G'day from Sydney

1. Seeing "Grand" at the Opera House. If you can see a show at the Opera House do it, as it is an experience not to be missed.
2. Visiting Bondi Beach, less than an hour outside the city and completely different. This Aussie surf beach is gorgeous, and it’s fun to watch the surfers and explore the town.
3. Riding the ferries, public transportation at its finest. They may not be the fastest way to get around, but the views of the city are amazing, plus they are relatively quick and inexpensive.

Quick Tips:

When I visited, if you went on an Opera House Tour, there were amazing promos for show tickets (buy one, get one half off, etc.). It worked out so that the tour and my show ticket were cheaper than just buying a show ticket.

The ferry offices offer combo tickets, which include ferry service to a place and admission (I know this is valid for the aquarium), so you save a little money. But, if you are eligible for a student discount, you will do better buying the ferry ticket and admission tickets separately.

Best Way To Get Around:

The Metro is a good way to get around, as are the busses. Ferries are a lot of fun and fairly inexpensive (as I said before, you get a great view of the city and the harbor from the ferry). Walking is an option between many places (i.e. Circular Quay, The Rocks, and downtown are all within walking distance of each other), and taxis are readily accessible.

The National Maritime Museum offers a great view of maritime history and culture in Australia. The museum itself is large and full of interesting exhibits, and even if you are not really into boat stuff, it's fun to see. There are exhibits about the Australian Navy, immigration, shipping, swimming, beach life (very well done), and much more. They also have several boats that you can go on and explore. The boats have guides on them who give tours (we got a private tour the day we went, which was great). Admission to the museum is free, but there are small fees to go on the boats. If you have time to visit the museum, it’s a nice way to spend a few hours.

The Sydney Aquarium is one of the finest aquariums I have visited. The displays are well laid-out and contain a good deal of information, which is well-written and interesting. There are three big exhibits: sharks, Great Barrier Reef, and seals. These are all well displayed, and the seal exhibit, for example, offers above-water and underwater viewing points, and the shark exhibit is a walk-through aquarium.

A typical aquarium visit lasts a few hours. The aquarium is open late (10pm) and is fun to visit at night. The crowds are also smaller at night. You can take the ferry to the aquarium, which is a lot of fun. Discount adult ferry/aquarium tickets are available at the ferry terminal at Circular Quay. There are also combo ticket packages available (Sky tower, aquarium, etc.), which would be worth looking into if you plan on visiting many places in Sydney.

Tour: Touring the opera house is a fabulous experience. My tour guide taught us about the architecture and the history of the opera house, which was quite interesting, as well as showing us around and explaining how the opera house is functioning today. The tour lasts about an hour, and adequate time is given to look around the various places that you will visit. Morning tours are encouraged, because more theaters are open in the morning, but I took an afternoon tour and still got to see a lot of stuff.

Performance: Seeing a show at the SOH is a wonderful experience, and I would HIGHLY recommend it. I saw GRAND! A tribute to the piano in the form of dance, it was absolutely delightful. The performance was well rehearsed, well choreographed, and a pleasure to watch. There is also something to be said for walking into such a well-known and beautiful building to see a show, as the feeling is remarkable. What a pleasure! It is an experience I will always remember.

Bondi Beach is a wonderful place to go relax and enjoy classic Australian beach culture. The beach is large and beautiful, with fine sand that is uncluttered. Surfers rule here, and you will undoubtedly have a good time watching brave surfers take on the waves. One disadvantage to this beach is that since the undertow is so strong, swimming is not advised, and only experienced surfers are encouraged to take on the waves, which are supposed to yield great surfing. But if you are just looking for a nice beach to lie out at, walk along, or relax at, this is a great place to go. There are lots of cafes and ice cream shops nearby, and the town near the beach is quaint and fun.

This is a bit more sedate than Bondi Beach, but equally enjoyable. Manly Beach is easily accessible by ferry from downtown Sydney (catch a ferry at Circular Quay; the ride is about an hour). Manly Beach is a large beach with fine sand and a good deal of activity. There is surfing and volleyball to watch or participate in, and swimming is possible here.

The town of Manly is touristy but fun, and there are several gift shops that are fun to poke around in looking for the perfect Australia souvenir (I found these shops to be much cheaper than the shops downtown). There are cute restaurants and bars all around. I thoroughly enjoyed spending an afternoon and evening in Manly, as it is a nice reprieve from the city and a very relaxing place to spend some time.