Sydney Day 3 - Aquarium, Beaches, and Family Dinner

Sydney Day 3 - July 4, 2017 

We woke up early once again and decided to head to the Sea Life aquarium which is located in Darling Harbor, a lovely waterfront area just a few blocks from our hotel.

The area was rather touristy, with there being three attractions side by side: the Sea Life Aquarium, the Sydney Zoo and Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum (no thanks). We skipped the multi-attraction pass and bought our aquarium pass, and entered, sandwiched between throngs of school groups (a teacher's worst vacation nightmare). The first room of exhibits was nice, but fairly unremarkable. We admired colorful reef fish, sea stars and octopus in small tanks in a dark room.

The layout of the aquarium had all visitors following a very specific path, which eventually led us to some very impressive underwear plexiglass tunnels where we were surrounded by all kinds of interesting sharks and rays.

The path then led us up top to an exposed deck where we could view the surface of the tanks. Along the walls of the deck there were many signs and interactive exhibits about the dugong, also known as the sea cow, and a relative of the manatee. We hadn't seen the dugongs while we were in the underwater tunnels, but from the deck above, we observed one emerging from a side pool area. They are super cute!

After the dugongs, we continued along the path which led to more adorable creatures: the penguins, and we were lucky enough to have arrived at feeding time for the gorgeous and colorful King Penguins.

We continued along the path through the touch tide pools and more tanks showcasing the native reef species until we emerged into the ubiquitous gift shop where Ewan couldn't leave without selecting a stuffed companion to bring home, a small plush dugong who he named Dewey.

Next on the agenda was a ferry ride to Watson's Bay, where we were meeting my aunt's friend, Maria Londy, who had suggested our action plan. We walked from Darling Harbor back down to Circular Quay where we waited for our ferry. The weather couldn't have been any better: upper 60's, bright blue skies, which made the 30 minute ferry ride on the upper deck so enjoyable as we sailed past gleaming mansions and ogled Sydney's priciest waterfront real estate. 

When we arrived at Watson's Bay, Maria was there waiting for us and she ushered us over to an adjacent waterfront bar and grill where we ordered the most fabulous fish and chips I've ever had. 

After lunch, we headed up to The Gap, an ocean cliff on the South Head peninsula in eastern Sydney. The area, which faces the Tasman Sea, is located in the eastern suburb of Watsons Bay (Per Wikipedia). From here we enjoyed more expansive views and even glimpsed whales breaching in the distance. 

After snapping our fill of photos, we hopped back into our wonderful tour guide's car and headed to the iconic Bondi Beach, where she dropped us off to began one of Sydney’s best and most notable walks down to Bronte Beach.

We walked along an incredible clifftop path, along exquisite sandstone rock formations, carved into fascinating shapes by the wind and sea. We watched surfers adeptly ride the cresting waves to shore and then hop back on their boards to catch the next one. We walked along with natives and tourists alike, local Sydneysiders jogging the scenic paths, weaving around the slower tourists and children, speaking a multitude of different languages. We reached Bronte Beach in 45 minutes or so, where Ewan was drawn to the soft, smooth, white sand.

We enjoyed the view for a few more minutes and then walked across the park to the street where Maria was waiting to pick us up. She took us for a scenic drive back into the city, pointing out interesting landmarks along the way. As the sun was setting, we drove down into the Botanical Gardens to a point on a peninsula jutting into the water known as Mrs. Macquarie's Chair, looking west towards an unobstructed view of the Opera House and Harbor Bridge, with the most spectacular sunset as a backdrop.

Next, she dropped us off at our hotel where we freshened up before heading back down to a Malaysian restaurant near Darling Harbor called the Malaya. There we met my cousin Emmanuel and his family once again. The restaurant was lovely, right on the waterfront and very elegant. Maria went home to freshen up as well, and then met us back at the restaurant. The food was absolutely exquisite, exotically spiced and so flavorful, and we enjoyed a fabulous Hunter Valley Semillon that Emmanuel picked out. Toward the end of the meal, we were joined by cousin Katina and her husband John, and then we all walked back down the waterfront to the Lindt chocolate cafe where we ordered coffee. We sat outside, as it was a lovely mild winter evening, and chatted until close to 11:30 PM, until finally Emmanuel drove us back to our hotel to retire after another action-packed and fun-filled day!