Sydney (Day 99)
We had a full month in Sydney, where we could live like a local, meet marsupials, and even have a visit from Santa!
We loved learning about marsupials and getting a chance to see them up close. Marsupials are mammals that raise their young in a pouch.
Here are some fun facts about marsupials:
Marsupials mostly live in Australia and some nearby islands. There are around 250 species of marsupials. The most famous are kangaroos and koalas.
“Marsupial” comes from the Greek word for pouch.
A marsupial baby is often born after just 25 days. Babies come out small — sometimes the size of a grain of rice! Despite being born blind, the baby instinctively knows to crawl into the pouch, where it develops and nurses for months before leaving.
Some marsupials (like these wallabies pictured here) can carry an extra baby in the womb in a state of suspended animation called embryonic diapause. If a young baby dies, the mother can quickly give birth to the “back up” baby she is already carrying.
Kangaroos can jump 25 feet in a single leap – and they can jump 6 feet high!
Did you know that there is a marsupial native to North America? The opossum. It has a pouch that it uses to raise its babies, just like Australian marsupials. There are also many marsupial species in South America.
A visit with a quokka named Hazel!!!
*****
SYDNEY
Sydney is one of the most beautiful large cities in the world: beaches everywhere…. warm weather…. relaxed but sophisticated… safe and clean. Australia was our 7th country, but it was the 1st well functioning democracy and probably the 1st country where you feel confident drinking the water.
The defining natural feature of Sydney is the harbor. We took the public ferries around and had many chances to get out on the water. What a fun way to travel around a big city!
Our neighborhood had a big park, a beach, a world class zoo, and a kid zip line — all within walking distance. The city was also full of cultural activities such as the contemporary art museum, the fantastic Maritime Museum, and the Nutcracker at the world famous Sydney Opera House.
Our kids also loved the Police Museum (with its macabre stories of criminals) and Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum. Look at Huey climbing around on the ceiling with his buddy Spider-Man!
*****
OPERA HOUSE
The Sydney Opera House is an architectural landmark that was way ahead of its time. Designed in 1957, it is sculptural and expressive in a way that seemed almost impossible before today’s computer design technology and modern building materials.
And it was nearly impossible! The Opera House was over a decade late and about 1,400% over budget. Despite this, today it stands today as a landmark achievement of 20th century architecture.
*****
SYDNEY HARBOR BRIDGE
The Sydney Harbor bridge was also an engineering marvel in its day. Built in 1932, it was the largest steel arch bridge in the world. It made transportation much faster and cheaper and was a huge boon to Sydney’s development.
The story of the bridge’s construction shows how much safety standards have changed since then. Workers had no hard hats, no special boots, no gloves — and no safety ropes! As it was built, the bridge was dotted with little furnaces, and workers heated up and installed 6 million rivets by hand. 16 people died in making the bridge over the 8 years it took to build.
Today, people pay money to climb the bridge (with safety gear!). Having younger kids, we opted to just walk over the bridge, which was actually quite nice. Maybe we will climb it next time!
*****
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
One of the main reasons for our super long stay here was to have time to get a Christmas tree, decorate the house, and have a place Santa could easily visit. It felt strange to have Christmas when it was 90 degrees and everyone was at the beach – but we got used to it pretty quickly!
We all got Christmas pajamas!
It wasn’t exactly a Christmas present, but Hazel did get something super awesome in Sydney — glasses! It was nice to finally be able to see clearly. And they make her look so grown up!
*****
SYDNEY AT NIGHT
*****
ADVENTURE ACTIVITIES
One theme of the trip has been trying new things and overcoming fears. Sydney was full of kid adventure activities! Hugh decided his favorite was zip lines, which are called Flying Foxes in Australia. A flying fox is a big bat.
Hazel’s favorite was indoor skydiving. She learned how to fly on her own!
*****
ABORIGINAL PLANT TOUR
We visited the Royal Botanic Garden to learn about how Aboriginals used local plants for food, medicine, jewelry, weapons, and more. The Aboriginals were focused on sustainability, local food, and zero waste way before these became trendy ideas.
The sandpaper fig tree has scratchy leaves that Aboriginals used to smooth wood or to file their nails. We tried it, and it really works!
The lemon myrtle tree does not have lemons, but the leaves smell surprisingly like lemons if you twist them up. The Aboriginals used the leaves as a natural decongestant and as a flavoring for food. We made tea out of them.
The dianella plant had leaves for weaving and berries you can use to make blue or red dye.
The cadigal tree was so important to the local Aboriginals that they named themselves after it — the Cadigal people. The lone central branch is very light weight and makes a good fishing spear!
The longifolia had many uses: its leaves could make a bracelet, you could chew it like gum, and you could use its roots to make rope.
*****
Happy New Year!
Sydney is the first major city in the world to ring in the New Year! (Sydney is 16 hours ahead of East Coast time.) We went out on a ferry boat on the harbor with some friends. The conditions were rough, and a few people left the boat even before it departed! But we stuck with it and had a great time.
