Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

I took a month long trip to visit my family down under. Although I've been before, it's different this time because I'm an adult now who can go off on her own. I haven't been back since I was 16. I remember my aunt had just had her son that year and luckily, Aussies have a long maternity leave and she was able to bring me around. Still, I only stayed a short time in Sydney back then since most of my family at the time was in Brisbane. The first time I went to Australia back when I was 8, we didn't bother going to Sydney at all. Sydney was still kind of a small scale city then and we had no family there so there wasn't a point in going. So this is the first time I'm really getting to explore Sydney on my own. My relatives still had work after all and the kids have school.

Vivid Sydney
I was really lucky to have been able to experience Vivid Sydney. It only runs for two or three weeks, I believe, every year. Multiple areas in the city are lit up although a majority are along major tourist attractions. I thought it was so pretty but my aunt said she liked last year's lights better.

Jenolan Caves
The Jenolan Caves are a series of Limestone caves in the mountains west of Sydney. I'm not sure if the area is technically part of the Blue Mountains. The drive to it was so scenic and just the views on the side of the mountains were beautiful. I'm glad they brought me out there. They must have remembered how I enjoyed our trip to Katoomba when I was 16 (yet another outside the city destination that I recommend). It was colder there than the city, so definitely wear winter clothing. We chose the Lucas Caves tour.

Our guide was very nice and long winded, definitely telling us the history of the caves and how it came to look that way though erosion from underground rivers. We got to see this large chamber which I can't remember if it was a chapel or cathedral, anyway it's a large chamber that is often used for weddings. The guide even started to play the jurassic park theme song in it. There were sheets of limestone that looked like curtains and some looked like teeth. A well known sight is the broken column which looks exactly like it sounds and also a glimpse of the underground river.

Watson's Bay
A short boat ride from Circular Quay. Watson's Bay is basically what separates the inner harbor from the ocean. From the top of the hill you can see a great view of the city on one side and a view of the ocean on the other. I even got to see some whales breach!

QVB Royal Clock & Great Australian Clock, Sydney Town Hall
The Queen Victoria Building is a nice mall and has also become my main bus stop throughout my whole stay in Sydney. Inside the QVB is a large clock hanging from the ceiling. I've been told it's historic. It is very ornate with lots of little details. Across the street from the QVB is the Town Hall which I just took a passing photo of.

More to come still on Sydney!