I came from Kosciuszko to Sydney a day early and was able to check in to a room at the same hotel.  I did all my laundry including tent, ground cloth, sleeping bag, etc as New Zealand would require all camping gear to be perfectly clean.  I went out in the city to get dinner and a few beers.

November 20 was a free day for me so I walked around the city, harbor, Opera House, Botanical Gardens, Parliament House and then back around the harbor (where I listened to some modernized Aboriginal music, bought a CD and had my picture taken with an aborigine) and across the bridge.  The Opera House certainly dominates Sydney and the bridge comes in a distant second but still outshines the skyline.  I got a few souvenirs and went searching for lunch and beers around 1pm.  They pour a perfect Guinness with clover signature in the head in Sydney.  I went to bed early, tomorrow was a big day.

November 21 I got up early and walked back to the harbor to catch a ferry to the Taronga Zoo.  More pictures of the Opera House on the trip across the harbor.  I had bought and reserved a spot on the Australia Experience Tour which included getting right in the cages with the animals.  Photo opportunities were numerous and those with normal zoo passes seemed a bit put off by our advantage.  We also got a chance to feed many of the animals including a possum that ate on my shoulder.  This is a fantastic, informative tour that I recommend highly for those who desire more than the normal zoo fare of peering into cages at distant animals.  After the tour and lunch I roamed the zoo and listened to talks on chimpanzee, giraffe and Kodiak bear.  I got some great penguin pictures, but the penguin show had been temporarily cancelled.  After a very nice bird show I hurriedly went back to the ferry, across to the harbor and up to the base of the bridge where I checked in for my scheduled Bridge Climb.  We watched a “what you need to know about the bridge climb” movie, signed a release, took a breathalyzer, put on our bridge climbing clothes and went through a metal detector.  Finally being cleared to climb we put on our climbing harness, took a bit of training and were off.  From the top of the bridge there were beautiful views of the city, harbor and especially the Opera House.  Exhilarating.  I took a shower before going out for a nice dinner to top off my Sydney experience.  Tomorrow I fly to New Zealand.