Sydney Travel Forum

Hi all,

I'm arriving into Sydney airport (travelling from Ireland) next monday early in the morning at about 8am. Whats the best way of getting from the airport to Bondi Junction? Is there a direct train/bus I can get? How much would a taxi cost at around 8am?

Thanks

Hi all,

I need a bit of help. I am traveling to Sydney from US on Qantas. I arrive there at 8:05 am on a Friday. I want to buy some tickets to go to Christchurch, New Zealand flying Emirates. The flight is at 10:15 am. Do I have enough time to clear the immigration/customs and check in on the other flight? I guess both flights use the international terminal, right?
So would 2 hours and 10 mins be enough for this? I've never been to Sydney (or Australia for that matter) and have no idea how busy the airport gets.
Btw, I need an Australian visa being a citizen of Romania (even though I am a US resident). Would this result in a longer immigration line?

Thank you!

Hi! I'm going to Sydney with my friend in July for five weeks. Since it's quite a long period of time, could you please give me some tips of interesting places/activities in Sydney and environs (Sydney chiefly, we'll have a restricted access to the car)? Please bear in mind that it's winter and many activities are automatically excluded, so I'd like not to end up being bored to tears, not knowing what to do with something like eg. 2 weeks left :). Send both well-known and not really popular, but worthwhile alternatives - I'v been there twice already and would like to see something new (won't mind to see some old places, though - it's sooo beutiful there).
Thanks a lot, Peter

My wife and I will be in Sydney for the first time for 8 days in a few weeks. We will be staying downtown, not far from the Harbor. I was told not to rent a car due to not being familiar with right hand drive and traffic. It appears there are good trains and buses. A week pass is $170pp. It includes ferries. We plan on also going out of Sydney whenever possible, blue mts etc. I also think its extra for the airport and out of town.

Is this pass a better option than using taxis? Are taxis reasonable for two or more expensive. Any thoughts?

Mike from Alaska

Hi, can anyone tell me if there is somewhere to store our luggage when we leave our ship at circular quay? Or perhaps at the train station? We have the whole day in Sydney before we need to go to the airport. At this stage we plan to catch the train to the airport, probably cheaper than a taxi??! Thank you for all suggestions. Anna&Kym

Many years ago when I first visited Sydney, I find a shop in the Strand selling very delicious lamington. From that time onwards, I was always hope to revisit the place and enjoy this cube again. However I no longer find this shop in the Strand. Can anyone tell me where the shop gone or is there any other place in Sydney selling those soft fluffy lamington. Thanks.

Me and my friends are going to be staying in sydney for about 3 months, we are on a tight budget, does it make more sense to stay in a hostel ( we want private rooms, not dorms) or rent an apartment for that time? Any advice re; hostels etc would be so appreciated!

Hey Pple,

I'm travelling in a group of 6. We're all fresh grads, so pockets are abit tight. We're a young, fun and energetic bunch.
Anything interesting, yet afforadable stuff to do? Need help in planning. We'll be reaching sydney early june and will be spending 4-5 days there. We have a car.
So do advise on where to go to soak up the essence of Sydney!!
Many thanks guys and gals...

Timothy

I'll be visiting Sydney from 5-8July this year and will stay in a hostel in Sydney Central. I'm looking for a travelmate to travel together.

I am:
from Hong Kong
in mid-20's
love animals and outgoing

my plan in sydney:
bike tour around Darling Harbor
visit Taronga Zoo
walk around in King's Cross and China Town
any other suggestions from my travelmate.

you can email me at:
nickie_butterfly@yahoo.com.hk

good day

Hi everybody,

I'll be in in Sydney by the end of next week, who else? It would be nice to meet up and explore the city! Are there some locals how could guide me, too....?

Let me know, Susi :-)

Can anybody suggest a car parking station for Bridge Climbers that don't cost a bomb on a weekday?

hey people ive just arrived from London today on my own! im staying in sydney and have a hostel booked for 8days but might extend that if i havent seen n done everyting i would like to! anyone fancy meeting up sometime this week so i can get to know the place a bit better

Drop me a line Chris :-)

Greetings!

I will be coming to Sydney in December and already the Hostels are putting up the "Sold Out" signs up!
I have checked out the Hostels on Hostelbookers and Hostelworld but these hostels are much of a muchness, does anyone know of a little known hostel that will tick all the boxes and have accommodation available for Christmas and the New Year period?

Dave

hey..


i'm thinking of driving to brisbane this coming weekend. i will be travelling alone and understand that it is a long drive. has anyone done this before and knows roughly how much it will cost for gas and toll charges...?


thanks..

We arrive on Dec 7,2009 for 3 days in Sydney. our budget is limited and with 5 most places require us to book 2 rooms. being a larger centre there is always a safety concern. our accent will stand out so we could be easy targets. my visit 20 yrs ago was fabulous so i want to share your wonderful city with my family. can anyone recommend a reasonably priced place to stay that offers good links to most common tourist attractions? do hostils work for families and are they a realistic option for us?

How is the quality of the hunter valley tour?
I saw that those conducted in Chinese seem cheaper, are they good?

the tours found online are too costly.
i wish there is one-day hunter valley tour of around $50...

I am trying to find a vendor which specializes in ceramics, hand painted of cats or dogs. He sell mugs, water bowls, plates, tons of stuff with a cat or dog motiff. Can you help me find him? I visit Sydney once or twice a month, I am a flight attendant and want to try to order some of his things online.

I will be travelling to Sydney first time. Can anybody tell me what could be monthly cost of living in Sydney:
1. housing/ apartment- rental
2. grocery/ food/
3. transport
4. Electricity/ water/ cooking gas

Thanks in advance.

Regards

I see the pictures of Sheathers Wharf in Central Coast from this website:

http://knol.google.com/k/matt-lauder/sheathers-wharf/1bzai8ozm4x6p/2#

It looks beautiful. I don't have a car, is it easy to get there?
possible to get by rail?

i'll go to Sydney for a week next month. Knowing that winter is coming, and the night comes earlier, what things are suggested to do at nights during the week?

Is it safe to walk alone at night in Sydney?

I am going to meet my husband in Australia in June. He is working out there for a few months and just happens to have 10 days off in June so I've decided to go over to see him for about 6 weeks. We will be visiting Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane as he is working in these cities but its in Sydney when he has 10 days off work. We have both been to Sydney before and done the usual tourist places in and around Sydney and had a great time so not sure what we should do. Should we fly off somewhere else or just spend time in Sydney and relax and enjoy it again. We have not been to the Blue Mountains so that could be a possibility if anyone thinks its worth a visit and if so would you stay out there or is it really just a day trip out? Its probably the last time I will visit Australia so don't really want to feel at a later date that we missed out on something. Also thought about heading up to Cairns as never been up there either but would not really know what to expect. If anyone has any ideas then let me know.

I checked that the sunset time is about 5:00 pm in Sydney.
Does it mean that it'll be almost dark at around at about 6:00 pm?

I wanna take fotos of sunset. So I suppose I gotta go earlier...

Hello Everyone

We are staying 7 nights in Sydney in October,will base ourselves in a hotel near the Domestic Terminal. While my husband will be mainly at the Airport Aircraft spotting, I am wishing to travel into the CBD of Sydney.

This will be my first time to Sydney,( husband has been before)and I have looked into using the train from the Domestic Terminal into Circular Quay which seems the closes station for the main tourist places of interest ie: Opera House, The Rocks, Museums and the ferries.

The 7 day rail pass allows you to travel for seven consecutive days and at au$ 43.60 ( station access fee for airport inclusive in the price) looks the best and cheapest way to travel from the Airport/city return. Domestic terminal-circular Quay return one day pass is au$22.20. So the 7 day pass seems a great price.

Does anyone know of a cheaper way into the CBD ie: BUS ?

Would this be the best stop to have indicated on the ticket ? Circular Quay as you can make as many trips as you like between the dates and stations indicated on the ticket.

Also understand there is a free shuttle bus : Route 555 that travels around the CBD , I could always hop on this to see more.Does it run everyday? and does it pick up near Circular Quay?

Would be grateful for any feed back and Thank you for your help with Hotels near the Airport.

kiwispotter
New Zealand.

Hello Everyone

We are visiting Sydney in October this year and looking for a Hotel which is very close to Sydney Airport as my Husband is a very keen Aircraft spotter and hopes to be close enough to the Airport so he can walk there to take photos.

Have been told the Stamfold Plaza Hotel is the closes to the Airport, therefore could anyone confirm this and would there be transport close by ie: bus service into the centre of Sydney so that I can do the tourist places while my husband Aircraft spots at the Airport.

Thank you and would be interested to hear from anyone with details on hotels close to Airport.

kiwispotter
Christchurch, New Zealand.

We are planning to visit Sydney for a few days and we have a rented car as we are staying outside the CBD area. I find the parking charges are AUD12-18 per hour in the CBD area. Does anybody know of any parking with a per entry charge relatively near the city where we can park for hours and move around without having to worry about the clock ticking? We are a group of 6 and we plan to visit all the usual attractions in the city. Are there street parking charges on weekends too? Suggestions welcomed.

I am looking for a MPV rental (6 seater) for our group visiting Sydney in May. Not many car rentals have MPV's. I have found the cheapest quote from Airport Rent A Car. Does anybody have any experience with this company? Any other suggestions?

hi, it'll soon be my first time to be a backpacker to SYD for 8 days. I'll keep in Syd during the trip. Except the blue mountain accommodation, I'd choose the hostels in the Central area.

I'm thinking, if I choose 5 to 6 different hostels for the trip, then I could explore more on different hostels, and in case if one or more hostels were to be found unpleasant, I could avoid those hostels in the coming nights (of coz chances are that all other hostels are unpleasant, but I suppose it's unlikely to be that unlucky...).

If I just target, say, 2 to 3 particular hostels, I guess I could accommodate easier (e.g. no need to search the address every night.) On the contrary to wot I just said, if it's lucky that the hostels are pleasant, then I could accommodate comfortably for the coming nights in the same place. And I've checked that some hostels offer cheaper price if booking for 3 nights.

So, I'm thinking how I should do.
Could any experienced backpackers suggest the way you book hostels?

hello again everybody!

My holiday is approaching fast and more and more questions are popping into my head. I got already so much help from the Forum so I hope you can help me out with following question:

When staying in hotels and any other kind of accomodation (not 5star places, more middle-class and low-budget places) is it neccessary to have a credit card with PIN Nr. to hand when checking in or am I fine using my VISA Debit Card?

I never got around to apply for Credit Card since I've been living in England as I didn't see the need of it as I can use my Debit Card here for everything (including Hotels etc.) What I don't know is if my VISA Debit Card (Bank is Barclay's) is accepted in Australia apart from withdrawing money from the ATM.

I do have a german MASTERCARD Credit Card, but can't remember my PIN Nr. for that one as I haven't used it for ages. Here in England we need the PIN Nr. for everything and just a signature is not enough. How is that in Australia, would I be fine with just signing and Identification if my Debit Card is not accepted?

I really would prefer to use only my Debit Card so I don't need to touch my german bank account (for this one I obviously know the PIN)or can I rely just to pay cash in advance when staying in cheap accomodations? I know they usually want a card for a deposit in hotels.
Can you help?

Hello everybody!

I hope you can help me.

I'm going to Australia next week coming from England. As it happens I have got around 500 Euro in cash lying around in my drawer and I'm wondering what is the smartest option
-to take the money with me to australia and change it into AU Dollars in Sydney
-to change it at my bank here in London
-to just put it into my bank account and withdraw the money from the cash machine in Australia.

Considering the Pound is quite weak at the moment and the Euro stronger and Exchange Rates what would do? I don't know how the AU Dollar is in relation to that currancies as well.

Propably doesn't make a big difference for that amount and will take the rest of the money just out of the cash machine overther out of convenience, but I'm curious.

Thanks

Hi there!

I'm going to Australia next week (04/04) from London and just have a question I hope you can help me with:

I've got some contradicting information wether it is neccessary to have any proof of financial security on check in or entering the country and going through immigration. Do I need to prove I have enough money and I'm not intending to stay in australia?
I'm only to be there for a 3 Week holiday and got the required Visa (I'm German, so no problem) and my passport is still valid for a few years.
I heard you only need proof if you are on a work holiday visa. Is that the case?
Please let me know if I need any bank statements and if how old can they be and what qualifies you as "financial secure".

Thanks a lot for your help!