Sydney

We spent most of the next day travelling down to Sydney, arriving late afternoon just in time for rush hour traffic! Coupled with baffling one way systems it took some time to find the hotel, so we were a little late heading out that night. However by 6.30pm I had been re-united with Ian and Wally in Cargo bar, a cool harbourside bar. They were both doing well, Wally took great delight in plenty of 'you now work for the government' jibes, he hasn't changed at all! After a quick pizza stop we headed back to Cargo as the upstairs became a club by the time the bottom bar closed. We also caught up with Sonal, Vic and Mark, some people Tom used to work with, and it ended up being our most drunken night thus far (I cleverly ordered Sambucca's as we were leaving which I demanded everyone drank....why?....).

The next afternoon (the morning was a write-off) we headed out to Bondi to spend some time on the beach. We also saw some nice beachside sculptures, and, by about 4pm, we all felt much better. That night we went to the acquarium (great for lack of crowds, not great in the fact that the crocodile was asleep) and then back along the harbour for some food. Gievn the excesses of the previous night we took things a little easier on the alcohol front.....

The next morning we did the touristy bit, photots of the Harbour Bridge, Opera House and Botanical Gardens before leaving for Sutherland, where we were staying with Izzy and Andy, friends of Roz's from university. That night we enjoyed fine home cooking, a crate of Tooheys New, red wine and japanese whisky (very nice). Befoe leaving them the following day we headed down to Wanda beach after breakfast as the weather was great. Roz and I decided to go swimming; I swam in on one wave, and then turning around just caught site of a massive wave as it knocked me clean off my feet, dislocating my shoulder in the process. After my operation this was pretty upsetting and after a morphine derivative, two panadol, more morphine and about 2.5 hrs it was put back in at the hospital.....