Day 8 - OLYMPIC PARK, THERE IS HOPE FOR LONDON

After an early start to phone home using Skype (free internet calling for those of you who didn’t know), Mick drove both Adam and I to the Olympic Park. We’d decided the following night it was about time we’d did some exercise and thus gave us the perfect opportunity to site-see at the same time.

Arriving at the site, the place was empty. The vast area with the Telstra Stadium, Aquatics Centre and various other large building looked obviously well constructed for the masses, but the little people about made look baron and desolate. I suppose we came on a Thursday, but even so, it seemed such a waste!

Mick dropped us right outside the Aquatics centre where we both went in to take an early morning swim. I wasn’t particularly looking forward to this as swimming is a sport I tend not to like, this being due to my inability to breathe properly and generally being rubbish, especially when compared to Adam who is an avid swimmer. The other more daunting prospect was that this would be my first time in a 50m pool. 25m seems far enough from past experience, why they decided Olympic size needed to be double this is beyond me.


Inside, like outside, was empty. We entered over looking the arena area, with the main pool and diving area being surrounded by spectator seating. The difference between the UK and Aus in sporting facilities was obvious, not only from the quality and price for entering, but also the shear number, they’re located everywhere. This is something like the 5th or 6th Olympic size pool in Sydney alone. No wonder the Aussie’s always beat us swimming.

Afterwards we sat in the onsite café for breakfast and then headed towards the tourist information centre. We’d already found out last night that bikes were for cheap hire, described as the best method of seeing the park and its surrounding area. The mountain bikes although new were shocking, and due to Aussie law helmets were a must. As usual the Australian good nature shone through from the hiring assistant who advised us on various routes and places to avoid/see.

We cycled through Bicentennial park to the swamp land, past the archery facilities which are open for free to the public (would never happen in the UK), and then finally through Woo-la-ra to the Newington Armoury and back to the Telstra Stadium. After returning the bikes we enjoyed lunch in one of the sports bars located on site and the returned home.

To top the day off, later in the afternoon we ventured to one of the shopping malls (Macquarie), where Adam and I both bought identical prepaid (pay-as-you-go) handsets from Dick Smith Electronics, one of the biggest electrical retails in Aus.

All in all another busy day and I’m really looking forward tomorrow as were heading to the northern beaches. Stephen you’ll love it as its home to the beach of Home and Away (Summerbay)