If you’re into stargazing and mountain adventures without any tourists around, boy do I have the perfect Sydney weekend getaway for you!
The Warrumbungles probably aren’t going to make it onto any visitor’s Australia bucket list, but that only makes it better for locals who do have the time and inclination to schlep out to bumble*ck New South Wales for a semi-private hit of nature.
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Did you know that there’s actually an island in Sydney Harbour where you can stay overnight?
Cockatoo Island is absolutely steeped in convict history and today, 110 years after the closure of the old prison there, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site and makes for a most excellent Sydney getaway or day trip.
Oh yeah, look who’s bringing back the monthly recaps!
I have to say, I kinda missed the ol’ Down Under Report from my first two years in Australia. I’m not sure if any of you feel the same, but I’m thinking this is a good way for me to reconnect with this blog and with you this year (remember, I admitted in this post that I felt much disconnect in 2017).
A few weeks ago, a friend and I drove from Sydney to the Blue Mountains for a little day trip adventure. As is the norm for me these days, I felt a little woozy and motion sick from the drive out of the city (all that stopping and starting with traffic always does me in).
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I ended 2017 with a big fat exclamation point by spraining my ankle while hiking to a really cool gorge (and then jumping 15 meters (50 feet) into a rock pool with said sprained ankle… but that’s a story for another blog post!). Anyway,
Welp, this year-in-review post looks a bit different from the ones I’ve done the last couple years when I was a nomad.
That’s because 2017 was all about getting grounded and making a new home for myself in Sydney, rather than country hopping.
On December 12th, 2014, I arrived in Sydney with my life a freshly blank slate (read: big giant question mark). I’d just quit a job I enjoyed, moved out of an apartment that had been my home for 5 years, sold/stored 95% of my belongings, and booked a one-way ticket to Australia without a plan.
I’m probably not supposed to say this as a resident of Bondi Beach, but: I really love Manly. In fact, I can definitely see it being the next place I live once I’m over Bondi (if that day ever comes!).