riverECHO

After just a two hour nap on the airport floor in Auckland, our extended layover in Sydney, Australia was so much more enjoyable than we were initially expecting. We presumed Sydney to be just another big city and although the weather happened to bring us the only rainy day the city had seen in two weeks, we found ourselves completely entertained and inspired by the sites we found. We rented a car for the day and after easily and quickly unloading our bikes, camping gear and a few cold weather clothing items into a storage unit just 5 minutes from the airport, we drove into downtown Sydney, which according to our Lonely Planet guide book was a really bad idea. When I couldn’t figure out where we were on the map, BJ pulled over next to a large park and church so we could orient ourselves. We quickly realized that we were in a perfect location and probably in the closest parking spot to the downtown area.  Just a block from our car we found Hyde Park, a long and clean park right in the middle of town with huge trees, water fountains, flowers and very strange looking birds. Since we hadn’t eaten much and were still quite delirious from lack of sleep, we quickly ended up in a Japanese restaurant that had conveyor belts filled with sushi.  It was a bit of a dive but really busy, so we ventured in to two bar seats overlooking the continuous strip of moving sushi and took our pick of a handful of small plates . . . cheap and delicious. We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the botanical gardens and the Opera House in the drizzling rain. The gardens were endless, filled with strange looking trees, plants and flowers blooming in the middle of winter, as well as beautiful parrots and noisy birds. In the “Palm Forest” we saw a sign explaining a type of bat that could sometimes be spotted in the trees. We looked up and saw hundreds of sleeping bats hanging by their feet in the trees above us. I won’t lie . . . it kinda freaked us out. We followed the gardens along the waterfront, where we of course spotted two penguins swimming in the water, until we reached the spectacular Opera House. We’ve seen photos of this structure before but it was so impressive in person. Hundreds of small steps lead up to the three halls, the middle of which holds most events like concerts, plays and musicals. We debated going to the evening show, but thought better of it since we would probably fall asleep before it started.

We had made reservations ahead of time at the Lane River Cove National Park campground, about 20 minutes north of the city and across the Sydney Harbor Bridge. The Sydney Harbor Bridge seems to find itself in every backdrop from the city. It even offers tours where you can strap in to a bungee cord and walk over the top of it.  We were pretty excited to just drive over it and watch people walking around above us. When we pulled into camp and took a look at the muddy campsites and dark clouds overhead we ignored the outdoorsy and frugal voice in our heads and quickly bucked up for a warm dry cabin with a bed and shower. We thoroughly enjoyed cooking a meal, repacking and getting to bed by 9pm while listening to the rain pour down outside. Eleven hours later, we woke to birds chirping and sunny skies, just in time to head back to the airport. This short but fun initial trip to Australia has already made us excited to return in September.