A relaxing start to what will be a wonderful Sydney “Stay-cation” – our coach departs Sydney Central station at 10.30am and will also pick up passengers from Sydney Domestic Airport at 11am.

We are bound for Botany Bay and will look around the historic site where HMS Endeavour arrived in April 1770 and learn more at the Kamay Botany Bay Vistors Centre. It was at Kamay (Botany Bay) that James Cook first set foot on the Australian continent, and where his landing challenged by two men from the Gweagal clan of the Dharawal nation. For both indigenous and non-indigenous Australians, this is one of Australia’s foundational moments in history for it is where European settlement had its embryonic beginnings.

Bondi Beach is iconically “Sydney” as well as one of Australia’s most famous beaches – grab an ice cream and walk along its golden sands or dip your toes in the ocean.

We drive through some of Sydney’s loveliest / best known locations – Watsons Bay, The Gap, Rose Bay, Double Bay and Kings Cross – and across the “Coathanger” to arrive at our home for the next five nights – the View Hotel, North Sydney. Check in to your room and enjoy your spectacular Harbour views – this is the life!

Overnight: The View Hotel

“What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me?

Rev Richard Johnson (From the First Service on Australian soil)

This morning is all about celebrating our Nation’s Christian Heritage. Rev Richard Johnson was the first minister of the Colony of New South Wales, and we will see his original Bible, at historic St Philip’s Church. We will also see the grave of Rev Kirkby, the founder of the Bush Church Aid Society. Both these men, Johnson as the Colony’s first Chaplain and Kirkby, the founder of Bush Ministry, made an indelible impact on Christianity in Australia and we are grateful for their faithful service.

Our historic walking tour takes us to the very spot where Rev Richard Johnson preached his first sermon on Australian soil on 3 February 1788. See the site of the first church in Sydney, the replica flag flying where the English Union Flag was raised by the First Fleet and then follow the pathway marking the extent of the original waterline of Sydney Cove.

The gleaming white sails of the world-famous Sydney Opera House beckon us out along Bennelong Point where a guided tour helps us understand more about this iconic building. Enjoy lunch at the Opera House before a walk through the Botanic Gardens to Mrs Macquarie’s Chair for one of the best views across Sydney Harbour.

Wander through the Art Gallery of NSW, the most important public gallery in Sydney and one of the largest in Australia; showcasing local artworks – Indigenous, colonial and modern – as well as international artists there is really something for everyone.

Our day of culminates with a glorious Twilight Dinner Cruise – marvel as the Harbour foreshores and buildings are illuminated by Vivid’s spectacular lighting displays.

A relaxed morning where you may choose to explore the nearby urban oasis, that is Wendy Whitley’s Secret Garden.

Explore Sydney’s early Christian history with a walking tour of Macquarie Street which includes early colonial era buildings such as the Mint, Parliament House, “Rum Hospital” as well as the imposing Mitchell Library (State Library of NSW).  Enjoy tours of the magnificent St Mary’s Cathedral, the spiritual home of Sydney’s Catholic community and the World Heritage listed Hyde Park Barracks. Directly across the street from the Convict Barracks is St James’ Church, an Australian heritage-listed Anglican parish church designed in the style of a Georgian town church by the transported convict architect Francis Greenway. Built in 1824 we will learn about St Jame’s original ministry to the Colony’s convict population and how it has continued to serve the city’s poor and needy in succeeding centuries.

After lunch at the State Library of NSW (Mitchell Library) you are free to enjoy some time at leisure. You may choose to explore the interesting library exhibitions or wander through Martin Place and up George Street to the historic Queen Victoria Building (QVB) shopping centre. Close by is the beautiful St Andrew’s Cathedral where you can join your Tour Leader for Evensong, when the cathedral’s world-famous boys and men’s choir sing to the glory to God. (Evensong is from 5.15pm – 6pm with St Andrews right next to Town Hall station – it is easy to return to North Sydney for our 7pm dinner)

The Hawkesbury River just north of Sydney is a beautiful, unspoiled waterway and today we will journey there by train; enjoy great views of the Ku-ring-Gai National Park and the Hawkesbury River inlets as we descend to the river station.

The Riverboat Postman boat awaits our arrival; ostensibly a working vessel, delivering the mail and other daily essentials to the isolated water-access-only residents, this is a delightful cruise upstream with interesting commentary. Enjoy a light lunch of fish and chips whilst being regaled by local stories from the skipper (some of which are true!).

We return to Sydney with time to freshen up before dinner at Sydney Tower – enjoy your meal with a side order of stunning panoramic views of the Harbour and City.

Drive past many of the specially illuminated buildings as we head back “home” where the viewing can continue from our hotel’s windows. Wow!!!

Using Sydney’s green and yellow ferries is a wonderful way to “commute” and we take a short trip across the Harbour to Circular Quay where we join the Parramatta River Cat.

We are following the same river journey as those early long-boat expeditions that sought fertile and arable land to feed the fledgling Sydney Colony.  Enjoy the interesting ferry and on the way we will learn of Boorong, third wife of Bennelong; Boorong was an important figure in early colonial history in her own right and was “received as an inmate, with great kindness, in the family of Mrs Johnson, the clergyman’s wife”. The son of Boorong & Bennelong, known as Dickey, converted to Christianity as a young man, received baptism, and became probably the first Indigenous Australian evangelist.

Once in Parramatta we delve into our colonial history, including that of the early Australian church.  We stop off at historic St John’s Church, the oldest continuously used church site in Australia; the original church was built between 1799 and 1802 with Rev. Samuel Marsden ministering to the colonists. Learn more about the earliest days of the Colony when we tour the convict built Old Government House, UNESCO listed as the oldest surviving public building in Australia. A short drive brings us to Elizabeth Farm, Australia’s oldest surviving homestead. Built in 1793 for John and Elizabeth Macarthur, key figures in the early woolen and agriculture industries, it is now an immersive “access all areas” museum. Walk through rooms without traditional barriers or ropes, sit on the furniture, touch the items and feel transported back to colonial times. We return “home” through the tree lined streets of Gladesville, Hunters Hill and River Road, then the old Pacific Highway back to North Sydney.

After dinner at our hotel, we have a special Vivid experience in store – “Wild Lights” at Taronga Zoo. Enjoy an immersive night walk showcasing giant, animal lantern sculptures, and interactive audio-visual displays, and panoramic views of the illuminated city skyline.

What a memorable way to celebrate our final night together.

This morning we will worship at St Philip’s Church, a lovely Gothic style sandstone church located in the oldest parish of Australia.

Enjoy a final group lunch together before we say farewell. We return home feeling blessed after a delightful holiday of meaningful and memorable experiences, all shared with new friends.