The first week I was in Sydney, my sister was here, and we basically did a whirlwind tour of every tourist thing in this city. Quite frankly, it was exhausting–there are so many things to see in Sydney, and they’re all wonderful. I got to see the ANZAC memorial, where they did a dawn service on ANZAC day this week, as well as the old treasury department that was paid for by bar owners. Obviously there are the famous items, like the Sydney Opera House and the Harbor Bridge, and both of those are stunning and really powerful to see. Another wonderful monument is the Westfield tower, where you can sit and have a 360° view of all of Sydney.
My favorite landmark though, by far, is the Royal Botanic Gardens. They’re huge, and the variety of plant life inside is astounding. As someone who thrives on nature and has made it her life’s purpose to preserve nature, being in a place like that, where I can see plants not only native to Australia but also to my home area is really something. I can sit in there for hours, just looking at all the different plants. They have a desert section that is rather small, all things considered, but it has the highest concentration of St. Andrew’s Cross spiders that I’ve ever seen. These spiders aren’t harmful to humans, so it’s interesting to go in there and look at them all without being worried about being bitten–as I am when I go into the Blue Mountains, where Funnel-Web spiders live.
The Royal Botanic Gardens also contain a museum and a music conservatory, which are wonderful and shouldn’t be missed. There’s also Mrs. Macquarie’s seat, which offers amazing views of the harbor and the Opera House, and an outdoor cinema that, although way overpriced, is admittedly super cool and fun. All in all, they’re probably my favorite place in Sydney.
Several of my friends have had excursions in their classes out to museums, or out hiking in the Blue Mountains, but unfortunately I’ve only had one field trip–the weekend trip down south to Kioloa. That trip was beautiful and so educational, and I got to see at least 100 kangaroos! It was my first venture outside of Sydney proper, which was nice because I got to see a part of Australia that was a bit more authentic. Sydney is much like any other large city; very multicultural and diverse, but it means that the actual Australian culture is often overlooked. Down in Kioloa I actually got to meet people who had grown up in Australia their whole life and hear about their experiences. That was really special, and it was special to see the countryside of New South Wales, which is obviously much different that Sydney itself.
