I was recently lucky enough to visit Sydney on a work trip. Having never been before, I was super excited to finally explore another part of Australia outside of WA, and so extended my trip a few days so I could stay with friends for a long weekend.

And what a weekend it was! I may have only had three days to explore one of the most famous cities on the planet, but we sure did pack a lot in – mainly thanks to my gorgeous friends Gary and Simone who have lived in Sydney since Jan 2014 (thanks guys, I love you both xx).

From the Opera House (who knew it was made up of hundreds of thousands of little ceramic tiles?!), to the humongous Sydney Harbour Bridge… The (seriously fucking misty) Blue Mountains, to the iconic Bondi Beach (where I got to check out Anya Brock’s latest mural. Love). We even managed to squeeze in a visit to Palm Beach where they shoot Home & Away! C’mon, like you don’t watch it… Oh, and I nearly forgot about the Taylor Swift gig at ANZ Stadium where we jumped up and down, screaming like teenagers in the crowd of 80,000. With flashing Xylobands. I KNOW! Totes amaze.

It was such an incredible trip, words can hardly do it justice – so I thought I’d show you instead…

Look, cobbled streets! The roads winding around The Rocks – a cute little historical area in the Sydney City Centre – so reminded me of England.

The Sydney Skyline from Circular Quay.

Ever since I was a little girl, the Sydney Opera House basically represented Australia in my eyes. I remember watching TV in the middle of the day back in the UK with my mom on most New Year’s Eves when I was little, so we could watch the fireworks over the Opera House. Seeing it in reality was pretty special.

The famous Opera Bar where I enjoyed a sneaky glass of (surprisingly not too exxy) vino.

I was amazed to find that the Sydney Opera House shells are actually made up of hundreds and thousands of white and cream ceramic tiles…

Each tile has either a glazed or matt finish – and are laid as diamonds rather than squares.

I know, I sound like an absolute loser – I was in awe for a good 30mins. Maybe it was that vino…

Cheeky view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge from The Opera House.

I love this shot – it captures the atmosphere of Circular Quay perfectly. Oh, and the dude in the striped shirt and shades? Total hottie.

Palmy & balmy.

It was pretty spectacular to see the Sydney Harbour Bridge – another iconic Australian landmark.

Ta-dah! The Sydney Harbour Bridge!

Nothing like an early morning walk to start the day – even if it was drizzling (we don’t get any of that in Perth – it was quite refreshing!) How gorgeous is the Bicentennial Park?

Gary & Simone’s little scamp, Björn.

My fave two Sydney boys.

After a two hour drive, I couldn’t have asked for a better picture of the Blue Mountains. If you look closely and really use your imagination, you’ll see the outline of the iconic Three Sisters just behind us.

Absolutely incredible… FFS.

We went to see Tay-Tay! Seeing Flight Cases like this scattered around the stadium brought back so many awesome memories of working at Arena back home in Nottingham!

Having worked in the live entertainment and arena industry for four years back in the UK, I’m rarely really ‘wow-ed’ when it comes to venues or gigs – but seeing this many people (80,000) at the 1989 World Tour was pretty epic!

Yep, Swifty was amazing…

A total hottie.

…and we later found out that her gig at the ANZ Stadium was actually recorded for her 1989 World Tour DVD! Which means that we’re basically famous now. Right?

Got to love a good old confetti encore shot.

It’s a new day – and we’re off to the iconic Bondi Beach… Check out the Anzac Bridge which we crossed on the way.

Pretty spectacular, hey?

As most of you know, I’m a sucker for Street Art – so of course I enjoyed a stroll along the Bondi Beach Graffiti Wall… Loved this creation by Awol Creations! It makes your eyes a little funny… Can’t. Seem. To. Stop. Looking.

I was super excited (like literally bouncing around) that I got to photograph the newest Anya Brock ‘Bondi Beach Babe’ addition to the wall – which was just a few weeks old!

If you didn’t already know, Anya is my fave artist EVER. And she’s a Perth gal, which makes me love her even more! Check out my ‘Chasing Anya’ blog from a few months ago…

Sorry, couldn’t resist one more.

How cool is this mural by Kelli Twinkle? Amazing name too! I just love my birdies – especially this cheeky galah (Major Mitchell’s).

Of course, I had to photograph this Jasmine Dowling piece… She’s one of my fave Instagram accounts to follow. This was one of the last photos I sent to my grannie before she sadly passed away in the UK earlier this month – it really makes me smile to know that she saw this before she closed her eyes for the last time.

Look! They’ve totally dedicated a Skate Park to me! Must be my mad skating skillz…

The iconic Bondi Beach.

Ever since I was little, I’ve wanted to visit Bondi Beach – it’s one of those things that always seemed to be printed onto summery t-shirts and shorts when i was growing up in the UK. So it really was super cool to actually visit.

Sorry, ‘just one more’ shot…

The iconic Bondi Icebergs Club. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen this shot over the years, yet I was just in awe of the sight before me. Just amazing.

Dive IN. I sure wish we could have on the coastal walk from Bondi to Bronte – it was HAWT!

I popped my Messina cherry after our incredible coastal walk – holy shit, their gelato is AMAZE.

Bye, bye Bondi…

Rise and SHINE! It’s the last day and after a few hours drive we reached the stunning Palm Beach…

…with it’s turquoise waters, stretching golden sands and lush greenery…

You *may* recognise it…?

Think hot surfers and bad to pretty terrible (yet addictive) storylines & acting…

It’s the set of Home & Away…SUMMER BAY!

It was such a beautiful day to visit – the sun was shining, there were just two others on the entire stretch of beach – and we were even treated to a pod of dolphins playing and jumping in the surf a few metres out! Just amazing.

Afterwards we headed over to the other side of the bay to get a lunch at Barrenjoey House – which was super quaint and gorgeous! It really reminded me of the old restaurants and public houses in Yorkshire. Loved it.

And as for the King Prawns? More like mini lobsters! They were huge, tasty and delicious.

(How cute are the napkins?)

It was time to head home, but not before I checked out the sweet brand new Lorna Jane Active Living Room at Sydney domestic airport! The first space of its kind within an airport terminal anywhere in the world opened early November, and offers passengers the opportunity to get their sweat on with 45 min yoga or strength sessions and enjoy healthy snacks before flights.

I’m super into my fitness, and I have a slight (ridiculous?) Lorna Jane addiction. Seriously, I have waaaaaay too many tights, shorts and tanks for a girl who has only been in Aussie for two years…

Lorna Jane Active Living rewards members like me can enjoy free access to the living room area and even enjoy healthy treats from Aussie health food providers.

But for once, I resisted the urge to splurge (it had nothing to do with all the shopping I’d already done), and decided to treat myself to a little nourishment instead. Hello, chia pudding. Come to mamma.

★ ★ ★

All in all, a fantastic trip. Sydney was everything I imagined it to be… Breathtaking, busy and iconic – and I genuinely loved every single minute. I’m even planning to go back again! However, and perhaps blame it on my English country girl Yorkshire upbringing, I was secretly happy to get back to my sunny, understated and beautiful Perth. This place really is starting to feel like home.

And who can possibly have the holiday blues when you live in paradise?

WEARING: JEANS: Levis // SHOES: Wittner // BLACK BLAZER & SWEATER: Topshop // BLACK TIGHTS, WHITE SINGLET, PINK TOP, BLACK SPORTS BRA: Lorna Jane // WHITE SWEATER: Sportsgirl // CUT OFF SHORTS: ONE by One Tea Spoon // RUNNERS: Nike // BIKINI: Seafolly // NECKLACE: Najo // SUNGLASSES: Tiffany & Co.
STYLED & PHOTOGRAPHED BY: KATIE REBEKAH, GARY BEVAN