Australia 2004 - Sydney

Taronga zoo, Botanical gardens

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

You can walk the main part of Sydney very easily... but there ARE a lot of stairs. Get yourself a "day trip" type pass at Circular Quay, which will allow you all day passage on the city's buses, ferries and trains. With a little practice, this will have you going around like a local.

Would you like a little taste of what it would be like to stay with a rich relative? That is what it is like staying at Simpson's of Potts Point (http://www.simpsonspottspoint.com.au). You are staying in a beautifully restored 19th century mansion, complete with leaded glass in the windows.

I worked mostly with John, but everyone there was helpful in finding things to see and do on this trip. Very warm and caring people.

Breakfast is served in a sunny conservatory and you can chat with other guests.Very often they have good ideas for things to do too. (One couple just RAVED about the Bridge Climb, but I still didn't do it). You can sip sherry or port while checking your email with free internet access in the evening.

You are just a short walk from the Botanical Gardens and from the night life in King's Cross. (Kings Cross can range from seedy to posh in the space of a block ... and there are some very good restaurants there.) I'll admit this was the pricest place I stayed on my holiday. Prices are just plain higher in Sydney than they are most places. In terms of "value for dollar spent", however, Simpson's ranks way up there on the top of the list.

I stayed at the Ibis at the airport because my flight got in late one night, and I was leaving for Cairns the next morning. The complimentary transfers to and from the hotel were the best thing about it. I don't expect airport accomodations to be wonderful. Most of the guests are probably doing exactly what I did ... crashing overnight to catch a plane early the next day.

This hotel, however, was not what I expected from a major chain. The room was reasonably clean, but had a definate "aroma" about it that I couldn't quite place.

With the exception of the van driver taking folks between the airport and the hotel the staff seemed to be bored and unresponsive. It's OK if you are just going there for one night. It is very convenient to the airport. I would find it hard to recommend for any purpose other than a quick escape in the morning, however. (The airporter bus, which will pick up from your hotel on appointment, makes this even less of a concern if your outgoing flight is not VERY early.)

Buy a zoopass from Circular Quay and go to the zoo via ferry. The pass includes your round trip on the ferry, a cable-car ride to the top of the hill (or you can take the bus), and admission to the zoo.

While I was there they were working on a new enclosure for the elephants, and it looks like it's going to be wonderful. Should be done soon, too.

Great views of the city from some of the exhibits, particularly the giraffes and mountain goats. The free flight bird show featured mostly native birds.

Lots of Australian animals on exhibit. This is the place to go if you want your picture taken WITH a koala. You won't actually be holding one, but it will be in the frame with you ... and it's the best price you are going to find for that sort of thing.

Allow 3-4 hours for this, and take your time.

Nearby Bondi is the FAMOUS surf beach, but everyone told me that they thought Manly was better. A quick ferry ride across the harbor, and now I can say that I share that opinion.

Manly is actually 2 beaches. There is a quieter leeward side where people scuba, kayak, sail, parasail and swim. That is the side the ferry boats come in to. A walk down a block or so of shops, however, will take you to the side of Manly that gets surf!

You can rent a surfboard if you haven't packed yours, of you can just watch the fun from the beach or one of a number of restaurants. Both shops are restaurants run from the budget conscious to the outrageous. It's definitely worth making an afternoon of ... and you can make it as exciting or relaxing as you want.

Yes, you will find references to "Finding Nemo" all over the Aquarium. The film is, after all, set in Sydney. Nemo and his buddies swim just off the shore.

The Aquarium is open until 10:00pm, so you can do this as part of a longer day of seeing the sights ... most things close down at 5:00. You will get up close looks at many creatures you usually won't see without scuba tanks. (Since my trip to the reef got rained out, I saw things I didn't get to see with scuba tanks.)

There are a couple of places where you walk *though* a glass tunnel in the middle of a larger tank, with sharks and other creatures swimming above, below and beside you. I don't have kids myself, but every kid I saw there was just delighted.

The signs as you enter the park encourage you to "Please walk on the grass". The sulfer crested cockatoos are about as common as crows, but I didn't get bored with them. Between the occasional unusual stone outcroppings (including "Mrs. Macquarries Chair"), well maintained gardens and spectacular views of the harbor (including the bridge and the opera house) it's pretty easy to lose hours there.

Don't try to rush it, it's counter to the whole point of the place. Just plan on a long, liesurely ramble around. Just passing through on my way to someplace else I managed to misplace an hour just by stopping to see one more flower, one more bird, one more scenic view, etc. There is a posted closing time of 6:00pm, although that is frequently extended for concerts and other special events.

San Francisco has love songs to its famous hills. I never thought of Sydney as being hilly ... and much of it really isn't. But it IS hilly enough to have a fair number of stairs, all around town. I almost believe there is a law that walking directions must include the phrase "go up (or down) the stairs." Once you get used to the idea, it's actually sort of interesting to see how and where they are placed. Some of them are over 100 years old, and show the wear of many, many passing feet.