Blog #6: Christmas in Sydney
We had a lovely first Christmas in Sydney, and spent it with Drew’s parents. December was very busy and fun month, as we were working, sightseeing on weekends, and fitting in a few Christmas activities.
We went to an excellent string concert in North Sydney, and afterwards saw some of the best Christmas lights we saw in all of Sydney (installations in a public park). They had a large gingerbread house we could walk in, as well as other large Christmas objects done up in lights.
Before Christmas we decorated one of our outdoor trees, a frangipani, with lights, garland, and a few decorations for Christmas. Drew really wanted to have a tropical Christmas tree, and this certainly was different from the usual Christmas tree. I also sewed some Aussie themed stockings, which were very cute with the koala print.
On Christmas Eve we went to church, and there was a large lunch afterwards. It was a lovely way to celebrate Christmas with our church friends. On Christmas day we went to Coogee beach, which was a short 20-30 minute bus ride from our house. We wanted to do as the Aussies do for Christmas (or at least what North Americans think Aussies do): hit the beach on Christmas day. Unfortunately for us, Christmas day was pretty cool at 20-25 degrees with a strong sea breeze that made it feel more like 15. So after swimming we were huddling in towels on the beach. Not quite the image we had built up for ourselves, but none-the-less fun, and checked the item off the proverbial bucket list. We then went home and made a whole chicken in our Thermomix along with pumpkin soup, stuffing (cooked on the BBQ!), and mashed potatoes. Overall it was a really nice Christmas.
On Boxing Day we went to the Randwick Racecourse to take in the horse races. We dressed up, as you do here for big horse races, and walked over, as it was quite close to our house. It was free entry for all foreign passport holders, so all we had to pay for was drinks or food. We had a bottle of sparkling and watched the races for a few hours before heading home.
After Christmas the NSW government, and many companies across Australia, shut down for two weeks. So, I joined Dallas and Gerald sightseeing. We went to the Buddhist temple in Woollongong, and it was quite a beautiful series of buildings to take in. When Drew was off work again, we went to Clovelly Beach with our minister and his family. We went snorkelling and saw the big blue grouper that lives there. Unfortunately, Drew and his dad both got terrible ear infections from snorkelling, which was not very nice at all. We all went to the Hunter Valley on a day trip, and went to some lovely wineries and a nice cheese shop too.
New Years was a very exciting part of our Christmas holidays, as we bought tickets for a harbour cruise to see both the 9pm and midnight firework shows. We chose a BYO food & drinks cruise, as the tickets were half the price of any dinner cruise. Plus, we knew there was no way we could eat or drink anywhere near enough to make those tickets worthwhile. We packed a lovely cheese platter for ourselves with our cheeses from the Hunter, plus some olives and an apple-ginger spread I made in the Thermomix. We also took a few different sparkling wines as well. We were getting a lot of side-eye from some people who were clearly a little jealous of the calibre of our snacks versus their Maccas and potato chips! The view we had on the cruise was amazing; at the 9pm fireworks we were by a pontoon shooting fireworks, and could see the Harbour Bridge as well. Then we sailed in the Parade of Lights, and saw all the other boats lit up. For midnight we had a great view of the Harbour Bridge, and the fireworks were spectacular! Our photos truly do not do it justice. It was better than I imagined, and definitely a New Years that will be hard to beat!
After New Years, Gerald and Dallas helped us immensely by helping us move houses. They assisted by packing and cleaning for us, and it was such an enormous help. We moved from Kensington to Gladesville, to be (somewhat) closer to Drew’s new job at Royal North Shore Hospital. The dogs were very worried when we started to pack things up, and sat next to boxes to remind us to take them too. They were greatly relieved to learn that no planes or quarantine were involved in the move, and instead they got a massive yard upgrade.
Right after we moved, we went on a whirlwind trip to Tasmania with Gerald & Dallas. We started in Hobart where we went to the MONA Museum, the harbour markets, and saw our friend Gurbir. The markets were enormous, and very good. The MONA was very interesting, and Drew especially liked it. On our second day, after the markets, we went to Port Arthur (an early penal work camp). The historic site was very large and impressive, and the tour was very engaging. After having supper nearby, we drove to Swansea. It was a few hours of night driving on very narrow roads with little to no shoulder, so not stressful at all!
The next day we went hiking in Wineglass Bay. We hiked to the lookout, and it was very beautiful there. There was a beautiful forest, followed by a white sand beach and deep blue water. Then we headed off to the Cradle Mountain Area to stay for two nights. We hiked in Cradle Mountain National Park the next day, and it was a beautiful alpine hike that started at Dove Lake and then ascended to a lookout above two lakes.
Wineglass Bay
Our last day we went to a Raspberry Farm Restaurant, a Cheese factory, and a creamery before stopping in at a historical house/museum in Launceston before our flights back to Sydney.
We had a nice trip in Tasmania, and it was truly a study in the varied landscapes and beauty there. It was also, as Dallas put it so well, the worst driving we’ve ever done in the first world.
After we returned to Sydney, Drew and his parents went to Jenollan Caves, which is in the Blue Mountains. They had a great time there.
Soon after we came home from Tasmania Drew’s parents went home, which really marked the end of our Christmas season. We hope you had a lovely and restful Christmas as well!
