At the age of 22, this Christmas was the first one that I would not be spending with my family. And not only that, but I would be half way across the world in Australia where instead of hoping for a white Christmas, I would be praying for hot sunshine so I could BBQ on the beach!!And so at 8am Christmas day morning, we were woken by the local churches bells, ringing out for Christmas day. I must admit, this was probably the first time I'd heard such chimes which are traditional of our Christmas days. Armed with our picnic baskets, swim wear and towels, we boarded the bus and headed to Coogee Beach, a 30-minute journey from Central Sydney. Typically, most travellers will head to Bondi Beach on Christmas Day for a huge party...but at $80 per ticket we decided against it and headed to another beautiful beach to meet with our friends.
Our group seemed to have adopted on
e of the outdoor booths above the beach, equipped with a table and bench and right next to a communal BBQ. I love the outdoor living emphasis in Australia. Our booth was spruced up with balloons and Christmas decorations and we set out a huge feast of salad, nibbles and cake to accompany our mammoth BBQ. Not your traditional Christmas dinner, I must admit I really missed a turkey with all the trimmings, but a nice change all the same.Sadly our summer Christmas was not to stay dry for long. After a short walk on the beach and quick dip in the sea, the rain came...and didn't stop! But it didn't dampen our spirits and we engaged in all the traditional festivities; playing lots of games, eating lots, and drinking too!!
This Christmas was definitely very different, if I'm honest, it didn't really feel like Christmas at all. We all had a fantastic day and it was great to
experience Christmas 'the Aussie way.' However, as our day grew to an end, the realisation crept in that morning had arrived back in the UK. A short phone call to our families back home was emotional, and made us feel a little homesick. Although Christmas in the sun was a fab experience, I think I'll stick to a white Christmas at home next year. Sydney Harbour bridge at New Years Eve...an iconic image. And seen as we were already in the beautiful city, we just had to be there to see in 2010. To ensure we
got the perfect pitch we arrived at Milsons point at midday and found a beautiful little cove called Lavender bay which had an amazing and close view of the bridge. Some of my friends arrived at the botanical gardens, seemingly the place to be, at 7am and were queuing for hours for a spot to sit. We took a huge picnic and drinks supply, enough to last us the 12 hours we were planning on staying there and set up camp surrounded by lots of other people with the same idea. Surprisingly, the day seemed to go quite fast and by 9pm we were watching the first round of family fireworks, set in Darling Harbour. There were also boat parades which were illuminated in an array of beautiful colours.
got the perfect pitch we arrived at Milsons point at midday and found a beautiful little cove called Lavender bay which had an amazing and close view of the bridge. Some of my friends arrived at the botanical gardens, seemingly the place to be, at 7am and were queuing for hours for a spot to sit. We took a huge picnic and drinks supply, enough to last us the 12 hours we were planning on staying there and set up camp surrounded by lots of other people with the same idea. Surprisingly, the day seemed to go quite fast and by 9pm we were watching the first round of family fireworks, set in Darling Harbour. There were also boat parades which were illuminated in an array of beautiful colours. The atmosphere was electric by the time midnight approached. We met some very nice people, Australians and tourists who were all as excited to see the spectacular event. My only disappointment of the night was that there
was no countdown to the new year...we only realised that the clock had struck midnight when the firework show began. This quickly shook my disappointment and watching the 15-minute display led me and Gaz to shed a tear at our utter disbelief that we were actually stood at Sydney harbour bridge to welcome in the New Year. And the show was very impressive...never before have I seen such amazing fireworks. An amazing night, definitely my best New Years eve ever!!
was no countdown to the new year...we only realised that the clock had struck midnight when the firework show began. This quickly shook my disappointment and watching the 15-minute display led me and Gaz to shed a tear at our utter disbelief that we were actually stood at Sydney harbour bridge to welcome in the New Year. And the show was very impressive...never before have I seen such amazing fireworks. An amazing night, definitely my best New Years eve ever!! 
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