Day 18

We had hoped for better weather, but like yesterday we boarded the bus in the pouring rain. We drove about 45 minutes outside Sydney where we visited Koala Park to see, you guessed it, a Koala Bear. We exited the bus and made our way to an area that had some cover and heard about the Koala Bear, a native animal of Australia. They typically sleep about 20 hours a day, as their food source which consists of leaves from the Eucalyptus tree, have very little nourishment.

One of the handlers took a Koala from its perch in a tree, and set him on a railing where we got a photo op. the Koala are not confined as they are very docile and they told us to keep our eyes open as we roamed the park. In addition to the Koala we saw several types of Kangaroos, Dingos, and although sleeping in a log, we saw a Wombat. Although the Park was interesting the rain made it less then enjoyable, but we walked around anyway and saw all there was to see.

As we boarded the bus for the next stop, an education on Opals, the rain continued. Arriving at the Opal shop, it was still raining but not quite as hard, so there was still hope. A short presentation a brief video, and we were ushered into the store full of Opals of all colors and price range. Mary bought an Opal necklace while we were in Cairns, so we just looked around as we contemplated our afternoon Bike Tour.

There were four in our group that had signed up, Mary and I along with two other women, one from Cincinnati and the other from Orange County, California. We huddled to discuss whether or not we would go, then seeing rain had stopped we decided to take a chance. It turned out to be a great choice, as the sun broke through the clouds and the breeze eased up. We literally rode around Sydney hitting many of the spots we drove by on the bus, but this time we were up close and personal.

The ride, roughly 6 miles mostly along the various harbor areas was a fairly easy trek with only a short section that was up hill. We rode on the harbor around the Opera House, under the Sydney Bridge, and through the streets of China Town. We had a great time and glad we chose to take the chance. The weather cooperated yet again, and it was looking even better for our Harbor Dinner Cruise later this evening. We arrived back at the hotel after our bike ride at 3:45, did a quick turnaround and boarded the bus for the short ride to the Harbor where we would catch the boat for dinner.

This was our last night as a group, so many pictures were taken, goodbyes said and the champagne, wine, and beer flowed freely. We were able to get several great shots of the Sydney Bridge and Opera House, as we cruised the harbor.

After dinner we decided to walk back to the hotel to burn off a few calories, and several others decided to join us, so off we went. When we got a few blocks from the hotel, we decided to head up to the top of one of the office buildings which was home to the “O Bar”. The bar located on the 50th floor rotates slowly giving you a 360 degree view of the city. Mary and I were again joined by four women, three from Cincinnati and the women from OC.

Great way to end a great day! Tomorrow the rest of the tour either heads to Fiji or back to the states, while Mary and I have one last day and night in Sydney. The bridge climb and a play at the Opera House await us.