Sisterhood at Strike - Our Final Blog Post

Check out our YouTube Video at Strike Bowling!

For our final blog post, we decided to go to Strike Bowling in Macquarie Shopping Centre to film our YouTube video for the final component of the group assignment. We all agreed on Strike Bowling as it was the most convenient location and a fun activity to do. This was a fun experience filled with laughter and joy. Overall, our team worked productivity together as a group and all enjoyed working together.

The following is each member's contribution in this group assignment:

Thi Tram Pham: I enjoyed this group assignment as I got to bond with my team members and talk about something we all had in common, our love for traveling! In this group assignment, I contributed by publishing weekly blog posts and regularly accessing twitter to share tweets and retweet tweets related to our topic. I also planned our weekly blog schedule to make sure we post regularly and consistently. Furthermore, I regularly accessed Slack to communicate ideas, notify our members on our progress and organised our blog post schedule. We worked efficiently as a team and and this was a fun group project.

Haya Kaiyum: The group assignment was an insightful and enjoyable experience. I was able to work with a group of girls who were also passionate about traveling! My contribution involved publishing weekly blogs relating to places of interest in Sydney, using twitter to share blogs and communicating with group members about our places of interest, progress on assignments and managing our group meetings. This group was enjoyable and a fun way to express similar interest with people who also hold the same interest.

Nuttaporn Chimnakpan: I have really enjoyed doing the blog and vlog with my lovely group. I have seen people doing their own blog but not even know how to do it. ISYS gave me an opportunity to do it, its very useful and fun. In the group assignment, our blog is about traveling. As we love to travel, so we enjoyed sharing our experiences with the audience and friends. I contributed by posting the weekly blog posts and using Twitter to share my stories. Our group's great and I have really enjoyed working with them.

Kavene Sanganathan: Traveling was a common passion for the girls and I had, this group assignment not only allowed us to bond but also develop friendships. The assignment let us share our traveling adventures not only with each other but with the internet. My experiences with this group assignment was fun, insightful and enjoyable. My contribution to this assignment involved posting weekly blogs of places that we all had interest and visited! Twitter was a promotion outlet where I would tweet to check out my new blog straight after the blog was posted, as well as following people who had a common interest and tagging the twitter handle accounts of the places we visited. Slack was where we contributed ideas, planned assigned jobs and updates on everyone's progress through the assignment. This experience was unforgettable and enjoyable as we all collaborated in an interest we all love.

Lana Thompson: This group assignment was a lot of fun to be honest. I didn't really know what to expect, but all the girls were really considerate and respectful when it came to writing and publishing their blogs on time, as well as participating in our group vlog. We had a little mishap with our original videoing day being cancelled because of bad weather, but we all compromised to meet up another day and film. The filming was great also, we had hours of hilarious moments and about had an hour worth of footage in the end. It was hard to narrow down what specific bits of our evening that I thought were important to incorporate into the video because we did so much, but it was a great time editing it all, as i got to re-experience all the fun. We each split up the required blog posts evenly, all posting 4 times to create our 20 required blogs and I, along with the other girls, all helped with our web design for the blog. I filmed parts of our vlog, along with two other Macquarie students that volunteered to help us all get in the video, and have fun whilst doing our assignment. I spent a good few hours editing the video and creating our YouTube channel, and I have to say, I'm really proud of our finished project. I really liked working with all the girls, and am glad it gave us an excuse to bond and become friends.

Below are some pictures from our evening! 

Check out our YouTube video here: youtube.com/watch?v=MnVHAHQLbos

Check out our Twitter @sisterhoodblogs

Strike bowling website: strikebowling.com.au/locations/strike-macquarie

Dumaresq Street Cinemas, Campbelltown

If you're looking for somewhere fun, inexpensive, and a unique, this is the place to go.

Movie tickets in Sydney can be quite expensive, and honestly, I don't really want to be spending $18 every time I watch a movie that I may or may not even end up liking. Dumaresq Street Cinema, Campbelltown is the solution to this problem. It's close to the train station if you live however many suburbs away, and it's pretty easy to find.

Street view 

So, one afternoon the other week I was supposed to be going out with friends near Campbelltown, but I found myself having about 4 hours to spare between my morning plans, and my dinner plans. So I decided to look up things to do in the area, and this theater popped up. And as soon as I read that their tickets were only $7.50, I was hooked straight away. Me travelling on the train a couple stops over, beats going to the local event cinema and spending approximately $10 MORE to watch the exact same thing, no thanks. Call me cheap, I'll take it, but come on, the offers just too good to pass up!

Whilst I was in the area, I also decided to have a little wander around, which is something I like to do to appreciate the world I live in, corny as that sounds. It's funny how similar yet different local communities look to the ones you grew up in, and if it's a nice day, why not go for a little stroll around somewhere unfamiliar (granted you are safe, that is). I noticed there were a few cafes, and restaurants around, so maybe it's a good place to take someone on a date even? If you live locally, that's even more perfect. Or even, if you're like me, go by yourself and kill a few hours of your day by experiencing somewhere new. A day out is only as good as you make it, regardless of company. And if you're keen, here's the link to their website!
http://www.dumaresqstreetcinema.com.au/

So I challenge anyone and everyone reading this, to explore your local neighbourhoods. You'd be surprised what unexpected treasures you'll find locally, rather than travelling to all the cliché, touristy stops in Sydney.

Inside the theatre

Author's Note: I am yet to have found another similarly priced theater around Sydney, but I will definitely keep you posted if and when I do! If you know any little locally hidden treasures like this, be sure to leave a comment down below, as I'd love to check them out!

Until next time,

Lana Out :)

Canada Bay Walk

CANADA BAY WALK

Hey Guys, Hope everyone is doing well!!


Well this week I was on a search for a place where you can get active or even go for a stroll with amazing views. I came across this bay called Canada Bay which takes you on a 8km walk around the way with the most amazing views of the sunset and also different work out activity stations.


I got a bunch of friends and we set out for this walk during the afternoon, it was the most relaxing walk Ive ever been on, it gives you a calm and happy feel where you can gather your thoughts by just sitting infront on the water or walking around the bay!

 Best of all was the amazing sunset, Canada bay walk isn't just for being active, but also has hidden places where you can go for swims and picnic spots. You go past different parks, nature and lots of houses as the bay is situated in a residential are, that anyone can access.

The walk took us less than an hour, however if you did want to run around it, it may take you less time. However, if you do want to explore around the bay make sure you do! Its fun and beautiful!

Make sure you go visit this walk, its the most beautiful and calming walk with friendly faces and amazing atmosphere you can get!

Hillside Hotel, Castle Hill

The Beautiful Bride to Be, Rosie

30th September, 2017

So, I wasn’t expecting to like a hotel/bar so much, and me being quite drunk may have had something to do with it, but honestly the venue was pretty cool, and the people there were chill, for a club.

Hillside Hotel is one of those places where the locals definitely know, but unless you’re googling bars in Castle Hill, you probably wouldn’t have come across it? I mean I could be wrong, but if I hadn’t been invited to an event I probably wouldn’t ever have gone there. Now however, I know I’ll go back sometime.

Most of the places I end up going are because my friends have previously gone there and tested whether they’d deem the place worth it, or not. And generally, I have a really good time because of this. So I wasn't worried that Hillside would be bad, but I also wasn’t expecting to like it that much either.

Okay, so the night started off at my friends house, as it was her Hen’s night. At 8 we got on a party bus to Hillside, and it was a hilarious drive. The music was loud, people were pole dancing, and a lot of inappropriate things happened that maybe should remain in the past and off of the internet, lmao.

When we got to Hillside though, we sat and ate, and again it could've been because I was slightly intoxicated, but the food was really nice, and the vegetarian spring rolls were sooo good. (Plus they had vegetarian options so that's a plus.) I think I counted about 10 vegetarian options in total, ranging from starters, to salad, to pizzas. Unfortunately, the vegetarian options were quite basic, with no pasta options, but rather meals and sides that restaurants usually have. I like to call these the 'accidentally vegetarian' options. From what I read however, the only vegan options were the chips, and wedges, which were again, only accidentally vegan.

Besides that though, the hospitality was amazing, and at one point the whole downstairs dining area I was in, sang happy birthday to someone. After having some food, and ordering more drinks, we all headed upstairs to dance, and the atmosphere completely changed from a homely dinner restaurant, to a spaced out club vibe. It was pretty cool. I mean, overall, my night was amazing, all because of the company, the food, the alcohol and the music! Here's a few snap of us dancing and having fun, and I'll let you decide your thoughts on how well my night went.

So would I recommend visiting Hillside Hotel, Castle Hill? If you're in the area then definitely! And even if you aren't but are somewhere else in Sydney, I'd say it's worth the drive. And the DJ took song requests of all kinds, which in my books is a major plus!

If you'd like to check them out, here's a link for their FaceBook page! https://www.facebook.com/thehillsidehotel/

Maybe I'll see you there sometime...

Lets Eat!

The latest craze on social media has been the rise of Cafe's and restaurants. Almost everyone enjoys a good cafe indulgence and if you're anything like me; visiting new places and getting that 'aesthetic food snap', you'll definitely want to know some of the cool places to eat that have surfaced on various social media forums such as facebook and instagram.

The Grounds of Alexandria, is by far the most popular place for foodies to have a beautiful meal with insightful views and a good atmosphere. The grounds is a busy place, with very difficult parking and large crowds, the venue is not only a beautiful park like restaurant. But there is plenty to do, from animals to vintage stores and florists it is definitely a girls dream and a good excuse for a brunch or lunch!

Last time I went to The grounds was to enjoy a Birthday Lunch for my friend.

This was taken January 2016! A while ago, but definitely a beautiful place to visit as you can tell by the setting behind us.

I also really enjoyed the florist shop and took a great shot of the beautiful range.

Ever feel like a nice meal after a long day at uni? I visited a local cafe named 'Harvest Cafe and Bar @ BGC', BGC short for Bonnyrigg Garden Centre. This cute little cafe is located at the top of the garden centre so visitors get a wonderful view and smell of the fresh flora.

The menu was great . I ordered a beautiful Salad, a Tropical drink with a side of sweet potato fries, if its anything I'm craving its always sweet potato fries! And why not?! they're delicious

A local Cafe which has gained significant appraisal is Black Elk Espresso, a beautiful little cafe located in Carnes hill near the Library, it is in an excellent location for busy adults, friends and kids to enjoy a meal after work, catching up with friends and even taking the kids for a delightful meal after school.

I decided to meet a friend for lunch and this burger did not disappoint!

If you havent heard of 'The Picnic' in burwood, you are seriosuly missing out. A beautiful cafe loctated in Burwood park, with beautiful views of the garden and great proximity to westfields and offices, it is obvious why this place is so popular. Hit up instagram to check out their awesome feed: https://www.instagram.com/thepicnicburwood/?hl=en

I caught up with a friend over the two week holidays and decided in indulge myself in Pavlova Hotcakes while my friend enjoy a delicious lamb burger, with sweet potato fries on the side of course! Will definitely be going back!

Over the weekend I decided to head down to Richmond to visit a friend who lives on UWS Hawksbury campus. The place is so beautiful and peaceful and we decided to go out to eat. Because the area agricultural we thought it would be extremely difficult to find a nice place to eat with a good setting, but we found Easy Lane, located in Windsor just 5mins from her Campus. It was a total surprise to see such a cute little cafe, almost like a mini grounds of alexandria in such a quiet suburb.

The desert was by far my favourite meal and I would highly recommend it to anyone visiting:

(Easy lane edible garden)

Chinatown, Sydney

Chinatown is located in Haymarket, between Central Station and Darling Harbour. At Chinatown, you can discover a rich Asian culture and cuisines as well as the festivities in Chinatown.

The entrance of Chinatown!

Chinatown offers delicious food for tourists and a sneak peak into the Chinese culture. In Chinatown, tourists may also find hotels to stay in at affordable prices!

Delicious Yum Cha Restaurant at Chinatown

The nightlife of Chinatown, Sydney, is also a place you may want to visit! Offering karaoke bars, restaurants, photo booths, and many more. The Chinatown night market is also a great way to get a glimpse into the rich culture as they offer some of the best asian street food, ornaments, and traditional items. The entertainment is also spectacular. This night market happens every Friday night!

My friends and I at Chinatown

I definitely recommend everyone visit Chinatown to enjoy Asian culture!

Wattamolla

Looking for the ultimate summer time experience?

Wattamolla Beach is the ideal destination for anyone who wants to explore, undertake wild adventures, enjoy the beach and take in the serenity of the of natures beauty!

Located in the Royal National Park, Wattamolla is not only a beach, it is a great picnic area with plenty of space and barbecue facilities, a breathtaking lagoon which, the waterfall and a lookout.

It is truly an oasis of natural beauty and is an extremely popular destination!

An image taken from the Wattamolla lookout

The National park is an extremely popular destination during the summer and can often get extremely busy, so it is important that visitors get there early to make sure they get parking and also a place to sit!

Wattamolla is open to visitors from 7.00am to 8.30pm daily, with an entrance fee of $12 per vehicle.

One of the reasons why visitors are so attracted by this oasis is because of the lookout, which is also known as the jump cliff. Be cautious! As it is fenced off and jumping from the top of the waterfall into the lagoon is illegal, however on a beautiful day with rising excitement it can definitely be difficult to resist (note: jumping off the cliff is very dangerous as it has resulted in severe injuries and deaths)

It is extremely important to take due care of your safety! jumping off the rock isn't the only impressive aspect, the lagoon is very calming and with so much space you and friends can definitely enjoy a good time!


If you're up for adventure, Wattamolla offers a great hiking trip where you will be able to hike a section of the royal coast track and if you hike further north you can reach Marley beach. But take note! this would be a long hike (a couple hours if so) so plan your day in advance and be prepared with plenty of food, water and first aid!

The beautiful structures of Wattamolla allows visitors to relax under the trees on the soft sand, enjoy reading a book, have a picnic and most importantly enjoy time with good company! The sand structures create a division between the lagoon and beach, so nonetheless the view is pretty amazing and if you're keen for a dip in the ocean, it is merely a few steps away!

Here is an image of some of my friends, daringly looking over the waterfall, did they take the jump?! 

(please be advised to not take this risk, feel free to take a look, but safety comes first!)

Coogee Beach

Coogee Beach

WAS IT NOT HOT YESTERDAY ??!! LIKE DAMN 29 DEGREES

Yesterday, my friends and I decided to hit the beach, we decided to all go to Coogee Beach! Coogee beach is a bus away from Central Station. The calm and family friendly beach is restored with historic builds, parklands and food stores.

The Beach has Lifeguards and Flags to protect the beach goes and ofcourse a life-saving tent where all the lifesavers are on the lookout too for any accidents or problems.

At Coogee there are facilities with showers, change rooms and toilets which are all situated near the bus stops.





  Here is a photo of the bright Yellow tent where the lifeguards at situated at the centre of the beach.

Definitely, a place to visit! on a hot day where it's not too crowded and has amazing sunsets!

DARLING HARBOUR

 Darling Harbour 

Heeeey Heeey Whats good guys?!!

One of the places I visited recently was Darling Harbour on a Saturday Night!

Darling Harbour is the city centre in New South Wales. Why visit darling harbour you may ask?
It has activities for everyone from children to adults. I visited this beautiful place during the night and it was amazing! the nightlife in Sydney is mesmerising. With show performances on the pathways to different restaurants and a playground for the children. Darling Harbour has a huge shopping complex with many restaurants overlooking the water. Saturday Nights consists of Fireworks at 9pm.




They have a small water park for the kids and a playground for anyone to enjoy. Darling Harbour also consists of other activities for children like the Aquarium,  Wildlife Zoo and much more.

Many restaurants are located on the stip of the darling harbour alongside the water and the playgrounds. As well as the Harbourside shopping centre. It can not just be a romantic date but it can also be somewhere you can go with your family, friends and loved ones.

Darling Harbour Also has a well-known nightlife. During the day some bars are open for customers to enjoy a meal at night its transferred into a nightclub where everyone 18+ can come and enjoy some drinks and good music. Nightclubs are usually open on Friday and Saturday nights depending on the club.



Darling Harbour has one of the most amazing waterside views from restaurants and nightclubs and bars. On this night people were crowding around and taking photos of something when my friends and I went to look at what it was, we honestly thought everyone was ready to see the fireworks but everyone was crowding around a full moon and Centerpoint tower. It was amazing, as the night slowly went on so did the moon.

Darling Harbour would definiely be one of the Top places you should definitely visit when in Sydney. It has something for everyone so don't be afraid to go visit this attraction and plus at night you can see fireworks, have dinner and take amazing photos. Like C'mon Look at the views!!!

Stanwell Tops

Ever have one of those days that you really like to go for a long drive to the beach, enjoy some good scenery and sit down with a couple of friends to enjoy some snacks?

Stanwell Tops is an ideal destination and does not disappoint! Located in the northern suburbs of Wollongong, this beautiful park is a popular attraction.


What makes this area so breathtaking is that you are located on the top of a hill which gives you a view of the ocean, Stanwell beach below and the surroundings and outskirts of the area. The area is used as a park for picnic areas and many use it for recreational activities such as hang gliding!

Check out this video I took, it is definitely something that's on my bucketlist:

The scenery doesn't stop here! This area is also famous for the Sea Cliff Bridge, a truly breathtaking view of the ocean along the grand pacific drive!

Check out this video for a little insight!:

Fish Market

Fish Market 

When I want to eat seafood, Fish market is the first place that comes to my mind. Fish market is located in Bank St & Pyrmont Bridge Road, it is not too far from central station. It open from 7 am every day except Christmas Day. You can take a tram from central station around 15 minutes. Other option, you can travel by car, I will take you 5 minutes from central station. There are lots of parking spaces there. Fish market is not only fish or seafood, you can also enjoy sushi, fish & chips and drinks over there. I have been there so many times because I love seafood and fresh food, but there are a lot of tourist (if you don't mind).

You can pick whatever you want to eat and the price is reasonable. You can go at lunch time because the weather is nice!! The seafood is more delicious if you go with your friends and family. However, if you do not how to go, you can buy a tour to learn about the history of Sydney Fish Market. 

Fish Market 

The one thing that I was surprise, there are many Silver Gulls. While we were eating our lunch, they kept walk and a close eye on our food. They did not affair of people around them. Thus, you have to be careful because Silver Gulls may steal food from the table!! Sometimes, I am not really enjoy eating there because of  Silver Gulls. Anyway, if you are seafood lover, I would recommend you to go fish market if you do not mind the crowed. You would enjoy fresh food, and the view around there.

Sea Life Sydney Aquarium

Sea Life Sydney Aquarium is one of the largest aquariums in the world and is located in Sydney, New South Wales. This aquarium is home to over one thousand fish species and water creatures with 14 themed zones for visitors to explore each species unique habitat.

The ocean tunnel walk way

I recently visited this exquisite aquarium with my family and it was an amazing experience! The ocean tunnel walk through was definitely a majestic experience as sharks and other sea creatures swim around you. The vast range of ecosystems available to explore was another notable highlight!

Some memorable theme zones which I recommend you explore is the 'South Coast Shipwreck' which is home to animals native to the Southern Oceans including little penguins. Onlookers are able to look through the glass window and see penguins on the beach waddling away!

Another zone is the "Dugong Island' which is home to 2 out of the 5 dugongs in the world exhibits. In this theme zoned you are also able to see the white spotted eagle rays, various species of sharks and fish. In this zone, the aquarium hosts 'Dugong Talk Times' which allows visitors to listen to the story of Pig and Wuru, the 2 beautiful dugongs.

This aquarium is ideal for families with children as it offers many activities suitable for kids. Furthermore is this a perfect excursion for school children as there are many species to learn about and see. I would recommend everyone visit this beautiful attraction to explore the vast and diverse water species! To explore the whole attraction walk through can take a while so remember to bring water, however there is water and food available to purchase along the way

Sting Rays! 

Tropical Reef Fish Theme Zone

Roadtrip to Queanbeyan, Canberra

 
A Road-trip of Simple Delight

By Lana Thompson, 18.

So, I recently drove down to Queanbeyan, Canberra with a bunch of pretty cool people. Granted, we went because we were performing in a musical tribute show, but the whole trip was quite stress free and interesting. Let me put it out there that’s there’s not much to do in Canberra. However, the trip still felt like a weekend getaway, and to travel whilst performing, well that’s pretty cool. You may have guessed by now that I’m a musical theatre geek, and you’d be correct. I have a feeling that a few of my posts will be music/acting-based.

The whole reason this is my first blog post about “travelling” (and yes I’m using that word loosely. Travel for work still counts, right?) Is because sometimes you could travel to the middle of nowhere and it’d still be a great experience, all because of the people you’re with. Not trying to sound lamely cliché, but the drive down to Canberra was the best bit. Being stuck in a car with three other people for four hours straight can bring up some interesting, odd and amusing conversations. Our conversations ranged from cast gossip to ghost experiences, so let’s just say that the trip to Queanbeyan was far from boring.

But what’s the point of the post? I guess it’s for you to learn a little about me through my travels as well as give some “tips” (again, I use the word loosely) for travelling, and what you should focus on.

First rule to long car rides, is to not forget to go to the toilet before you leave, and probably don’t drink too much before leaving so you won’t have to hold be it in for the forty minutes it can sometimes take to find the nearest restroom. Not to mention, restrooms at servos and pit stops tend to be quite disgusting.

Rule 2: Always fill up the petrol in your car the day before you leave. This way it’s one less thing to think about when you’re last minute stressing about whether you have everything you need.

Rule 3: Bring snacks for the journey, especially if you’re travelling through breakfast/lunch/dinner times. Food prep is a major friend point-winner in my books, especially if you bring extras for your fellow travel mates. And the snacks don’t even have to be unhealthy. I remember one of the people I was travelling with brought a container of snow peas (which are a great thing to snack on, especially if you’ve overloaded on sugar from the lollies, chocolates and junk food someone definitely brought with them). Other snacks like bananas, and grapes are great and actually fill you up whilst you’re waiting to get to the nearest Macca’s pit stop for breakfast/lunch/dinner. Also, snacks are a great way to pass time.

Rule 4: Four words. Car ride music playlists. A must. Even if you make them during the beginning of the ride by swapping phones and telling your friends to add songs they know and like to the playlist so that you can all enjoy the music choices despite your differences in music tastes. This ensures that at least two people know the song that’s playing at all times, and to be honest, you’ll probably be talking most of the time anyway, but a little bit of background music just adds to the atmosphere. Although I’m a musical theatre geek, I don’t solely listen to musical theatre songs. In fact, my go-to genres are Post-hardcore rock and alternative rock. My phone has quite a range of different artists and genres because I listen to different music depending on what mood I’m in. So there’s got to be some of my music my friends would at least know the chorus of, right? Plus, it is a way to bond over what music you do have in common with people, that you may not have known beforehand.

Rule 5: Umm.. that’s all I’ve got for now, but maybe I’ll add some more in my next post.

But yeah, Queanbeyan was quite fun, to say the least. Once we got there, we checked into our theatre, rehearsed, went through sound check and then performed. Then we all headed back to the cabins we were staying in for the night. Somehow, after settling in (mind you it was about midnight by this point) we all ended up in one of the cabins, talking, eating, drinking and just chilling. It was carefree and one of the most rewarding parts. When we finally went to bed, we only had a few hours sleep before getting up and heading back to Sydney. And honestly, the trip back was hilarious, because the woman driving the car I was in, insisted on stopping at anything that looked remotely touristy, and insisted we got pictures. Here are some of them!

I call this one "Happy Family"

And this one "Grumpy, We've been stuck in a car for two hours Family"

Another random pitstop

 

I guess what you can take out of this post is that the best adventures can happen during the simplest of trips. Who cares where you’re going, focus on your company, and you’ll have a great time. 

Take care, and just enjoy life!

 

 

 

"Happy Family Part 2"

Jahn (On the right), insisted we did the whole family road-trip photo-shoot, and stopped at random places for us to take photos.

Author's Note: So, these people I perform with are called Glasshouse Productions. Original scripts are written, auditions are held for the casting process, and once the cast has been formed, we rehearse them for about 6 weeks before starting performances at RSL Clubs and theatres around New South Wales (mostly). You can keep up to date with what performances Glasshouse Productions are doing on their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/LiveGlasshouse/ 
You could even come check out a show of ours if you wanted, they're always a lot of fun, and involve the audience. The best shows always end with the audience joining in on the dancing!

 

Checked-in and ready to perform...

 

 

 

 

Sydney Opera House

Sydney Opera House 

When I think of Australia, I think of the Sydney Opera House.

Sydney Opera House is the landmark of Australia because there are a lot of history behind it. It took 16 years to build.Constructed between 1957 and 1973, is a masterpiece of modern architectural design, engineering and construction technology in Australia.

When I arrived Sydney, I traveled to the Sydney Opera House. I felt like I arrived Sydney, it may because Sydney Opera House represents modern and creativity of Sydney. The Sydney Opera House is located in in the central harbor hub of the CBD. You can enjoy food and bar around there. Every year, Sydney will have the Vivid festival of light, music and ideas. Every building will full of light and music that you will never bored! Last year, I visited Vivid festival with my friends, there were many people but we really enjoyed the music, ideas and light around us.

                                    

Vivid festival

Because the Opera House is located in the central harbor of the CBD, so there are a lot of best restaurants near Opera House such as  Opera bar, Opera kitchen, and Ribs and Burgers the Rock, etc. Moreover, there is the Rocks markets where you can find fashion, food, and accessories by local designers. It is open every Saturday and Sunday from 10am - 5pm. 

The Rocks Markets

After you enjoy food, fashion and Opera House, you can walk through to Royal Botanic Garden Sydney where is next to Opera House. In the garden, you will enjoy the flowers, trees, animals, and cafes, if you want to relax and refresh yourself. The Opera House, the Rocks Markets, and Royal Botanic Garden are the answer!! 

Canberra

Where is the capital of Australia?

When I arrived Sydney, I thought Sydney is the capital of Australia. It was wrong because Canberra is the capital of Australia!!! The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Some people may have a question that why Sydney is not the capital of Australia. The answer is because there was some conflict between Melbourne and Sydney. They felt that they should be the capital. Thus, the government decided Canberra to became the capital because it is halfway between Sydney and Melbourne (please correct me if I am wrong). Every year Canberra will have flower festival or known as 'Floriade', located in Canberra's Commonwealth Park. Last year, I traveled to Canberra with my friends. Canberra is peaceful and beautiful city.

We rented a car to visit Canberra, it was one day trip. We went out from Sydney around 9 am. and arrived Canberra around 2-3pm. Before we go to Floriade, we visited Cockington Green Gardens. It was a beautiful place, located in Canberra’s Gold Creek Village. We spend around 1-2 hours there. It is worth to visit!

After that we arrived the Floriade festival, it is not far from Cockington Green Gardens. There was a lot of people. So, it will be better to arrive early, then you can find the parking. First of all, we bought the ticket, please do not forget student ID because you will get discount for it. There was a lot of activities to enjoy such as music, food, flower, and comedian shows. We took a lot of picture of flower, enjoy music, and food.

The Floriade festival will run from 16 September to 15 October in this year. This event may suitable to someone who love flower and music. Importantly, do not forget to bring student ID (if you have) and sweater.

See you next trip!!