Sydney Side Trip

Should we jump through bureaucratic hoops and pay a bunch of money to extend our New Zealand visas--or should we just take a short trip to Australia, as many cruisers here do, to re-start the NZ visa clock?

And whoa, we'd also have a chance to see Camden: serendipitously, the Dover Quartet was scheduled to perform in Sydney very near our visa expiration date.

Hey, let's fly to Australia!



First stop: Featherdale Wildlife Park

What could be cuter than a koala?

Oh! Maybe a wombat!

Current estimates put Australia's population at
25 million humans and 50 million kangaroos

Next stop: Blue Mountains

...looking very blue

and very dramatic

Steep hikes brought us to panoramic views,

and to beautiful waterfalls

And we thought Camden had been hired
to play at a music festival!

The hand prints at Red Rocks Cave are a poignant reminder
of the people who lived here for 40,000 years

Exploring Sydney

We walked for miles every day, to fascinating museums in the city and on long coastal walks to the north and south. Flora and fauna new to us--particularly trees and birds--were constantly intriguing. We even got to hear kookaburras laughing in the old gum tree!

(So much for the old song; in reality they sound like screeching monkeys.)

On a ferry crossing the harbor

Banksia trees along a trail

Cockatoos near a magnificent tree
 in the Royal Botanical Gardens

Beaches, rocks and pools near Sydney

Why didn't we think to bring bathing suits?

Badu Gili: "Water Light",

a contemporary Aboriginal art show
projected on the Opera House every night

The Dovers were the guest quartet at Sydney's biennial Musica Viva Festival;
this photo is from the final curtain call at the end of the 4 days of concerts

Between the many rehearsals and concerts,
we found delightful family time

How marvelous
 to get to pal around with Camden
half way around the world!