Final Days in Australia

We consider our month in Australia something of a taster. We got to see a lot, but there is so much left to look forward to when we come back: Uluru, the outback, Perth, Melbourne, Tasmania... the list goes on and on.

We were given a few more days to explore Sydney when our flight back to Christchurch was cancelled due to snow.

Nice cactus planter at the Botanical Gardens

What's that in the trees?

While exploring the Botanical Gardens, I heard an unfamiliar call. I searched the trees, wondering what strange bird I was hearing, and saw what looked to be hundreds of large pods hanging from the trees. Flying foxes! With an average wingspan of 1 meter, they are the largest bats in Australia.

Having never seen them before, I was very excited. Sam eventually got me to move along, and luckily I didn't get a mouthful of guano from all the upward gawking.

Focaccia topping: fresh rosemary & thyme, basil, sea salt, garlic & sun dried tomatoes in olive oil

My inner freegan was happy to see the Botanical herb garden, where I pinched a few sprigs of rosemary & thyme for my focaccia topping. We also found some interesting native nuts below, but the sign said they require a lot of processing to rid them of toxins before consumption, so we left them where we found them.

Japanese Lantern Hibiscus

This sign in a charity shop amused us.

We met up with a really nice guy named Kiky, who took us out for our first Korean meal. It was delicious! Each table has a grill embedded in it for cooking marinated meat, and there were loads of little plates and bowls, each featuring a different side dish or sauce. I can't wait to try Korean again.

After the meal, Kiky took us to a couple landmark sights in Sydney, including the lookout below.



Thanks, Australia! It was fun while it lasted. We'll see you again someday.