Australian Adventure: Week 23, December 25-31, 2022

It’s been a crazy whirlwind of a week! We have been making the most of our time in Sydney.

On Sunday, we woke up to a sunny blue sky. It was a true Aussie Christmas morning. We had a slow start, with some delicious room service and coffee. Then, spent some time opening gifts and video calling family and friends. We spent the afternoon enjoying the pool.

On Monday, Boxing Day, we had brunch at our favourite spot, Grounds of the City. The menu has changed a little bit since we were last there but it was still delicious! Then, we headed to the beautiful Queen Victoria Building for some shopping!

On Tuesday, Webster surprised me with a fancy dinner out! We got all dressed up and headed out for a walk. We ended up at Observatory Hill, where he proposed! Yes, you read that right - we are engaged! He organized a beautiful proposal in the park, followed by a photoshoot along Sydney Harbour. It was the best day! We don’t have the photographers photos yet, but just a few we took on our phones. We are so excited for this next chapter, and no, we don’t have a wedding date yet :)

That night, we went to Rockpool for a delicious steak dinner. It was a day to remember!

On Wednesday, we left the beautiful Four Seasons hotel, and moved into an Airbnb in Sydney. We spent the day doing laundry, getting caught up on work, and doing some groceries. Later in the day, we went to Paddy's Market and then Spice Alley for dinner. I had my favourite, cashew chicken, and Webster had char kway teow, a Singaporean flat noodle dish.

On Thursday, we spent the morning at Bondi Beach, even though it was cloudy. We saw them filing the show Bondi Rescue.

That night, we got a special delivery from some very special friends - thanks Kaitlin and Julian for tracking us down in our AirBnB (15,000km away) in celebration of our engagement.

On Friday, we spent the day exploring Darling Harbour and Chinatown. We walked along the harbour, in all the little shops. Then, we went to our favourite dumpling restaurant, Din Tai Fung Once the sun went down, we took a ferry to Circular Quay and sat along the water front. It was a beautiful evening, with the city all lit up.

On Saturday, New Year’s Eve, we got all packed up and headed to The Rocks for fireworks. We had tickets to a specific park area to see the show. We arrived at 1pm, for the 12am fireworks; we were 7th in line. By 4pm, there were hundreds of people in line. We spent the afternoon waiting on the grass, listening to music, and chatting with people around us.

At 7:30pm, the night started with an Aboriginal group hosting a Smoking Ceremony around the Harbour. They were on a boat with a Tribal Warrior Chief. At 9pm, the first set of fireworks went off. At 12am, midnight, the second set of fireworks went off. It was a great show, the best we have ever seen, in an iconic spot. We are so grateful for the opportunity to be in Sydney as we ring in the new year. Happy New Year!

This week we leaving Sydney and heading North! Our first stop is Airlie Beach, the most southern point of the Great Barrier Reef. We have plans to snorkel, scuba, and spend as much time as we can on the beach.

Thanks for following along with our adventures - see you next week!