What a week and what a diverse country we are lucky to live in.

Sydney and the Whitsundays are only just 2 and a bit hours apart by air, yet it’s like travelling to another country. The diversity from a tropical paradise to the urban city life is so stark of a contrast, that it always amazes me, even though I have made the trip many times.

It seems a week is a long time when one can travel so far and see so many different changes. Our life pursuits have taken us on a very tangible journey this week. A very pleasant journey with great contrasts.

Snorkelling tropical waters of the fringing reef on Daydream Island to appreciating thousands of years old Chinese relics in the Art Gallery of NSW. The relaxed lifestyle to which we love in the Whitsundays to the hustle and bustle of Australia’s largest city. This was our week.

Perhaps the pictures will better tell the story.

Cruise Whitsundays ferries awaiting boarding at Abel Point Marina, Whitsundays. Cruise Whitsundays have several fantastic cruises from Airlie Beach to the Great barrier Reef and also are a major transfer operator to the Whitsundays Islands and Hamilton Island Airport. The smaller vessel to the left of the gangway was our ferry to Daydream Island.

Our journey began on Daydream Island, one of the jewels of the Whitsundays. Beautiful days followed the aftermath of Cyclone Yasi, who battered the shores of the Whitsundays, yet couldn't make a difference to the beauty of tropical paradise.

Nothing like watching the sunset over the calm waters of the Whitsundays, then enjoying a movie on the outdoor screen at Daydream Island.

Our last day on Daydream island and we were greeted by such beauty. It was sad to leave yet other adventures await.

We had enough time for one last snorkelling adventure on Daydream Island before the ferry transfer back to Airlie Beach. then it was home, unpack and re-pack for the flight to Sydney.

Our flight from Whitsundays Airport (Proserpine) was on time. Our connection to Sydney was delayed, which made the Brisbane stopover a few hours seem like forever.

From the peaceful ferries of Cruise Whitsundays to the hustle and bustle of Sydney Ferries at Circular Quay, the huge contrast in geographical terms hits head on. Welcome to Sydney guys.

Street buskers keep shoppers entertained while making a few dollars in the busy streets of Sydney. Here some enterprising youth perform a "Double Dutch" routine in the Pitt St Mall.

Our cultural education got a huge contrast when visiting the Art gallery of NSW. There was a special exhibition of Chinese artifacts and the fabulous "First Emperor Entombed Warriors" display. Really amazing to think they were a secret for over 2000 years.

From an outdoor theatre on Daydream Island to a live stage show at the Theatre Royal in Sydney, another contrast within the same week..

Even though you may be busy, never forget those chocolates on Valentines Day.

Early flight home and it was good to be back in the Whitsundays again.

The flight back to the Whitsundays from Sydney was on time. there is no better place in the world to have lunch that on the Airlie Beach Esplanade. How lucky we are to call The Whitsundays home.

The weather wasn’t that nice during a recent trip to Sydney, but nice enough for a bit of time lapse photography fun.

The Archibald Fountain in Sydney’s Hyde park is one of the most stunning works of art to be found in a public domain anywhere in the world. As you can see in this movie, hundreds of tourists also think it is a magnificent work of art.

Talking of art, if you are going to Sydney soon, or a Sydney local, make sure you see the “The First Emperor, China’s Entombed Warrior’s” exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW. This is a remarkable exhibition of terracotta warriors unearthed after being secretly buried some 2000 years ago. It closes on March 13th and will not be seen anywhere else in Australia. It’s amazing.

We recently visited Sydney to gather various stock photographs for upcoming projects and make reviews for various Sydney attractions and harbour cruises. We are happy to report that we took one dinner cruise that was right up there with the biggest players, and a cruise that was simply fun.

The dinner cruise  that we thought the best was aboard the Tall Ship Southern Swan. This particular dinner cruise gave us a relaxed and enjoyable 2 plus hours of sightseeing fun under sail on the worlds best harbour. The crew really make you feel at home, so to speak, and their light hearted banter can put a smile on the most dour of faces. I think they could actually make my mother-in-law smile, which would be a monumental task for anyone.

While sailing around the beautiful Sydney Harbour, you can opt to simply sit and enjoy the sights, join the crew and hoist the sails or take a turn at steering the Southern Swan, under the skippers watch of course. There’s a complimentary drink and the buffet dinner is superb.

So next time you are in Sydney and feel like a cruise, take this different option and enjoy the informal atmosphere aboard the Southern Swan, an authentic sailing vessel with sound history and fabulous crew. Read more about this cruise on our Tall Ship Dinner Cruise review page. 

But if you want to go a little up market, like to get dressed up and perhaps take a cruise to impress a special someone, then the Sydney Showboat Cabaret Cruise is ideal as a romantic evening or for any special occasion. It is not as laid back as the Tall Ship Cruise and a little more expensive, but it does have a charm of it’s own and the Cabaret Show is fantastic.

In our opinion, these two dinner cruises are the best Sydney offers in value for money and pure enjoyment. The Tall Ship Cruise is very informal and very relaxed, while the Showboat Cabaret Cruise is more structured and up market. Both give excellent service and both are very enjoyable.  

It’s really great when your hungry and need a rest from sightseeing, to find a restaurant that is not only relatively inexpensive, they actually serve great food to boot. Remember this name when your a bit foot sore from walking all those steps at the Opera House and need a bite to eat. City Extra!

City Extra is a spacious restaurant right opposite the Manly ferry wharf, right on Circular Quay. They serve excellent food at a good price and you really can’t go past their “fish & chips” meal. Served with salad and hot bread roll, the fish is fresh and sweet and the chips golden fried, nice and crisp. I really enjoyed the way they present the menu, it is a newspaper with articles from Sydney’s past on the front page, and inside is the full menu and prices.

There is usually plenty of tables available, either by the sidewalk or inside, and the service is as good as any 5 star restaurant in Sydney.

We stumbled across City Extra on a recent trip to Sydney simply because it was Boxing day and our feet were hurting from all the special shopping in the city. We thought Circular Quay would be a quieter place to relax and have a spot of lunch. We took the free bus from the city heart to Circular Quay near midday and City Extra was right near where the bus stopped. First cab off the rank so to speak.

But enough from me, I’ll let the photos do the talking and finish by simply saying that next time I’m in Sydney, City Extra will be visited if I’m around Circular Quay when I’m in the need for a meal. We highly recommend this fine and affordable restaurant.

City Extra. they are open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Straight opposite the Manly Ferry Wharf.   

Christmas on Darling Harbour kicks into full swing at 8.00pm on Saturday 28th November with a free concert, Santa’s arrival and official lighting of the huge Christmas Tree in the Convention Centre forecourt, plus an awesome fireworks display to finish off the evening. This is going to be a fabulous way to start the festive season, yet it is just the beginning of what will be a month of fun and Christmas frolics hosted by the Darling Harbour Foreshore Authority, with exciting things to see and do that the whole family will enjoy.

Sunday, November 29th, heralds the exciting and highly popular Sunday Telegraph, Sydney Christmas Parade. Starting at Pitt and Hunter Streets, the parade will travel along George St and finally turn into Liverpool St, finishing in the beautiful Tumblong Park of Darling Harbour. Once there, the festivities continue and include a free concert with top line artists, booths and other free entertainment. What a way to kick off the Christmas season!

Christmas Carols by the Tree begins on December 3rd, continuing every Thursday to Sunday nights, right through until Christmas Eve when a gala concert, which culminates with fireworks, winds up the free Christmas events. The live Christmas Carols are held in the Convention Centre forecourt next to the big Christmas Tree, starting nightly at 7.00pm.

Come along, bring the family and enjoy all the free entertainment on Darling Harbour this Christmas Season. Darling Harbour is a pretty fabulous place at anytime of the year, but at Christmas, Darling Harbour is more than special.   

Thought to be the mythical mermaids of the sea by long ago pirates and sailors, Dugongs are now on the threatened list due to loss of sea grass and water pollution. Luckily for us, Sydney Aquarium now has a pair of Dugongs that have taken over the old seal tank, where you can watch these fasinating creatures eat and play close up.

Once you see a Dugong, it is hard to imagine how the old time sailors mistook these gentle creatures for women who were half fish and half human. With long gray bodies and a tail fin, their shape is more like a torpedo, which is ideal for gliding smootly through the water to find their favorite food. Dugongs look more like a cross between a seal and a dolphin. Certainly no resemblance to a beautiful women like mermaids are depicted.

In the Aquarium, you have the opportunity to see their peculiar heads, especially their mouth and the hairs around the mouth, which are used for holding sea grass. Beneath the water in the walk through tank, you are presented to the Dugongs from each and every angle, giving you a fabulous personal observation of these large and wonderful sea creatures.

Dugongs are mammals and need to breathe on the surface regularly, which gives viewing Dugong’s in the walk through tank a special treat as they often swim above your head. Almost 3 meters in length and 300 to 400 kilos in weight, they are imposing creatures, yet you can see the gentleness that they possess.

The Dugongs of the Sydney Aquarium add just another reason why you should make a visit when you are next in Sydney. Located on Darling Harbour, the Sydney Aquarium is arguably one of the most popular attractions to visit, right up there with the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.

There are many attractions within the Aquarium and the Dugongs are proving to be as popular with visitors as are the fearsome sharks. Put the Dugongs down on your list of must do activities or things to see while in Sydney, as they really are amazing.

A few months ago I saw the new arrival at Taronga Zoo, Luk Chai the baby elephant, and fell in love with him. I thought at the time you would have to visit the zoo soon before he grew bigger and lost his cuteness. 2 months on and I had the opportunity to visit the zoo again and was surprised that the baby elephant hadn’t grown that much bigger since the last visit.

Luk Chai is still as cute as he was back in August and still attracting the crowds to watch his antics. If your lucky to be there in the mornings, you may see him being bathed by the keepers and you can tell that he really enjoys the water, like all Asian elephants do.

It is great to see the important breeding program that Taronga Zoo has undertaken with the endangered Asian Elephants and visitors and others can help this program succeed by donating to the elephant program. You can help in more ways than one, by either visiting the zoo personally, with each dollar you spend at the zoo helping the ongoing program, plus you can donate or sponsor an animal online.

Don’t wait too long before you go and see the new born baby elephant at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo. Named Luk Chai – which in Thai means “son”, the little one is growing fast and you must see him before his cuteness grows out of him.

Luk Chai is remarkable because he is the very first elephant to be born in Australia. Taronga Zoo has embarked on a historic breeding program with their Asian elephants in both Taronga and Dubbo zoo’s and are planning on Luk Chai’s birth as just the beginning.

You can sit and watch the elephants for hours and you will notice just how thoughtful all the elephants are when the small baby elephant is around. The other females take the role of caring aunts and are quite protective of little Luk Chai. They allow the mother, Thong Dee, some time out for a brief rest from her motherly duties.

Like all little boys, Luk Chai is very playful and enjoys picking up logs with his trunk, playing on old tyres and of course, what boy doesn’t like playing in mud. The keepers have started playing soccer with Luc Chai and he seems to love kicking the inflatable ball back to them.

The breeding program is an important step in ensuring these beautiful creatures do not become extinct. It is estimated that there is only 35,000 Asian Elephants left on earth, with their natural habitat fast disappearing due to land development. Some experts predict that the Asian Elephant could become extinct within 20 years because of population growth in Asia.

Go along to Taronga Zoo and see the baby elephant Luc Chai soon. He is totally adorable and don’t forget to take your camera for a few hundred fabulous photos of the little one with his mother and adoring aunts.

The global finacial meltdown, global recession or whatever you want to call it, has been a boom for travelers around the world, and those visiting Sydney in the next few months are also reaping the benefits, with great deals on accommodation to be found in many of the leading hotel chains.

For example, right now you can book affordable 5 star accommodation at the Sheraton on the Park, Sydney for around $200 a night, which includes breakfast for 2. This is a real hot deal as the Sheraton on the Park was the preferred hotel of none other than Paris Hilton, when last she was in Sydney. Of course Paris would have booked the most expensive suite and these cheaper rooms won’t be as luxurious as her penthouse stay, but none the less, they are rated 5 star and are among the finest you can find in Sydney.

It really pays to shop around for accommodation at this time, while the lack of travelers and the global money tightens, hotels will be willing to do deals to put bodies in rooms. This is your chance to bathe in a little luxury for the price you normally pay for budget accommodation.

Sheraton on the Park is straight across the road from Hyde Park, just a few blocks from the city centre, with David Jones, Myers and the Pitt Street mall, plus the train, monorail and buses are close to the hotel door.

Take a look at their Hotel Offers page and grab yourself a hot deal. Sydney is a great town for the tourist or business person and this special is really hot.