Sydney, the Last Stop for Moorhouses & Murrays on the Move

Sydney was the last stop of Moorhouses & Murrays on the move, so driving back to the city from the Blue Mountains was both exciting and bittersweet.  It was the last ride for the "Backseat Boys".....my Dad was down to his last kilometers/miles of being smushed (albeit voluntarily) in the back seat between both boys.

On our first full day in Sydney, we headed to Circular Quay and then on a ferry ride to Manly.  The day could not have been better for viewing the iconic Sydney Opera House and Harbor Bridge from the water of Sydney Harbour.

Once we arrived in Manly, we walked through the town center and then on towards the ocean beach.

We saw this pool, which sat a bit high up along the shore....it was filled with salt water and provided a way to enjoy the ocean water without the surf.  Such a great idea!

There was a trail walk along the coast, which we followed along the water and eventually through a more inland wooded area.

This is a road sign we haven't seen before.

We ate lunch in Manly before taking the ferry back to Circular Quay.  On the way back we got a great photo of the Sydney Opera House with the CBD in the background.

My parents headed back to our rental house, and we met up with Vip--one of our friends from our tour of the Mongolian countryside.  Ever since August we'd planned to meet again in Sydney (where Vip lives), and the day had finally arrived.  We caught up over drinks and dinner, and it was a great evening!

The next day, we went to Bondi Beach and had fun playing in the surf with boogie boards.  Those waves are strong!

The boys took a walk through a park close to our rental house and saw more colorful birds.

They also saw thousands of bats leaving their roosts for their evening meal!  We'd taken the boys to a "Bat Night" community event a few nights earlier in the Blue Mountains, so it was perfect timing.  After learning all about the species of bats that live in Australia, they were able to see some of them in action.

On our last day in Sydney, we returned to the Opera House to take a guided tour of the building.

The "sails" of the Sydney Opera House, which appear solid white from afar, are actually made of tiles that are self-cleaning.

There are a lot of nautical touches to the opera house architecture, such as this foyer which feels like the bridge of a ship looking out over the water (with the Harbour Bridge off to the left).

After the tour, we climbed to the top of the bridge but didn't stay long because it was starting to rain.

The next morning, we had to say goodbye to MaMaMa and DaDaDa.  Our 5 weeks of exploring New Zealand and part of Australia together had come to an end, and it was time for them to return to the USA.  The goodbyes were a bit easier since we knew that we would see them again in about 6 weeks, when we will be heading to the US ourselves.  Nonetheless, we were sad to see them go after so many fun days and experiences together.  Moorhouses & Murrays on the move was a success!