This weekend we hopped on the Ferry and headed across the harbor to Taronga Zoo, where Ryan finally fulfilled his Australian dream of seeing a kangaroo! Not only that, we saw wombats, wallabies, and even a Tasmanian devil! It’s a beautiful zoo and, better yet, it’s a zoo with a view as you can see from the photos below. (more…)
We got to spend the past three days in Perth in Western Australia. With about 1.7 million people, Perth is Australia’s fourth largest city (after Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane). It sits on the the Swan River, just a few kilometers off the cost of the Indian Ocean. It’s kind of an odd city in a couple of ways. For starters, it’s supposed to be the most isolated major city in the world. Nothing is close by, which means everything is outrageously expensive.
A view of the CBD from Mrs. Macquarie’s Point.
Our first full week of Sydney is behind us. On Monday Ryan headed off to work while I began freelancing and started my job search. It’s a bit odd not having a full-time job to go to every day. I thought my days would drag by (since I’ve been forcing myself to stay home and work rather than just play tourist), but they’ve actually been flying by.
Ryan seems to like his new position and has some nice new colleagues, a few of whom I got to meet on Friday night when we went out for drinks in Newtown. For my part, I’ve been busy trying to network and have set up a separate professional website (sorry, but the quality and frequency of posts here are suffering as a result), which will be far less interesting than this one to most people, but hopefully a bit more helpful careerwise.
In addition to getting some drinks with co-workers, this weekend we took the bus out to Coogee Beach and walked the gorgeous six kilometers along the coast to Bondi Beach. Here a few pics of those beeches:
Coogee Beach…the water looks great. Even though it’s officially fall, the water is plenty warm.
There was a cemetery along the walk. Got to be one of the best views you could ask for for your final resting place.
The famous Bondi Beach.
We both aspire to learn how to surf. This sign, like so many others instructions we’ve seen in Australia so far, was completely cryptic.
Tuesday marks our two-week anniversary in Sydney. While it hasn’t been long, it’s already starting to feel like home. Things are becoming familiar, we’re picking up the local lingo, and starting to meet people. Once we get settled into an apartment (the hunt hasn’t officially begun yet) and get our stuff (currently somewhere at sea), it will really feel like we’re settled in.
Dykes on bikes…there sure were a lot of them!
This past weekend we checked out Sydney’s Mardi Gras celebration, which is basically the city’s version of the gay pride parade. With over 10,000 participants and more than 500,000 spectators it’s a real spectacle that rivals the likes of New York and San Francisco. However, unlike what I’ve seen anywhere else, it’s really viewed as a community event. Regardless of whether or you’re gay or straight, people seem to support it. There were signs in every coffee shop and restaurant wishing people a happy Mardi Gras (and not just in the hip neighborhoods). (more…)
They better be some pretty good cocktails for those prices!
The SydneySiders 