Our Saturday flight from Alice Springs was a midday flight from a small airport, so there was no rush to get on the road quickly in the morning. I took advantage by “hiring” a mountain bike for free from the hotel and taking a spin around the desert. Since most of the hills are sacred to the aborigines, they are not developed and riding could only be done in the valleys. Still I enjoyed a nice cruise around the perimeter of the main part of town, complete with getting lost a couple times and covered around 13 miles in total. Especially considering its small population, Alice Springs has a nicely developed bike infrastructure.
After the ride, it was breakfast at the casino and preparing for departure to Sydney. Since we lost an hour and a half to time zones in transit, travel (and watching Rise of the Planet of the Apes on the plane) took up most of the day and we arrived at our hotel in Sydney just before 7PM local time. Still, it was a Saturday and dinner time so we made our way out on the town. After a short stroll, we found a Bavarian Beer Garden (think more upscale Hofbrahaus) and enjoyed a delicious meal…one of the best overall of the trip. After dinner, Susan and I decided to explore the other direction from the hotel and headed into the historical Rocks district. We found an old hotel/bar that was recommended by her travel guide, so we stopped for a drink and caught part of a fireworks show taking place near the Harbor Bridge. It was a good welcome for our arrival to Sydney.
The reflection of our plane in the ocean off the coast of Sydney
Sunday morning started as most do for us…early. We had a scheduled half day bus tour of Sydney that picked us up from the hotel at 7AM. After an extensive tour of the hotels in the area as we corralled other tour-goers, we got on our way around 8. The tour was mostly cruising through downtown near the Rocks, the downtown parks, Kings Cross, the eastern suburbs, the Gap (opening of the harbor to the ocean), and Bondi beach before returning to the Circular Quay to drop us off near the Opera House. There were a couple photo stops en route, but it was mostly a drive-by overview of the major sights.
The family in front of the opera house and harbor bridge 
Surfers at Bondi Beach 
Other water athletes at Bondi
After the tour, we headed directly to the Opera House for a midday tour. The tour was interesting and included entry into a couple theatres where final preparations were going on for the evening shows. We were able to see the Sydney Girls Choir rehearse a song and a dance school rehearsing a recital routine. Also, the tour included history of the design and construction. Following the tour was a late lunch at an Noodle “take away” restaurant in the Rocks.
Inside the opera house 
View of Sydney through the opera house walls 
Close-up of the roof
With all the mornings’ activities, some of the group returned to the hotel to take a nap. I took this opportunity to explore some more of downtown Sydney on foot. Highlights included St Mary’s Cathedral, Hyde Park, the Westfield Mall, and Sussex Street. A couple hours of walking complete, it was time to regroup and plan for dinner. The evening of our first full day in Sydney, we walked to the Wharf at Darling Harbor and ate at an outdoor casual sports bar. The food was good, but nothing notable.
Tomorrow we have another full day in Sydney to check out more of the city. They way it is laid out all along the harbor with the various bays makes for stunning city-scape views and tons of areas to explore, so it should be a busy day.
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