Sydney

15 – 20 April 2015

We had planned to visit Sydney to attend the Caravan and Camping Supershow – hoping to make a final decision on the purchase of a camper trailer, and to visit family and friends. I was not looking forward to driving in Sydney traffic, despite growing up there.

From Lake Conjola we drove north to Nowra, Wollongong and then into Sydney itself. The traffic snarls started almost as soon as we approached Nowra, no longer the sleepy town I remembered. 

Fortunately the GPS was on her best behaviour and directed us to my sister’s place in Lilyfield without incident. Bronwyn and her partner John were happy to have us stay for a few days. On Thursday morning she took Mick and I to the Supershow. What a day! Not as busy as we had expected, but our heads were overloaded with information and ideas by the end of the day. We thought we had made a decision but needed some time to think it over by ourselves.

On Friday morning we caught the Light Rail into the city with Bronwyn for a serious shopping trip to replace my hiking boots that had fallen apart in Tasmania. We found all the shops selling outdoor apparel on Kent St and I found a pair that felt right - and they were on special too! We had Yum Cha for lunch at Bronwyn’s favourite place, Marigold, in Chinatown. From there Mick and I walked to the Australian Museum to see the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition. We then walked back to Darling Harbour and took the Light Rail back to Lilyfield.

On Saturday morning we packed up again and set the GPS for my friend Anne’s place in Winston Hills. Again, we managed to get there without incident, but the traffic even for a Saturday morning was awful. We enjoyed a relaxing day and evening with Anne and Stephen. We joined them, and some of their friends, for Sunday lunch at the local “Bowlo” – Northmead Bowling Club, and then a quiet evening.

We rose early on Monday morning ready to tackle the city traffic as we headed for Lithgow. It seemed to take forever to get to the motorway, but once on the M2 it was a smooth run up to the Blue Mountains.