We started the day with a harbour cruise. The weather was perfect for sitting on the deck in the sun taking in the sights. We got great views of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, and cruised around the many bays and coves surrounding Sydney.

Next we visited the Sydney Aquarium, and it was excellent. There were all kinds of sea creatures on view, but the high points for me were the two large pools which had underwater viewing tunnels where you could see the seals in one pool, and sharks, turtles, and rays in another. You could stay for hours just watching them swimming around.

After lunch by the harbour, we went to Sydney Wildlife World, and checked out the wierd creatures that inhabit the island. First up were the creepy crawlies, where I lingered while the others moved swiftly on 🙂 There were glow-in-the-dark scorpions, giant cockroaches, huge red ants, deadly spiders, stick insects, and more!

Next up were the reptiles, including the deadliest snake in the world, and Adam, Cora, and I got to stroke a baby python! The nocturnal section boasted strange large-eyed rodents of various shapes and sizes. Up on the roof there were koalas resting and eating eucalyptus, while further on there were several variants of kangaroo and walabee.

Our last stop was the tropical butterfly area, where the butterflies and people could mingle. My orange t-shirt proved irresistible to the butterflies, and a couple landed on me. A large blue-winged Ulysees butterfly stayed on my back for several minutes, and finally it had to be taken off by one of the staff. Cora got to hold it for ages before we left.

Rachel was meeting up with a Google colleague who had transferred to Sydney, so I brought Adam and Cora to see The Simpsons Movie. It was great, full of laughs, and “spider pig” had us chortling our way home 🙂