We arrived Saturday night, and headed straight out again the next day … to Craft Depot to drool over their patchwork fabrics. Advertised as having over 8000 bolts of fabric, it was great fun walking up and down the aisles. Managed to bring home three pieces of fabric (well, we had to buy SOMEthing haha) – plus Mum very generously bought me a floorstand Ott-lite for my Christmas present. My old one is still in storage, and it needs a transformer for it as I bought it in the USA before you could buy them locally, and the transformer always affects the TV … so now I don’t have to worry about that anymore yippee!!! That was all we achieved on our first day in Sydney – we finished off by having an appetiser plate of flathead fillets and potato wedges at the nearby pub at Pennant Hills, and it was totally divine 😀
The next day (Monday) we hopped on a bus into Parramatta, then caught the train into the city and had a wander around Circular Quay to see the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, before having lunch at the Gumnut Cafe in The Rocks. I’ve decided I’ve now fallen in love with Iced Chai tea … just divine!!!
After lunch we waddled over to the Information Centre to pick up oodles of brochures for later visits, then headed back over to the Opera House and spent the rest of the afternoon wandering through the Royal Botanic Gardens.
We spent ages looking up at the gazillion grey-headed flying foxes (ie fruit bats) hanging upside down in the trees … they look like huge pods hanging down – I tried to get a photo of one in flight, but didn’t manage to get a good clear shot.
After that we tried to hurry to get to Tapestry Craft in the city to look at their displays on the walls, but they closed at 5pm so we missed out. Poor Mum and I were both hobbling by that stage, our feet were so weary – so then we continued on up the street to the QVB building for our train home again. It was a very long, but very enjoyable day … although we ended up on the wrong bus coming home and it took us 2 1/2 hours to get home … “not happy Jan!” (if you’re curious how that saying came about, you can check out the link to the YouTube video 🙂
Feather Stitching 
Great pictures, Anne! It sounds like you’re having a great time in Sydney.
Flying foxes scare the bejesus out of me!!
Wonderful photos! I love the ones of the bats :o) I really must save up to visit Australia one day. Your photo’s just make me more determined.
I didn’t realize those bats were there until I had walked underneath them…I was in for a surprise when I got to the end of the trees and turned to see what people were looking at!
I loved Sydney and can’t wait to go back some day. I fully intend to do the Harbour Bridge Climb!
Erk, you can have the flying foxes who fly over our driveway to eat next-door’s fruit. As they fly away, the sh*t all over our place!
What did you think of Craft Depot, pretty pathetic? Did you eat at the Pennant Hills Inn, I’ve never eaten there (although I’ve had plenty to drink there). Glad to hear that the food is good.
Sorry that you missed Tapestry Craft, it’s great. Hope you get a chance to go back. And better luck next time on public transport in Sydney, it’s a joke on the best of days!
Ugh, those bats! (Sorry!!)
Sounds like you’re having a great time – and thanks so much for sharing all the pictures and stories!
Your pictures are all wonderful. Thanks for sharing!
i am glad to hear you are enjoying your move so far. Hopefully the move continues to go well and the new job is a success! Continued luck to you:)
Thanks for sharing Anne
Anne,
I love reading about your trip to Sydney. It brings back so many memories of my time in Australia in 1986. I do so hope that I will be able to return some day. I had lunch in The Rocks area once and wandered happily around the Sydney Opera House. I must confess that Sydney (5 million at the time) had me quite intimidated but what a fabulous city! Fortunately both times I visited I was being shown around by locals!
Did my little parcel to you ever arrive? Perhaps it went surface mail and in about 6 months you’ll get it.
Ann
Sounds like you’re having gobs of fun exploring Sydney! Those flying foxes would be a bit problematic for me tho! Give me a spider any day and keep me away from those things! Lol!
Hi Anne, I love the pictures, it sounds as though you are having a fabulous time in Sydney… hope you find a great apartment soon. Re the bats, I’m rather nervous of them, my grandmother always used to tell us that she knew a girl who had to have all her hair cut off because bats flew into it! I’m longing to hear more about the shops in Sydney too, it seems ages since I went to a really good stitching shop.
Such a bunch of lovely stories and pics in your last few posts…sorry I’m catching up…and I had to LOL about your I love….pics…especially the Jim Bean one.. 🙂
Joshua loved the pictures of the bats!
Wonderful pictures especially the bats!!
Welcome to Sydney! Not the best place in the world for craftiness, but we get buy. If you’re ever out in my stoping grounds again (the Hills) check out Stitchabout, in Castle Hill. Helen, the owner, is brilliant to talk to and her range of charts, and prices, are amazing. Just the next block over is Australia’s largest Spotlight – a craft department store. I frequently loose hours in there… In fact, I did that just this morning. 🙂
Looks like you had a beautiful day on the harbour. It’s breeding season for the flying foxes at the moment, so you might see some fuzzy l’il bubs hanging on to mum soon.
What some lovely adventures and as usual great pictures Ann!
Hi Anne, so pleased to hear that your move has gone well so far – love all the pictures. I can say I’ve been to sydney but only to the airport, lol, as I was flying onto somewhere else in NSW. Looking forward to hearing more of your adventures 🙂