I’m now halfway through my time in Australia. Having an internship has proven to be quite time consuming so I haven’t had a lot of time to travel outside New South Wales, the state Sydney is located in. I’m not too disappointed about that though since there are a lot of beautiful national parks and activities to keep me occupied here that are easily accessible and within two hours or so on public transport. All the photos from this post are from adventures to these parks.

Getting around the city has been a learning experience. The transport system here as a whole is always swarming with people but it’s highly efficient and can get you just about anywhere since a large number of people who work in Sydney commute from distant suburbs where the cost of living is lower. I just need to stop walking out of the train station out a different exit each time and confusing myself for five minutes. Once the new light rail line opens up, getting around the city will be even easier.

While I live near the Central Business District (or downtown for all you US folks out there), I intern in North Sydney. This means that three days a week, I get to commute over the Sydney Harbor Bridge which is the highlight of my weekdays. The view of the harbor, the opera house, and the surrounding beaches is breathtaking, particularly this past month while the area was part of a massive nighttime light display called Vivid. The other amazing part about working in North Sydney is all the food malls and cool restaurants in the area. My favorite is a Portuguese chicken place that serves massive portions for college-student-friendly prices.

Getting to school s really easy too. The CAPA center is about a ten minute walk from where I’m staying and while we argue extensively about which of the paths to get there is quicker, the route through the park is definitely faster.

Stay tuned for more updates on Asa’s Amazing Australian Adventures!