put a lot of
time and effort into making sure our time in Sydney was all it could be. And
they succeeded, our time with them is a highlight of our travels.
Hopefully, we can repay Duncs, Claire & Fat Tony the favour back in
Chiswick.
