Day 253, Sydney, Australia
Yesterday after the Koala Sanctuary, we went back to the airport to catch a plane to Sydney. We flew Qantas, which was a first. This airline has one of the best safety track records in the industry. Paul researches such things in depth before flying on an airline. We were only in the air for one hour and five minutes, but still managed to watch half of Dressmaker with Madi, and have an Indian meal of chicken curry, basmati rice, and naan. Liking the Qantas. It also get points for the cutest tail wing logo in the industry.
At the airport we were looking for snacks to take on the plane. The friendly kiosk guy said if we are new to Australia we had to try Tim Tams, so we bought a pack. On arriving at the house, there were welcome treats for us on the table. One of them were Tim Tams. We like them so much, we’re happy to have two packs.
The apartment we chose in Sydney is in a cute residential neighborhood of Dulwich Hill. The entire area is lush with tropical trees and plants. When we arrived at night, it felt like we were heading through a rainforest to get to the front door.
Our front door.
There are so many birds that we feel like we are living in an aviary. Some of the birds sound like seabirds, with their distinctive calls. Our balcony looks out over a park, and next to that is a soccer field. During the day a school has gym classes on the soccer pitch so we hear lots of kids having fun. At night we hear the families with kids in the park, and soccer games.
The park we look out onto.
The soccer field.
The apartment is decorated in an eclectic, vintage style. Even though it’s not our style, especially the animal skins, we appreciate that it’s still very homey. It has a cozy feel, which during our nomadic year, feels comforting. There’s also a pool.
The girls’ room.
The back porch where the BBQ and Paul’s bike live.
There is an IGA grocery store a few blocks away. The shelves are filled with familiar products, so we will do more cooking this week than we’ve done in a while. The kitchen is also well equipped.
The first morning after arriving we went looking for coffee. A block away was a popular restaurant called the Sideways Cafe. Everyone seems to know each other.
A little street art across from the cafe.
Dulwich Hill is like living in a small town. There’s a town center that has little coffee shops, a butcher, three bakeries, two fresh produce markets, other small town stores. Everyone seems to know each other.
We like the neighborhood very much. It’s the first place we’ve been where we’ve said, we could live here. It doesn’t hurt that there are many little coffee places to choose from. I liked the mural in Campos Cafe, they also had huge, beautifully brown croissants.
If you prefer to steer away from the java chains, there are also the privately owned, funkier artsy coffee cafes like the Gaff Caff. We decided to get coffees at both.
While we were sitting having a coffee and three inch high cronut at the sidewalk cafe, there is a steady parade of strollers and owners with their dogs.
Unlike Singapore when you rarely see a dog, here they are everywhere. The Aussies like their dogs. On the sidewalks it’s not usual to see a number of dogs tied to posts patiently waiting for their owners to emerge from the stores. They look like statues, their eyes fixed on the doors. The smaller bulldogs and pugs are popular, just like in Paris. This little guy was out with his owner every morning. The smaller poodle breeds are also very popular.
Madi remarked that she likes the culture, it’s like Canada only the people are more outgoing and friendly, less reserved. She finds it the perfect mix and says she wouldn’t hesitate to live here.
We live just a few minutes walk from the light rail, which takes about fifteen minutes to get into the heart of Sydney. Paul wasted no time finding a bike to rent in the city. While the girls study he can explore the bike trails of Sydney. He’s excited.
