Arrival
We landed at the airport after our 14-hour flight beyond excited to start exploring. Our flight landed fairly early in the morning, so we had a few hours until we were allowed to check in to our Airbnb. Since the apartment we were staying in was located in the heart of Chinatown, we decided to wander around, grab a bite to eat at a small café, and use some Wi-Fi to get in contact with our host. Finally, we met up with her and were lead to the thirteenth floor of an apartment building to drop our bags in our room. This is where we met our favorite roommate, a beautiful fluffy white cat whose name I can’t seem to remember. Once we got settled in and organized, we set back out on the city for some adventure.
Sydney Tower Eye
Our first real stop of the day was the Sydney Tower Eye, where we could look out and see all of the city. My favorite part was spotting a gorgeous Sheppard Fairy mural that we later searched for on the streets, and found! I’m sure you could imagine my excitement over this little gem. However, I felt like a rat in a maze trying to find this thing, and turns out, it’s very hard to see from the street (especially with all the construction going on in the road).
TIP: If you plan to do a lot of the “touristy” attractions, I suggest getting an iVenture pass. It’s a one-time-fee pay-ahead type of pass that includes a ton of popular places for a very good price!
Darling Harbor
Once we got hungry, we wandered over to Darling Harbor to get some food. There are quite a few options (including a “food court” type of situation), but we ended up at Criniti’s which is a beautiful modern Italian restaurant with a patio that overlooks the harbor and the Sydney skyline. Being the basic white girl I am, I ordered a garlic chicken pizza which was absolutely amazing, and Rachal tried the kangaroo (when in Sydney!), which was a little too tough for my taste.
TIP: If you ask for still water (or sparkling), you will get a bottle, and you will pay for it. Nobody assumes that you want tap!
After stuffing our faces and filling our tummies with food, we headed to the Royal Botanic Garden. It was a very nice place to relax and take in a view of the water and the Opera House (since it’s located right next to it).
Badu Gili
My cousin (who took a trip to Australia last year) had told me about this free nighttime show at the Opera House called Badu Gili. Its name means “water light” and is a 7-minute colorful projection show with stories being told about Australia’s First Nations culture. It’s shown on the eastern sail at sunset and 1900, but if you’re planning to watch, make sure you head to the top of the Monumental Steps for optimal viewing. You won’t be able to see it from by the water or the Opera Bar (that’s how we missed the first show time). It was definitely worth staying up a little later than we originally planned though!
Watch our day one video HERE!
Click here for Day Two!