Sydney, Australia - Day 5

In the morning, we had some breakfast and took some short walks around the grounds at Jenolan Caves.

The entrance to Jenolan Caves.

The amazing blue water. I have never seen anything quite like this.

One view on our drive from Jenolan Caves.

We stopped at the Three Sisters, a natural rock formation in Blue Mountains. Unfortunately, we were only able to see one of the sisters due to the rain and fog. Bummer!

Another huge highlight of our Sydney trip - the Featherdale Wildlife Park. We stopped there on our way back to the city.

We got to pet a koala bear! Soooooo soft!!! I really did just want to cuddle the animal!

Notice the baby bump. Mommy at almost 24 weeks pregnant!

A tasmanian devil!

Even with the weather, it was a great trip out of the city! Later that night, there were fireworks on Darling Harbour. We could see them from the balcony in our apartment/hotel room.

Sydney, Australia - Day 4

Trip to Blue Mountains and Jenolan Caves!



Steven and Ryan left early in the morning to pick up our rental car at the airport.



Unfortunately, it was a gray, rainy day so our hopes of some sightseeing and hiking were put on hold. We decided to head to Jenolan Caves where we would stay for the night.



Even with the rain, the country drive was breathtaking and peaceful. Scenery of hills, mountains, valleys, and animals. We were super excited to even see a kangaroo on the side of the road. I was reminded a little of the base of the Swiss Alps. Foggy. Serene.



Due to the rain and some road construction, the drive took quite awhile. We didn't arrive at Jenolan Caves until very late afternoon. We quickly checked into our hotel and bought tickets for a cave tour.



It was a rough day for me. I was super overwhelmed because Steven had been asked to go to London for work. This involved him cutting his Australia trip short by one day. It also left me very worried about how I would get back to Singapore, pick up our stored luggage at the airport, withstand an overnight layover in SG, and do all of this traveling with Brandon at 5 1/2 months pregnant. Very stressful...



Also, Brandon was having more of his breathing difficulties. We were on vacation in a new place and driving out to the caves felt like the middle of nowhere for me. We gave Brandon the inhalers, but I worried about where and how quickly we would find medical care if we needed it. The inhalers ended up helping, but there was a day or two where Brandon was having labored breathing.



Ahhh!!! So many things to worry about.



The cave tour was really nice. It helped get my mind off of other things for a while. A very beautiful and impressive cave too!

Once the caves closed for the day, there wasn't much to do as we really were in the middle of nothing. It was an early night for all of us, which I much appreciated. Brandon needed rest. I needed rest. Really, we were all exhausted. In Sydney, we were all sharing a loft apartment/hotel room. There, Brandon had a couple of rough nights that involved quite a bit of crying. This meant that no one really slept. We were thrilled to have two adjoining rooms here at the Jenolan Caves! Brandon had a decent night, and there was more sleep for everyone!

Sydney, Australia - Day 3

This morning, we walked back down to Darling Harbour. Ryan and Brittney spent some time with Brandon so Steven and I could see the Hubble 3D Imax. It was great! The screen we saw it on is supposedly the largest Imax screen in the world. After we saw the movie, Ryan and Brittney went to see it. Really nice to have the company and help of two extra people!



In the early afternoon, Steven went to the Sydney National Maritime Museum. I was in huge need of a nap!


































A picture of the Sydney Tower. Steven took this through a ship's telescope. Awesome!

In the evening, we did a walking tour around some of Sydney.

We walked by St. Mary's Cathedral.

We walked through the botanic gardens.

Brandon stopped to smell the roses.

I think that Brandon loved being outdoors in the nice weather! He ran wild!

For dinner, we walked to the area of Sydney knows as The Rocks. We stopped at an Italian restaurant for some pizza. Unfortunately, Brandon had a high chair accident... The high chair fell forward, and Brandon busted his lip on the table. Very bloody. Very scary. And, it could have been so much worse. Steven and I got our pizza to go and walked home. Ryan and Brittney finished at the restaurant and spent some more time out before heading in for the night.

Sydney, Australia - Day 2

Georgeous day in Sydney! I needed this cooler weather!

We all took a walk down to Darling Harbour.

We took a boat cruise from Darling Harbour.

Of course, Brandon loved Uncle Ryan's hat. :)

The boat passed Fort Denison, just for us. Only kidding. :)

We rode down the Sydney Harbour to Watson's Bay, an old fishing village. We got off of the boat for a while there. We walked on the beach and around a park there. We also enjoyed a nice fish and chips lunch at a picnic table. Glorious to be able to sit outside without sweating!!!

In the evening, Steven and Ryan volunteered to have some guy time with Brandon while me and Brittney went to the opera. She and I couldn't decide whether or not to go at first. The tickets were expensive... In the end, we pulled the trigger. Soooooo glad we did! Amazing experience. We saw The Marriage of Figaro. No regrets and one of my favorite things we did in Sydney. Well worth the money.

View from our seats.