AUSTRALIA 

Australia is a country and continent surrounded by the Indian and Pacific oceans. Its major cities – Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide – are coastal. Its capital, Canberra, is inland. The country is known for its Sydney Opera House, the Great Barrier Reef, a vast interior desert wilderness called the Outback, and unique animal species like kangaroos and duck-billed platypuses. Sydney, capital of New South Wales and one of Australia’s largest cities, is best known for its harbor front Sydney Opera House, with a distinctive sail-like design. Massive Darling Harbor and the smaller Circular Quay port are hubs of waterside life, with the arched Harbor Bridge and esteemed Royal Botanic Garden nearby. Sydney Tower’s outdoor platform, the Sky-walk, offers 360-degree views of the city and suburbs.

We visited Sydney Australia twice, first in September 2014 to celebrate Ronnie’s birthday and again in December/January 2017 to bring in the New Year; partying at the Opera House and watching the amazing fireworks over Harbor bridge. Both times, we stayed at the Hilton in Sydney. We enjoyed the show, The King and I, at the Sydney Opera House and visited Taronga Zoo and Featherdale Wildlife Park to see kangaroos, koala bears and other wildlife. We also walked along the Sydney Tower (SkyWalk), visited SeaLife Aquarium, Katoomba Falls, The Blue Mountains, Luna Park, iFly indoor skydiving.