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Australia - Dec '25 to Jan '26
  • Ceri Chaplin
  • Ceri Chaplin

Australia - Dec '25 to Jan '26

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  • Ceri ChaplinAustralia - Dec '25 to Jan '26Traveler
    The glass in the building is also weight bearingThe concert hallThe carpet is listed so the colour cannot be changedViews showing the tiles (just under 1 million) that cover the roofQVBThe Rocks

    Sydney - 15th January 26

    January 15 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    After a failed attempt at breakfast at the hotel, we started the day with a tour of the Opera House at 9am. The tour lasted an hour and we learnt about the history of construction, the controversy with the architect and ultimately the success.

    After the tour, and some more photos, we walked back around Circular Quay and up to the Sydney Observatory for yet another viewing angle of the bridge and harbour.

    From here we walked about 25 minutes to the Queen Victoria Building (QVB), mainly to see the clock which on the hour has a number of scenes, including Charles I getting his head chopped off. After waiting for the hour we discovered that the clock wasn't working! We had a snack here and spent a bit of time looking around the arcade.

    Next we caught a tram back to Circular Quay to do some souvenir shopping and after another quick drink we headed back to the hotel to drop some things off. The weather was better than promised and by now it was mid afternoon so we had a beer on our veranda before going out again on The Rocks. We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and taking in the sun before going to The Australian for some food and drinks for our last meal in Sydney on this trip. We ended up back in the room before 11 and had a night cap before bed.    Read more

  • Ceri ChaplinAustralia - Dec '25 to Jan '26Traveler

    Sydney to home - 16th - 17th January 26

    January 16 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    There's no doubt that the journey home felt longer than the journey there - probably a couple of reasons for that but not least the fact that when you're heading home it's a very different feeling to when you're off on holiday.

    We had a leisurely start and I popped out for a final run in Sydney - halfway across the Harbour Bridge and then back around to the Opera House.

    We had breakfast at the hotel and then at just before 11:00 we checked out and ordered an Uber to take us to the airport. Our flights were all on time but after an uneventful day flight to Singapore we had a 5-hour layover with a 12 1/2 hour flight from Singapore to Frankfurt and a further 5 hours hanging around until our final flight to Manchester.

    We eventually arrived at Manchester some 34 hours after we left Sydney with body clocks all over the place and no idea which way was up. Final journey was a train to Cheltenham where we were met by the lovely Karen!

    By now it was late afternoon UK time and the middle of the night in Australia time and we decided the only thing to do was to power on through and so after some sorting and the shower and shave d up to the pub for a few drinks with friends before heading back to try and get some kip.

    What a trip. Cricket, coffee, chicken snitzel, chilled tine in St Kilda for Christmas, holiday vibes on the Mornington Peninsula, the excitement of New Year in Sydney, visiting beautiful Tasmania, and back to Sydney and an adventure down the coast to meet kangaroos. We reacquainted ourselves with good friends and generally enjoyed the friendly, relaxed environment that is Australia. ❤️    Read more

    Trip end
    January 17, 2026
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