1 week in Sydney — Mika's Photos

This year for Songkran, we enjoyed a fantastic week in Sydney, Australia! 🐨 🦘 🇦🇺 ☀️. The weather cooperated the whole time, and we basically spent the entire 7 days outside… except when we slept at night! We all enjoyed the fresh air, the cool breeze, the different birds, the funny trees. And (to quote Arlo), people spoke English! Sydney lived up to the hype, and we’d happily go back again!

Here we are! The time has come! (Not so) patiently waiting at the airport for our night flight to Sydney.

These two were really monkeying out in the Thai Lounge. They don't realize how lucky they are that they can get in for free still!

Arlo and his new face.

Wasting no time: plugging in and turning on Moana, before the flight was even finished boarding.

"Are we landing now?" "We haven't even left the gate yet, Lucy."

One down, less than an hour into the flight.

Prepping for beauty rest.

A bit of brekkie before landing.

We made it out, with our bags and everyone. Now for the train!

Checking the map...

... and enjoying the view from the upstairs of the double-decker train.

We made it to our neighborhood, and Arlo is very excited to see the giant ibis birds for the first time.

We're about 90 minutes too early to check into our AirBnB, so we're enjoying the local playground.

We're lucky to be stationed right next to such a nice playground.

Good climbing, Lucy!

May as well eat lunch while we wait: fries and gozleme, a distinctly Australian (Turkish) favorite.

This playground has great swings, in addition to a great slide.

It's a race!

It's 2pm, and we're allowed into our AirBnB!

And then we're off on a leisurely stroll toward the Opera House.

Beautiful, tree-lined streets.

I'd forgotten how very hilly Sydney is!!

Finger Wharf.

These two troopers are still in good spirits (and energy... and airplane clothes).

Cutting through the Art Gallery of NSW.

Encountering these giant pincushion cactuses at the entrance to the Botanic Gardens.

Arlo immediately started spotting, and collecting, all the "funny" things that fall from trees in Australia.

Peeling bark!

And Arlo's first look at cockatoos - the birds he would come to love.

This particular group of cockatoos (and ibises) were very comfortable around people.

Observing from a distance at first.

This one wanted to come get a closer look at Lucy.

Selfie with the cockatoo!

Now he's enjoying himself.

Catching on to how tame they are.

Hello handsome.

Lucy is less sure.

Feeding them grass by this point, I think.

Who needs a zoo when these funny birds are right here in the parks?

Another one on mum; must smell the spilled airplane food!

Wiping hands really well after that adventure.

Ginormous tree (so big and old, it's roped off).

These two were insisting on ice cream, so we stopped at the first gelato place we found. And it was the drippiest cone we've ever seen!

We made it! Try explaining to Arlo why this particular opera house is so famous.

It's end-of-day lighting at this point, but still not a bad sky!

There was a different cruise ship parked at Circular Quay every day.

From behind the Opera House.

Sydney Harbor Bridge! Arlo really wanted to do the bridge climb. You need to be 8 years old!

Heading home the way we came. The cones from the Banksia trees are particularly interesting.

Early evening over the CBD. (As we hike back up that staircase.)

Saturday morning breakfast, after a great sleep for everyone.

Heading by train to Redfern, and then onward to the Carriageworks Farmers Market.

It's a ~10 minute walk; good job walking, Arlo!

Here we are, at the site of a 19th century rail yard.

The Farmers' Market is a classic.

Arlo posing with some Lilies (his classmates!)

Lucy and I bought cherry tomatoes (what she's got in her cheek pouches), a giant bunch of kale, and beet roots. Dinner will be delish!

Stopping to enjoy the tomatoes.

A tiny inch work that crawled out of the kale is quite the source of entertainment!

Cold pressed juices before heading on our way.

Heading by foot to Darling Harbor.

(Real) Birds of Paradise were all over.

Here we are! We've read about a wonderful children's play area here....

... and even the fountains leading up to it were enticing.

This huge water play area did not disappoint!

They had all sorts of mechanisms to control the water flow.

Arlo was really into all the mechanical water devices.

Lucy, on the other hand, preferred to play in the dry area -- which was equally as expansive.

(For its size, this slide was deceptively slow. Wearing shorts probably didn't help.)

There's another water play area -- basically a giant wading fountain. Lucy daintily waded through.

Does she dare walk under the tunnel of water?

(Lucy's favorite pose throughout the trip.)

There she goes!

Yet another playground zone.

She was pretty fearless, climbing up all by herself.

Down the giant slide.

Here's a standing swing!

After lunch, Arlo found the giant wading fountain too, and went all-in!

Lucy's really thinking hard about what her brother is doing.

Still taking pains to stay dry.

Past the point of no return now.

Well, they enjoyed this!

With a new set of warm, dry clothes on, it's time to enjoy some snacks.

Cheese! What an amazing public park!

Popping into the Australia Museum on the way home.

First up are the birds of Australia.

The birds of Sydney -- nicely taxidermied and behind glass.

And an interactive dinosaur exhibit.

Two little paleontologists excavating for dino fossils.

In another interactive zone, checking out eels of Australia...

... and beetles.

Tracing, coloring, and cutting out feathers to attach to the big owl.

Sticking hers on, with the help of a staff member.

Photo with this taxidermied koala, in case we don't see any others this trip!

Their new favorite fruit: raspberries! They consumed one whole box every night!

Saturday movie night -- continues even in Australia.

It's Sunday morning, and so we're off to Bondi Beach!

Here we are! It's as picturesque (and hot!) as ever!

The Sydney surfers are out in full force.

Arlo really wanted to jump the waves; who were we to say no.

But the waves here were much larger and much stronger than Rayong waves! So no going in past the ankles.

So much fun! Could stay all day.

Jump shot!

Meanwhile, Lucy was not into the waves at all.

She preferred to stay back behind the rocks.

Looking for shells (they were sparse). We did find a lovely piece of sea glass.

No water in the Bondi Icebergs pool today; too bad!

Heading off on the coastal walk; Arlo's showing off his sea glass (which, ultimately, got lost again).

So warm!

Last time we were here, we saw dolphins; not so today, but it's still breathtakingly beautiful!

Arlo felt like he was on the moon.

Watching the waves and the surfers.

Stopping for ice cream and some shade at Tamarama Beach.

We made it to Bronte Beach! I think that's as far as we'll get today.

Then we headed to Centennial Park (kind of like the High Park of Sydney)...

...for the The Ian Potter Children’s Wild Play Garden.

It had a different, forest vibe (vs. the play area we'd gone to the day before).

Lucy climbing up through the bamboo, to to the top of a giant slide.

Mum's pants made the slide especially fast!

It's definitely a less refined way to play.

And back at our home stomping ground.

An evening hello to the local ibises.

It's Monday morning, and we're heading west: to Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park, about 45 min west of central Sydney.

This place features only Australian wildlife.

You can get up close with the Wallabies and Kangaroos (if they're up for it).

Lucy really liked this.

A mama and her joey.

I think they were all pretty full though, since everyone was feeding them.

Next up: the koalas!

This guy was alert, awake, and making his way up to a comfier spot in the tree.

Selfie with this sleeping beauty.

Measuring up.

(It's the 14th; this is Arlo's tree photo for the month!)

Saying hi to the local penguins.

And seeing echidnas for the first time.

A tasmanian devil...

... and the dangerous cassowary.

More roos, sleeping on a hot afternoon.

Saying hi to a goose...

... who seems content eating the kangaroo food.

Collecting stamps as we visit the different animals.

This guy's really into snakes these days, too.

Tree kangaroo.

And watching lunchtime for the crocodile.

Hanging out with the wallabies and roos one last time before heading back.

Bye bye, wombat!

Heading back to Sydney...

Arlo wanted to sit on the lower floor this time, to get a better view of the rails and underneath the platform.

... catching up on some sleep as we reach the city.

Late afternoon walk around Circular Quay, after getting back.

Great views from the west side!

Totally blocking his sister.

We were there to see these tiny tug boats pulling this giant cruise ship back out into the harbor.

Walking through The Rocks (which is very quiet on a Monday afternoon!)

Delicious and well-earned ice cream break before heading home.

Dinner time!

Trying a plum. (Verdict: not as good as raspberries.)

He took pen to paper, to draw about what he saw today.

View from our AirBnB on Tuesday morning.

Today's our day for meeting people!

First, we met our former neighbor from Ekkamai, P'Noo and her partner.

Checked out several of the fancy boats docked at the piers.

Look at the tall trees!

And this funny tree, whose branches grow straight up!

Waiting to catch the ferry from Double Bay back to Circular Quay.

Here we go, first time on the ferry!

Arlo decided he didn't like it, because he got splashed.

Classic views though!

Checking out the transit map.

Quick stop at Customs House, to see the cool 3D model of Sydney under the floors.

They got a kick out of this!

Next stop: a quick pop up to the BCG office...

... great views!...

... and a picnic lunch with a collague.

Look how small this tree made us!

Heading into the Art Gallery of NSW on the way home.

It would be a stretch to say that Arlo found it barely interesting.

But we did find Granny!

The saving grace was a fantastic children's library in the basement.

It had a fantastic reading area, and so many kids' books (Australian and International authors). Plus tables to draw.

These two would've happily stayed to read all afternoon.

But we had one more visit to make!

Ice Cream with Captain Ron!

High school classmates who found themselves in Sydney at the same time.

The skies opened up, but that didn't stop these two from playing.

Good thing those raincoats from Granny still "fit"!

It's Wednesday: our second-to-last full day here. And we're off to Watsons Bay.

The "Gap Bluff" is breathtaking!

Posing with the "Wreck of the Dunbar".

The landscapes (rockscapes) up here overlooking the ocean were moon-like.

The hairbrush-like banksia cones.

Having fun exploring the moon.

At the edge of the world!

Looking for teeny tiny treasures.

Arlo's very good at finding them!

See any whales?

Dramatic seascapes -- even more so thanks to the overcast skies.

Now heading north, toward the tip of the peninsula.

Stunning!

But you wouldn't want to be down there caught between the waves and the rocks!

Snack break!

(These salted almonds were a lifesaver!)

Beautiful views back toward downtown Sydney!

Continuing along the walking path.

It's a bit of an uphill scramble as we head toward Horny Lighthouse.

Checking out all the different fish, and the legal catch size.

A local granny out with her two grandsons offered to take photos for us -- and photos did she take!

Dancing on the edge of the world!

Almost at the lighthouse.

This is the light keeper's house!

And here we are! Hornby Lighthouse, with its fresh coat of paint.

Almost feels like the end of the world here.

Of course, the only other tourists at the lighthouse with us were Thai.

Great day for sailing!

Lunch back at Camp Cove Beach: a perfect little beach really.

And a cafe with a view!

The view is great, and the waves not too large or strong.

Lucy's totally comfortable in her undies; this country is made for her.

Playing with the muddy sand, since there really aren't waves to jump here.

Drawing the proverbial line in the sand.

Oh no! Arlo lost his feet!

Checking out this poor fish who washed up on the beach.

Would come back here!

Scenic views from Watsons Bay Beach...

... before hopping on a ferry back to Circular Quay. A surprisingly nice outing!

The wind at the front of the ferry was *intense*!

Even at the side of the ferry, no hair was safe.

But you can't beat the views of Sydney Harbor!

We thought we saw the Opera House seal on the way back in, so we went to check.

Yes! He's there today!

Wonder if it's the same seal from 2017?

Arlo was entertained.

Few more pics with the Opera House -- not sure if we'll be back here tomorrow.

New day, new cruise ship!

And then jumping on the light rail / tram to Chinatown.

Observing the rails as we go.

Souvenirs for Arlo and Lucy: check!

Meet Cockatoo and Koalee (replacement for poor Wawa).

They're happy!

Quick stroll through Chinatown on our way back.

Playing at the playground until sunset.

Dramatic view from our apartment.

Everyone pile in for bedtime stories!

Oh no, it's our last full day here!

Tree Kangaroo, living up to its name.

What's this? A wild turkey?

Getting up close to check it out.

More roos and wallabies here.

Why hello, Emu!

There were several koalas here too, of course.

One of which was awake and on the move.

Didn't realize I had birds on my head!

Piling in for the packed seal show! (I guess that's what you get during the Easter holidays!)

It was short and sweet. (The line might have been longer!)

Saying hi to Pak Boong and Taengmo, who hail from Thailand; and are about to be rehomed to another Australian zoo to join a larger herd of Asian Elephants.