I'll Fly Away...to a Land Down Under: Sydney!

Greetings from Melbourne! After spending a night at a lovely hostel, I have finally settled in with my new host family. Before coming here, I was in Cairns for 4 days and Sydney for 3 days. Although the weather was warm, there honestly was not much to do in Cairns. Sydney, on the other hand, is awesome. It reminded me of London and of all the cities I have been to so far, Sydney is definitely my favorite (although this may change depending on how I like Melbourne!).

I arrived in Sydney on Thursday night, so Friday began my adventures. Some internet research, a 30 minute train ride, and a 10 minute bus ride allowed me to engage in the once-in-a-lifetime activity of having a close encounter with koalas. Koala Park may have been a little out of the way from my hostel, but it was totally worth the trip, especially since I did not have to pay extra to have my photo taken with the koala. Unfortunately, New South Wales law only allows qualified zookeepers to hold a koala. Heads up for those of you wanting to go to Australia: Queensland is the only state that allows people to hold koalas. If you go to other states, you can still have contact with koalas, but you just can’t hold them. Although I could not hold the koala like I had hoped, I still got to pet it and have my picture taken with it. Besides koalas, I saw other native Australian animals such as grey kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, and various species of birds—including the kookaburra that sits in the old gum tree. I also got to pet the kangaroos, and though I have heard that they get scared easily, the ones I met were very calm.

For those of you who are interested, here are a few facts about koalas

1. Contrary to popular belief, koalas are NOT bears—they’re marsupials.

2. Koalas do not have the softest fur and large claws, yet they are adorable. However, if you do get close to/hold one, I would strongly advise washing your hands afterwards.

3. Koalas are only allowed to have human contact for 30 minutes a day. The back is the best place to pet it.

4. Throughout Australia, there are laws that regulate how close people can get to koalas. I think these laws might have something to do with them being endangered species. However, the laws vary throughout the states. While Queensland allows people to hold koalas, both New South Wales and Victoria only allow non-zookeepers to pet it.

One of the best things about Sydney is that they have free walking tours. Before these free walking tours were offered, the cheapest tours were $35. The people who started the tours did so because they wanted visitors to see the city regardless of their budget. In three hours, I saw many of Sydney’s most famous sites, which might have otherwise taken me a few days to see. Among these sites were the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and engaging and I learned a lot about Australia’s history. Though I won’t bore you with all the historical trivia, I will mention that once upon a time, Australia was a penal colony under British rule. Criminals were shipped there and forced to live under very harsh conditions. Thank goodness times have changed and millions of people from around the world come to Down Under.