Thanks so much for telling us about your 4 days in Sydney.

You certainly packed in some interesting things off the usual tourist’s track. The cycle tour would have been interesting.

Cockatoo Island is one of my favourite “little Harbour gems “ & I’m glad you had a chance to explore it. I think the sandstone in the dog leg tunnel is like artwork - just exquisite.

Where else did you go on your month’s meandering?

Bokhara2:
We had a grand time, although overly rushed - 30 days in all. I'm in the midst of writing a report and putting together a blog but that all will take some time.
Flew too much
Uluru 3 nights (mid 70's sunny when we were there, rained the day before we got there - interesting walking around mud puddles in such a dry place)
Port Douglas 4 nights (preferred Daintree to the Reef)
Melbourne 3 nights (liked it even more than Sydney)
Hobart 4 nights (of course, went to MONA but even better, Port Arthur)
Queenstown 4 nights (including Milford Sound - hit it right - it was sunny there; biked Arrowtown to the bungy bridge to Gibbston)
Auckland 4 nights (enjoyed walking up Mt Eden and one great day on Waiheke Island then days of rain - only rain on the trip - enforced relaxation)

Here’s a little something about Uluru the day before you arrived.
Turn up your sound

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=n4mTKcJfnnE

elbegewa

I'm glad you had a good time in our city (but disappointed you preferred Melbourne)!

I was interested also in your comments about Cockatoo Island. I love it - but I'm never sure if I should recommend it to visitors. It's a bit of local history that even locals are not too aware.

Elbegewa, thanks for your post, which reminded me of my own Australia trips. I've stayed in Manly, Darling Harbor, and Circular Quay, but returned several times to Old Sydney Holiday Inn at the Rocks. It has a great location. Sounds like you thought so, too (apart from having to take a taxi to avoid a four block walk with luggage).

I agree, Daintree NP is wonderful. We stayed for a few nights at Ferntree Rainforest Lodge in Cape Tribulation, and regretted not planning on staying longer.

Seems you were lucky to see mud puddles at Uluru, which only averages about 12 inches of rain a year. We also visited Uluru after it had rained and found puddles of water teeming with tiny fish, particularly around Kata Tjuta/The Olgas.

The link below will reinforce how immensely lucky you were with Queenstown and Milford Sound weather. In the south of the South Island, we had great weather in October, even a prolonged heat wave. But over this weekend it snowed around Queenstown!
https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/queens...nd-gloves-next

I look forward to reading more about your trip, looking at your blog, and learning about places I've not yet visited, such as Cockatoo Island. Apart from its aforementioned attractions, is it also good place for seeing cockatoos?

Probably not a cockatoo in site - Diamantina - it's named after the cockatoo docks and engineering company that leased it from 1933 to 1954

The only birds we saw on Cockatoo Island were seagulls ... including a seagull that stole a large part mf my hamburger while I was eating.

But Northie, I suspect that the cockatoo docks and engineering company was named after the island. According to info on the site and on the web, it had been home to large numbers of Cockatoos and had been called Cockatoo Island when the first penal colony was established on it in the 1830's.

Interesting info. on Cockatoo Island's history, Northie and Elbegewa. Thanks for that. I thought it might actually have cockatoos, as I recall seeing cockatoos in other parts of Sydney (which surprised and delighted me, as I'm a birdwatcher). Despite not having cockatoos and only seagulls, it still sounds worth visiting.