I arrived at Base hostel in the centre of the city at 9pm and was subjected to a pretty terrible night's sleep in a 'mixed sex' dorm room that ended up being 7 guys and me. Not the best start. However, Base was quick to offer me an upgrade to their all female 'Sanctuary' room that included a couple of free glasses of cava, a fresh towel, and complimentary hair dryers and straighteners. Feeling much better about the hostel, I set off on the free beach BBQ day they were hosting.
I don't really know what I expected the beaches around Sydney to be like but it's fair to say I was incredibly impressed. We did the famous walk from Coogee to Bondi and took in the views of the coastline.
It was really nice getting to know some of the people from the hostel over a few cups of goon (basically just cheap box wine... I would soon come to see this as a staple of my Australian diet) and a burger. 
The next few days in the capital were generally taken up with the rather mundane kind of admin that comes with relocating to another country. I got my tax number, set up a bank account, signed up for Medicare, went to a careers seminar, sorted out an Australian phone and SIM card, and even attended an extremely dull course on the 'Responsible Service of Alcohol' (a mandatory prerequisite for bar work).
After all this I needed a drink. So I headed down to Cruise Bar with my friend Suzy. I'd definitely recommend this place if you're looking for somewhere to drink with a view.
The Sydney Opera House looked even better at night.
We made our way through a bottle of Pinot Grigio and ended up at McDonalds (naturally) for a late night snack. Isn't being a responsible, financially independent adult fun?
My next post is going to focus on the day-trip I took from Sydney to Featherdale Wildlife Park and the Blue Mountains, so I won't go into that now, except to say that I'd highly recommend it if you're ever passing through.
After a week sightseeing in Sydney I started to feel restless. Winter was coming and even I was starting to feel it. I booked a Greyhound bus ticket to Byron Bay for the next evening and said my goodbyes. Sunshine, here I come!
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