I arrived in Sydney at 6.10am, having caught perhaps a couple of hours sleep on the flight from Singapore.  I got lucky on the flight and sat next to a lovely Malaysian Australian, returning from her sister in law’s wedding in Singapore.  We chatted about Sydney and its attractions and the fact that upon arrival she was heading to the office.  The ‘palne approached Sydney airport from the North, so we passed the harbour, with it iconoclastic bridge and opera house, and the football and cricket stadia as we flew in.  An early taster of the next few days.

By the time I had collected my clubs and made my way through customs it was 7am.  I was strangely excited that there was a notice before customs, telling us that the Australian reality TV show Border Security, which the boys sometimes watch before heading to school in the morning, was filming today.  Part of me (a very small part) hoped that I would get pulled aside and my golfs clubs get examined for organic matter.  I had spent a good couple of hours cleaning my clubs in the bath before packing, so I knew I was OK but Australian Customs does seem very secure.

Having bought an Australian SIM card for my iPhone and an Opal Card (equivalent to an Oyster Card in London) I caught the train towards Darlinghurst, the “slightly edgy” Sydney suburb where I am staying for the Sydney leg of this tour.  Clearly, the Sydney rush-hour is rather earlier than in London and the train was rammed with commuters.  From the Museum station, my B&B was only 10 minutes walk, even with a suitcase and golf clubs.  Walking through Darlinghurst, it’s difficult not to like it.  Slightly elderly housing stock, lots of coffee shops and restaurants but walking distance to the Central Business District, or CBD.  The house is a charming, slightly delapidated terrace and I arrived to meet a couple of the lads who share the house.

After a shower and a cup of tea and having sorted out my stuff, I strolled into Sydney proper to get a feel for it.  Walking up through Hyde Park, past the ANZAC Memorial I immediately got the feeling that I would like Sydney.  I have heard people compare the city to New York but, for me, that’s not right.  I love New York but it has an intensity and a harshness that i just didn’t feel on my first taste of Sydney.  It reminded me more of San Francisco but with better weather.  My walk took me up to the harbour, to get views of both e bridge and the Opera House, before returning through the botanical gardens.  I’ll take time to explore all these areas more closely but, so far, this is a city I really like.

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