Leaving from Orland0 we flew to LA spent the night and left the next evening for Sydney. If it is in your budget I recomend that you upgrade to business or first class. It gave us lots more room and we could sleep through the night. On arriving remember that time and days, (you might be arriving tomorrow) will have changed. We stayed in great hotel and just set about walking and took several tours. These were available at the front desk and the buses came to the hotel to pick us up.

We took a tour of the area wineries and spent a full day of travel and tasting. Our driver guide was excellent and answered all our questions and gave us a great background lesson in the history of the country. We went to an area called Hunter Valley along with 18 other people. Our tour guide was British and had a wonderful command of the English language. Mike was 78 years old and used more adjectives in one day than I had heard in a year.

Our first stop was a wild life refuge for Kangaroos and Wombats. and that was a place we could stop and get tea, coffee and muffins and take a restroom break. We saw others hand feeding the kangaroos and asked the preserve manager what to use to attract one. His response was a classic, "Well she is a bit of a tart for a muffin".

Our next stop was Wollombi which wast the home of "Dr Jurds Jungle Juice." It is a Port wine with "Spirit" so they say.

The water front is amazing and the shopping was excellent. Lots of souvenirs if you are into rugby and soccer. We suggest taking a water taxi, (get a full day pass) and go over to the Zoo and also Manley Beach. They have a great Chinatown where they close off the street to automobiles and bring out tables and chairs for outside dining.