Sydney Travel Forum

hi all,

I am thinking of planning a graduation trip with a gal pal of mine to Australia, sydney for about 10 days in May. As this is the first time to Austrlia, we hope to get advice on what other cities we could branch out to from Sydney and the kind of internal transportation available. We are two gals travelling alone.

well you have 10 days

australia is kinda huge - so maybe just concentrate on sydney

sydney could definitely absorb you for 10 days

there are cheap airlines with happy hours that could fly you off to other places - to train or bus it to melbourne say would take you maybe 12 hours

I agree with Craic. Venturing to another city might be a big task in 10 days.

By saying "gal pal", it sounds like you're American??? If so, the flight is pretty long, so 10 days in Sydney alone would be enough.

Once you're in Sydney though, you can head to the Hunter Valley for wine tours, the Blue Mountains for hiking, and there are plenty of hikes, beaches, and scenery to be seen in Sydney city.

The transportation around Sydney is easy - trains, buses, ferries, taxis...they can be a pain, but everybody whines about their government transport, right?

10 days in Sydney is a great amount to do quite a bit.

Enjoy!

yeah 10 days in sydney is perfect - you won't get bored

I would be inclined to spend the 10 days in and around Sydney. Bondi Beach, Blue Mountains, Darling Harbour, there's plenty to see and do in the immediate area.

Transport is very good - lots of options.

I'll take a different tack and suggest you visit Canberra, Australia's capital city. It's just an inexpensive four hour bus trip down the road, so you could travel down one day, have another two days there (you could easily spend much longer), then return the day after. It's a beautiful place and quite different from most other cities - you might care to look at my Canberra page. One suggestion though, is that the city is spread out, so don't waste time walking around - use taxis, bus or join local tours.

The Blue Mountains are a great day trip from Sydney- don't forget to just take one of the local ferries to someplace like Bondi Beach- fantastic views of the
Sydney Bridge and the Opera House on the way out and back. I don't know where you are coming from, but internal flights in Aus. can be very reasonable- if you haven't been to Alice Springs, it is worth a visit, and perhaps a balloon ride over the outback. I don't know your interests, but the shopping in
Sydney is interesting, and you can do a Sydney Bridge climb if heights don't bother you. Rail transport in Aus is great fun- comfortable cars, dining and social cars, lots of folks playing cards, games, enjoying a pint- comforatable bathrooms, sleeper cars and regular cars allow for sleeping- even showers- Bus system in Sydney is quite good, sometimes time consuming- Have a great time!

Cyclone season is from November to April, and if and when a cyclone hits cannot be predicted. In some years like the past one there had been early cyclone warnings for Queensland, for example. But then you just have to wait and see. You can get info on government websites like this one:

http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/qld/cyclone/seasonal/

If you travel in the Cairns region between Nov and April you can be lucky and nothing happens, but why risk it?

these tips are very useful.. thank you everyone for the quick replies. I'm sure out trip to Australia will be a fantastic one!

these tips are very useful.. thank you everyone for the quick replies. I'm sure out trip to Australia will be a fantastic one!

Definitely go to the Blue Mountains - I'd suggest staying the night there if you could to make the most of it. It's a beautiful place (though I am slightly biased) and there's a lot you can see and do.

Oh, and the train network in Sydney is pretty good for getting around. Try taking a ferry trip somewhere (Watson's Bay is lovely). Don't get the monorail - it's a total rip off and not very useful. You can get the train out to the Blue Mountains quite easily, not sure about other regions. You'll be fine travelling on the trains by yourselves. Travel in the guards carriage if you're on them at night - they're marked with a blue light on the outside of the train.

I'd suggest making day trips out to the places people have suggested, along staying within the central sydney area. The outer suburbs are not much to visit.

Don't hesitate to ask if you have other questions!