Today was family picnic day. For the first time, in a long time, my sister and I got to see our cousins and aunt Sue from my Dad's side of the family.
We had a great day and set up in front of the van park with our rugs and chairs to chat and catch up on 15-20 years of life. The kids did a spot of fishing, but Anna and Stewie had to work out this tangle first...
Stewie, Maggie and Darani did their best...
...but there were no fish caught. I think it had something to do with the fact that we ran out of bait and were using cheese (or more specifically camembert!).
Here's the family group shot...
It was a wonderful day and a big thankyou to Anna for organising it all. We've all agreed to make sure it's not so long before we see each other again. Love to you all.
Day 35
We actually set the alarm this morning, which was a rude shock when it went off. The reason being we wanted to get an early start on what we knew would be a big and exciting day. The best part was the kids had no idea of what was ahead of them.
The first leg of our journey was a bus trip from Narrabeen to Manly. At the bus stop...
This is in itself was exciting as it was the first time on a public bus for the kids (we normally travel by train at home)...
At Manly, we caught the ferry and headed towards Circular Quay. Our ferry looked like this one...
As we sat up the front, the kids were complaining of the cold but we convinced them it would be worth it if they stayed out front - we knew what was coming.
When the ferry turned the bend towards Circular Quay and the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge came into view, their jaws hit the ground. They were so excited - it was a priceless moment. As we got closer and they got bigger and bigger it was even better. Here's what they saw...
Mitch got quite emotional stating "I've been waiting all my life for this day and it's finally here". He has wanted to see these two icons for a very long time. This is mainly due to the fact that our good friend Michael has written a book about them both and he kindly gave us copies. As a result, Mitch has always been interested and often would talk to Michael about them. It was only fitting that once we arrived at the Opera House, we gave Michael a call to let him know where we were...
Here we all are enjoying the view...
...and one for (my) Mum and Dad...
After arriving at Circular Quay we walked around to the opera house and explored it from all angles, marvelling at its beauty and size...
Then it was time for a little walking around the botanical gardens to Mrs Macquaries chair. Along the way we got to see Cranky the Crane in the naval docks...
All the time we kept looking at the bridge and opera house, it's hard to take your eyes off them...
Finally we arrived at Mrs Maquaries Chair...
Now it was time to head back the way we came and find somewhere for lunch. We decided to visit The Rocks and when we arrived the markets were in full swing. It was very busy, but we managed to find somewhere to sit and eat.
After lunch we walked down to the end of the rocks and under the bridge. It really gave us a true feeling of it's size and what a marvellous structure it is...
It was now time to turn towards home so we trekked back to Circular Quay, got on the ferry, boarded the bus then walked to the van park. What a big, exciting day.
Day 36 Easter Sunday
After such an exciting day yesterday, today was a little more subdued. However, the Easter bunny did come overnight which of course was met with great excitement. Chocolate was on the menu for the day...
We actually got to see some real live bunnies as there were quite a few jumping around the caravan park during our visit.
It was time to farewell Sissy today and after a lunch with Anna (cousin) and Sue (aunt), we kissed her goodbye.
Day 37 Easter Monday
Out and about again today starting with the bus and ferry again. However, when we arrived at Circular Quay this time, we boarded a double decker train to take us to Central Station. Here's the view inside...
...and outside...
From central station we caught the tram (or light rail) to Darling Harbour to check out the sights. The first stop here was the Australian National Maritime Museum...
This was another one of those places you could spend a lot of time, but with three young children, the stay needs to be limited. The displays and information in the museum were first class. While we were there, a special exhibition of Mythical Creatures was showing, including lots of mermaids, serpents and dragons...
Outside the museum there was an opportunity to see a submarine, naval ship and tall ship...
Once we'd finished at the museum we headed around to the main part of Darling Harbour where the "Hoopla" festival was in full swing. There were lots of acrobats and gymnasts strutting their stuff. We saw a show by Miss "Yvonne Cosmetics" which featured juggling and hula hoops, plus it was very funny...
Chinatown is right next to Darling Harbour and that was our lunch destination. We had a first class Yum Cha that would be the best we've eaten. Unlike Brisbane where the trolleys come around for selection, you select your dishes from a menu. Yum.
From Chinatown, we hopped back onto the tram...
and headed to the Sydney Fish Markets...
I only wish we had a place like this in Brisbane. Not only is there a fantastic range and variety of fresh seafood to choose from, the prices are cheap. It actually makes eating fish affordable. We bought ourselves some wonderful fresh oysters, prawns and rainbow trout before heading back to Narrabeen (via tram, train, ferry then bus) for a feast.
There's more of Sydney to come so stay posted. Love to all.
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