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| Our guide, Justine. She had a lot of energy. |
Our first afternoon in Sydney we just wandered around and checked out the Visitor Center. While there, we were recommended to take an "I'm Free" walking tour of the city the next day. I was skeptical of an actual free tour in such a pricey city as Sydney but I was also intruiged. So Sean and I showed up at the meeting point the next morning and looked for our guide in the neon green shirt.
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| Town Hall |
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| The business district |
The tour turned out to be exactly what it was promoted to be - free. It was a start-up project by a graduate student in architecture who wanted to share some facts and stories about the history of the city with tourists. It has now turned into a full-time job with additional staff and has also spread to Melbourne. Our guide who was also the owner and entrepreneur of the business is completely supported by the tours she gives - one every morning covering the modern part of Sydney and one every evening in "The Rocks" area which explains the harbor's history. She works on donations only. At the beginning of the tour she explains this and says that at the end of the tour she hopes that you will donate whatever you think the tour was worth. A very interesting and brave concept - I immediately wondered if she had kept track of her earnings as it would make a cool sociological study as well.
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| If you stood in the right place this little dog statue would talk to you |
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| Artsy bird cages in an alley or as Justine said, "Just Sydney trying to be creative like Melbourne." |
The tour itself was fantastic. Our guide, Justine, was an expert in all things Sydney. She was also our age and generous in information regarding budget travel and entertainment around Australia. At the beginning of our tour she handed out maps to everyone (designed by her company) that covered the area we would visit and her personal favorite places to eat and drink. The morning tour lasted about 3 hours and we learned a LOT. Also, it was fun. Justine made the tour interactive, kept us guessing and made us laugh. I was impressed. If you're in Sydney or Melbourne and have a morning or evening to spare, I highly suggest looking for the guides in the bright neon shirts. Thanks Justine!
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