At the foot of the tower building is a very exclusive shopping centre where they have very cleverly fixed the escalators so that you need to walk past at least four or five shops to reach the next level.

I had no problem whatsoever passing Prada, Jimmy Choo or Gucci but Chanel caught me unawares with some stunning window displays and then there were the handbag shops….!  $5,000 didn’t seem to be an unusual price for anything!!!  Needless to say, I reached the Skytower ticket office unencumbered by purchases. Then it was into the 4D cinema to take a very unusual flight across and sail around Sydney.  The 4D effect came as an addition to the 3D through the coloured glasses.  It began with vibration through your feet, getting sprayed (literally) when you appeared to be in a sailing boat and a fine mist which provided the smell of the sea.  Impressive.  Then it was up to the top of the tower to step out and look down on one of the world’s most iconic views… although other tall buildings have taken part of the view of the bridge and confined the Opera House to being framed at the end of a street! It was a great experience but….nowhere near as much fun as being out on the water.  Decision made and down to the ferries.

Having missed breakfast, a fruit smoothie felt like a good mid-morning option, and where do they do the best ones?  In Manly.  Therefore, the first ferry ride was to Manly, pick up said smoothie (a ‘Very Berry’), a quick wander to the beach to check that the surf was still in good order, which it was, and head back on the next boat.

The breeze in the harbour was wonderful and took the edge of the scorching sun, so long walks were not really a sensible option.  Everyone was out on the water as it was a public holiday.

Back at Circular Key, a Seacat was just about to leave for Rose Bay, Double Bay and Watsons Bay.  Having gone ashore at Watsons Bay to explore, I found the next ferry out was not for another hour and by then it was lunch time.  Fish and chips sounded a good idea (again) and the restaurant here came highly recommended by my son.  Thanks, James, a good call.

The hub for all the ferries is Circular Quay and as I stepped off the Seacat there was another ferry just in and going to Darling Harbour, which I did want to explore properly.  Sitting at the top of the boat, right at the back, provided a little shade and some cool breezes and I was cool enough (!!) to have a wander around the Maritime Museum.  Then it was back once again to my starting point, just about done and ever so slightly ‘done in’.

I think my one regret is that again I have drawn a blank with a ticket for the Opera House.  Next time, I will book online and well in advance.  So, with the light fading, I have been back to my hotel and am ready to set off once more for a final look at Sydney by night.  I have done as much as it is possible to do within my limited time and, as on my previous visit, I have absolutely loved all things Australian.  But now it is time to go home and I am really excited by the prospect.  I will take off from here tomorrow afternoon and some 26 hours later (well, there is a refuelling stop in Singapore), I will reach Heathrow.  It’s only a day!!

Once again, I have been humbled by the experiences and opportunities I have had during the past 7 weeks.  (I know, it is a long time and I have travelled thousands of miles!).  But home is where I now really do want to be and I totally promise not to bore my friends and family with the photos… there are far too many and they can just look at the ones on the blog.  Thank you to all who have followed my adventures but it is worth repeating that this particular medium was simply my means of capturing my visits and tours so that I would not forget.  However, I really do need to say a very special thank you to my great friend, Carolyn, who allowed me to avoid all the frustrations of posting on a slow network by simply sending her the words and the photographs which she uploaded for me.  She has been a fantastic editor, used some techniques which are totally new to me and made the blog look great.  Huge thank yous and a definite ‘gold star’ award.

So, that’s it!  Travels done (for a week or two at least!) and now it’s back to the real world.