Sydney has an average of 300 sunny days a year. That’s 286 more than Ireland or Scotland! With such great weather the only thing to do is go exploring!

On our first weekend in Sydney we went to check out the Kite Festival on the famous Bondi Beach, but we were not alone. Two of John’s schoolpals Chris and Joni West, lived close by to Maroubra so they acted as tour guides for the day. Chris was also the one that recommended Otres Beach in Cambodia and has been full of great travel tips. The beach was very busy but we got to feel the sand under our feet and check out some pretty cool Street Art and of course – kites!

Formerly called the Festival of the Winds, the kite festival has been running for over 35 years and marks the unofficial start of Spring. Bondi beach was heaving with Kitefliers and spectators so after taking in the sights we headed to the other big beach nearby, Coogee Beach to chill out with some Barramundi and Cider.

Also in September is the Sydney Running Festival. After walking around Circular Quay we ended up at the finish line – right outside the Sydney Opera House – to cheer on the runners. It was a very very hot day so all of guys and girls were heroes – especially the barefoot runners and people running in thongs (‘Flip-Flops’).

While Karen was having her first interview for a new job, John met another pal, this time from University, Allan Russell. It was a great catchup and he was treated to a mini-tour of Lavender Bay and the North Shore. As well as being a great neighbourhood it is also home to Sydney’s version of Luna Park. So impressed was John that he took Karen back there to check it out for herself.

As our first two weeks came to an end we started to come up with a longer term plan. Initially we were looking at a flatshare or renting a room. This proved to be a punishing task as we had to endure awful awful flat viewings too gross for this blog!

Then lightning struck. One interview and less than 7 days in Sydney and Karen managed to land a six month contracting job. With this contract we could get our own place!!

The only question remaining was…. Where?