Welcome to Australia!  After many hour of flying we arrived safely in Sydney.  Some of us flew directly to Sydney a couple of days early, some flew via Hawaii, some via Brisbane.  After a well-deserved night’s sleep at the  Sydney Boulevard Hotel, we had breakfast and headed out for the first day of our grand tour of Australia.  We first visited Macquaire lookout point.  Here is the gang!

We travelled through Paddington known for its turn-of-the century terraced houses before arriving at Sydney’s famous Surfing mecca, Bondi Beach. ‘Bondi’ means “Water crashing into rock”.  The soft, fine sand at Bondi Beach was brought in by the tons for the 2000 Olympics for beach volleyball.

We thoroughly enjoyed a lifesaving demonstration at the Bondi Beach Surf Club which is the oldest surf club in the world. Karen and Barry were good sports who were ‘rescued’ by our lovely and fit lifeguards.  Afterward we were treated to morning tea overlooking the beautiful beach.

Later we returned to the city following the scenic route through Watson Bay and Rose Bay before arriving at the Sydney Opera House for a guided tour and lunch.

The Opera House is Australia’s premier venue for the performing arts and home to the Australian Opera Company, the Australian Ballet, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the Sydney Theatre Company. We were treated to lunch at the Opera Kitchen where we sampled a variety of tasty snacks.

After quickly freshing up, we departed for dinner on the 48th floor of the O Bar & Dining Restaurant with breathtaking view of Sydney Harbour. A great start to our vacation.