Sydney

Sydney is one of the places that I really wanted to visit when I was planning my trip to Australia. I decided to go one weekend as I was able to purchase cheap flights.

I arrived in Sydney and got a transfer straight to my hostel. The hostel was really sociable and located in the heart of Sydney, within walking distance of all the main attractions.

The main attraction I wanted to see was Sydney Opera House. It was so impressive looking over the harbour! I had a guided tour of the opera house and later that evening I went to watch a performance of Henry 4th. It was fantastic! Unfortunately it was not opera season so I couldn't watch an opera, but it didn't matter I still had a great time.

 

I met up with a friend that I had met travelling in Thailand, we had coffee overlooking the famous Harbour Bridge.

 

This is the view of Darling Harbour at night. This was by far my favourite place in Sydney, it was picturesque and there were so many cute restaurants and coffee shops. There was also street entertainment.

 

I went on a walking tour of the city and saw many of the attractions. It is definitely a city I would recommend visiting. I also spent one evening at the aquarium where is saw two Dugongs, which are the only two on exhibition in the world. On my final day I visited the famous Bondi Beach. It was breathtaking, I wish I could have spent longer there!

Werribee Mansion / Melbourne Zoo

Recently I have gone on several day trips with my friends. One was to Werribee Mansion and rose garden.

 

The rose garden was gorgeous. It was great to get out of the city and have the chance to expolore somewhere new. The mansion was really interesting to explore and to have an insight into some Australian history. During our trip to the mansion we were allowed to try on some clothes that previous residents may have worn. It was well worth a visit.

On another day we visited Melbourne Zoo. They had a fantastic collection of animals including a platypus and a hippo (both of which i had never seen).

 

After the visit to the zoo my friends and I went for coffee and a cake by the river in the centre of Melbourne. Melbourne is famous for its coffee culture so it was a really nice thing to do.

Phillip Island

I decided to have a weekend away from study to visit Phillip Island with friends.

We drove to the Island and stayed with one of my friends. The island had some of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen!

We spent one day at the beach. I left my clothes in the car of a friend, as we had been sunbathing, she then left, I forgot I had left them there then had to spend the rest of the day touring the island in only my bikini and towel! This was really embarrassing! We got to see most of the island, as one of my friends lived there all his life so knew it well. It was gorgeous and well worth a visit!

Phillip Island is most famous for the "Penguin Parade" where you sit in an outdoor auditorium on the beach and wait till dusk when the native fairy penguins return from the sea and make their way over the shore to their nests. Here is a photograph of one of the penguins. I did not have the chance to watch the penguin parade but I hope to do this on another occasion.