This post features student writing.

After a wonderful trip sailing through the Whitsunday islands, the group was excited to see Sydney and get a taste of city life in Australia. We flew in on Saturday and reached our hostel in the late afternoon. Once we were settled in, the group walked over to the Spice Alley for dinner. The alley was filled with Asian-inspired restaurants that students could order food from. The dumplings were a popular stop and the Spice Alley was a great choice for a first dinner in the city. After a filling meal the group walked through the city to Darling Harbour. Unfortunately, there weren’t the fireworks that we expected but the Harbour was a great place for us to get the gelato everyone was so excited to eat. The day ended with a nightly meeting that was preparing us for the next adventure in Sydney.

On Sunday, we headed to Circular Quay wharf and saw the beautiful and famous view of the Sydney Opera House and Bridge going across the harbor. We split up into groups and explored around the Botanical Gardens and the Opera House and did some shopping. The wharf was a fun outing and a really interesting part of Sydney. We then took a short ferry ride to the Taronga Zoo and enjoyed the beautiful wildlife featured at the zoo and the spectacular views of the city visible from the gondolas we took to reach the top of Taronga.

After a few hours at the zoo, we split up into two groups. One group took a ferry to Manly Beach and the other went to an opera show: ”Great Opera Hits” at the Sydney Opera House. It featured opera classics sung by five various singers and accompanied by a grand pianist who introduced each piece, explained the significance, and was generally the host of the show. We all thoroughly enjoyed it and felt so fortunate to see a show at the famous Opera House! At Manly Beach, we explored the beachy town and got dinner at a groovy restaurant called Daniel San. We had fun shopping and enjoyed the area! Once back at the hostel, Natalia shared her knowledge about Australian music and its significance to the country for her passion pursuit. She played us a recording of herself playing the harp and the group was eager to hear more.

On our last day in Sydney before camping in the Outback, everyone caught up on some sleep and the group left the accommodations around 10:30 AM. We again split up into two groups to either go to Westfield Mall or walk around Central Sydney. Both groups had a great time and met up after lunch at Bondi Beach for more shopping and a walk along the Coastal Boardwalk. With a beautiful view of the ocean, local skate park to our right, and the Bondi murals to our left, the group had a peaceful day at this iconic beach. We took loads of pictures of the gorgeous view and famous Iceberg pool below us. We used public transportation to get back to the hostel to rest and have dinner.

After yet another full day, we decided to eat at the hostel restaurant then grab snacks for the Outback and went to Krispy Kreme donuts for dessert. In our nightly meeting, the group had a great debate led by Tree for her passion pursuit, focusing on the Taronga Zoo and the ethics surrounding zoos. We went to bed excited for our next adventure camping in the Outback and tried to get to bed early in preparation for the flight in the morning. Overall, the group had an incredible time in Sydney and consider the city a wonderful place to explore.

We will have limited service during our adventure in the Outback, so don’t fret if you don’t hear from us! We look forward to sharing more when we return.

— Lila