Taronga Zoo

Sydney's zoo is a short (15 minute) ferry ride from Circular Quay. We spent about 4 hours at the zoo...and it was 4 hours well spent if I may say so myself! The first exhibit we saw was the Australian walkabout. There were kangaroos and wallabies lounging around as we walked very close to them. These logs were the only enclosure that "divided" us from WILD AUSTRALIA! (Oh, and that's Steve, the wild second mechanic!)
More from the walkabout:


The echidna (the animal on our coasters at home)...

Red Panda:

...and the run of the mill koala:

Giraffes feeding...check out the amazing view:

First Picture: Monitor Lizard, Second Picture: Komodo Dragon

And what Australian blog would be complete without the Tasmanian Devil:

Still to come: Birds of Australia

Australia Day

January 26th is Australia Day. This day is a commemoration of the first penal colony established in Australia by the British. Aussies celebrated by concerts, wearing flags as capes, and drinking. Tourists celebrated by taking pictures of the crazy Australians.

Circular Quay

Bondi Beach

A Day of Exploring

This past week, we got a chance to see a lot more of Sydney. We have been stuck inside for a couple of days now because of rain, but the clouds finally cleared Tuesday.


This is the ferry or "Jetcat", a large catamaran that works more like a bus than a ferry. The ride was about 30-40 minutes and had a dozen or so stops. We rode it to the end of the line, right downtown in Circular Quay/The Rocks. The Rocks used to be a place for drunken sailors, convicts, and brothels. It was crawling with rats and plague-ridden. So, they tore down and sanitized the area. Now, you will find winding pathways that lead to historic sites, boutiques, galleries, and restaurants. Across the bay is the Sydney Opera House.

And a street performer whose favorite phrase was "Stop! Come watch me...I'm good!"

So, do the toilets flush in the opposite direction Down Under?

Ok, for some of you this may seem like a weird question....but for me, this was a question that I started gathering research on while I was still in the states. A Simpson's episode a while back asked this question, and I have always wondered if the toilets in Australia actually flush counterclockwise. So, while still in the states, I watched many toilets flush to see if they all flushed in the same direction...they do. With this knowledge under my belt, I felt ready to answer this age old question. Well, the answer was surprising. The toilets here flush directly down. There is absolutely no swirling. I have watched private and public toilets alike...they all flush the same way - directly down. The toilets do have a very unique feature which I have never encountered, though. You can choose to do a half flush or a full flush. There are two buttons located on top of the toilets, one features a half-filled circle and the other a filled circle. So each time you flush, you get to decide. The half flush supposedly uses less water, but honestly, I think both flushes look the same. Maybe it's just my untrained eye. I don't know, but I will keep you posted if I fall upon any other information about this topic.

Home Sweet Homebush

So this is the blog that I promised. Please be patient with me as I have never blogged before. I think that the jet lag has worn off enough that I can at least have a subject and verb in each sentence, but that is all I can promise you.

We are staying in an apartment complex right outside of Sydney in a suburb called Homebush, the site of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The view is great (right on the waterfront). It has two bedrooms and is furnished and stocked with linens and dishes. This has been a great blessing since everything in Australia is pretty expensive -- $5.00 for a box of Special K, $24.00 for a thin crust pizza, $4.00 for a single bottle of beer, and $400 for a Wii (good thing we brought ours with us!!).



In these first few days, we have done some exploring. There is a ferry to Sydney that is only a 15 minute walk from the apartment. The bus is 15 minutes the other way and will be used primarily to get us to the train station. We found a farmer's market, fish market, and butcher yesterday that is about 20 minutes away (which is actually cheaper than the supermarket). The apartment complex has a pool, a sauna, and a fitness room. I think I'm really going to like it here! I definitely understand why so many people come to Australia and want to move here.