The first entry point into Australia, from the United States, is Sydney, so we decided to stop and sleep here before moving on, which was not a bad idea. We were exhausted and slept for a full 15 hours!

We also wanted to see something of the city, so we turned to my old reliable, the hop-on, hop-off bus. We booked a day with the Big Red Bus.

The top A-List sight is, of course, the famous Sydney Opera House, and it doesn’t disappoint.

The Chinese Garden of Friendship was worth getting off the bus. A garden is always a beautiful place to stretch your legs and grab lunch. Chinese food is my favorite!

This place is so big, you forget you’re in Australia.

The Bondi Beach is where the locals go for a little sun and surf. It’s also home to the Bondi Salties, a swim club known for swimming no matter how cold or rough the water gets.

And the Sydney Harbor Bridge is a marvel to drive under. The world’s greatest arch bridge, built in the 1930’s, took 2,000 people and 8 years to build!

As you can see, if all you have is one day, the hop-on, hop-off is the best way to see all the major sights, like a Pu Pu Platter, and you can always come back again for a deeper dive.