We woke up early to have our bags ready for the coach and to eat breakfast before the long drive to Sydney. We were actually ahead of schedule and departed our accommodation, farewelling and thanking the hosts, before 8:30am.
We spent most of the day travelling on the coach, with a stop for lunch where the line at Subway took half an hour but was completely worth it. There were plenty of options also in the cafes around the area, and it was nice to stretch out our legs and move around after sitting for so long. We also saw a giant ram statue. In the coach we shared snacks, listened to music, played games, talked and tried to get some sleep to pass the time.
Before getting to the Song Hotel, we visited Mrs Macquarie’s Chair and walked up to a lookout where you can get a photo of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge in the one frame. Peter, our coach driver, told us all about the history behind the Chair, telling us it was made by Lachlan Macquarie the fifth Governor of New South Wales (1810-1821) for his wife Elizabeth, who was believed to have sat in that spot watching the ships come into the Harbour. In 1810 it was carved out by convicts so that she could better enjoy the sights of Sydney. We took plenty of photos, and then at the lookout we saw a group of people setting up for a marriage proposal. A large heart shape bordered with red flowers and a light-up sign reading “MARRY ME?” were being staged. We tried (but failed) to persuade the teachers to stay at the lookout until 5pm, when the proposal would take place. On the way to the hotel we then passed by some art galleries, law courts and St Mary’s Cathedral.
We were glad to reach the hotel. The accomodation is extremely nice, and we spent a while relaxing after the long journey. Mr Osborne arranged for us to have our pizzas of choice delivered to the hotel with sides and drinks, for us to enjoy in our rooms at dinner time.
We all met in the lobby for a night walk to Circular Quay and the Sydney Opera House. The walk was long but we enjoyed seeing some new buildings, statues and areas of the city. Along the scenic walk, our group stumbled upon two possums, one hiding up a tree and one eating part of an ice cream cone perched on a bin. We managed to get quite close without scaring them away and they posed for the many pictures taken of them (see below). Walking around the Quay we admired how the Sydney Harbour Bridge lit up at night, and the Opera House too. We took more photos along the way (see Israel and Ryan Green re-enact the iconic pose from Titanic below) and raced each other up the stairs of the Opera House. Unfortunately the resident seal who usually appears on the steps down to the water behind the Opera House had not popped up to say hello to us. We will try to find him tomorrow in the daylight, as we’ve been told he can enjoy a bit of sun!
We returned to the hotel very tired. We are looking forward to seeing more of Sydney in the final days ahead, and to enjoying some warmer weather after the chilly conditions in Melbourne and Canberra!
Today’s blog was brought to you by Mr Osborne’s group: Seraphina, Pearl, Zach, Joshua, Ash, Ryan (Green), Israel, Olivia R and Nicola.
