I had a really busy final day in Sydney planned to try to squeeze in all the things I had left to see. I started out by heading towards The Rocks to go to the Museum of Contemporary Art. On the way, I stopped to get a slice of Strawberry Watermelon Cake from Black Star Bakery, which is advertised as the world's most Instagrammed cake. The cake is beautifully decorated and features a slice of watermelon in the center. The cake was really tasty and made a good breakfast, although all the little leaves were a little strange to eat.

I made it to the Museum of Contemporary Art just as it was opening and it wasn't too busy yet, although there was a large group of cruise ship passengers outside the museum since it is right across from the dock. I decided to only visit the general admission gallery in the museum, which was themed around the idea of land.

After visiting the museum I made my way towards another art museum, the Art Gallery of NSW. This museum was split into two buildings, a historic one and a new one, and I primarily wanted to go to the new building to see the collections of Aboriginal art. It was really interesting to see the variety of different styles of art, and I eavesdropped on some tour guides explaining to school groups what some of the art was meant to represent, ranging from interpretations of the night sky to instructions on how to farm.

The Art Gallery is located next to the Royal Botanic Gardens, where I headed next because I had reserved a spot on the Heritage Walking Tour. The tour was led by Scott, a White Aboriginal who showed us around the garden and told us about the history of European and Aboriginal relations in New South Wales while pointing out various plants that different Aboriginal Countries may have used for different purposes. It was interesting to hear how different countries may have known how to use the same plant for a different purpose, for example one country knows how to use it medicinally, and another knows how to make it safe to eat. It was also interesting to hear how different governors of New South Wales varied in their approach to relations with Aboriginal peoples: some tried to be diplomatic, whereas others were violent.

After the walking tour, I walked down to Mrs MacQuarie's Seat in the garden (which Scott had previously explained, was part of the sacred men's area of the land, but then was taken over by the colonists to create a place for the governor's wife to spend time).

I walked towards Circular Quay, which is the main Ferry Terminal in central Sydney. On the way I stopped in a food court to grab some food from Schnitz, a local chain serving various types of chicken wraps. After lunch I hopped on a ferry across the harbor to Taronga Zoo.

Because it was so late, I was able to get discounted admission to the zoo. I was really hoping to see a platypus, and online it said that there were platypodes in the Australian Bush Walk exhibit, but when I got there it said the exhibit was closed for maintenance, which was really disappointing. I was still able to see Tasmanian Devils and Wombats, which I had not gotten to see yet since coming to Australia. Both were sleeping because they are nocturnal.

The museum is situated on a hill, with the ferry terminal at the bottom. I took the bus to the top at the start, and navigated the zoo by walking generally downward. By the time I reached the bottom of the hill, the zoo was just closing, so I timed it perfectly. I headed on the ferry back to Circular Quay to grab a snack outside the Opera House, before I went inside to see a show.

Playing tonight was the Sydney Symphony Orchestra performing Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherezade. The performance was fantastic, partly thanks to some recent renovations that improved the acoustics in the Concert Hall.