Easter across the ditch

We hopped across 'the ditch' (as Kiwis call it) to spend Easter with Geraldine and Aloys in Sydney. We were met at the airport and taken straight to a BBQ...what a perfect way to start the long weekend! On Friday, we walked from Rose Bay (where Geraldine and Aloys have the most amazing apartment) to Shark Beach....thankfully they have a shark net, so we weren't too afraid!!



Sydney views




Shark Beach




Dip in the sea

In the afternoon, we drove over the harbour bridge to Manly. Here, we had a walk around North Head and enjoyed a coffee overlooking the beach.



North Head


On Saturday, we began our road trip to the Blue Mountains, leaving Sydney in torrential rain. Thankfully the rain stopped as we made our way up to the Botanical Gardens. We did have to borrow several big jumpers though as we hadn't realised how cool it would be in the mountains compared with the city.





We ate lunch at Evans Lookout with spectacular views across the Blue Mountains and a nice bottle of wine (straight from the bottle!).



The Blue Mountains




Picnic wine!

Our journey continued through spectacular landscapes of mountains, farmland and forests. We saw several kangaroo, hundrends of brightly coloured parrots and beautiful cockatoos. Geraldine and Aloys had made reservations at the most amazing restaurant in the middle of this remote outback. Willow Vale Mill put on a 5-course meal in a family-style setting. The meal lasted for hours and we just helped ourselves to bottles of wine from the shelves, writing down the name on a piece of paper. We would certainly make the long drive from Sydney to visit this place again. A real Easter treat.



Willow Vale Mill




Fantastic food, wine and company!


Our B&B in Crookwell was great - a lovely lady treating us like her children as we shared her house for the evening...we even received little Easter eggs on Sunday morning! We had a coffee with the chef at Willow Vale Mill before setting off for the Wombyan Caves. We explored two caves with amazing stalagtites, stalagmites and 'blankets'.



Stalagtites




Aloys and Geraldine exploring the caves


Lunch consisted of more chocolate...a Lindt Easter bunny!



It didn't last long...!


On our drive back to Sydney, we stopped at some wonderful lookouts and the beautiful Fitzroy falls (81m). Once back in the apartment, we were treated to yet another delicious meal and the traditional Easter egg hunt!



Blue Mountain views




The Fitzroy Falls


Our last morning in Sydney started with a dip in their pool and a yummy breakfast (yes, more chocolate eggs!) before taking the ferry from Rose Bay to Circular Quay.



Swim with a view




Geraldine and Hannah on the ferry

A wander from the Quay, passed the Opera House and through the botanical gardens brought an end to our wonderful Easter weekend. Thank you Geraldine and Aloys for a fantastic time!



The Sydney Harbour bridge




Sydney Opera House




Friendly cockatoos in the Botanical Gardens