When your best friend visits you in Australia

I moved to this spectacular world of Sydney, Australia (from Houston, Texas) in December 2008.  I'm not telling a lie ~ Australia is as wonderful and fantastic a place to visit as you imagine...and I've only scratched the surface.

My college roommate, most loyal, generous, brilliant, travel adventurer, favorite friend, Katy (who lives in downtown Fort Worth, Texas) came to visit me in November 2012.  Here are some highlights of that visit...

After the longest commercial flight operating (this is no exaggeration), Katy is ready to stretch her legs and explore.  First stop, the world-famous Taronga Zoo!

November is late Spring in Australia.  Temps were nice, but we had a couple of overcast, threatening-to-rain kind of days in Sydney.  One of those days was the day we conquered climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  We got to the top and acted like fools for a photo.

We took a ferry from Circular Quay (in the heart of Sydney's city centre) to Watson's Bay.  We hiked to The Gap (not the store, but a rock cliff facing the Pacific Ocean), and had lunch at Doyle's on the Beach, a family owned and operated restaurant for 5 generations. 

The top picture is our lunch view...see the city skyline in the distance ~ the bottom picture is us at The Gap

I highly recommend Bonza Bike Tours if this seems like something that interests you.  It was a great way to see the city with a group of people from every corner of the world.  Our guide was fantastic, and I learned (even after living here a few years) a few bits of local trivia that I didn't know.

Fun fact: Bonza Bike Tours is owned by a fellow Texan.

The entire time spent with Katy in Australia was unforgettable.  Truly.  But...how can you beat getting into a tank with sharks to highlight a trip???  After taking another breathtaking ferry ride to Manly, Katy and I visited the Manly Sea Life Sanctuary.  It is a great place to visit on its on with a cute little penguin cove.  We had passes for the Shark Dive Xtreme. We got in our scuba suits, had a quick lesson for diving (because this was a first for both of us), and followed our guides into the aquarium tank. 
These are grey nurse sharks, and apparently, they don't choose humans for lunch.  Also, we were surrounded by various fish, tortoise, and stingrays.  It was a magical experience.  My heart was pumping with adrenaline, then it reached a point of peace and calm that is difficult to explain.  You need to experience it for yourself.

Katy felt that if she was going to come halfway around the world, we might as well explore another part of Australia as well.  We flew from Sydney to Hamilton Island, located in Queensland that is a part of the Whitsunday Islands.  We stayed at The Reef View Hotel, and I recommend it.

Katy splurged for us to have a suite; she approved of the wrap-a-round balcony and the views..

A top a small hill called One Tree Hill there is a small gazebo that serves cocktails at sunset.  Well, duh, we checked that out.  Most visitors get around Hamilton Island in rented golf carts.  There are shuttles provided as well.  We jumped in our golf cart, cruised to One Tree Hill, enjoyed fruity beverages, and appreciated life.  Beautiful. 

As part of our hotel package, breakfast was included.  This was no ordinary breakfast.  We had breakfast every morning with koalas!  They just chill out in the trees, snoozing, as you eat breakfast...and it's as awesome as you think it is.  For an extra fee, you can get your photo with one of the fuzzy residents.  Queensland is the only state in Australia that allows you to actually hold them.

Elvis and Katy become fast friends.

We booked a package that offered a boat tour around the Whitsunday Islands...

...and allowed us to spend several hours at the world famous Whitehaven Beach.  Depending on the list you read, it is often listed as one of the world's most beautiful beaches.

We made our mark in the sand

The next day, we took another tour.  This one took us to the Great Barrier Reef where snorkeling was provided.  For an extra fee, you could take a helicopter tour or go on a small guided scuba dive.  We opted for scuba.

We ended our day with an early dinner at a fantastic pizzeria that overlooked the marina, sipping cocktails, and toasting our friendship and adventures.

One thing I love about a trip like this is depending on who you are with, you can make it romantic, adventuresome, relaxing, and more......but you are definitely going to be making memories that last!  I'm so appreciative that I have a friend like Katy to share this experience.

Linking up with Kerri and the ladies for Wanderlust Wednesdays:

***Apparently, I posted this a week early. Oops. 

Have you visited Australia?  Wanna come???