May 2000, Sydney, Australia.

Arrived in Sydney clutching a 12 month working holiday visa, and for the time being I'm going to have to get back to some semblance of normal life (as normal as it can be, living in a rat-infested city-centre hostel surrounded by 18-yr olds) and work in order to fund the next stage of this trip.

Since getting here, I've been to the Opera House (Sibelius, R. Strauss), crewed a yacht in a friendly race round the harbour, and dived regularly from Manly beach (I'd love to be able to say this involves climbing over topless sunbathers to get out of the water, but as it is late autumn there have only been one or two brave souls, and in truth, climbing over them would have involved a bit of a detour) with a great bunch from the Scuba-SE (nee Scuba-L) discussion list. Oh, and drunk a certain amount of some filthy stuff Australians call beer. (Ugh!)

It is a major city, with all the problems that go along with that, but as far as big city attitude goes, London would eat it for breakfast (wheras Auckland, for example, London could eat before breakfast without spoiling it's appetite for Sydney) and it feels safe walking the streets.

The harbour is stunning, with the dollop of magnificent town-planning insanity that is the opera house, and the whole lot dominated by the giant coat-hanger itself, the massive harbour bridge. A number of replica sailing ships (The 'Bounty', the 'Endeavour' etc.) carry tourists around the place, giving the appealing impression that a lost pirate fleet has sailed out of a time warp, and are optimistically heading in to sack the city.

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For now, with an unwilling thud, it's back to normal life after the adventures of the past few months. So, for the time being my travel tales are going to dry up. Updates will happen as and when I have a tale that's fit to print.

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Some random Sydney memories:

Tourists jostling for prime snapshot position on the prow of the green and gold Manly ferry as the dramas of the city centre come into view;

The same ferry heading out to Manly, wallowing hard in a squall coming through the heads out of the Pacific;

Walking through buzzing bush in the Sydney Harbour National Park, feeling miles from any city;

Cockatoos screeching in the Botannic Garden, Ibis strolling and Magpies singing their liquid song;

Watching the last light fade from the sky behind the Opera House as waves lap the rocks on Mrs Maquaries point;

Warming up with coffee and Tim-Tams after a midwinter dive at Shelly Beach;

Walking across the harbour bridge towards the compact bristle of the Central Business District as a replica of H.M.S. Bounty sails underneath;

The sunset shadow of the Bridge falling on the canvas of the Opera House roof as a hundred cameras click.

On to Travel Tales - South East Aus.

All content © COPYRIGHT Huw Porter