Our 12,955 Steps in AUSTRALIA

G'day! After a 15½ hour flight, we landed in Sydney at 7:30 AM local time and hit the ground running. Below are images of our very busy, and quite unforgettable, first day in the land Down Under.

Our first Australian sunrise and cup of coffee happened on our Qantas flight. Even without sleep, we were giddy.

This trip will be in segments. Our first stay is at the excellently chosen Meriton Suites in the Commercial Business District. What an ideal location for wanting to really walk and explore.
Everywhere we looked, the architecture delighted us.

Even the streetsweepers were adorable.
Our main destination was the Australian Museum. "Nature, science and culture meet at Australia’s first museum (1857). Complete with immersive exhibitions and interactive experiences, a visit to the Australian Museum is the perfect day out for families, kids of all ages and the young at heart – plus General Admission is now free!" It was also a great place to get out of the rain and its Watering Hole proved to be the perfect lunch spot, too!
This exhibit was a must. With more than 850 endemic and migratory species, Australia has one of the most diverse and abundant bird populations in the world. The continent is home to more species of sea birds and a higher diversity of parrots than anywhere in the world. It also has two of the largest – and quirkiest – flightless birds.


Tn this exhibition we came face to face with familiar and unfamiliar birds alike, from the iconic cockatoos and “budgies” to the stunning Regent Bowerbird and adorable Little Penguin.
We weren't expecting dinosaurs.
The T-Rex autopsy exhibit was really cool.


Our stroll through Hyde Park really brought home the fact that we were in Sydney.
Australia’s oldest park is also one of its most well-known. Hyde Park offers over 39 acres of wide open space in the heart of central Sydney.




A visit to the post office and a mailbox is always a must!

When I saw this I seriously thought about doing it. The FRIENDS™ Experience: The One in Sydney gives people the opportunity to step inside the world of FRIENDS™ and experience our favorite show like never before.
You can pose on the iconic orange couch, sit at Monica and Rachel’s kitchen table, kick back and relax in Joey and Chandler’s comfy chairs, and so much more.
It would almost be worth it to be able to yell, "Pivot! Pivot!" while moving Ross' couch. Oh man, hysterical. Who knows, maybe one day when we're in town!
I found this cool art installation on atlas obscura. Forgotten Songs Sound Sculpture is a collaboration of art and ornithology which mourns the calls of Sydney's lost birds. Suspended there are numerous and varied cages. In combination with the delicate visuals above, sound artwork rises from below in a wave of calls of long-vanished birds. On the ground, the names of the birds are set in the concrete.
It commemorates the songs of 50 birds once heard in Central Sydney, before they were gradually forced out by European settlement. The calls change as day shifts to night. The daytime birds’ songs disappearing with the sun, and those of the nocturnal birds, which inhabited the area, sounding into the evening.
So many statues, so much history to be learned!

















Steve and I are already fully enamored with Sydney. The people we've encountered and the sights we've seen have been simply amazing. After a good night's sleep, we'll head out with more clarity and energy but I'd say we did pretty great on having just arrived. Who knows what we'll discover next.

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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am glad you arrived safely. Your words are correct, so much to learn! I found the information about the bird cages very intriguing.
Enjoy every moment!

March 11, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Jenny said...

You hit the ground running all right! fun. The Bird Song sculpture is interesting and sad. There is so much we can do to prevent loss of species. And it is so true that hearing bird song correlates with happiness & joy!

March 11, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Four Points Bulletin said...

Such lovely architecture! I especially love the depth of that clock!
PS Don't forget to take lots of pictures! Hahaha

March 12, 2025 at 6:05 AM

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