Lauren’s Arrival … and the Bridge Climb …

Sat, 22nd Dec: Lauren’s Arrival … and Christmas @ BIG4 Narrabeen, Sydney
Checking on the status of Lauren’s flight overnight tells us that it is in fact an hour late. Adjusting our taxi pick up time we get to the airport and after what seems like a lengthy wait she finally appears at 9.30am. WoooHoooo!!!!!

A very emotional welcome brings Lauren into Sydney and we chat constantly in the taxi on the way back. Anne and friends also greet her warmly as we get back to Sheralee to get the van. This is the first time we’ve all been together since 13th September and it’s great 🙂 A cup of tea followed by a quick freshen up and we are on our way to North Narrabeen for Crimbo – YAY!

Narrabeen, conveniently located just 17km from Sydney, is bordered by Narrabeen Lagoon and nestled between the ocean fed coastal lake and surf beach. Once at Narrabeen Neil and I can see a difference in the amount of people about the place – Australia has broken up for the holidays 🙂 There is a better atmosphere now with many people milling about and playing games. Once the van is set up on the site, we head off for the customary ‘recky’ of the area – it’s great and very handy for Sydney. On the beach there is a lagoon rock pool area and a full sized ‘ocean’ swimming pool. There is a vibe about the place and the beach is alive with people. Games are being played; swimming / surfing / snorkelling / fishing are everywhere you look and on our return route there are youngsters jumping off the beach into the lagoon. Fun, fun fun! After a walk further up the beach and through the streets of Narabeen, we have our first family BBQ and are ready for an early night.

Sun, 23rd Dec: BIG 4 Sydney Lakeside, North Narabeen, Sydney
A nice sunny morning awakes us and is ideal for the relaxed day ahead. We literally spent the day dossing about which was much needed – Lauren to get over her jet lag and I continued to catch up with the blog and began the long task of transferring the photos from the iPad to the storage device. Neil went off for a walk and decided to venture to the local shopping centre with his new friend Ray, one of our ‘neighbours’. He returned with snorkelling gear, a volleyball and a swing-ball!!!! lol. This took us back to the 70’s and we managed a few games but soon got too hot.

By late afternoon some of us had a bit of ‘cabin fever’ and a beach walk was suggested; so off we went to the beach in search of the fresh, cool air. Neil and Lauren tried a bit of snorkelling in the lagoon but didn’t stay for long as Lauren found it quite creepy! Neil said it wasn’t a patch on the Maldives 🙂

Back at the van, we all freshened up and decided on a plan of action for our day tomorrow when we finally get into Sydney !!!!

Mon, 24th Dec: Christmas Eve … Sydney and The Bridge Climb …
Finally, we are going to ‘hit’ Sydney!!!!! Australia’s oldest European settlement and New South Wales’ capital is full of history, nightlife, sports, nature, culture, the arts. There are many internationally famous landmarks – the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, the beautiful harbour itself and big name sites like Darling Harbour, The Rocks, Manly and Bondi Beach.

An early start to a gorgeous sunny day in Sydney starts with us walking out of the campsite to the bus stop to get the bus to Manly – a 30min journey – where we get the ferry over to Sydney Harbour. Some people have told us that this is the best way to arrive in Sydney Harbour and we agree. The ooh’s and aaah’s emanate from our fellow passengers as we cruise in. It is simply stunning and when the ferry turns right around the headland to view the City’s skyline and, of course, our first views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge it is surreal. It’s quite unbelievable, we’ve made it and are really here … all that planning and preparation and all four of us are here to share this magical moment together. As we get closer into the Harbour, we can see the figures of people already on the bridge climb which makes us more excitable about doing it later ourselves 😀

We disembark at a very vibrant Circular Quay and, so that we know where we are going, we have decided to walk around The Rocks to where the Harbour Bridge Climb will start later today. The Rocks, in the heart of Australia’s most cosmopolitan city, encompasses the past, present and future. The Indigenous Cadigal people inhabited the rocky headland and surrounding shoreline for thousands of years. Then in 1788, Australia’s first European settlers – British convicts and their overseers – claimed the land and built their camp atop the sandstone cliffs.

The Rocks eventually grew from an open-air jail into a vibrant port community. Its colourful history – filled with tales of ‘shanghaied’ sailors, rough gangs, and gritty life – can still be traced in the many surviving buildings from the last two centuries. But today the renovated former warehouses, sailors’ homes, and dens of iniquity house a unique mixture of fine restaurants, one-of-a-kind shops, and galleries showcasing both established and emerging talent.

The Rocks is a uniquely historical Australian quarter, where we explored Cadman’s Cottage, saw some of the oldest surviving buildings in Sydney, and browsed boutique shops and galleries in the place where Australia’s European settlement began. It’s a village which echoes a long and colourful past and can be enjoyed by everyone in an equally colourful present.

The bridge can be seen every where we turn and once at the venue, and to save time later, we decide to go around the museum. It is really interesting to learn about the facts surrounding the building of this one and only single arched bridge in the world.

We have some time on our hands so head back into the shopping area of the City. Kieran has decided on a pair of Ray Bans for his Christmas Box this year and we spend some considerable time in a sunglasses shop before he makes a decision on which pair he would like. Once he is ‘sorted’ we walk around the streets some more, taking in the atmosphere and the slick city shops and it’s not long before we need to be back at the Bridge Climb!

The Bridge Climb – scaling one of Australia’s best-loved icons was an unforgettable journey of sight and sound. Our ‘journey’ (3 ½ hours long, max. 1,332 steps) started by latching on in the Climb Base below the Bradfield Highway and we walked on catwalks below the road-deck until reaching the south-east pylon. Here we ascended 4 ladders to the start of the upper arch, surrounded by the hum and buzz of Sydney’s traffic. With the summit in sight, our journey continues along the Bridge’s outer arch on the Opera House side until hitting the top. After a summit celebration with our group, we crossed the spine of the Bridge to the Darling Harbour side to make our descent to our Climb Base.

At the top we absorb a 360 degree panorama of Sydney as we journeyed to the summit. Like an exposed spine, the outer rim delivered us to the peak, as the sky seemed just beyond our outstretched fingertips. It is here that we make our Christmas Video – pmsl!

Back outside after the climb, we see that it has started to rain 😦 and take refuge in a pub just up the road. After a few drinks, a good chat and a ‘shared’ steak, time seems to have flown by and it’s 9.30pm so we decide we need to make our way back to North Narrabeen. The ferry ride is a bumpy one and once back at Manly we wait a good 15mins in the rain for the bus to our site. We are wet through by the time we get back to the van as are all our towels and chairs!!!!!! A late night trip to laundry on Christmas Eve was not on the agenda BUT things needed drying so there I was!!! Finally, back at the van I get my babies’ stockings ready and we go to bed so Santa can visit 🙂