Everyone was in joyful spirits as we boarded the bus for our hotel in Sydney City, but it was excitement-plus for two best friends who were about to share another amazing adventure together. On arrival at the hotel, we were quick to unload our luggage and settle in before taking in the spectacular city views.
We made our way down to Darling Harbour on foot in search of an inviting restaurant to satisfy our hunger. Mediterranean it was, chosen by everyone for its array of tasty dishes. After lunch we were off to the Chinese Garden of Friendship to get our Zen on. It was so wonderful and tranquil in the middle of this colourful bustling city. We were in awe of the gardens, waterfalls and large lizards roaming around. It certainly was a great way to start the Home and Away + More tour.
Paddy’s Market was next on the agenda; some of shopped, some of us had fun trying on colourful wigs for a laugh – Paddy’s has something for everyone. After the Market, we made our way through Haymarket in search of the well-known Emperor’s Puffs in Chinatown to taste the famous custard puffs, which we all agreed were delicious! Strolling through Chinatown, we came across a street market setting up for the night and tried the home-made lemonade and mangoade drink from one of the stalls. It was so lovely and refreshing, just what our tired bodies needed before the lengthy stroll back to the hotel.
We enjoyed the stillness of the night as we walked across Pyrmont Bridge to Cockle Bay. Tonight, we relished in the atmosphere of the Black Bird Restaurant in Cockle Bay while taking in the sparkling views of the Harbour lights and enjoyed some fantastic food.
The rain was falling on the second morning, so we put on our wet weather jackets, popped our brollies and enjoyed the short walk and breathtaking views across the Pyrmont Bridge to Barangaroo. We were off to Circular Quay. We boarded and relaxed as we passed a heap of different boats in Sydney Harbour and some of the famous landmarks along the way; the Crown Casino, Luna Park, Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.
Before arriving at Circular Quay, we noticed an art instillation at the Rocks called “Don’t be a tosser” so naturally we walked around to have a closer look.
We sat for lunch at the Rossini Italian Restaurant on Circular Quay; the heavy pizza and pasta was exactly what we needed on this overcast day. After lunch, we managed to snap up some cheap tickets to the Sydney Opera House to watch a Ballet called “Kunstkamar”, Ballet of contemporary dance. We felt very lucky to be experiencing this performance together, it was absolutely amazing.
In the evening we enjoyed Chinese for dinner and said goodbye to one support worker and hello to another before heading back to the hotel for a well-deserved rest. Later that evening we walked down to the Harbour to watch the Ferris wheel the Saturday night fireworks, it was so beautiful and colourful – A lovely way to finish our evening.
Our third day, it was smiles and excitement as we headed off to the Home and Away tour. Arriving early had its perks; we were able to do a quick detour to the Rocks Markets to check out the creative stalls. Finally, it was all aboard the Home and Away bus. Once we were seated and ready to go, we were pleasantly surprised by none other than the very handsome, friendly, and just all-around great bloke, Matt Evans. Matt plays troubled Leo on Home and Away, Leah’s nephew. Matt was also a contestant on the Voice and won a spot on Delta Goodrem’s team. He even sung the Home and Away song on the bus! Matt travelled on the bus with us to Palm Beach, we took plenty of photos on the way and on location. How lucky were we when Matt chose to sit with us on our table for lunch at Alf’s boat shed! He chatted with us like he was a Trusted Traveller himself; we asked so many questions about the show, unfortunately he couldn’t give away too much…
It was another still evening and the reflections of buildings and lights covered the harbour, so we sat back, relaxed and enjoyed the lights and the atmosphere while eating dinner at the Watershed Restaurant. It was just glorious.
On our final day, we were up early and enjoyed our last breakfast together at the hotel before loading our luggage into the bus and heading to the world-famous Bondi Beach to explore. We enjoyed the magnificent sunshine, while we watched the so many surfers, swimmers and sunbathers enjoying their day. We trekked along the cool morning beach sand to the Bondi Rescue tower hoping to see one of the Bondi Rescue team members and ran into Cory, one of the lifeguards from Bondi Rescue. Cory was so friendly and polite and posed for some happy snaps with the group in the sand buggy.
After this, we finished off the day with a stroll along the board walk to check out the many art works on the wall before heading across to the shops to find a place for lunch. There were so many options but after strolling along the entire length of the shopfronts, the decision was made to eat at Parida Bondi Café.
This concluded our wonderful tour so it was back to Trusted Travel HQ to say goodbye to our new friends.
If this sounds like your kind of tour, make sure to jump on the next H&A trip!
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