Sydney since 1st July

Right so I have really had a few lazy days here in Sydney. I know I said that I would stay at this youth hostel until I leave, well that was a lie as I have found one just up the road which is cheaper with better facilities!! www.ccbackpack.com.au
I have had a quick look round Paddys Market at Haymarket, I wasn't really in the mood for it though so will have to go back and have a proper look.
I walked through to Darling Harbour which was buzzing but then it is Saturday and the start of their school holidays - GREAT!!! The sun was shining and it was pretty nice. By the time I got there it was about 12.30 so I grabbed a Subway and sat down to eat and read. I was there a couple of hours reading my book which was really good.
I also went to the Hyde Park Barracks Museum and bought myself a Ticket Through Time for $15 which gets me into 11 Historic Houses although I doubt I'll get to them all!! I was looking around the barracks for quite a while, it was really interesting. I didn't realise that us Brits used America for our criminals until they got their independance and we had to find new land which led us to New Holland (Australia) where we stole the land from the Aboriginals.... or so I heard!! There wasn't really much order with which criminals they sent over, they could've murdered or rape or maybe just stolen meat or opened a letter not addressed to them, crazy. Anyway I was glad I went as I really enjoyed it.
That very evening at around 6.30pm I took myself back to Darling Harbour to see the beginning of their Winter Concerts Series and it was a live performance from the Tap Dogs. They started at 7pm on a floating stage and were really impressive. They also had some musical people with drums and the tap pups, aged between 3 and 8. It was pretty busy and a really good show. They finished at 8 with a firework display with all the required ooooohhhhhhhhh's and aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh's so that was quite good.
Actually ended up having the dorm to myself that night which was a little creepy....
So the next day, Daniel's Birthday, I wandered down through Hyde Park, Darlinghurst and the pretty tacky Kings Cross, I can tell its tacky because they just have MacDonalds there unlike us who have MacCafe's. They have alot of Adult Shops and dodgy people standing about. I think I'll go back as it seems like a really nice place, during the day at least.
I continued walking to Elizabeth Bay where I went to the Elizabeth Bay House. It was a really nice house with a fantastic view. The guy that had it built originally had 52 acres around it, its ashame it still doesn't, and he got into great debt through building it and after only 6 years of living there lost it to his son - whom he owed alot of money. Before it was made into a Historic House it had been seperated into 15 flats, luckily it hadn't affected the original house much at all, and stayed flats until 1975 when all the tenants had been moved out and restoration began on it.
I would've liked to live there, beautiful. There were also convicts hired there, although the owners didn't like it too much, including the butler who had been sent due to opening a letter in the Edinburgh sorting office!!
I then walked round Woolloomooloo Bay and saw the Navy site there with their Darwin and Sydney ships there. They have also renovated alot of the wharf buildings around Sydney, which is great, into apartments or shops/restaurants and so I passed a few here which had very posh yachts outside them!!
I was also headed to the Government House to have a look around but there was some sort of event going on here where roads were closed and lots of uniformed people about and so the Government House actually closed early, just as I arrived.
So I moved onto the Museum of Sydney, who had a woman performing out the front, where there was free entry all day. The museum is actually built on the site of the first Governers House. It was actually quite an interesting museum, although small, but to see how the city developed was good. Also to see about the aboriginals as there were quite a few clans around Sydney. I, stupidly, thought you only got aboriginals in Australia but obviously now I know thats just what they call original inhabitants anywhere so it was interesting seeing all the proper names of the different aboriginal people (clans).
I also had news of a visitor this evening... Kelly, who is in Perth, has decided to come over to Sydney and we'll probably travel together a bit which should be cool. At least get me out in the evenings a bit more!!!
Tried to call Daniel several times to wish him a happy birthday. Called his home and mobile a few times and they just kept ringing, which I have now been told by my mum was because they were eating breakfast and he didn't want his sausages to get cold!!!! I don't know you try to call all the way from Australia and the call gets ignored! So I text instead...that'll have to do.
So this morning I went to the post office to send a few things home which actually took a while and cost me a hell of alot of money so thats the last time I'll be doing that!!!
So haven't done much today either. Wandered through Darling Harbour and round the coast through Pyrmont Bay and a bit further and then there was a barrier so I couldn't go any further. It was quite nice though. Just been relaxing tonight. Kelly should be here later on this evening so we can go off exploring tomorrow, maybe the chinese gardens - not sure.
Well I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the warm weather there!!
Dawnie
xxxx