Sydney, Australia

Our ship was docked right next to the famous Sydney Opera House. On our first day we took a harbor tour and saw the sights from the water. In the evening I went to a play in the small "Playhouse" in the Opera House complex. On the second day we took a ferry across the bay to the zoo. We saw koalas, kangaroos and lots of other animals plus great views over the harbor. We also walked through some of the city streets where there was a mix of old, historic buildings and giant skyscrapers.

Melbourne, Australia

We took an old-fashoned steam train trip through the "Dandenongs" (hills outside of Melbourne). We looked over the area from the top of Mt. Dandenong and visited a bird reserve and saw some colorful birds and a kookaburra sitting in a (gum?) tree. We drove through some small towns and through part of Melbourne on the way back to the ship. In the afternoon I took the city tram downtown and saw the Queen Victoria Market, historic buildings, interesting back alleys and many outdoor restaurants.