We didn’t arrive in Sydney until 12:30pm. Who knew it would take that long to cruise from Melbourne to Sydney. It’s a 9 hour drive according to google maps, but yes a whole other state – South Wales. The sail into Sydney was spectacular, except for the rainy and hazy weather. In 1857 the Dunbar ran ashore when attempting to enter the harbor thinking the gap was the harbor. They claim it’s the most beautiful sail in, in the world. We all went to the Explorers Lounge to watch. We saw the city skyline:

• Sydney Opera House – opened in 1973, it hosts over 1500 performances annually. It’s the city’s cultural jewel with its white wings.
• EY building
• Sydney Harbour Bridge (opened in 1932 it is the worlds tallest steel arch bridge, measuring 134 m (440 ft) from top to water level).
• Sydney Tower Eye
• New Crown Plaza Casino being built
• 2 cruise ships, both before the bridge – too big to go under it
• Naval base – there are only 2 in Australia, and because of the amount of cruise ship traffic in Sydney, they are considering using some of the base for cruise ships

Sydney was founded as a penal colony in 1788. Captain Philip led the First Fleet of 11 ships and about 850 convicts into Botany Bay on 18 January 1788. Over the next four years, 3,500 male and 750 female convicts landed in Sydney. The current population is about 4.5 million as it’s the state capital of New South Wales. Indigenous aboriginals occupied the area for 30,000 years and there are supposed to be thousands of engravings in the area. Now they are about 2% of the population. Despite Sydney being one of the most expensive places to live, it’s ranked tenth in quality of living.

Before departing for our excursion, MyLisa and I had to go through customs. Yes, that’s odd isn’t it. Tomorrow we catch a flight from Sydney to Cairns. Since we didn’t book the Viking extension trip, they wouldn’t provide us a shuttle to the airport, so we’re on our own. To get to the airport in time, we leave at 6am before everyone else. To catch the same flight that Mom and Ruth are on. We had to pack and bring all of our luggage to the chefs table restaurant. They took are forms, said thanks and that was it. 2 minutes. No questions, no bag check, easier than expected.

This afternoon we went on a four hour cultural sail on the Mari Nawi. I thought we’d be on a sailboat, but it was a large chartered boat that could fit 150 people. Fortunately there were only 19 of us. In the grass where we boarded the boat we say a beautiful ibis. The first mate also performed a cleansing ritusl with us before boarding. He burned gum tree leaves in a wooden bowl, then as we boarded the smoke cleansed away any bad energy. It was like what we’d do with sage. We toured all of the harbour. They call the harbor bari bari. Since it rained we were unable to get off and go on a small island. Instead, a father and son team performed aboriginal dances with a didgeridoo onboard. The instrument is made from a branch that was hallowed out by termites. It was quite entertaining. Then they made us some snacks – kangaroo meatballs, ground kangaroo lettuce wraps, barramundi, and fruit. Everything was delicious. Some of the sites we saw along the way included:

• 18 footer skiff racing – this was pretty cool. Three men were on each boat. There is obviously a lot of strength, agility and skill needed. They are not sitting on the boat, but instead almost hanging off on one side. They can be,quite dangerous and very fast. Here they are called the Aussie 18.
• Millionaire row – some expensive waterfront housing
• Interesting boat houses
• Waterview Wharf Workshops – 4 brightly colored buildings. Nestled on the eastern shore of the Balmain peninsula, these historically significant buildings house a selection of Sydney’s finest creative businesses. Used as a ship repair yard by the Adelaide Steamship Company since the beginning of the last century, it is now one of the finest remaining examples of maritime industrial architecture and has been preserved as a landmark on Sydney Harbour.

• Ferries, sailboats, and ships, motorboats, etc. with it being Saturday here, there was a lot of activity on the island

We returned to our ship, and just happened to run into a few of our fellow travelers returning from their adventures. Some went on the included tour of Sydney, Cockatoo island and a walk around Sydney.

We had a lovely dinner, went to the show – which were the same tribe, but more men from our day sail. Then went to bed. We are leaving early for Cairns in the morning.

We unfortunately didn’t get to say goodbye to everybody. We are all goi g I’m different directions.

• George and Carol have another 21 days in Aussie and are doing the following: back to Melbourne to do Philip Island, Great Ocean Road, Ayers Rock, Darwin, Jabaru, Cairns for the a Great Barrier Reef and fly home from Sydney.
• Pat, Victor and Rena head back to Melbourne to spend time and site see with friends
• John, Nancy and Sue stay in Sydney a few more days. These crazy cats plan to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Hell no.
• Not sure about Steve, Carolyn, Candy and Alton
• Sharon I believe is heading home.

What a wonderful group to travel with. We hope our paths cross again on another travel adventure. Thanks you all for making this a trip of a lifetime.

Check out photos here