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Getting There
You can fly into Sydney from all the usual international points and from within Australia. Both Qantas (13 13 13; www.qantas.com.au) and Virgin (13 67 89; www.virginblue.com.au) have frequent flights to the city. Smaller Qantas-affiliated airlines fly to smaller Oz destinations.
Sydney||s Kingsford Smith Airport (9667 9111; www.sydneyairport.com.au) is Australia||s busiest. It||s only 10km south of the city centre, making access easy, but this also means that flights cease between 11pm and 5am due to noise regulations. The T1 (international) and T2 and T3 (domestic) terminals are a 4km, $5 bus or train ride apart.
All private interstate and regional bus travellers arrive at Sydney Coach Terminal (9281 9366; Central Station, Eddy Ave; 6am-10.30pm). The government||s Country Link rail network is also complemented by coaches. Most buses stop in the suburbs on the way in and out of Sydney. If you hold a VIP or YHA discount card, shop around the major bus companies with offices here:
Sydney||s main rail terminus for Country Link interstate and regional services is Central Station (13 22 32; www.countrylink.info; Eddy Ave; staffed ticket booths 6am-10pm, ticket machines 24hr). Call for information, reservations and arrival/departure times. Country Link discounts often nudge 40% on economy fares - sometimes cheaper than buses!
Getting around
Sydney has a good public transport system, especially in areas closer to the city area where many attractions are. The further away from the city you travel, the less frequent and comprehensive public transport services will tend to be.
Water taxis ply dedicated shuttle routes; rides to/from other harbour venues can be booked.
Yellow Water Taxis (9555 9778; www.yellowwatertaxis.com.au; 7am-midnight) Circular Quay to Darling Harbour adult/child $13/8; 40-minute Harbour Tours adult/child $25/15.
Watertours (9211 7730; www.watertours.com.au; 9.30am-11pm) Opera House to Darling Harbour adult/child $15/10; one hour Harbour and Nightlights Tours adult/child $30/20.
Expect to pay around $70 per day for a zippy small car. Rates sometimes include insurance and unlimited kilometres; some companies require you to be over 25 years old. At the time of writing petrol cost around $1.45 per litre, and was steadily rising.
If you||re looking to hire a campervan, Wicked Campers (1800 246 869; www.wickedcampers.com.au; 5 Tenterden Rd, Botany; 9am-4pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon Sat) rents out spectacularly painted vehicles with room in the back where you can sleep. The Yellow Pages lists many car-hire companies, some specialising in renting clapped-out wrecks at rock-bottom prices - read the fine print!
Bikescape (1300 736 869; www.bikescape.com.au; 183 Parramatta Rd, Annandale; per day from $80; 9am-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 9-10am & 4-5pm Sat) rents out well- serviced, low mileage motorcycles and scooters. The savvy staff can also organise tours.
Sydney buses run almost everywhere. Bondi, Coogee and parts of the North Shore are serviced only by bus. Nightrider buses operate skeletally after regular services cease around midnight.
The main city bus stops are Circular Quay, Wynyard Park (York St) and Railway Sq. Buy tickets from newsagencies, Bus TransitShops and on buses. Pay the driver as you enter, or dunk prepaid tickets in ticket machines by the door. Fares start at $1.70; most trips are under $3.50. There are Bus TransitShops at Circular Quay (www.sydneybuses.info; cnr Alfred & Loftus Sts; 7am-7pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-5pm Sat & Sun), Wynyard Station (Carrington St), Railway Sq (George St), and the Queen Victoria Building (York St).
Bus routes starting with an X indicate limited-stop express routes; those with an L have limited stops. Most buses depart the city on George or Castlereagh Sts, ploughing down George or Elizabeth Sts on the way back in.
Bookings are essential for the following services:
Kingsford Smith Transport (9666 9988; single/return $10/18; 5am-11pm) Connecting the airport and central Sydney hotels.
Manly Airport Bus (0500 505 800; single/return $30/63; 5am-11pm) A door-to-door service to/from Manly.
Sydney||s vast suburban rail network is the deft way to get around. Lines radiate from the underground City Circle (seven city-centre stations), but don||t service the Northern and Southern Beaches, Balmain or Glebe. All suburban trains stop at Central Station, and usually one or more of the other City Circle stations too. Trains run from around 5am to midnight. On weekends and after 9am on weekdays you can buy an off-peak return ticket, valid until 4am the next day, for little more than a standard one-way fare. Twenty-four-hour ticket machines occupy most stations but humans are usually available too if you||d rather talk to something that||ll listen. If you have to change trains, buy a ticket to your ultimate destination, but don||t exit the transfer station en route or your ticket will be invalid.
Airport Link (13 15 00; www.airportlink.com.au; single/return from Central Station to domestic terminal $12/18, to international terminal $13/19; every 10-15min, 5am-midnight daily) runs from city train stations; return fares are cheaper after 9am and on weekends. A one-way trip takes about 15 minutes.
For train information, visit the CityRail Information Booth (13 15 00; www.131500.com.au; Wharf 5, Circular Quay; 9.05am-4.50pm).
Sydney transport||s most civilised option - harbour ferries, JetCats (to Manly) and RiverCats (to Parramatta) - depart Circular Quay. Most ferries operate from 6am to midnight; those servicing tourist attractions operate shorter hours. The Circular Quay Ferry Information Office (9207 3170; www.sydneyferries.info; 7am-5.45pm Mon-Sat, 8am-5.45pm Sun) has details. Many ferries have connecting bus services.
A one-way inner-harbour ride on a regular ferry costs adult/concession $5/3. A one-way ride to Manly on the JetCat costs $8 (no concession, 15 minutes, half-hourly). A one-way RiverCat ride to Parramatta costs adult/concession $8/4 (50 minutes, hourly).
Taxis and cab ranks proliferate in Sydney. Flag fall is $2.80, then it||s $1.62 per kilometre (plus 20% from 10pm to 6am). The waiting charge is 68c per minute. Passengers must pay bridge, tunnel and road tolls (even if you don||t incur them ||outbound||, the returning driver will incur them ||inbound||). A ride to/from Circular Quay should cost from $25 to $35; to/from Central Station from $20 to $30.
Things to See and Do
The wildlife at Sydney||s world-class Taronga Zoo, perched high above the harbour, also enjoy fabulous vistas. A spectacular cable car ride from the fern/ wharf leads to exhibits showcasing Australia||s unique wildlife, including kangaroos, cuddly koalas, emus, wombats and kookaburras, as well as the world||s most exotic animals.
The harbour view to beat all harbour views can be enjoyed from the top of Australia||s highest lookout - Sydney Tower - which soars above the city||s striking skyline to provide a sweeping panorama of Sydney||s waterways, attractive suburbs, wide open spaces, lush gardens and Australia||s famous beaches.
The most famous beach of all, just 15 minutes from downtown Sydney, is Bondi Beach where, on a hot day, more than 50,000 sun-seekers will gather to bask in the sunshine, cool off in the crystal-clear surf and enjoy a colorful selection of beach- side cafes.
Another popular outing is by ferry or high-speed jet-cat from Circular Quay in the city centre, past forested headlands, and on to the pretty seaside suburb of Manly, another favorite playground for Sydneysiders. Here, you will find big uncrowded beaches, lively promenades, even more lively outdoor entertainment and restaurants offering cuisine from every corner of the globe.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge crosses the harbour from the city to North Sydney. You can walk or cycle across the Harbour Bridge free of charge. You can climb the arch with BridgeClimb or fly over it with Red Baron Adventures.
The Sydney Opera House: millions of tourists a year throng the building just to see it, even if they have little or no interest in Opera. The Sydney Opera House is easily one of the most famous structures ever built.
Darling Harbour is a large tourist precinct and includes a range of activities, restaurants, museums and shopping facilities.
Sydney Olympic Park was home of the 2000 Olympics and now parklands and sporting facilities.
Luna Park is a large theme park situated near the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It||s mouth-shaped entrance can be seen from many areas of Sydney as well as the large Ferris Wheel.
Sydney Tower also called Centrepoint Tower. The tallest structure in Sydney, the tower contains a buffet, cafe and a rather large restaurant and attracts many visitors a year. You can stand over the city on a transparent platform, over the edge of the top of the tower with Skywalk.
St Mary||s Cathedral is Sydney||s main catholic cathedral. Corner of St Mary||s Road and College St.
Parramatta to the west of Sydney is the site of many of Sydney||s oldest buildings from colonial times.
Sydney Hospital on Macquarie Street in the city was the first hospital in the colony. Known as "The Rum Hospital", it was the first major building established in the colony.
La Perouse, near Botany Bay, in Sydney||s Eastern Suburbs contains the grave of an early French explorer, museum, and old fort.
The walk from Manly to The Spit passes many coastal artillery fortifications built into the cliffs of Sydney Harbour during the late nineteenth century.
The Royal Botanic Gardens
The Australian Museum.
The Australian National Maritime Museum.
The Art Gallery of NSW.
The Powerhouse Museum.
The Museum of Contemporary Art.
The Museum of Sydney.
The Koala Park Sanctuary in the Outer West.
Sydney Aquarium in Darling Harbour.
Sydney Wildlife World in Darling Harbour.
Featherdale Wildlife Park in Western Sydney.
Australian Reptile Park; about an hour north of Sydney.
Whale Watching; see whales migrating the Pacific coast. There are boats from Darling Harbour or Circular Quay.
- The Harbour and its Islands
There are a number of islands in the centre of the harbor which you can visit for a picnic. These include Shark, Goat, Clark, Rodd, Cockatoo and Garden Islands. These are all distinct and beautiful islands and have magnificent views of sailing boats on the harbour and of Sydney||s harbourside buildings. At most times of the year they will be nearly deserted. You will need to reserve a place and pay a fee of approximately $5 per head to the National Parks and Wildlife Service (ph 02 9960 6266 or fax 02 9960 3965). You also cannot moor a boat at any of these islands. Goat, Rodd and Clark islands are not served by ferries, so unless you can arrange for a private drop-off, you will need to charter a water taxi at a cost of approximately $20 per head. Shark Island is served by an hourly Matilda Cruises ferry on weekends; the price of $16.00 round trip per adult includes the National Park landing fee.
Fort Denison is another, more popular, island on the harbour. Its entire area is a large fort, completed in 1857 and built to defend Sydney against Russian attack. The National Parks and Wildlife Service runs a half-hour guided tour for $22 per adult, $18 per child and $72 for a 4 person family. They also run a morning brunch for $47 adults and $43 children.
The world famous Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race begins every year on Boxing Day, on Sydney Harbour. Thousands of spectator craft take to the water to farewell the yachts as they set off on their grueling journey to Hobart. Seaworthy craft can follow the yachts through the Sydney Heads into the open ocean. You can also see the race from a harbor vantage point like Watsons Bay and many others.
Swim at one of Sydney||s many surf beaches. Try Bondi, Manly, Coogee, Cronulla or Wattamolla, or get off the tourist trail at one of the other beaches in Sydney||s Eastern Suburbs or Northern Beaches. .
There are many picturesque and interesting walks throughout Sydney. The following are just a few of the better-known routes:
Coogee beach to Bondi. Following the eastern coastline past several of Sydney||s beautiful beaches. Stop off for a swim if you get too hot.
Manly to the Spit. Along the foreshore of Sydney Harbour.
Circular Quay and surrounds. Start underneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge, then walk past the The Rocks, Circular Quay, the Sydney Opera House, the Royal Botanical Gardens and Mrs Macquarie||s Chair.
The Sydney Festival is an arts festival held in January each year. It aims to be international in reach, inviting acclaimed international artists to exhibit their work or perform in Sydney. A number of free outdoor events are held alongside the festival including the hugely popular Jazz in the Domain and Symphony in the Domain concerts held in the Domain in the city.
The Royal Easter Show is the major agricultural show in New South Wales and is held around Easter each year at Sydney Olympic Park in the Outer West. Farmers from all over the state come to show their prize produce. But it isn||t just an agricultural show: a huge number of amusement ride operators set up for the show as well.
New Year||s Eve has become a major event in Sydney over the last few years with the fireworks display ranking among the world||s best.
The Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras: It includes sports, cultural and arts events that run throughout February, culminating in the Mardi Gras parade in Darlinghurst on the first Saturday of March each year.
Chinese New Year is widely celebrated by Sydney||s Chinese community, with the centre of festivities being at Chinatown. Look out for Lion dancing, Dragonboat races at Darling Harbour, and of course plenty of good food.
The Bacardi Latin Festival in Darling Harbour is held in early January as part of the Sydney Festival and contains a week of Latin dancing and music.
The Biennale of Sydney is a contemporary arts and multimedia festival held in winter in even numbered years.
The Musica Viva Festival is Sydney||s premier chamber music festival. The festival presents a rich feast of masterworks and musical treasures played by some of the world||s finest practioners, interspersed with music of different cultures.
The Sydney Fringe Festival runs from mid-January to mid-February each year and features fringe art in the form of film, TV, performance and sport.
The Sydney Film Festival is held in June each year and shows over 200 movies in 16 days, including an enormous number of Australian movies, most of which will premiere at the festival.
The Big Day Out is an Australia-wide rock/alternative music festival, held in late January (normally on the January 26th public holiday).
The Homebake festival is a rock/alternative/dance festival featuring only Australian acts. It is held in the Domain in the city each year in December.
Carols in the Domain are held annually in the Domain in the city on the last Saturday before Christmas. 100 000 people with candles sing along as night falls and the show is also telecast live.
The Cockatoo Island Festival is held every year on 25-27 March where lots of friendly people enjoy a fabulous mixture of music and culture while discovering one of Sydney||s best kept secrets.
Appin, Bondi, Collaroy Beach, Coogee, Cronulla, Cronulla Beach, Helensburgh, Hornsby, Kings Cross, Manly, Newport, North Ryde, Palm Beach, Penrith, Potts Point, Randwick, Scarborough, Terrey Hills, Turramurra Ultimo.
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