Day 60.

Right, so today actually is the day I experience the Sydney Tower! I entered the lift up to the ticket office and waited in line, I noticed one group heading through the security checks, I couldn't wait! When I got to the desk, she looked at me, looked at her screen, then asked 'do you want to just go now!?' Of course I do!! I was doing the coastal walk later with Adam and Anna so the earlier the better. I ran through security checks and into the lift. It took 44 seconds for us to reach the observatory floor.

From the observatory floor you had 360 degree panoramic views of Sydney, the weather was perfectly clear and I could see all the way to the ocean and right over North Sydney. I could pick out every single landmark and famous tour of the Sydney skyline from here!

I was so busy getting distracted by the amazing views, I almost missed my call time! As my name bellowed out of every speaker in the room requested I sign my release form (sweetie a release form!? Release form of what!?). So I stopped with the photos for now, throwing my GoPro and selfie stick into my bag and headed over to the SkyWalk area.

Your not allowed to take anything up with you, which I understand but it's a shame because they then charge a fortune for photos! So I don't have any from the skywalk because I preferred to keep my eyes inside my head but here's what happened... I slipped into my garishly blue boiler suit and made my way through the back corridors to the roller door that stood between us and a walk way 800ft+ in the air! We harnessed up, joined the railing, as the roller door began to open Eye of the Tiger began to blare. I wish I could say 'how cliche?...' But I LOVED IT! I jumped at the chance of being the first one of the railings because I didn't want to miss a thing! (Ooh, I'm totally singing Aerosmith right now...) We stepped out and took in the unbelievably good views of the entire city from above. As we worked our way round the walkway, the guide gave us a little bit of information on the tower. It's constructed using 56 cables which cross over each other spiralling upwards (they're the original cables from 1981 may I add!), it is counter balanced by a water tank at the top holding over 160,000 litres of water otherwise it would just blow over (can we get a gage on how full that is please!?), it can also withstand wind speeds up to 172kmh! But let's not test that one shall we... We reached our first glass platform out of 2, as I was first (I knew I would regret this...) she asked my to step onto the glass first to check if it was safe before anyone walked onto it, better to lose one than 10 huh!? The crazy bitch then asked me to jump! On a glass platform 800ft in the air! Well naturally I did... It was fine, she then got the other 9 out and asked us all to jump! I wasn't playing this game any longer, as they jumped I darted onto the metal platform! Luckily, it was fine!

We then moved round the walkway, taking in more of the views of Sydney, out towards Darling Harbour, Hyde Park, then the airport (actually seeing planes descending past us!) and around to the next glass platform. This one was a bit disappointing, you could barely see through it to the ground below, only through one gap in the plat- JUT! It started moving!? The damn thing sprung to life without warning, moving out from the building! Well I suppose I did want to see more! Looking down there was nothing beneath you but 800ft of air! I chose to look out instead of down shall we say!

We entered back inside after about 45 minutes on the walkway and back down to the observatory level. I threw my boiler suit into the chute and took in some more of the views. After seeing this I'd decided I was definitely going to do the Harbour Bridge climb at night to look back at this view all lit up!

Ok, now before I go onto the coastal walk, I have to tell you about my lunch! So I came across this wrap place in Myer food court, oh my lord, it's heavenly! I actually went yesterday, but it didn't last long enough to snap any photos! So if your ever in Sydney visit this place! Everything is freshly made to order and right in front of you! This was my beef and roast pumpkin wrap...

I met up with Adam and Anna and we caught the bus across the Coogee to start our coastal walk to Bondi! We chose to go from Coogee so we could spend sometime at Bondi as a reward for walking to the 6km to it! The walk runs right along the coast all the way to Bondi (suppose that obvious from the name actually, right?), passing countless beaches each with crystal clear sea, they even had sea water pools all the way along! Good idea but they looked disgustingly dirty! Stayed clear of those... Hopefully got a contact for some agricultural work while over here! Met a girl walking the CUTEST King Charles puppy! Got talking and she'd just finished her work so passed me her number! Score, perhaps set me up for staying longer..... Hmm! After a few obligatory selfies with my stick, we got to Bondi just as the sun was low in the sky. Bondi is odd, for somewhere SO famous I didn't find it all that impressive... Maybe Fiji beaches have spoilt me!? Still cool to say I've been to Bondi I suppose!

(Not quite grasping how GoPro's work)

After spending a bit of time walking through the Bondi sand, we headed for the bus stop, Anna being an absolute crazed bus person jumped on the first one signed for the city... Despite it being the wrong one!? Thankfully it took us in the right direction and we ended up at Darling Harbour where we were watching the fireworks and having some dinner.

While here I found out the Harbour have a firework display every Saturday night! Totally free! It was a pretty good show as well, stupid me thought I would be clever and set my GoPro up to snap every 2 seconds so 3/4 of the way in I look down to check on how it's going... I hadn't even pressed the damn button. So I don't have as many photos but still manage a few good ones!

After the fireworks we indulged in some good food! We reserved a table in Olivo because I'd seen something on the menu I was desperate to try.... KANGAROO! Woah Lordy! Kangaroo is tasty! I got a kangaroo steak, served on mashed with caramelised onions and a port wine jus... Possibly one of the best meats I'd ever tasted! Has the taste of a strong beef but the texture of lamb? Served medium rare and it's just perfection! Naturally I had a dessert, sticky date pudding with ice  cream. Stick a fork in me, I'm done sir!!

(Huge kangaroo steak knife!)

I have to confess, this didn't stop me getting an ice cream from the harbour too! But shh, we'll keep it just between us!

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Day 59.

So yesterday was a bust with shitty weather! So I only managed to see a few museums with some pretty cool art but some frickin weird art at the same time! I'll let you guess from the photos which one... Oh! I also had possibly the best pancakes I've ever had in my ENTIRE life from Pancakes On The Rocks! The choice was mind boggling, each one sounded so good!? I'd narrowed it down between Bananarama OR Macadamia.... Bananarama won marginally and well. Just wow! Caramel, bananas, ice cream and pancakes aided my self induced food coma...

(!?!?!?)

Oh how could I forget!? I also got myself a selfie stick!! Stay tuned for evidence of use...

Right in the centre of Sydney stands the Sydney Tower Eye. It's been taunting me since I arrived. It's the tallest building in Sydney and has an observation deck PLUS a skywalk to walk sound the outside! Oh this one was sold long before that! The weather was fairly good today so I decided today was the day I was going up! I stood in line and prepared myself for 280+ feet of excitement and views, I reached the counter to see the prices were over $20 more expensive than online. Now being the savvy traveller I now am, I decided 'FUCK THAT!' So this is now in fact tomorrow's plan. Not to worry though, there was plenty on my Sydney list to keep me occupied... Chinese Garden of Friendship was to be the next stop!

Now, yes I am aware of the irony of going to the Chinese Garden of FRIENDSHIP on my own, but damn it I'm going regardless! (Maybe in search of it!?) The garden is just off Darling Harbour and is totally idillic. It has ponds and pathways intertwining, small bridges and pavilions scattered across the garden in hidden spaces all this with geisha walking throughout (granted, these geishas were just white girls in the outfit and make up... Ruined the authenticity slightly there.)

For the rest of the day I was joining the ImFree tours. For anyone visiting a new city I 100% recommend this, don't follow the crowd and hop on the tourist buses. These walking tours are completely free (although you tend to pay what you think it was worth at the end, around $10), you get a guide who is a local to the city and you get to see the landmarks and hear the history first hand rather than passing it on a double decker bus! I'd done one in Melbourne and had such a great experience I knew I'd do it in Sydney and it was equally as good here!

I'm clearly some sort of expert tourist by now because most of the places on the tour I'd actually already got chance to visit, however the stories and history the guides are able to share make all the difference. We walked through and past landmarks such as the Harbour Bridge and Opera house, Hyde Park Barricks which housed the convicts that were sent to Australia, Queen Victoria Building and linking underground tunnels (now used as malls) and lane ways.

The tour finished by the Circular key over looking the harbour, I was hanging around for The Rocks tour which is by the same company but an evening tour around The Rocks. I had about 30 minutes to kill so I went for a walk around and I ended up finding my Australian addition to my bracelet collection, I now have a shark tooth bracelet to represent my Australian portion of my trip!

The Rocks was the area of the first settlement in Australia and was also where England sent their convicts to live out their days (that was punishment right?) it was build by the convicts to keep the convicts. It was an easy area for police to patrol and is surrounded by water. It essential became a village of convicts, they would set up businesses, work and live in this area, some convicts actually made a lot of money and purchased land in The Rocks!? He was soon killed off though... It's also home to the oldest pub/hotel in Australia, well there's actually two and they're still competing for that title even now! Even had Australia's first and biggest bank robbery, well what did they expect from a bank built by convicts!? Idiots... After the tour finished I'd wanted to see the Opera House in the night lit up, so me and Alfie from the tour took a walk down to the harbour and sat by the water, just enjoying the view for a bit. It really is beautiful at night!

We got the train back together as he was actually staying close to Kings Cross where my hostel was as well. So I grabbed some dinner from Coles and headed back to the hostel. I finished the night with a late night FaceTime with Fliss back home, naturally, she was still in her dressing gown, nice to see something's have stayed the same with her!

(Do I dare put screenshots on...)

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