It’s been a while since I have written a blogpost but at this point I have left Sydney and am back travelling solo again up the East Coast of Australia. It’s a rainy afternoon in Byron Bay, so no better time to revisit the last few weeks!

Sydney was amazing. I can absolutely see how people get hooked here! The beaches are out of this world and the lifestyle in general is just so good!

To top it off, I saw many familiar faces which made this Christmas one to remember.

When I arrived to Sydney first, I stayed in Surrey Hills with Helen, my Louis pal, and her boyfriend Liam. Despite only living here for a few months, they have decked out their apartment beautifully and had a lovely couch bed for me to stay on! Not only that, but they had a Christmas present under the tree for me! How cute!

Helen is known for being a top host, and not even a move across the world has changed that! I landed late in the evening to a 3 course meal which really set the standard for my Sydney trip! A bottle of wine and a natter later, and I was ready to crash in my festive bedroom!

The next day we explored the city which was a short walk from Helens apartment. We walked to the 25 metre Christmas tree for a festive snap before catching my first glimpse of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

A busy few hours led to an iconic drink next to the Sydney Opera House in the sunshine to really tick of the tourist bucket list.

From here we went home to get ready for a dinner at ‘Don’t Tell Aunty’ with Hannah and David, my second set of Sydney parents! We had a delicious Indian dinner and would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone thinking of venturing this way!

The night continued with a trad session at ‘The Doss House’ where Hannah and David’s Meath clan had congregated. Some of which I had met before and the rest I had heard lots about, so it was great to put a face to the names! Everyone was incredibly welcoming and a great night was had!

Hannah and David kindly housed me for the next few nights, so we took a memorable ferry taxi home together is maacross the harbour to Manly, a beautiful suburb north of Sydney. David kindly took over backpack carrying duties, although it definitely did not blend in as much as it did in previous countries 😂.

A bit of beg, borrow and stealing was needed to keep up with the glam life of Sydney!

Again, I was living in the laps of luxury for my time here. They live in a beautiful apartment close to Manly beach.

Christmas Eve morning began with my first Australian swim, and a coffee at Shelly Beach.

Hannah and David, another pair of incredible hosts, put on a stellar barbecue for some friends (and their adopted daughter) later that day. What a spread! Uncle Gerard will be happy to see the Weber in the background 🙂 No slumming it here!

Despite this not being the most traditional Christmas, Hannah managed to make it feel a little more like home with some festive deserts!

With full bellies, we took the ferry back to Sydney to another Irish bar for some more festive drinks and….. a Christmas dinner!! Reserve the judgement please- this socialising is hungry work! 🤫

Christmas Day like no other! It started off with a coffee and chocolate breakfast with these two, while they exchanged gifts. Of course they had a gift for me. I can confidently say that I got the best gift of the morning – a Manly T-shirt!!

From here we went for a Christmas Day swim at Manly Beach.

We continued the festivities at Bronte Beach, which was about as wholesome as you can expect when this many Irish and English come together with a few drinks! It was very cool to experience it though!

After many swims to escape from the glorious heat, we heading for Christmas Day dinner to a friend of Hannah and David’s who (with the help of David on the BBQ) hosted us for the rest of the night! Hannah and Helen woo’d everyone with their stellar deserts – banoffee pie and baileys cheesecake 😍

After a lot of food and a singalong, we fell in the door at around 4:30am after a thoroughly enjoyable Christmas Day! That didn’t stop Hannah though, who was up bright eyed and bushy tailed the next morning to get some breakfast ready. Is it any wonder why I don’t want to leave?

We needed another pick me up though, so a short walk to ‘Rollers’ for some coffee and croissants hit the spot nicely!

Helen and Liam took the trip to Manly that afternoon and we all went on a walk together. It was pretty hot, but the scenery was beautiful and I think we were all glad to move after all the Christmas indulging!

We finished the day out with ‘Pocket Pizza’, and had an essential early night 😴.

Another visit to Bronte Beach was had before I returned to my other parents (Helen and Liam), just in time for dinner once again! I was truly spoiled here in Sydney!

The next day, I tackled the ‘Bondi to Coogee’ walk, a very popular Sydney activity which is about 6km along the coast, passing many stunning cliffs and beaches.

At the end of the walk, we refuelled with a ‘Fishbowl’ lunch, one of Helen’s favourites. It did not disappoint!

Full of ambition the next morning, myself and Helen took the bus to Coogee at 4:45am for a sunrise swim! It didn’t quite work out as we had hoped, so we ditched the swim and grabbed a coffee instead!

Later that morning we went for breakfast in ‘Four ate Five’ where I got the best French toast I have ever had!

I said goodbye to Helen for a few days and headed for South Coogee, to my 3rd Sydney home thanks to Eamon Fleming! Unfortunately Eamon was away on holidays but I hope to catch him before I leave Australia for good. I did have the next best thing though, as Eimear also arrived to Sydney to spend New Years with some college friends. So we both took advantage of Eamons free room, and made ourselves at home for the next few days!

New Year’s Eve at Luna park was another memorable experience! Luna Park is an iconic amusement park next to Sydney Harbour, so it was the perfect to place to pass the last few hours of 2022! Witnessing the fireworks first hand was definitely more remarkable than I expected it to be!

After a few calls home to ring in the Irish New Year, it was finally time time to say goodbye to Eimear as she made the return to Melbourne 💔.

I started the year off in another gorgeous part of Sydney, Watsons Bay, where I had the chance to say hello to Hannah’s parents, Louis and Shiela, who I hadn’t seen for years! We had a gorgeous evening catching up and finished the day with a fish and chips as we watched the sunset!

One more sleep in Coogee, and one more sleep in Surrey hills, brought me to the end of my Sydney leg. It’s time to pack the bags again, and travel again up they East Coast for the month of January.

First stop, Byron Bay.