Toronga Zoo - Last Day in OZ

Today we got up bright and early and took the ferry across Sydney Harbor to Toronga Zoo...
It was VERY windy and I put up my hood...and ended up looking a bit like the uni-bomber...














I was VERY impressed with Sydney's Zoo!...way better than the renowned Milwaukee and San Diego Zoos! The animals were much closer, in nicer habitats, and the atmosphere was eco-friendly. The zoo recycles all of its H2O!













While we were there we got cuddly with the koalas...took a nap with the Tigers....














Laughed at the lazy Prairie Dogs...and stayed clear of the Gila Monster





Who strangely enough had a matching natural rock formation at the zoo (unofficial, but we though it interesting!)
And acted like Lions...
See all the kids waiting in line...
Yeah, we were "those" people!


After we visited the zoo we discovered that our ferry ticket included a trip to Watson's Bay where we could check out "The Gap," which is the only way in or out of the Sydney Harbor...in other words, it is where the Pacific Ocean meets the Bay. We hiked the nude beach (Lady's Cove - ironically filled with men?!?) and then to the lighthouse.






We then took the ferry back to Sydney where we passed famous Luna Park.



We got off in Darling Harbor and stumbled upon a free didjeridoo show...


Jeremy Donavon did a wonderful job playing traditional and contemporary didjeridoo and explaining what some of the sounds and hand gestures meant. He dispelled the rumor that women are not allowed to play the instrument...it goes back to a misconception by the missionaries.

We then raced back to Katy and Paul's to go out for our last dinner in Sydney...off to New Zealand tomorrow!!!

Blue Mountains

After a suggestion from Matt Patterson, Collen and I boarded a train from Sydney to the Blue Mountains (about 2 hours away). It is named for the blue haze that spreads over the mountains from the eucalyptus oils in the air! On our way there we stopped at a little chocolate shop with free samples!!! DELICIOUS!!!













We started our trek at the 3 Sisters (rock formation) and then headed down the Giant Staircase...over 1,000 to the ravine floor and of course back up again at the end of the trail!

Notice...

Down = all smiles :)

Up = Ugh :(
Our legs were shaking!!! It was the ultimate stairmaster!






The coolest thing we came across was natural vine swings that we could not get enough of!!!

Bondi & Bronte

After snoozing in a bit we headed to famous Bondi Beach! It was a bit overcast when we started, but we went ahead anyway...

Once we got there we decided to take the cliff walk down the way to Bronte. Along the way we came across an incredible outdoor lap pool...check out the surfers in the background!












There were some amazing views along the way from Bondi to Bronte...here is just a sample...















Once we got to Bronte we looked for a bathroom and ended up crashing a private party - oooops! No matter, the friendly Aussies welcomed us to stay and gave us a beer! We declined, but ended up back there when we met some nice, and cute, surfer boys on the beach - who I conveniently asked where I could rent a board...they said that unfortunately there was no where, but that they did give free cuddles:) We ended up hanging with them for the rest of the afternoon and then went out for dinner and drinks! Colleen called me a Tiger for approaching the boys, and I had a beer to prove it! And Colleen got her free Schooner!!!