Sunday 13th December

We are sat in the Sydney airport terminal at about 10am. waiting for our flight to Darwin with some trepidation. We have watched the weather forecasts there for over a week and seen only storms and rain and 30 degree + temperatures.

Saturaday 12 th December
Today was a different season in Sydney, 18 degrees and driving rain gave way to 34 degrees, hot sun and a gale force hot wind!! What a country!
We headed off first on a ferry to the seaside suburb of Manly. We got what turned out to be a bargain of a day pass for all transport for about 7 quid. At Manly the surf was rolling high and the weekend beach Aussies were just getting in to a good day. We then walked up onto a headland to the south which was a wonderful bit of bush country, with a fantastis array of birds and some very elusive frogs who sang like the "frog chorus" but could not be seen anywhere, and went quiet if you peered into the undergrowth. We did spot a "snake-headed turtle" in the pools.
At lunch time we caught the ferry back and had a delightful harbour cruise before going on the bus (free) to the Maritime museum. to get there we had to walk across Darling harbour bridge which is a fantastic opening swing bridge, with a mono-rail running over the top. Th e musem is first class, we visited the tall ship "James Craig", (Jennifer declined to book a bunk on their next trip), A replica of the Endeavour, a modern destryer and submarine and many opther live and static exhibits. On a hot day good though it was we were "museumed out" by 4:30 and caught a ferry (free) back to circular quay.
After an enourmous ice-cream on the quayside, eaten in the teeth of 34 degree gale gusts, we took a stroll around the incredible botanic gardens, in which roost a large population of flying foxes (huge Fruit bats), just waking up to fly across the bay. walking back to our hotel to shower and freshen up, feeling dusty and tired we had to walk through the "Glitterati" of Sydney all in Tux and posh frocks, supping champagne outside the Opera house.
Completely refreshed we then dined very well at a quayside restaurant ( indoors as the wind did blow). We then got our last bargain of the day when we jumped the late ferry to Woolwich with our card and watched the brilliant fireworks set off in the middle of the bay by the opera house and the had an hours beautiful tour of the bay on a quiet ferry with the stars out and all the Sydney lights displayed, fantastic. There was even a full moon. "Too many splendours" said the bloke next to us. Too right.