Sydney Part III
DAY 6
Bondi to Coogee walk / A fish called Coogee / Aqua S
So keep your eyes set on the horizon
On the line where blue meets blue
Is Bondi mainstream and full with tourists? Well, perhaps a little.
Is it worth the visit? Well, the answer is definitely a resounding yes.
Many places look so picturesque in brochures/travel blogs but they look a little disappointing in real life because... Photoshop.
Bondi beach looks as beautiful or perhaps even more beautiful in real life.
We did the Bondi to Coogee walk which was very manageable (5km, not a lot of stairs I think).
Crash and burn
Look guys, a picture of the iconic pool at Bondi Icebergs. If I were to return to Australia (Sydney), I would want to swim here 😍
Picture worthy rocks? Haha.
50 shades of blue
I always thought of myself as a city girl. But this trip in Sydney made me realise perhaps, I don't mind being a beach bum.
And the abundance of seafood there? Definitely a major plus.
A fish called Coogee
Medium rare salmon
Typing this makes me realise how much I miss my fish and chips. Sigh, went to Big Fish Small Fish at Punggol East container recently, it's so disappointing?
I miss this medium rare salmon as well. 😞 It's not easy getting the right texture for salmon (I think) because a lot of salmon seems to be too dry?
Tip: You can always consider doing the route the other way round i.e., Coogee to Bondi because Bondi beach seems to have more water activities (surfing?)
We also headed to Chinatown again because Chinese pride we felt like it? Tried this famous custard puff from Emperor's Garden Cake and Bakery.
Yum; three is not enough lah
Poached eggs with smoked salmon
All them breads and pastries; I loaf you and knead you💗
Next up, wine tasting at Gemelli Estate. Gemelli means twins in Italian and the owners named some of their wines after their kids hahaha.
Aqua S sea salt ice-cream
Being the typical basic bitch, I had to have this haha. Nah, but this not only looks good but taste pretty good as well. It's slightly salty which makes it refreshing because a lot of ice-cream is too cloyingly sweet...
DAY 7
The Grounds of Alexandria / University of Sydney
I have heard so much about this cafe from people, ranging from ex colleagues (internship days, sigh) to friends who have been to Sydney. So how could I not go there right!
But warning, this cafe is quite out of the way. I would compare it to Jurong West/ Woodlands of Singapore (hahaha). I think we walked about 1+ km from the nearest station to get to this place. Indeed, I do travel for food. 😄
Flat white
Yup, first thing first, coffee. Especially on work days because it gives me the courage to leave the house to face 💩 HAHA.
I know some friends are probably going to say that eggs is the WORST thing you can ever order from the cafe menu because it's easy and cheap to prepare... But what to do? I just have a soft spot for eggs benedict 😶
This was not too bad.
Oops forgive me for the bpuns. Sadly, I didn't manage to try the pastries because the mains were very filling. Well, at least I tried the sourdough bread, which came in the big breakfast and it's really quite good!
After being stuffed with food (haha), we had a stroll around the place, which also includes a garden and The Potting Shed.
Them flowers
Us and Kevin the Bacon
Other than Kevin the Bacon, they also have a few chickens (which probably is where the free range eggs come from hahaha)
DAY 8
Hunter Valley Tour
Since Australia in general is well known for vineyards (okay actually I only Melbourne's Yarra Valley and Sydney's Hunter Valley), what's a trip without wine right? (says the person with terrible tolerance hahaha).
I am not exactly a hardcore fan of alcohol and wine so I decided to go for Kangarrific Tours, which included a visit to a wildlife park, cheese tasting and chocolate factory on top of all the wine tasting.
The bad thing about following tours? The need to wake up at weird timings 😖 But on the brighter side, there was a rainbow!
If there's a rainbow every morning
First stop of the trip was Australian Walkabout Wildlife park, which was quite a distance from Sydney city (1+ hour drive?). Would not have visited here if not for the tour. This has to be one of my favourite part of the trip because I got to interact with some of the animals in close proximity!!
Koala beary cute😍
This is the MOST active koala bear I have ever seen, moving around and refusing to stop for photos haha. So cute though hehe.
Other than koala bears, there were kangaroos and emu. And I got to pet a snake cause I am brave like that 😎
Hi kangaroo,
why you step on your own poo
Hey emu, look here for a picture, I don't mean to ruffle your feathers
After the interaction and tea with the animals (actually just a cup of coffee and tim tam biscuits), we headed to a tiny chocolate shop/factory. Really liked the chocolate coated coffee beans, it's like my favourite things in one.
Next up, wine tasting at Gemelli Estate. Gemelli means twins in Italian and the owners named some of their wines after their kids hahaha.
Then it was time for cheese tasting. So yummy omg.
The second winery we visited was Mount View Estate. Let's just say sweet alcohol (sparkling wine, moscato etc) is worse than bitter tasting alcohol cause... you don't even feel that you drank too much lol.
DAY 9
Sydney Fish Market / Cow and Moon Gelato / Australian Heritage Hotel
View around Darling Harbour
Several people told me that one of their favourite places in Sydney is Darling Harbour. Guess I am not one of them, because it's really too touristy for me. 😨
After a long walk, we finally arrived at Sydney Fish Market which was quite disappointing in my opinion? The sashimi was decent but it didn't feel out of the world? Perhaps the fish market at Tokyo has spoilt me too much haha.
Tip: DO NOT SIT OUTSIDE. The aggressive seagulls will eat all your food.
To end off our Sydney trip, we had gelato again. Award winning gelato from Cow and Moon. Trust me, I am a foodie.
Mandorla affogato (this is the award winning flavour) and vanilla ice-cream
My favourite nut with my favourite drug (coffee), what's there to not like! Please try this if you are in Sydney because how often can you say you ate award wining gelato... Haha and also this is really nice? Thick and creamy but a bit pricey.
Emu and Kangaroo pizza
Went to the Australian Heritage Hotel bar for dinner cause they offer pizzas with game meat. Oops sorry kangaroos and emu... But did you know, there might be too many kangaroos so the eating of kangaroo meat is kind of encouraged? (See link here)
But the kangaroo and emu meat don't really taste fantastic so I can understand why kangaroo meat is usually used to feed dogs...
However, the Australian Heritage Hotel has really nice garlic bread (sadly no pictures) and would say it might be a good place to chill and watch rugby (there were many people watching that) with a huge group of friends.
Okay, with this, I have come to the end of my Sydney posts. Do read Part I (Sydney Opera House, Chinatown etc) and Part II (skydiving, Bondi, Manly etc) if you have not done so 😉
And I miss my good cup of joe and amazing fish and chips.
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