Day 76 Sydney, Australia

Today was our third day in Sydney and we made the most of it! Up early and down to the ferry to catch the "Coffee Cruise". This cruise took us around the entire harbour which is quite a long ride. During the two hours we were able to see multi-million dollar homes, yachts and three nude beaches. We went all the way out to the "head" which is the entrance to the harbour where it meets the Indian Ocean.
Once off the boat we quickly caught a cab to take us to Bondi Beach. This is a famous beach and it is easy to tell why. The sand is white and clean and the beach is long and wide with a continuous cascade of waves that kept the surfers waiting for just the right one to ride. Lunch was fish and chips of course.
Back into a cab and off to the ferry terminal to the Manly Ferry to take us across the harbour to Manly Beach. Another gem of a beach which is very similar to its cousin Bondi. Here there were surfers to watch as well as beach volleyball games and the usual assortment of shops and restaurants.We timed our return very carefully to make sure when we returned to Sydney the sun would be setting directly behind the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Well our timing was perfect as you can see from the pictures. What a lovely day.
Tomorrow Sydney and the Blue Mountains.

Chris -Paul pretty much said it all as we had a busy, sun filled day. The morning middle harbour cruise certainly was a breath taking two hours: beautiful parklands, numerous white sandy beaches, sparkling marinas and palatial waterfront homes. There was even a little bit of Hollywood as we cruised past Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruises' old condo, then Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's old house and Hugh Jackman's house that he rented while filming "Australia." At any one time it's said that there may be as many as 5,000 boats using the harbor. We were told there are over 66 bays in Sydney and an extraordinary number of beaches. Manley Beach has one of their famous "surf pools", where a public pool is built at the end of the beach filled with the water from the ocean. I was tempted to swim but I didn't have a towel and the wind was cool. Both beaches had a lot of people sunning and swimming. Australia certainly values their swimmers. There is a huge natatorium near one of the harbours called the "Ian Thorpe Natatorium", named after perhaps Australia's most famous Olympic swimmer. I also saw two ferries named after famous Australian swimmers, Dawn Fraiser and Shane Gould.
The sunset cruise back from Manley was particularly memorable as we rounded a bend and the golden sun bounced off the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. A sight I won't soon forget. Sydney is a place where I could easily live and feel I could explore for many years to come.
Opera House correction: Today we were told the Opera House actually cost $130 million and it was paid off within 18 months through money from the lottery.