This is it, our trip in Australia is approaching it’s end, and it is in Sydney that we will spend our last days here.
And it is also in Sydney that we will spend New Year’s Eve with French friends that we met in Argentina : Emmanuelle and Yves and their two boys Jules and Arthur, who are also travelling around the world for one year.
But before that we must drop-off our van, after 40 days of adventure. And we are very sad. In total we drove 9,724 km, so about 6,040 miles.
Life in a van was a magical experience. First 3 weeks in New Zealand and now 40 days in Australia, we loved being free and drive wherever and whenever we wanted, sleep in uncommon places, drive on the longest and straightest roads we have ever seen in the outback, or along the ocean coast and simply having a vehicle that is also our home. This way of life was completely unknown to us, but we absolutely loved it and will definitely do it again in the future.
After dropping off the van early in the morning in Sydney, we head to Balmain East, a neighborhood that offers a spectacular view on the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge.
It is here that Emmanuelle, Yves, Arthur and Jules are staying for a few days, thanks to a house swapping website. They very kindly invited us to stay with them a couple of nights and celebrate the New Year together. Jules’s godfather is also here, visiting them from France. We will spend the evening together and we can even see the Harbour Bridge from the balcony of the beautiful house.
Great news! That means we will have a great view on the fireworks. The city of Sydney spent 5 million dollars this year on the fireworks and it will be the biggest in the cities history.
We are super happy to see them again and spend New Year’s Eve together. This afternoon we decide to stay in the neighborhood. Indeed, people are already out and setting up in the parks in order to have a good spot to see tonight’s fireworks. Also the streets are starting to close down so we just go for a walk around the neighborhood.
For the evening, our friends also invited another French couple, met in Peru, and also traveling around the world. So we are in total 9 French people gathering for diner in Sydney for New Year’s Eve.
Of course we had a barbecue for diner ! And we spent a great evening together.
At 9 pm we go out to go watch the first fireworks, these are dedicated to the kids who might not make it all the way to midnight.
And then at midnight, the actual 12 minutes long show starts. We all hug and wish us a happy new year and admire the biggest and longest fireworks show the city of Sydney has ever put together.
We still remember watching Sydney’s fireworks on the news back in France, because Sydney is one of the first major cities to change years. It is hard to believe that this year we are in Sydney admiring something we have seen for so long on TV. A child’s dream come true !
We continue the party until 4 am, having a great time and go to bed saying definitely goodbye to 2018.
2018 will have been for us the start of a great adventure, that will continue in 2019, where we are lucky to see incredible landscapes and meet amazing people. So it is on the highest of highs that we end 2018 and head into 2019.
First day of 2019 at Manly beach
The next day, after struggling to wake up (we might have had one too many drinks) we decide that there is no better cure to a hangover than spending the day at the beach.
We take the ferry, just a few yards away from the house, and head out to Manly Beach. Very popular, this is probably the most famous Sydney beach after Bondi Beach. Manly attracts of course many surfers for it’s big and long waves.
The ferry ride offers amazing views on the Harbour Bridge and the city.
But more importantly views on the Opera House. First time that we see this architectural jewel. We have seen it many many times on TV or in print but it is the first time we see it for real! And so we take out the camera and capture it from every possible angle.
The 30 minute ferry ride is very nice and offers great views all around.
We arrive in Manly early afternoon and decide to grab a big juicy burger before going to the beach.
We never got used to seeing Christmas trees right by the beach where it is 90 degrees outside.
We spend a great afternoon at the beach. For our friends it is the first time they swim in the Pacific Ocean in Australia, and for us it might be our very last time.
We head back to the house later that afternoon, and are lucky to enjoy a beautiful sunset with stunning colors on the ocean, the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and Luna Park.
A great day to kick off 2019 with our friends.
Harbour Bridge, The Rocks, Opera, Botanical Garden, Hyde Park
The next day, we leave our friends and go check in the Airbnb we booked for our 4 remaining days in Sydney. It is located in the hype neighborhood of Kings Cross, just a 20 minute walk to the Opera House.
After dropping off our stuff, we head to Milsons Point, from where we will cross the bridge on foot to go towards the Opera House.
The view from the bridge is absolutely stunning.
We can see the Opera but also the CBD’s skyline. It is beautiful.
We also notice the pretty heavy water traffic with all the different ferrys, water taxis or catamarans that go in all directions.
We get off the bridge and arrive in a neighborhood called The Rocks.
It was originally a neighborhood taken over by the prisoners. Today you find many historical brick buildings transformed into art galleries, coffee shops and other hype restaurants.
We walk along the narrow streets of this historic neighborhood.
We really enjoyed this part of the city.
From here we can also see the Opera so we continue taking pictures !
We grab lunch in the area, right by the water before heading to the Opera, which means going back into the crowds.
Indeed, we are shocked by how many people are walking around the Opera. It is super hard to take a selfie without ten other people behind you.
We get a little closer to admire the architecture of one of the countries symbol.
Before heading to the botanical garden.
A lot fewer crowds here, the garden is actually quite peaceful. We stop now and then under the shade because it is very hot out.
The garden is really big, and from the Macquarie Chair lookout we have yet another view on the Opera.
Which calls of course for more selfies !
The weather turns cloudy so we decide to go back to our Airbnb.
On the way we walk through Hyde Park, with the Archibald fountain on one side, and the ANZAC memorial (dedicated to the soldiers fallen during WWI) on the other.
And by St Mary’s cathedral, beautiful Gothic cathedral built in 1821.
Queen Victoria Building, Chinatown, Sydney Fish Market
The following day we start with the CBD, at the Queen Victoria Building.
The QVB was built in 1898 and originally served as Sydney’s market. Completely renovated in 1984, this building is a beautiful showing of Byzantine and Victorian style.
The inside is topped with a beautiful tainted glass dome, and a very nice central clock with many amazing details everywhere along the building.
Today the building is home to a huge mall with plenty of shops, restaurants, jewelries and coffee shops.
The French fashion designer Pierre Cardin will go as far as saying it is the most beautiful commercial mall in the world.
We then go wander around Chinatown.
Here we find a mix of every possible Asian cuisine.
On Dixon street, we pass in front of restaurants proposing food from Singapore, Malaysia or Thailand.
In this area we also find Paddy’s Market, which reminds Maider of all the indoor markets you can find in China and where you can buy literally EVERYTHING : Australian souvenirs, clothes or anything electronic.
This is the place where you can get great deals if you are patient enough to negotiate.
We end the morning by going to Darling Harbour where we visit the famous Sydney Fish Market.
This market is the largest fish market in the Southern hemisphere. Over 65 ton of fresh fish is sold here everyday.
When we arrive it is super busy. It is just in the middle of lunchtime, and we weren’t the only ones to think about grabbing a bite here. After having a quick look around we decide to leave and will go grab lunch somewhere else. The prices are really not that interesting, it feels more like a tourist trap than anything else.
We will finally stop in a small Asian restaurant in our neighborhood in Kings Cross before spending the afternoon getting some rest. The heat is absolutely unbearable, impossible to visit the city in these conditions.
Late afternoon, our French friends propose to grab a drink at their place. We spent another great evening with great people and got back to our Airbnb only at 1:30 am.
Walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach
The next day the blue sky is back and we decide to go to the most famous beach of Sydney : Bondi Beach. This beach is very popular among locals and tourists and surfers of course. This beach is classified as an Australian heritage site.
It is a little early to go for a swim for us but the beach is already packed and we decide to go hike the Coastal Walk. A trail that stretches from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach along 4 miles.
Of course we stop by the famous Iceberg pools that Maider has seen pictures of everywhere (Matt had never seen these in his life).
Before walking along the coast.
The landscapes are incredible.
Once again we are surprised by the crowds at only 9:30 am. But we still manage to appreciate the beauty of the coastal landscape.
We walk past several other beaches, all as popular as Bondi. And all more beautiful than the previous.
Some come deep into the land, so no waves and no surfers. Just families hanging out in the somewhat still water.
We sit down to eat a fish & chips in Coogee before hanging out at the beach. It is hard to forget about the crowds, especially as we were used to deserted beaches further up North. We won’t be brave to go for a swim since the water is a lot colder than up North. Yes we are spoiled !
Concert at the Sydney Opera House
Our French friends had mentioned going to the Opera tonight to see a show called Stairway to Heaven, Led Zeppelin Master.
Matt loves Led Zeppelin, and we or on track on the budget so we decided to book tickets and join them.
Attending a concert at the Sydney Opera House is like seeing the fireworks on New Year’s Eve in Sydney, a dream come true.
Led Zeppelin Masters plays 20 of the Led Zeppelin classics, sung by the talented Vince Contarino from the Zep Boys, and the incredible Black Dog Orchestra with 30 instruments.
The concert lasted 2 hours and was exceptional. Matt loved hearing all these remixes.
The energy on stage was incredible between the group and the orchestra. The conductor was amazing and all the musicians super talented, in short we spent a great evening.
We say goodbye to our French friends since they are leaving Sydney tomorrow and hope we can meet up again somewhere in Asia.
Before heading back home we decide to walk over the Harbour Bridge one last time to take pictures of the Opera by night.
And the view from night, like from day, doesn’t disappoint.
One last day spent in Sydney working on the blog and our itinerary in Thailand before flying to Bangkok.
It is time for goodbyes with Australia after one month and a half and driving over 6,000 miles. We literally fell in love with this country and already think about when we will come back, either to travel (the West coast remains a dream) or maybe to live here. We loved the landscapes, the people, the way of life, its beaches, etc. It might have transpired from our articles, but Australia is so far our favorite country visited during our trip around the world. Maider was dreaming about coming here since she was a little kid and wasn’t disappointed. Now we have to leave another continent and make our way to Asia for the next 5 months. Next time you will hear from us will be from Thailand !
Loving these pics and keeping up with your travels, Matt! Happy New Year and stay safe!
Hi Joe, glad you are enjoying the blog! Happy New Year to you and the family!