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Old 25 Nov 18, 05:47 PM  
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BONZO
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Reef, Rivers and Rainforests – September/October 2018 - Day 8 - Sydney (Bondi)

Day 8 – Saturday 29th September 2018 – Sydney
Reef, Rivers and Rainforests – September/October 2018

Link to trip report index – including pre trip report:
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We had the alarm set for about 8.30 this morning, wanting to make the most of the day in Sydney. After breakfast in the lounge








we headed out to the hop on hop off bus tour which we’ve become the anoraks of these types of tours in recent years, taking them in most major cities and this year is no exception. From the hotel we walked a short way from the hotel to Bus stop 1 at Circular Quays, how convenient was that?

We hopped on the bus after purchasing a pass for the Red and Blue route tour, the Red route was mainly city sights and the Blue route took you out to Bondi beach. We would have taken public transport out to Bondi but the dual ticket option was really good deal getting both tours for the price for one.











It was a bit fresh outside so we wrapped up in our newly purchased sweatshirts from Manly Beach and toughed it out on the upper deck of the open topped bus. We’re made of strong stuff you know – or bloomin’ stupid, you can make your own mind up on that one!









The bus covered a lot of the city including King’s Cross (looked interesting / seedy at the same time), Botanical gardens, Fish Market, Chinese gardens and umpteen things named Macquarie! Certainly some places to go and visit at a later date.

We completed the whole red loop at got off again outside the hotel and nipped in for coffee and cake in the lounge! Well, why not! We then headed out again and picked up the Blue line towards Bondi Beach, I’d been looking forward to seeing what the place is actually like for myself. We got off the bus at South Bondi and my goodness, IT WAS BLOWING A HOOLEY!



It felt a bit like the North Devon coast in autumn / winter, thank goodness for the hoodies / sweat shirts! It wasn’t actually that cold – just very windy! The beach was huge and apart from a few determined hardy souls including the beach rescue team there was no one in the water at this time. Initial impressions was that it was nice mix of surfer shops, cafes and new very high end properties.









Our first stop was the Bondi Pavilion for a toilet break and to decide what our plans were going to be. Good to be out of that wind for a while. We walked the entire length of the beach and had planned to walk through to Bronte or Coogee but we’d be facing into the wind on the outbound stretch and not very pleasant so we thought we’d give it a miss this time round and save for a return visit.

The sea was very dramatic and atmospheric as the waves came crashing in but I managed a few shots without getting wet or being swept away thank goodness. The whole scene was such a contrast to those typical brochure shots but I still loved the area all the same despite the weather.








I did read that there was local concern about the “gentrification” of the area and the volume of Air BnB’s springing up taking away from the local surfer spirit but time will tell I guess.

We picked up the HOHO bus from North Bondi beach and made our way back to the Central Station stop taking in the views over Rose, Double and Elizabeth bay before having a coffee and picking up the train back to the hotel where we showered, changed and had a couple of drinks and some snacks in the lounge.

Prior to the trip to Australia I’d make contact with old friend of mine who I hadn’t seen since the early 70’s when we were both in the Scouts. He emigrated to Australia in the late 80’s and had spotted my upcoming trip on Facebook and suggested we meet up to catch up on the lost years. We arranged to have a beer or two at the Opera Bar next to Sydney Opera House as he only lived a few stops away on the train.

We dressed, wrapped up warm and headed out to meet him and although I’d seen a recent photo of him I couldn’t find him anywhere. I went and stood outside a couple of shops hoping to pick up some free Wi-Fi and make contact or at least message him to say look out for a couple of people wearing red jackets. I went back to the bar and was about to call it quits when I noticed that he’d managed to pick out Alison after all.

It was quite surreal, sitting chewing the fat and catching up in the shadow of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House after dark. I thought that if this was London the place would be rammed but it all felt very calm and civilised.










After a few beers and laughs we said our goodbyes and promised to keep in touch and we’d let each other know if there were any other travel plans in either direction. We strolled along the harbour back to the hotel to get ready for the next step of our adventure.

Transport count (running total!):

Flights: 4
Ferries: 2
Trains: 6
Trams: 2
Tubes: 1
Ubers/Taxis: 3
Coaches/Buses: 7
Step Count today: 13011
Total step count for the trip: 82612
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Edited at 06:19 PM.
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Old 25 Nov 18, 05:54 PM  
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Kat11
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Love the pictures, especially of Bondi, I lived on Bondi Road for a year back in the day (2000/2001) One of the best times of my life, good to see the pictures of the City too. 😁

Kat
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Old 26 Nov 18, 10:48 AM  
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BONZO
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Originally Posted by Kat11 View Post
Love the pictures, especially of Bondi, I lived on Bondi Road for a year back in the day (2000/2001) One of the best times of my life, good to see the pictures of the City too. 😁

Kat

WOW! - Lucky you to have lived there for a while.

Bondi had a real lovely vibe and somewhere I'd consider living. Despite being high on the tourist trail it maintained a friendly "village" feel.

I really must go back someday when the wind has dropped
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1988 ~ Contemporary ~ Honeymoon
1989 ~ Off site
1994 ~ EuroDisney ~ Santa Fe
1999 ~ Off site
2001 ~ CBR (Aruba) ~ Poly (Tahiti)
2003 ~ WL & HRH
2004 ~ Pop Century, RPH, CSR, PBH, Contemporary
2006 ~ DLP ~ Newport Bay
2007 ~ POR ~ HRH ~ GF
2008 ~ All star sports, BCV, RPH, Vero Beach, VWL
2010 ~ OKW ~ BCV ~ HRH ~POP Century ~ Vero Beach ~ VWL
2013 ~ AKL ~ HRH ~ BCV ~ Vero Beach ~ VWL
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Old 26 Nov 18, 10:30 PM  
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Melbatb
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It looks very windy!

Bondi beach looks awesome! And how nice to meet up with an old friend!
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Index of my trip reports
2016 Quebec - Kuala Lumpar - New York City 2017 Dubai - Eurocamps France - Ontario and Quebec - So-Cal 2018 Montreal - Bangkok - New England 2019 Argentina - Quebec City - Hong Kong - 2020 Switzerland 2022 Arizona - Costa Med Cruise - Oslo 2023 Hong Kong - Gothenburg
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Old 1 Dec 18, 12:23 AM  
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Tartan Tigger
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I’d love to go to Bondi Beach.
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