Aussie Experiences

I had two distinctly Aussie experiences recently. First, I saw a platypus! Granted, it was at the aquarium, but I was still very excited. The last few times I went to the aquarium, he was hiding. But this time, I waited, and he finally came out of hiding.

Second, Matthew and I went to our first rugby match. Our friends Grant and Lindsay took us to see the New South Wales Waratahs play the NZ Highlanders. The 'Tahs won 33 to 7! 


If you're wondering, a waratah is a flower. This proves awkward for having a team mascot. They have to settle for "Tah Man," a guy who wears a foam superhero suit with a red flower emblem on the front - kind of silly. ;)

By the way, it's winter here - so strange for it to be cold and feeling like Christmastime in June!

Watching the Cricket and an Urban Bushwalk to South Head

Last Sunday, we went with our friends Lindsay and Grant to a cricket match at Sydney Uni. It was a two-day match versus Bankstown, but we only went for part of the second day. Grant used to play cricket, so he tried to explain to us Yanks. Matthew seemed to pick it up, but I was still quite confused. "LBW, he's out for a duck!" Say what now?

Despite the confusing lingo, it was still enjoyable, especially with the good Belgian beers we'd brought with us. Our favourite of the arvo (favorite of the afternoon) was La Fin Du Monde. Okay, that one's technically from Québec, but it's Belgian-style.


Then, on Monday we went on an urban bushwalk along Sydney Harbour with our friend Mark. We started off at Vaucluse House, walked along to Parsley Bay Reserve (which looks like it has nice snorkeling), and then on to Watsons Bay, where we stopped for lunch. From there, we walked north to Camp Cove, which is said to be the first landing place of Governor Philip in Port Jackson in 1788.


We walked along the foreshore trail up to Hornby Lighthouse and the lightkeepers' cottages. There are also several gun emplacements up there, leftover from the military defense of Sydney Harbour.

Looking out at the Tasman Sea from South Head, Sydney Harbour

[edit by mtw] Here's what our route looked like on the walk (blue line) and the ferry ride back (red line): The ferry route was plotted with the My Tracks Android app.

View Vaucluse House to South Head in a larger map

Finally, we walked back to Watsons Bay, and caught the ferry back to Circular Quay, then went to Mark and Jennifer's for a BBQ dinner. What a great day!