Feb. 24

Our tour takes us through part of Sydney, then out to the mountains which divide the coast from the interior. There are only eight people on the tour - the four of us, a father and daughter from Ottawa, and a couple from Alaska. We learn the Alaskan couple is also going to be on our cruise!

In the Blue Mountains, we see spectacular views of sandstone canyons. Unlike the canyons in our west, these are heavily forested with eucalyptus trees. We also have a tea stop in the morning, and our guide actually barbeques lunch for us.

The highlight of the day, at least for me, is the last stop - an area where there is a lot of wildlife. We finally get a close-up view of kangaroos!

After we get back to the hotel, we go walking around again, have fish and chips for dinner (Mary and I, Bill gets swordfish and Mike chooses Barramundi), do some souvenir shopping, find a chemist so I can replace the hairbrush that got broken on the flight (how did Qantas mange that?), and a convenience store where we pick up some ice cream, and some muffins for breakfast. Back at the hotel, we enjoy the sunset view, and then go to the pool and spa to relax a bit before going to bed.