Sydney

In late April Ross and I did a long weekend in Sydney. We were surprised to realise that it had been almost four years since we were last in Sydney for my birthday in 2017. How time flies!

The impetus for the trip was to see 'Hamilton' which was playing at the Lyric Theatre in Sydney. We had planned the trip back in October 2020 and had just been hoping that Covid wouldn't get in the way. We had tickets to a Friday evening showing of Hamilton, so Ross and I decided to make a weekend of it and fly up Wednesday night and stay until Sunday. It's only an hour flight between Melbourne and Sydney, so leaving after work isn't too bad.

St Mary's Cathedral from Hyde Park

Normally we tend to do AirBnbs when we travel but we were trying to use up some travel vouchers that we had left over from a failed trip to Singapore (thanks, Covid) and so we ended up doing a flight/hotel package deal. We got a hotel in Potts Point (where we stayed last trip too), which is really convenient for walking and public transit around the city.

View of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge from our hotel.

On Thursday we took a train out to ANSTO (Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation) so that Ross could meet with some collaborators. While it was a non-stop science day, it was actually super interesting. We met with a bunch of different people and got to tour a ton of different labs (cosmogenic nuclides and radiocarbon labs), plus we got to look at the four different AMS lines. Ross and I were definitely nerding out the whole day. I was also very thankful for my geochemistry background because I was able to understand most of the science and didn't ask too many stupid questions (I don't think...).

We stocked up on nerdy, science gear.

On Friday we went to the Taronga Zoo, which is located across the harbour from the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge. We took the ferry because it's the fastest option and when in Sydney, water is the way to travel. The entire zoo is built on the side of a hill so you have fabulous views looking across the harbour. Plus there is a gondola that drops you at the top of the hill and then you meander back down the hill to catch the ferry. My pregnancy squished lungs appreciated the limited up hill walking.

View from the zoo

Enjoying the sun

There were wild Eastern Water Dragons all over the place at the zoo.

From the zoo, we met with up some friends for dinner and then headed over to Hamilton. It was a little odd to watch a musical about the American Revolution and Alexander Hamilton surrounded by Australians but the show was incredible. The staging, casting, songs, everything - just phenomenal! If you haven't seen it, I would definitely recommend going if you get the opportunity.

Sunset from the zoo

On Saturday we took the ferry out to Cockatoo Island, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the middle of the Sydney Harbour. We spent a good chunk of the day wandering around the island, learning about the convict and industrial history. Once we were done exploring the island, we took the ferry up the Parramatta River to the end of the line (Olympic Park) and then back to Circular Quay (essentially downtown) just to enjoy the ride.

Our flight on Sunday was in the late morning, so we ended up sleeping in, having a late breakfast and then heading to the airport. All in all, it was a good trip, though I was a lot more tired than I thought I was going to be. Turns out traveling and then walking a lot is significantly harder when you're nearing your third trimester.

Just an Echidna-shaped bush

I hope that this finds you all well and enjoying spring if you are in the northern hemisphere.