Hey everyone, so we got back from Sydney this morning. Man
are we all exhausted. We left Thursday morning for Bendigo to go visit some
museums, which was a two-hour train ride. The museums were really cool but it
was very hot in Bendigo around 104 degrees so it was hard to enjoy being
outside. Everyone was a little grumpy. We found some cool shops and had a long
lunch in an air-conditioned café. Then took a two-hour train ride back only to
hop on a twelve-hour bus ride. Luckily the bus was over night so we could
sleep, unfortunately for those of us who were/are sick, sleeping on buses only
seemed to make things worse. Everyone managed to find a comfortable spot
though, some of the students sleeping on the floor of the aisle and between the
rows of seats. We got to Sydney around 6:30 am; unfortunately we couldn’t get
our rooms until noon. We made our way to the hostel, Bounce, and they stored
our luggage in an empty room and allowed us to shower. A group of us went down
to Coogee beach; we got there around 9am so we had the beach practically to
ourselves. We went wave jumping and Maddy and I fell asleep in the sand. Ella
stayed behind at the hostel with Hannah and they went out and explored Sydney. I
got sunburned and we headed back to the hostel around 1:30. By that time, our
rooms were ready and we were able to change clothes, and unpack.
That evening, a group including Ella, climbed the Sydney Harbor
Bridge. I didn’t do it, fearing that I would pee my pants in fright. Sadly,
they weren’t allowed to take pictures while up there but Ella said it was
beautiful. It was also really rainy and there was lightening that evening; I
can’t imagine being up there while lightening was going on around you. Alec,
Katherine and I just explored the city, we got lost and found the Opera house
and that’s when it really seemed to set in that we’re in Australia. It was truly
amazing. The next day we went to this huge City Market and got lost of souvenirs
and fun items for relatively cheap. In the evening we dressed up and went to
the Opera. We saw La Soirée, which was a sort of circus/musical show. Ella and
I were very excited that some of the acts were to Queen music. It was a
spectacular show.
After the show, we went bar hopping (sorry Mom and Dad). We
actually didn’t have much to drink but went to two really cool bars. The first
was called The Three Wise Monkeys and the second was the Shark Hotel. We met
some really nice Irish guys and had a fun evening, dancing. On Sunday we had to
check out around 10:30am but got to leave our luggage again in a storeroom, and
just wandered around the city until we had to get back on the bus.
We got back here around 6am and had classes at 9am; it’s
been a very long and brutal day. We are all exhausted. But Sydney was amazing
and fun. Though I have to say that I like Melbourne a lot better. Sydney
reminded me a lot of Seattle, it was a little too dirty for my taste. I’m happy
here in beautiful, clean Melbourne. Anyway, got to write my essays. I promise to get some of Ella's pictures on here tomorrow or Wednesday.
Love you all.
The Hume Highway/Hume Freeway is one of Australia's major inter-city highways, running for 874 km between Sydney and Melbourne. It is part of the Auslink National Network and is a vital link for road freight to transport goods to and from the two cities as well as serving Albury-Wodonga and Canberra.
ReplyDeleteBendigo is a major regional city in the state of Victoria, Australia, located very close to the geographical centre of the state and approximately 150 kilometres (93 mi) north west of the state capital Melbourne. It is the second largest inland city and fourth most populous city in the state. The estimated urban population is approximately 90,000. It is the administrative centre for the City of Greater Bendigo which encompasses both the urban area and outlying towns spanning an area of approximately 3,000 square kilometres (1,158 sq mi) and over 100,000 people. Inhabitants of Bendigo are known as Bendigonians.
ReplyDeleteBendigo is one of the most significant Victorian era boomtowns in Australia. Gold was discovered in 1851 at The Rocks on Bendigo Creek and the Bendigo Valley was found to be a rich alluvial field where gold could easily be extracted. News of the finds intensified the Victorian gold rush bringing an influx of migrants to the city from around the world within a year and transforming it from a station to a major settlement in the newly proclaimed Colony of Victoria.
Bendigo is notable for its Victorian architectural heritage and gold mining history. Since 1851 over 22 million ounces of gold have been extracted from its goldmines, making it the highest producing goldfield in Australia in the 19th century and the largest gold mining economy in eastern Australia. It is the largest finance centre in Victoria outside of Melbourne as home to Australia's only provincially headquartered retail bank, the Bendigo Bank, and the Bendigo Stock Exchange (BSX).
Sydney is the state capital of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia. It is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. Inhabitants of Sydney are called Sydneysiders.
ReplyDeleteThe site of the first British colony in Australia, Sydney was established in 1788 at Sydney Cove by Arthur Phillip, commodore of the First Fleet, as a penal colony. The city is built on hills surrounding Port Jackson which is commonly known as Sydney Harbour, where the iconic Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge feature prominently. The hinterland of the metropolitan area is surrounded by national parks, and the coastal regions feature many bays, rivers, inlets and beaches including the famous Bondi Beach and Manly Beach. Within the city are many notable parks, including Hyde Park and the Royal Botanic Gardens.
Coogee is a beachside suburb of local government area City of Randwick 8 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is also a part of the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney.
ReplyDeleteThe Tasman Sea and Coogee Bay along with Coogee Beach lie towards the eastern side of the suburb. The beach is popular for swimming.