After our three days in Uluru, Diana and I flew to Sydney. From there, she was flying straight back to Christchurch but I was staying in the city for a few more days. I wanted to experience and see as much as possible while I was in Australia, since I might not be able to go back for a very long time. In Sydney, I was lucky to stay in the CBD (City Business District), so I was very close to a lot of the historical areas and sites that I wanted to visit.
On my first day in Sydney I had read online about a company called I’m Free tours which gives free walking tours around Sydney and Melbourne. The owners believe that getting to see the city should be accessible for everyone with any budget and that it is better if you get to try the tour and then pay what you think it’s worth at the end. Basically, you show up at the designated location and time and there are tour guides wearing bright green shirts, they give you a ticket and map, and then you are able to follow along and learn about the area and see a lot of the city.
I joined the Sydney Sights tour in the morning and it turned out to be a fantastic way for me to get the lay of the land, learn about the history of Sydney and different buildings and areas, and figure out what else I wanted to do while I was there. The tour guide was very friendly and she gave lots of tips about places to visit. The tour started by the Town Hall and went by Hyde Park, the Queen Victoria Building, Parliament House, St. Andrew’s Cathedral, and many other important places in the central Sydney area and ended in the Rocks right by the Harbour Bridge so we could see across the water to the Sydney Opera House.
After the tour, I decided that I wanted to go across the Harbour Bridge since I was so close. There is a walking path that I took all the way across and back, and the entire way there were beautiful views of the Sydney Harbour, Opera House, and the city itself. I even took a time lapse of the Opera House and Harbour! I also found a plaque from the American Society of Civil Engineers saying that the bridge is an “International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark,” which was cool to see.
After coming back across the bridge my next stop was the Sydney Opera House. I walked back through Circular Quay and a bit of the Royal Botanic Gardens until I got to the Opera House. I went inside, but you can’t really go anywhere unless you are on a tour or seeing a performance. But, I was still able to appreciate the architecture from the outside. It’s probably one of the most easily recognized buildings in the world, so it was amazing to be able to see it in person.
After spending a little time by the Opera House, I decided to continue through the Botanic Gardens on the path by the water. It curves around until you get to Mrs. Macquarie’s Point, which I was told gives a great view of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. At this point the sun was starting to set, so the view was really beautiful. I also enjoyed walking through the Botanic Gardens. It was a lot bigger than I had expected, and there were so many beautiful areas with fountains, flowers, and trees.
At this point I was thinking about going on the other tour that I’m Free Tours offers in the evenings, so I headed back to my hotel to change into warmer clothes. On the way to the tour, I of course had to stop for bubble tea since there is a chain in Sydney that I wanted to try. It was a nice snack to bring along for the tour.
The evening tour is of the area of Sydney called the Rocks. This is where the European settlers (who were mostly convicts) began a new settlement when they first came to Australia. Throughout the tour, we were taken down little alleys and shown different historic buildings as the tour guide told us stories about the people who settled in the area. Because most of the people living there were convicts, there were lots of murders, muggings, and other crimes that occurred in the area during the first years of European settlement. It was interesting to hear these stories and it gave the area more context in how it is important to Australia’s history.
The Sydney Opera House at night
By taking these two tours and walking around the famous sights on my own, I felt like I was able to get a good feel for Sydney on my first day, and was excited to be able to keep exploring during the next couple days. I would definitely recommend the I’m Free Tours to anyone visiting Melbourne or Sydney, as they were both extremely fascinating and entertaining, and were a great introduction to the city.
Hammond Adventures 
Enjoy the beauty of the countries and best of all, have a great study semester.