Sydney, Australia: City beaches, the world's best harbour and settling into Australian life

I've officially made it to the other side of the world! Well, I've actually been here for over a month now but the time has flown by so quickly it almost doesn't feel like it.

Spending a long time living in a totally new city is very different to the kind of travelling Ben and I have been doing in Asia up until recently. It's been a shift from trying to see all of the most beautiful and exciting parts of a place in just a couple of weeks (or even days) to having a daily work routine, joining things like local fitness classes and finding my favourite local places to get coffee or lunch.

When we first arrived here, I spent the first couple of weeks busy not just exploring the city but also trying to find a job, somewhere to live and looking for fun things to get involved with over the next few months. It's been a great experience overall but it was definitely a bit overwhelming at first!

It takes me a while to feel fully settled in a totally new place but I don't think we could have picked a better place to have to get used to! Sydney is such a fun, friendly city which basically has it all; a lively atmosphere, good weather, a beautiful harbour and the nicest beaches to relax on. I've met some lovely people out here, had some great new experiences and have been really enjoying working in the city centre where there's so much going on.

After spending the first couple of weeks living with a friend, we're also now renting a room in a lovely shared house on the North Shore. So, several weeks in, I'm feeling more at home and ready for what the next few months will bring.

One of the best things about living in Sydney (and the reason we ended up choosing to live here instead of starting in Melbourne) is how close you get to be to so many amazing beaches. We spent our first day taking full advantage of this by taking the ferry across Sydney Harbour to Manly and Shelly Beach. Both were a lot of fun but my favourite part of the northern coast so far has definitely been Palm Beach, which feels really quiet and peaceful compared to some of the beaches a little closer to the city centre. Palm Beach also has a really nice Lighthouse Walk, where you can wander up to the top and admire the views over its two shores.

The view over Palm Beach

Palm Beach at sunset

The southern beaches in Sydney are also incredible! A lot of people from the UK live next to them (I missed the memo there) and the vibe around that whole area is really young and fun. You can walk right along the coast from the busy Bondi beach across to Coogee beach and pass some amazing places on the way; from white sand bays and lively picnic parks to swimming pools in the middle of the ocean.

The busy but beautiful Bondi beach

On the coastal walk to Coogee beach

Another one from the coastal walk

The Bondi Icebergs Swimming Club

Summer in Australia ended officially the other day but in-between the cloudy or stormy days (which randomly happen quite a lot here!) we've had a lot of sunshine. This has meant loads of beachy weekends and just generally wanting to be outside.

Aside from the beaches, we've also ticked off a lot of the touristy places in the city centre. Sydney Harbour is every bit as impressive as I'd imagined it would be and the Opera Bar there is such a chilled but beautiful place to have a drink.

Nearby, Darling Harbour is really fun at night and the area around The Rocks (the slightly older part of the city) is a really cool part of Sydney's centre where you can find pubs, markets and restaurants along its cobbled streets.

I also had an amazing day at Taronga Zoo looking at all of the Australian animals, watched a Sydney Sixers game at the Sydney Cricket Stadium, took a day trip to the flowery Dangar Island and spent a hot day relaxing in the Botanical Gardens. We've definitely been keeping busy but it's easy to when there always seems to be something going on!

Just a few days after we arrived, the country was celebrating Australia Day, so we spent the day by the harbour soaking up the atmosphere before heading into town at night. A couple of weeks ago, I also went to Sydney's famous Mardi Gras festival and parade, which was really colourful and fun.

At Sydney Harbour on Australia Day

Ready for Mardi Gras

It wouldn't be much of an overview of Sydney if I didn't also mention how amazing the coffee culture is here - as well as how many fun restaurants, cafés and bars there are all over the place. To name just a couple, Bar Luca makes some of the best burgers in the country and you can't beat El Camino Cantina for their giant frozen 2-for-1 cocktails! I can see why people warned me it would be hard to save money here! I am trying hard, though. I've started cooking properly again (after quite a long break in Asia, where every meal out only cost a couple of pounds!) and have been avoiding all of the incredible-looking Australian shops and malls. That said, living here still feels a lot cheaper than living in London, mostly because Sydney's rent and public transport prices are so much lower - and the wages are higher too.

I know this post has been a bit all over the place but a lot has been going on since I left Asia! There's still lots more I'm excited to see in Sydney but luckily, with none of my future plans set in stone yet, I feel like I have plenty of time to do it all.