Sydney - A Winter Trip During Summer Break

The seasons in Sydney do not align with the seasons in the United States. When it is summer in the US, it's winter Australia. So we went into this trip ready and excited for mild weather during the hottest summer months in California. If snakes and spiders that Australia is notorious for are a deterrent for you, June, July & August is the time to visit, as spiders, snakes and scary sea creatures are dormant during those months.

Welcome to Sydney sign

We started our trip by picking our rental car - which, I would suggest renting a car for a day or two, not for an entire stay.

During our first day, straight off the plane we went to the Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park. Ellie and I were scheduled for the wombat experience while Mike and Maddie were scheduled the koala experience at the same time. Ellie and I spent 15 - 20 minutes feeding a wombat while Mike and Maddie spent that time feeding and holding a koala. It was an amazing experience all around! Afterwards, we spent some time exploring Featherdale, where kangaroos and wallabies roamed openly.

Next we went to the Four Seasons in Sydney to check into our hotel for the next 5 days. We stayed in a club room, which provided an excellent brunch every morning. As always, the service was impeccable from checkin to checkout.

The following day, the rental car came in handy when we ventured to the Blue Mountains. There are several ways to make the trek to the Blue Mountains, tour bus, rental car or shuttle. We opted for a rental car, but it's important to note in Australia, the steering wheel is on the right hand side of the car and traffic flows of the left hand side of the road. It was a major adjustment from driving in America.

The Blue Mountains are breathtaking with countless hikes and waterfalls to choose from. We started with Wentworth Falls, an easy and very family friendly hike with lots of lookouts, bridges and babbling creeks.