Christmas in the Big Smoke

17th - 25th December 2012

Time for a reunion in the place where it all started with the people we all started with. I was the second person back in Sydney from our group. Beckie was working so I spent the first few days just wandering around Sydney and seeing the places that I missed time first time around.

The Wharfs

Random crushed car roundabout thing

I walked around Darling Harbour, the rocks and over the bridge. You can do the full bridge climb for $180ish dollars or you can just walk up one of the pillars for $11 so that's what I did. There was a fantastic view at the top but there is also lots about the history and the making of the bridge that was really interesting.

View from the top of the south east pillar

Sydney CBD

The Harbour Bridge today

The Harbour Bridge then

Opening day of the Bridge in 1932

I carried on over the bridge to the north shore where there is a small theme park called Luna Park. The entrance is enough to scare any child away but there were hundreds of school kids about on the rides.

Luna Park

I caught the ferry back to Circular Quay and went and to meet up with Beckie at the bar we first went to on the first day with Ultimate Oz. Im not sure if we had much of a plan but we ended up in side bar playing trivia and getting very drunk on free drinks. It was a good night.

Beer!

Mark and Shelly arrived back and we went to visit Adam in Manly. We went to the beach first but the hit and miss weather of Sydney meant we got cold quick and went to Adams place. Much goon was had and for some reason Beckie got her arse out.

Manly Beach

Shelly and Beckie on Manly Beach

We had some friends in the morning

Mark and Shelly were house sitting Big Dan's house (manager of Ultimate Oz) and they invited me and Beckie round for a BBQ. As they were travelling down the coast they picked up 2 Scottish hitch hikers Chris and Wayne who also came over. They were cool and goon monsters too. Lots of drinks were had and drinking games were on. There was something about a 1 pound fish we found in the bathroom that we all had pictures with.

Mark happy to be here!

BBQ!

Dancing in the goonbox

Tash

Mono brow

On one of the odd days when it was sunny we went to the beach. Well I went to the beach and waited for the others. They got there 2 hours after me and it went cloudy again soon after. I saw one the guys from Bondi Rescue while they were filming. I hovered in the background to try and get on tv!

Bondi!

Filming Bondi Rescue

CHRISTMAS DAY!

The dream was to spend all day at the beach in the sun and get very very drunk but unfortunately the worst weather i've seen in Australia just had to happen today! I was determined to go to Bondi Beach as planned with Evelien, a dutch girl I'd met in the hostel the day before. She had no plans for xmas so I invited her along. We waited an hour in the thunderstorms for the others to turn up. Mark, Shelly, Beckie, Chris and Wayne arrived a short time before Angela, Mel, Sarah, Kelly, Hollie, Charlie, Ben and their new friend Barney arrived in their campervans. It was a right royal reuniuon!

Evelien on Bondi

Torrential rain!

Rebel!

FRIENDS!

Umbrella fail

Wayne is cold on the beach

Everyone only stayed for an hour or so before we got sick of the rain and the cold so when the Melbourne crew went off in their campers the rest of us went to Mark and Shellys place for a cracking roast dinner. With the rain pounding on the steamed up windows and the smell of a Christmas dinner cooking away it started to feel a lot more like Christmas. I did not expect Christmas to be so good this year!

The table is set...

the goon is poured...

and food was served!

Awesome day!

In the end it was a really good Christmas thanks to head chefs Mark and Shelly and if I'm still away from home next year then it'll take some beating!