Written by mariam138

Back in January 2019, I was lucky enough to go to Sydney in Australia with my family for 5 days. We had been invited to a wedding of my mum's old coworker, who moved from the UK to Australia with her now-husband. And because Australia is very far away (note: 24 hours total travel time from London Heathrow) - we decided to make a whole trip of it.

Day 1

We arrived in Sydney on the Monday at 7am. The jet lag was intense, to say the least, so I'm surprised we got to do anything at all. Once we got through border control, we actually started our day off having some coffee in one of the airport's cafes. The latte I had was by far one of the best coffees I've had to date - who knew Australia had good coffee? Once we got to the hotel, we freshened up and headed down to Darling Harbour, as our hotel was only a short walk away. The view was gorgeous! We got some simple fish and chips for lunch (because we don't eat them enough at home, apparently). We ended the evening heading towards Sydney harbour and viewing the Opera House up close, with views of Sydney bridge behind us.

Day 2

The next day we walked downtown and grabbed breakfast, where I had some of the most delicious buttermilk pancakes. Then we took a hop-on-hop-off tour bus around Sydney for the day, knowing we didn't have a lot of time so made use of seeing as much of the sights as possible. We then visited Bondi Beach and went for a nice walk, soaking up the Sydney Summer sun. We ended the day back at Darling Harbour in Tumbalong Park.

Day 3

Day 3 took us 2 hours outside of Sydney on a train to a city called Katoomba. We got to see panoramic views of Australian landscapes, ride a funicular, and see the The Three Sisters monument. I distinctly remember on this day I had bought a mini Koala toy, gave the bag to my dad, which he then proceeded to leave on the bus and we couldn't find it afterwards. (I bought another toy back in Sydney the next day it's all good).

Day 4

For breakfast we stumbled upon this cafe to get coffee and toast, which is where I enjoyed Vegemite on toast. I know Vegemite (and Marmite) aren't for everyone, but I'm a huge lover of both and for some reason this simple toast was absolutely spectacular. Me and my parents continued the day by heading to Sydney Wildlife Zoo which was so much fun! I got to meet Ringo the Wombat, see a Tasmanian Devil, and of course the highlight - the Koalas! After the zoo, we headed down to Sydney Fish Market to enjoy some freshly cooked fish, and witness Yellow Watermelon for the first time.

Day 5

My final day in Sydney was on Friday, where we started the day taking a ferry across Sydney Harbour to the other side of Sydney. We had breakfast at a local cafe, then headed to Fairy Bower Beach to soak up the sun rays. After enjoying some ice cream, we headed back to the other harbour and spent some time in the Royal Botanical Gardens, where I had my photography moment using my Dad's camera. Then I had to leave my family (due to work I couldn't get more time off) and head back to Sydney Airport to brave the 25 hour journey back to London.

Sydney was amazing and I wish I had been able to spend more time, but I hope to go back in the future and visit other cities like Melbourne and the Gold Coast!