Sydney - Take Two

Matt and I left the beaches of Collaroy and took a nice bus into central Sydney on Monday morning. After checking into our great 4-share (two sets of bunk beds with a bathroom) we checked out our to-see list. Matt looked at my #1 to-do and suggested we go to the Koala Park!

I was excited...

After a train, a bus and a long walk we finally made it to the Koala Sanctuary! Matt immediately made friends with three birds that loved to follow him around.

We explored the park for a little while and came across the Grey Kangaroos. Now before I left my mom suggested I get a little saddle and try to ride one. I was skeptical at first, but when I saw them up close, I think she was on to something.

After hand feeding Kangaroos (video on FB soon) we went on the main event, the Koalas!! I named him Carlos but the woman in charge called him Shawn. So Carlos the Koala and I hung out for a little while. Matt and I were able to snuggle him, pet him, rub his ears and scratch his back. All in all I have to say it was a very successful trip to the park.

When we arrived back to the Hostel in central Sydney, Matt and I were introduced to our roommates Mic and Mac. They were fun Swiss-German boys who were ready to party, with fun accents :)

Day 2 of Central Sydney was a warm sunny morning. So warm in fact that Matt wanted a hair cut to help him cool down.

Before:

Since we are on vacation, Matt decided to experiment, and told the guy to just take it all off...

After

I loved it! and so did Matt :) It gave him a cool edginess to his boyish face and made him look more manly.

We completed our barber-shop-duo and headed to the ferry port. Matt loves boats (as most of you know) so I got to pick the island, as long as it required a ferry ride. I did some research on the nearby islands and picked Cockatoo Island for our adventure.

This island, in Matt's words, is a combination of failed experiments by the British. Cockatoo Island used to be a shipyard, an orphanage for misbehaved girls, a prison and now a tourist site.

We were just about the only people on this deserted island, wandering around like we owned the place. Its the perfect venue for paintball or a horror film... But either way we had a blast. There was even two freaky caves that lead you through the middle of the island, where prisoners sought cover during the bombing of Sydney Harbor.

Day 3 was a day of beaches. Matt read in our guide book that there was a killer walk from Bondi Beach to Coogie Beach - about 5 Kilometers (3ish miles). Little did he mention it was all on the cliffs. The sites were beautiful, though the trek was tiring. We did get a great tan, and worked off any fatty foods we had eaten in the past week. While on our adventure, we passed 3 different smaller beaches and a hidden bay that backed up to the street.

It was worth the journey, and I recommend it to any and all that are near Sydney. After our long walk, Matt and I chose a rocky pool where the ocean waves splashed over the rocks and added fresh chilly water to the area. It was refreshing and the ocean waves were powerful.

We concluded our evening with a relaxing stay at the hostel where Matt ran into a current Irish Stanford Bus. School student named Paul. We quized him about married life as a student, then called it a night. The next morning we headed straight for the airport and were off to Melbourne, Australia.