Via Nelson Bay and Newcastle to Sydney

When we left Tuncurry, we were on a pretty tight schedule because we wanted to meet an old friend of mine in Sydney for dinner. So we headed to Nelson Bay. On our way there, we saw an ad for the Irukandji Shark & Ray Encounters attraction. At first sight, when you enter the large hall, there is that slight feeling you might have paid too much for your entry ticket. It looks a bit like a massive shed with some massive pools and wooden structures built in. However, the experience is great particularly for kids as you can feed, touch and interact with small sharks and rays. In a separate pool there are large rays, where you can actually get in the water with them.

After we left the lrukandji center, we drove through Nelson Bay, then headed on to Newcastle, which is known for its industries. This is easy to confirm: When you take the highway through Newcastle, you will pass some enormous loading docks for what looked like ore.

Sydney, Australia Day

In Sydney, we had dinner with my friend on arrival day. The next day, we explored the city on a hop on bus and walking the fantastic botanical garden as well as of course the opera and wharf area. It was Feb 26th, Australia Day, and the city was buzzing.

Manly Beach, Shelly Beach

My friend had also recommended to visit Manly and Shelly Beach, which we did the next day. We took the ferry from wharf 3 and reached Manly wharf in about 30 minutes. Then we hiked to the other side of the town, where we ran into some kind of surf tournament. We continued walking to Shelly beach, which was pretty crowded on that day, but nevertheless a real gem.

The next day, we left Sydney after meeting one of my work colleagues late morning and headed south. Due to Australia Day and Chinese New Year celebration weeks, we didn’t find any affordable accommodation within 250km of Sydney. So we made it a travel day and drove all the way to Bodalla.