Goodbye, Sydney - for now...

After a much-needed and restorative night's sleep, I had a chance this morning to see a little more of Sydney before taking a flight up the coast to Queensland - and Brisbane, where I will be for the next six days. I will be back in Sydney for the whole of the final week of my trip, but I felt that I just had to go down to the harbour this morning and see the famous Harbour Bridge and the Opera House close up. I wasn't disappointed. What a stunning view - on a stunning morning. I also happened upon some wonderful street musicians - and got to hear the sound of the Didgeridoo for the first time on my travels. Now I really have arrived!
Walking around Sydney, I was struck by how much of the city looked very Victorian and Colonial in style. I wasn't expecting the city to have quite this much of an 'English' feel to it. I had breakfast in a cafe on Crown Street, parts of which looked and felt exactly like Fulham or Putney (in London).
They are REALLY into their coffee here too - which has been great for me. Having deliberately avoided the local Starbucks, I have now enjoyed several Sydney coffee houses. The coffee is definitely more intense and Italian in style here. The most popular drink is not a latte but what they call a 'flat white' - which is a stronger version of a latte - kind of like a cappuccino with less foam. I'm already a fan!
Anyway, I had my walk around the Opera House (I'll go inside it when I come back in my final week), marveling at the architecture and beautiful and unusual shapes of the building against a crisp blue sky. I've also promised myself a ride on one of the ferry boats when I return - I watched them leaving Circular Quay every few minutes - and I'm sure the views of the city and the bridge are even more spectacular on board. I'll be back! It was now time to leave Sydney - and New South Wales. I went to Sydney airport to catch a Virgin Blue flight up to Brisbane. The actual flight took little more than an hour (it's about 450 miles), so by mid-afternoon I was in Brisbane - and a very different part of the country. It immediately reminded me of both Miami and parts of California. This is very much a sun-drenched, beachside part of the country. It's the middle of winter here right now - but it's still sunny and about 60 degrees. There are plenty of palm trees and surfing seems to be an everyday pastime for people round here. I'm looking forward to getting to know this part of Australia too.
More tomorrow!