Sydney NY Countdown Trip from 2015 to 2016 Day 1 - Blue Mountains

Singapore to Sydney
Day 1
26 Dec 2015
Saturday


Heard and seen (on YouTube) so much about the magnificent New Year's Eve fireworks at Sydney Harbour that we decided to see it with our own eyes. We booked our flight tickets with Scoot that flies out of Singapore at 1.45am. The flight time was great as we will arrive Sydney at noon. I would say that the leg room for Boeing 787 was pretty spacious.

Also, do remember to apply for an ETA to enter Australia at this website https://www.eta.immi.gov.au/ETAS3/etas in advance! It costs AUD 20 and will allow you to visit Australia for a year from the date your ETA is granted, unless your passport expires in less than 12 months.

Scoot TZ 2 SIN-SYD Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Pre-ordered breakfast

Sydney
26 Dec 2015
Saturday

Both of us got a data SIM card each from 'yes' OPTUS upon arrival at Sydney International Airport. You will be able to find the shop after you got out of the custom.

We got "My Prepaid Daily Plus" plan - for AUD 2 a day, we get 500MB data, unlimited calls and SMS/MMS to AU numbers. The queue was very long for 'yes' OPTUS and really short for Vodafone who charges higher premium. Each of us paid AUD 20 in cash as we would be staying in Australia for 10 days.

'yes' OPTUS

My Prepaid Daily Plus Detail

vodafone

We grabbed our rental car from Avis, checked the car for defect(s) and made our way up to Blue Mountains using Google Maps on my iPhone for direction. Tolls will be charged to your credit card that you used to pay for your rental car.


Blue Mountains

It was a 2 hours drive from Sydney Airport to Blackheath on Blue Mountains. The traffic was okay though it was a Saturday afternoon, no jam and mostly highways.


Comfort Inn Redleaf Resort 
Address: 13-17 Brightlands Avenue,, Blackheath, Blue Mountains, Australia 2785
Website: http://www.redleafresort.com.au/

• Clean
• Free parking
• Shampoo & Shower Soaps provided, bring your own Toothbrush/paste

Exploring Blackheath Town

IGA - Convenience store in Blackheath that our resort recommended

If you have a rental car, I would strongly urge you to drive to Katoomba, a town next to Blackheath, for groceries shopping. There are many major supermarkets like Coles, Woolworths and Target which offer better prices. Moreover, you should consider staying at Katoomba as it is a more lively town in comparison with Blackheath.

Many shops and eateries have already closed by 5pm at Blackheath. We walked into New Ivanhoe Hotel to have our first meal in Blue Mountains!


New Ivanhoe Hotel
Address: 231 Great Western Hwy, Blackheath NSW 2785, Australia
Contact:+61 2 4782 2652

Both of us took Pie & Chips. Chicken & Mushrooms tasted significantly better than Beef! We learnt that we have to pay for sauces in Australia!! That's outrageous. 20 cents per chilli sauce to complement our fries. The pies were average. Don't bother trying if you have other options.


Coles
Address: 34 Parke St, Katoomba NSW 2780, Australia
Phone:+61 2 4780 8500

After our dinner (supposed to be lunch), we got some groceries from Coles at Katoomba. They have free parking on the premises! Also, Coles closes at midnight.

Three Sisters 
Address: 23-31 Echo Point Rd, Katoomba NSW 2780, Australia

As we got nothing to do, we went ahead to Three Sisters to check it out.

If you wish, you can take the path in the picture below to get to one of the Three Sisters. We decided to skip this today and come back tomorrow as the sun was setting!

Pretty pink clouds

Clear sky, for awhile =/

We were waiting patiently for the sun to set and sky to clear, in hope to see a sky full of beautiful stars. The sky did clear for a while but a gang of thick black clouds soon took over... We gave up and went back to our accommodation for an early night. Also, it was really breezy and cold! Wasn't it supposed to be SUMMER?!



Sydney NY Countdown Trip from 2015 to 2016 Posts

• Day 2 - Blue Mountains
• Day 3 - Blue Mountains to Sydney (In Progress)