Day 62 – Melbourne to Sydney
We had breakfast, packed up, and went to a bougie shopping area. We found the Lego store; those are always fun. The mall had a lot of cool stuff to see beyond just the stores. We found a cute (and busy!) Thai place for lunch.
After that, we used our late checkout at the hotel and (after a 45-minute delay) boarded the overnight train bound for Sydney.
Day 63 – Sydney 1of2
(We didn’t know it, but we would be back in Sydney.)
Before we left Denver, our Travel Agent asked if we wanted to book hotels for the two mornings of our train arrivals in Sydney and Brisbane. We declined both because: we weren’t scheduled to arrive until 7am and 4am respectively, had a sleeper compartment for both, know that trains run late, and because we could find a room (even if that meant another hotel) if needed.
We were right. Our train was delayed, so they fed us. We sat for two hours at Moss Vale.
After lunch, we saw a young woman wearing a Miami shirt. She went there, had been living in Orlando, and had just moved to Sydney the day before. Her parents–both alumni as well–were with her helping her get settled in. We all chatted for a bit. It was lovely.
For dinner, we found a German beer hall/garden with a polka band. They held a hammering contest and a drinking contest (and then told them all afterward that it was alcohol-free beer! LOL!).
Day 64 – Harbour fun
When you see references to Australia, the Sydney Harbour is almost always there. It’s more than just pretty; it’s an epicenter of activity. Restaurants and bars, hotels, a movie theater, and some of the best views of some of the best sailing in the world.
After breakfast, we headed to the Harbour’s focal point: the Sydney Opera House. We had a great tour with one of the best guides we’ve ever had. We got to see inside several of the theaters and learned the grand and also tragic story of the design and build. (Did you know it’s not really white? No, we didn’t either.) It was an amazing tour!
We also took a Tall Ship tour in the Harbour. He even climbed the mast and steered the ship!
Day 65 – Australia Day
We didn’t plan to be in Sydney for Australia Day, but we sure are glad it worked out that way. They throw a great party. Before and after our tour of the Opera House, we saw them setting up for it…and figured it would be total mayhem. We decided to embrace the mayhem, but with a dinner reservation.
We spent the early part of the day running errands. Mid afternoon, we headed to Patrón (yes, the tequila has its own bar) for a drink and some views. We met and chatted with some nice people there. Our reservation was at Searock and included enough time to see the boat parade, hear the show, see the fireworks, and see the lighted parade of sail boats, including one of the tall ships.
We hung out after all the fun and let the crowd die off. While walking around, we found a parrot vendor (?) and chatted with him briefly while he was packing up. He feeds his parrot seven apples each day.
Day 66 – leaving for Brisbane
Travel days are always their own kind of chaos and fun. As we boarded our train to Brisbane, we were happy to find that this one was much cooler than the Melbourne to Sydney one. It also stayed on schedule, which worked out just fine.
Day 67 – arriving in Brisbane
After a very early breakfast on the train, and a punctual arrival in Brisbane, we made way to our hotel. The Front Desk Attendant was ultra kind to let us check in before 6am. We thought it worked out in our favor that they were that slow. We took showers and naps. Before we headed out for lunch, we noticed that some things in our “newly renovated” room were not working. None of it was important to us, so we didn’t complain.
Our relaxing day wouldn’t last long, however. There was a kid screaming in a room near us. After a long time of enduring it, we called, and quickly learned we weren’t the first. We got the standard, “the child is tired and will go down for a nap soon.” So after several hours of this, we asked for another room. They even helped us move our bags.
For our evening we found a great fast-casual Peruvian chicken place that reminded us a lot of Inka Chicken in Austin. We also went to a fun and historic little bar with a fabulous Aussie-and-Kiwi bartender.
Day 68 – Koalas
No trip to Australia would be complete without seeing the koalas. And ours came with a boat ride up the river.
After the boat trip to the sanctuary, we wandered around Brisbane a bit. They have some cool architecture and a lovely shopping district. And we were able to get around via a free bus.
Day 69 – downtown Brisbane’s casino, The Star
There is a huge, gorgeous, brand new casino downtown. Color exactly no one surprised that they were involved in money laundering…and it was not even fully completed during our visit. It has cool architecture, tech-centric decor, a few nice restaurants, and a free skywalk with great views. They also had grand displays in anticipation of Chinese New Year.
For a late night snack, we went to the Gasworks Plaza–complete with framework in a circle—for some frozen yogurt.