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Craig and Jeane Visit Sydney and the Blue Mountains - September 2014

Craig and Jeane Visit Sydney and the Blue Mountains - September 2014

Old Sep 27th, 2014, 12:10 PM
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Craig and Jeane Visit Sydney and the Blue Mountains - September 2014

We are a couple in our late 50’s from Connecticut (New England), USA. We have traveled extensively in Asia, but this was our first venture into Australia. If you click on my name, you can access reports from previous trips dating back to 2006. On this visit we only had 6 full days of touring before heading to Bali to be with friends. They were action-packed days however, so hopefully this report will be helpful to future travelers.

Our journey began in mid-September from the airport not far from our home in Connecticut. We had booked our flights in business class using United frequent flyer miles. Our itinerary had us flying from Bradley Airport to Chicago O’hare to Los Angeles to Sydney. The night before we were to leave, I received an email saying the Bradley-Chicago leg had been cancelled so I had to scramble and spend 45 minutes on the phone with United to reroute through Washington Dulles. An auspicious beginning, but fortunately everything else went smoothly. The flight from LAX to Sydney was 15 hours, so we had plenty of time to sleep in our lie-flat seats.

We arrived in Sydney just a bit late at about 6:30 AM (4:30 PM at home). Immigration and customs went fairly quickly. Visitors from the USA are required to apply online for an ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) before coming to Australia. The process takes less than a day and costs AUD20 per person. In the arrivals hall, I stopped at an ATM and withdrew AUD200 before heading to the taxi queue just outside.

After a ride of about a 1/2 hour, we arrived at the InterContinental Sydney. I chose the InterContinental for 3 reasons: (1) we had a “Friends and Family” rate, (2) the hotel has a “Club” floor, and (3) the hotel was close to the Royal Botanic Garden, Circular Quay and the Sydney Opera House. Check-in was performed at the main reception, rather than in the Club Lounge. It went very quickly however, and soon we were admiring the view of the Eastern Harbor from our Deluxe King room on the 12th floor. We spent some time unpacking and organizing. I called down to reception to confirm that WiFi was free to IHG Rewards Club members (it was).

Just after 9 AM, we headed down to Circular Quay to purchase our Ferry and Taronga Zoo pass. The sky was slightly overcast, but there was no threat of rain. Since it was still winter in Sydney, there was a bit of a chill in the air but as the day progressed it got warmer. We had decided that it would be good to do an outdoor activity in order to adjust to the time change as quickly as possible. The zoo was perfect for this. After a short wait, our ferry arrived and we set out for the zoo. On the 12 minute ferry ride we had our first great views of the Opera House and the Sydney skyline. On arrival at the zoo, one can take either a bus or a gondola to the main entrance - we chose the gondola and enjoyed seeing the elephants grazing as we headed up. We spent about 3 hours walking from top to bottom. I took a neat photo of the giraffes with the Sydney skyline, the bridge and the Opera House behind them.

After a short wait, we took the ferry back to Circular Quay. It is important to hold on to your passes as you need them to exit the ferry dock. Next on our agenda was a visit to the David Jones department store. Jeane had done some research online about upscale places to shop and had me put this on the itinerary. From Circular Quay it was about a 15-20 minute walk. From my point of view, David Jones is just your typical department store - a nice place, but nothing special. Jeane however seemed to have hit the jackpot when it comes to “fascinators” hats. She had a field day, purchasing 4 of them. Thankfully, I was able to sit, relax and go online with David Jones’ free WiFi while Jeane shopped. Our last stop that day was at the Museum of Sydney where we purchased our Museums Pass and spent about 45 minutes soaking up Sydney history.

Afterwards, we headed across the road to the InterContinental for happy hour in the Club Lounge. We are not big eaters and our reason for staying on a Club Floor was to take advantage of the “free” breakfasts in the lounge and the happy hour hors d’oeuvres in lieu of dinner out. The lounge did not disappoint. We filled ourselves up on all manner of goodies, probably not the healthiest, but good none-the-less. The selection of free wines was very good as were the mixed drinks. Afterwards we were quite ready to crash, and that we did.

Next: Sydney, Day 2
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Old Sep 27th, 2014, 12:44 PM
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Hello Craig,

Great to see you & Jeane have been to see us!

You made some good choices with the Intercontinental, and ferry to the zoo for your first morning. Those giraffe certainly have the best of our "zoo with a view", don't they?

I've enjoyed so many of your travellers' tales around the world and am looking forward to the next chapter.
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Old Sep 27th, 2014, 01:02 PM
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Now this is one trip report I've been eagerly awaiting. Sounds like you two got off to a grand start with a harbor cruise and Taronga. Did you get to see the 'roos and the koalas?
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Old Sep 27th, 2014, 02:57 PM
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Bokhara and tp - encouraged by your responses, I will post more.

tp - we felt the roos and koalas were better at Featherdale, as you will see...

SYDNEY, DAY 2
Naturally we were up very early the next morning. I ordered a pot of coffee from room service (AUD$15 - yikes!), since the Club Lounge didn’t open until 6:30 am . After a fabulous breakfast in the Club Lounge, we headed for the first of several walks in the Royal Botanic Garden. It was overcast again and today there was a threat of rain. I was impressed that maps were available at the garden entrance across the road from the IC (long traffic lights though). We wandered the gardens for a couple of hours, dazzled not only by the plantings but by the amazing bird life within.

From the gardens, we headed to the Rocks. The weekend market was in full swing. It rained some while we were there, but it did not deter Jeane from making some purchases. We then spent some time at the (free) Rocks Discovery Museum. Afterward, we had some time to kill so we headed back to David Jones - Jeane had one more hat she wanted to purchase. Next we stopped in at the Victorian-style Strand Arcade. The building is quite beautiful but its shops seemed to be geared towards a younger crowd. Our last stop of the day was the Susannah Place Museum in the Rocks. We had asked the IC concierge to make a reservation for us because tours need to be booked in advance (this cannot be done online). Our Museum Pass covered the cost of this very interesting tour of the homes here, which have been left unrestored. We enjoyed another happy hour in the Club Lounge, followed by an in-room movie (AUD$16.95).

SYDNEY, DAY 3
We awoke to a beautiful sunrise. The weather forecast for the next few days was spectacular - sunny and mild. The views at breakfast from the IC Club Lounge and the walkway outside were terrific. We had some extra time before our pre-booked 9:00 AM tour of the Opera House, so we meandered through the Botanic Garden to get there. This allowed us to explore an area of the gardens that we hadn’t seen the day before. We still arrived at the Opera House early, but fortunately someone was available to issue our tickets, not only for the tour but for our (Sunday) matinee performance of “The King and I” as well. While waiting for the tour outside by the Opera Bar, we observed a small group climbing on top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge and took some photos. The tour lasted one hour and covered the Concert Hall, the Joan Sutherland Theatre and one of the smaller venues. We were especially impressed with the Concert Hall with its massive pipe organ and beautiful wood interior. The tour also covered the Opera House’s design and construction history. It was interesting to hear that the Australian Lottery helped to cover much of the construction cost.

After the tour, we returned to the gardens and worked our way diagonally to the Art Gallery of NSW at the opposite end. We had downloaded an app on our phones for a highlights tour, but it turned out to be useless. Fortunately, a human being was available to give us a one hour overview of the museum highlights, making our visit very worthwhile.

After our gallery tour, we headed to the nearby Hyde Park Barracks museum. We used our Museum pass for entry and spent about an hour there, taking advantage of the excellent audio tour. This was an interesting place that provided us with some more insight into Sydney convict history. After our tour, we decided to return to the hotel and get ready for our matinee performance at the Opera House.

We had heard that folks dress up a bit for Opera House performances, so we had both packed “smart casual” clothing, which turned out to be just right for the occasion. The musical, “The King and I” was perfect for us. We have spent quite a bit of time in Thailand and had seen “Anna and the King”, the film starring Jody Foster. In addition, Jeane knew all of the songs from a recording of the Broadway version she had listened to as a child. Because Jeane was wearing high heels, we took a taxi to and from the theatre - about AUD$10 each way for the short trip. The performance started at 3 pm and lasted just under 2 hours and 45 minutes, including the intermission. We had great seats, which I had purchased months ago - 10th row, center. The cost of a playbill added AUD$20 to the cost of admission. We returned to the hotel in time to enjoy drinks and nibbles in the Club Lounge and another in-room movie afterward.

Next - Sydney, Day 4 and the BridgeClimb
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Old Sep 27th, 2014, 03:40 PM
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So wonderful to hear that you enjoyed The King and I. We will be seeing it mid-October. The zoo is also on the itinerary.
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Old Sep 27th, 2014, 03:47 PM
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What a wonderful report! I'm eager to hear more, as I'll be returning to Sydney and the Blue Mountains in November.
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Old Sep 27th, 2014, 05:28 PM
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SYDNEY, DAY 4
Up early again on our last full day in Sydney, we headed to the Botanic Garden for one final stroll. This time we walked to Mrs. Macquaries Point. Because it was another beautiful morning, we shot some great photos of the Sydney Harbor Bridge with the Opera House directly in front and the clear blue sky as its back drop. Next we headed to the Sydney Aquarium so we could be there when it opened at 9:30 am. At that hour there were just a few visitors which made the visit quite pleasant. The aquarium itself was a little disappointing, given the steep AUD$40 per person cost of a walk-up admission. We did appreciate seeing all of the sea creatures that were native to Australia, especially the colorful fish and coral in the Great Barrier Reef display. It took us about an 1-1/2 hours to tour the entire aquarium.

The one other shopping venue that we wanted to visit was the Queen Victoria Building, so we headed there next. We wandered for about an hour but made no purchases. Our next stop after that, The Chinese Garden of Friendship was a real treat - an oasis of calm amidst the bustling city. We spent an hour there just soaking it all in. Next we had a long walk to the Rocks. It seemed that we had been doing nothing but walking for 4 days and I was wondering how that was going to affect me when we did the BridgeClimb later that afternoon. After checking out a couple of galleries along Nurse’s Walk, we decided to grab a bite to eat, which would give us a chance to refuel and recharge. We settled on the Bakers Oven Cafe and ordered a couple of soft drinks and a meat pie to split - perfect!

From the restaurant it was a 5 or 10 minute walk to the BridgeClimb visitor center. We had reserved in advance and were scheduled for a 3:35 pm departure. We had been instructed to arrive 15 minutes early to check in, which gave us time to view some of the displays within. Promptly at 3:35 we were led into a room where the 8 people in our group were given some forms to sign, a quick breathalyzer test and our climbing suits. From there, we moved to a dressing room. We were encouraged to wear only underclothes beneath our suits for maximum comfort. No cameras, phones or watches were permitted. There were lockers for storing our clothes and other possessions. Next we moved to another area where we received our safety lines, headsets, and fleece jackets. Jeane and I received tie cords to secure our glasses. Everyone in the group did a practice run on an apparatus dedicated for that purpose.

Now we were ready to climb. I had been a bit anxious beforehand but once we got going, I realized that the climb would be easy. There are supposedly about 700 steps, including 3 ladders to climb but it wasn’t bad at all. Our group leader was in contact with us via our headsets and gave us instruction as we went along. She also provided us with some statistics and a history of the Sydney Harbor Bridge. We stopped frequently - too frequently really, for photos and information. We approached the top of the bridge in time for sunset - it was not as spectacular as some but the views were fantastic. As we worked our way down, the city lit up - very cool. The entire climb and descent took about 2 hours and it was a highlight of our stay in Sydney. We purchased one set of 10 photos which we received on a CD-ROM. We had also recorded a short video clip which was sent to me via e-mail.

Afterward, we stopped at Tapavino, a Spanish wine and tapas restaurant about halfway between the Rocks and our hotel. Our concierge had made a reservation for us and I’m glad he did, because at 7:30 pm the place was packed. Jeane ordered a spiced lamb shoulder with pomegranate and yogurt. I order a dish of braised chorizo, black olives and Romesco sauce. Both entrees were delicious. I also ordered a half carafe of a light Spanish red wine which complemented the meal perfectly. After dinner and a short walk to the IC, we watched TV for a while, followed by sleep.

Next - Day 5 On to Katoomba and the Blue Mountains
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Old Sep 27th, 2014, 06:13 PM
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Craig, looking forward to your take on Featherdale. Overall, I felt that Featherdale compensated the lack of Taronga's views with its intimacy. Happy to hear that you seem to have enjoyed your time in Sydney.
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Old Sep 27th, 2014, 06:36 PM
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Craig Great report. Thank you for posting.
I am enjoying your days through Sydney so far. We will be there in the same hotel next month. I look forward to hearing what you and Jeane did next.
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Old Sep 27th, 2014, 11:13 PM
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A very good read indeed, thanks for posting!
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Old Sep 28th, 2014, 03:23 AM
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We had plenty of time to pack the next morning for our drive to Katoomba and the Blue Mountains. Someone (probably on this forum) had recommended Bayswater Car Rental to me, and I had made a reservation for a 10 am pick-up. By taxi, Bayswater was about 5 or 10 minutes from our hotel. I presented my Connecticut drivers license (international drivers license is not required in Australia) and a credit card. The agent and I inspected the vehicle for damage (there was none). Shortly thereafter, Jeane and I had loaded our bags into our newish Toyota RAV4 and were on our way. The vehicle was not equipped with a GPS unit, but we could have rented one. Instead, I decided to use the Google Maps app on my phone which easily connected to the vehicle’s sound system via Bluetooth.

Our first stop was the Featherdale Wildlife Park, about 45 minutes from downtown. We loved this place, which was totally different from the Taronga Zoo. Not only was it photographer-friendly but we also had the opportunity to interact with native animals up close. Jeane especially enjoyed feeding the baby kangaroos and petting the Koalas. We spent two hours here and then continued on to the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden for about an hour further, via the very scenic Bells Line of Road. The Botanic Garden is relatively compact compared to the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney. We spent a good hour wandering amongst the exotic plants. We could only imagine how it would look later in the spring, but even at this time of year the gardens were beautiful.

After 45 minutes more of scenic driving, we reached our destination - the excellently situated Windradyne Boutique B&B. We were greeted by Veronica, our hostess and quickly settled into our spacious 2nd floor “Gundaloo Spa Suite” the largest of the B&B's 3 rooms, overlooking Echo Point in Katoomba. We discussed dinner options with Veronica and decided on the lounge at Lilianfels Resort & Spa, which was within walking distance and would cost us less than eating at Darley's, the main restaurant at the resort. While wine and especially cocktails were ridiculously expensive, I can still recommend this place with its comfy chairs, rich decor and upscale ambience. I ordered fish ‘n’ chips and Jeane ordered a Caesar Salad - both were tasty and filling. Service was a bit slow as they had more guests than expected, but we were not in a hurry. After dinner, we headed back to Windradyne, fired up our gas fireplace and went to bed.

Next: A Full Day of Hiking and Shopping in Katoomba and Leura
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Old Sep 28th, 2014, 06:01 AM
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DAY 6 KATOOMBA

The next morning, we enjoyed breakfast at 8 am with couples from Arizona, USA and Canberra, Australia. The breakfast options were delicious and satisfying - Veronica was a terrific cook. For coffee drinkers, there is powdered coffee available in the rooms and pressed coffee served at breakfast. After our meal, Veronica gave us some helpful suggestions on what we should do that day. The mountain air was crisp that morning, so we dressed in layers and headed across the road to Echo Point to start the day descending the 900 or so “Giant Stairs” into the rainforest below. Going down the stairs wasn't really that difficult. They were a little uneven in places but it didn’t take us very long to get to the bottom. It would however have been a steep and difficult climb if we had opted to hike back up.

After we reached the bottom of the stairs, we followed the trail through the rainforest toward the boardwalk which leads to the Scenic World railway and cableway. The signage was good on the trail, so we never felt lost. We encountered just a handful of people from the time we descended from Echo Point to our arrival at the boardwalk. Near the end of the trail, we passed Katoomba Falls. After reaching the boardwalk, we walked for a while, bypassing the railway for the cableway which would take us up to the Scenic World main building. From the main building, we rode the Skyway to the East Station where we had just a short walk back to Echo Point. The cost per ride was AUS$14 per person. Note that the trip up the cableway can be paid for after arriving at the main building.

All morning, the sky was clear with just a few clouds, affording great views from every vantage point. The “Three Sisters” (the 3 landmark sandstone peaks at Echo Point) were ever-present. There is an Aboriginal legend associated with the Three Sisters - you can read about it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Sisters_(Australia)

Next door to Echo Point is the Koomurri Aboriginal Centre where we made some purchases and enjoyed a 1/2 hour Aboriginal performance, featuring authentic music, song and dance. Also within the complex is a wine shop where I picked up a nice half bottle of wine for dinner that evening. After dropping off our purchases across the road at Windradyne, we hopped in our rental vehicle and headed toward “downtown” Katoomba. There wasn’t much there. We checked out the old Carrington Hotel, which had great public spaces but didn’t seem to have changed much in the last 50 years. From Katoomba, we headed to nearby Leura, which was a great town for shopping. We spent a couple of hours there, making a few purchases and enjoying the ambience. At the end of the day, we drove over to the Everglades House and Gardens, but it was set to close just 10 minutes after we arrived. We strolled the grounds, admired the views of the Blue Mountains from the property and drove back to Windradyne to spend time together in the jacuzzi prior to dinner.

We had a fantastic dinner that night at Pins on Lurline in Katoomba, one of the best of our trip. It was a very short drive from Windradyne. Jeane ordered Spaghetti with Lamb Meatballs and I ordered Char-grilled Kangaroo. The BYOB wine I brought was a shiraz, which worked well with the kangaroo. We finished with an amazing White Chocolate Creme Brulee Infused with Lime and Ginger and served with Honeycomb Ice Cream. We returned to our B&B and fell asleep.

After another hearty breakfast the next day, we chose to relax at Windradyne before leaving for Sydney at 11:30 am. At 10 am, we moved to the common area so that our room could be cleaned for the next guests. I should mention that throughout Windradyne, Veronica has paid incredible attention to detail with clever and thoughtful touches everywhere. The return to Sydney was mostly highway driving. Google Maps did not work well on arrival in Sydney, but we managed to find a gas station and return our vehicle to Baywater without too much delay. There was a shuttle to the airport that Baywater offers for an additional charge. We arrived in plenty of time to check in for our 5:20 pm flight to Bali, pass through immigration and get our VAT refund.

Our flight to Bali on Jetstar was 6-1/2 hours long and was a 1/2 hour behind schedule. The recliner-style business class seats were not particularly comfortable but dinner was pretty good and I managed to sleep for most of the flight. We spent 5 nights in Ubud at Alam Shanti (US $135/nt) with 2 other couples. Our room (“Indus”) was one of the largest we have ever had anywhere and was well-appointed with much attention to Balinese design and detail. Service was second to none. All-in-all, our Bali stay was wonderful - mostly shopping, eating and relaxing by the pool. We did a tour of the John Hardy jewelry factory, observed a temple festival, did some white-water rafting and got out for an early morning rice fields walk. We had the services of an excellent driver - Putu Arnawa, whom we had used in a previous visit and whom we highly recommend.

All-in-all, this was a great trip. We enjoyed our time in Australia immensely and I am sure we will be returning sometime in the future...
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Old Sep 28th, 2014, 08:23 AM
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I'm glad you had such a fine trip! We haven't been to Australia (yet).
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Old Sep 28th, 2014, 09:05 AM
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Craig, smart to book The King and I for an afternoon performance! I booked Fiddler on the Roof for my second evening (like 8pm)... big mistake! I had to leave during intermission because I could not keep my eyes open! Embarrassing to say the least. Plus it was a very expensive ticket..... Live & learn.... Sydney symphony afternoon concerts proved to be perfect on my next couple of visits to Sydney.

Great report, as always. I will have to give the Botanic Gardens a visit next time.
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Old Sep 28th, 2014, 09:27 AM
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Craig, your day in the Blue Mountains seems very similar to ours on this last visit. Glad you enjoyed Australia - and Bali too!
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Old Sep 28th, 2014, 09:34 AM
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Great report, Craig. The hotel room in Bali sounds fabulous. Maybe some day we will get there.
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Old Sep 28th, 2014, 01:08 PM
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tp - used your report as a guide so no surprise that our experiences were similar
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Old Sep 28th, 2014, 01:14 PM
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Good to hear that my report was useful to you. I always find them a resource for ideas myself; in fact, am thinking about my next trip and doing some reading and rereading of reports.
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Old Sep 29th, 2014, 04:26 AM
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Great report. Thanks. We went to Australia in 2001 when the exchange rate was two AUD to the US dollar. What a deal that was!
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Old Sep 29th, 2014, 06:05 AM
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Great report, Thks... We miss you guys.
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