Old Moaner Travel
I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list
Sydney
The most popular city in Australia and many overseas visitors think, mistakenly, Sydney is Australia's capital city, when, of course it isn't.
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It's easy to see why Sydney is so popular, with a sunny climate and disposition, plenty to see and set at the top of the worlds largest natural harbour.
Getting There
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Most visitors arrive by air and Kingsfold Smith Airport is located only 8 km from the Central Business District (CBD), so is conveniently located with a relatively simple transfer.
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The quickest way to get to the centre of Sydney is by rail, with a journey time to the CBD of 13 minutes. On the face of it the fare is reasonably around $4, however there is a sting in the tail as to catch the train you have to pay a $14 "access fee" to reach the platform, which I think is a disgraceful rip-off- apparently it is to pay the cost of building the extension to the airport.
If there are two or more of you travelling then getting taxi is a better option, costing between $45 - $55 you do, at least get door to door service. I opted for a pre-booked transfer which was $53 dollars door-to-door tom Potts Point.
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Getting Around
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Sydney has an excellent, integrated public transport network.
There is a comprehensive Metro and suburban train network, along with a light railway, buses and, of course, the ubiquitous ferry system.
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To travel you need an Opal card, which works in the same way as London's Oyster card. You pre-load the card and touch in and touch out at the start and end of each journey.
Journeys are charged by distance with fares starting from around $4. There are daily and weekly caps, so you will not pay more than $16.10 a day ($8.05 on Saturday, Sunday or Public Holidays) or more than $50 a week. The only thing to bear in mind is the airport access fee is excluded from the capping.
What to See
Well it seems logical to begin with the two most iconic attractions in Sydney, the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House - they're the first places most visitors want to see and I have to confess I was no exception - once decamped in the hotel it was a case of getting the Metro to Circular Quay (which is also the focus for the ferries)
From here you both are in walking distance but in opposite directions.
Turn right and head past the ferry pontoons to reach the Opera House, head straight on, through The Rocks area (more on that area later), and you reach the Bridge.
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Walking to the Opera House you pass the walls of the Botanic Gardens (more on them later also) then following the Quay round you pass loads of cafés and restaurants - bear in mind though, prime location, prime prices.
You then reach the Opera House with its clam shell roof. It does look odd close up ...... with the usual distance photographs you don't appreciate the roof is actually made of thousands of beige and white tiles - I always thought of the roof as being a moulded or something like that so it came as quite a shock to see it up close.
I was also slightly surprised by the size, it's impressive but nonetheless smaller than I thought it would be.
Obviously it is a concert hall, several actually, and you can buy tickets to see a concert or event, There are also "behind the scenes" tours available.
The steps of the Opera House seem to be a popular spot for wedding photographs.
You can get a good view of the Harbour Bridge from the Opera House frontage, as well as watching all the ferries crossing the harbour from Circular Quay.
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Turning to the bridge, which carries both road and rail transport, it's arguably THE most iconic Sydney site.
There is a passenger walkway across the bridge - catch a Metro to Milsons Point Station, the far side of the bridge from the City Centre then walk back across the bridge, about a ¾ mile walk. Be warned though it is noisy ...... you're walking over a metal bridge with fast traffic and trains crossing.
The views are good but not perfect ...... safety barriers and railing make framing photographs challenging.
If you have a head for heights and deep pockets you can climb to the top of the bridge for the ultimate adrenalin fix. However it's not cheap with prices ranging from $198 - $403, prices vary by time of day and how high you want to go. The big climb to the summit of the bridge takes you 134m above the water and the round trip takes three hours and involves 1,332 stairs, so you need to be reasonably fit as well.
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Many of the place names in the Sydney area will be familiar to UK residents and the main green space in the city centre is Hyde Park. It isn't as grand or large as its London namesake.
Free Tours Sydney used to offer a "free" three hour bus tour of Sydney every morning, departing Hyde Park at 10:30 - I say free - you were asked to make a donation at the end of the trip, we gave a donation of $25 each and most of our fellow travellers paid between $20 and $30 a head.
Checking online it seems they have changed their way of offering the tour with a fixed charge of $18 - which is still exceptionally good value.
There is no booking, you turn up at the Archibald Fountain in Hyde Park between 10:00 and 10:30 and it's first come first served. In the unlikely event the bus is over subscribed you are guaranteed a spot on the next days trip. Between 26th December and 15th January there is a second daily trip at 14:00. The driver / guide was very informative, there are plenty of stops with photo opportunities and a coffee stop half way.
There is a 2½ hour walking tour round the city centre and The Rocks departing the same time each day, that is still done on a pay what you think its worth basis at the end of the tour.
The Rocks, near Circular Quay and dwarfed by the Harbour Bridge is where the first colonial settlement appeared. By the early 20th century the area was in decline and over 3,000 buildings were demolished as plans to flatten the entire area but the plans were stopped at the outbreak of WW1.
A further several hundred buildings were demolished in the 1920's to make way for the building of the harbour Bridge.
The area stayed in disrepair even until the 1970's when plans were introduced to demolish the remaining buildings.
A concerted action by residents and unions stopped the project and in 1975 it was decided to renovate the area.
The area is now a mix of gentrified buildings and social housing. Some parts should be avoided at night but the area is now home to some interesting arts and crafts shops and some really decent restaurants.
During the day the area is perfectly safe and well worth exploring on foot.
Sydney Botanical Gardens are a beautiful green oasis.
Established in 1816 it is the oldest botanic garden in Australia it is 74 acres of cultivated planted areas and lakes, surrounded by 150 acres of parkland.
There are five distinct areas to the "formal" gardens reflecting changes in fashion since the gardens inception through to the 20th century.
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The Sydney Tower Eye is an observation tower, with a panoramic buffet restaurant at the top. I have to confess I didn't visit the buffet as I thought it expensive and reviews in relation to food quality and value are lukewarm at best.
For a much better culinary experience I would recommend the Captain Cook Harbour Dinner Cruise. It costs around $100 a head but you get a three course meal, which would not be out of place in a Michelin starred restaurant, plus a three hour cruise round the Harbour seeing the iconic sights at night - thoroughly recommended. Other dinner cruise options are available but I've been on these cruises all around the world and I would say this is the best in terms of quality and value for money.
Sydney is famous for its beaches and golden sands and the most iconic must be Bondi Beach.
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Maybe its reputation built up too high expectations on my part, maybe it's because I visited on a chilly, windy day in the middle of winter but I cannot ever recall such a feeling of anti climax in my entire life as I had when I visited Bondi.
It was very much a case of "is that it?" It was also much smaller than I envisaged.
Frankly I've visited better beaches in the UK.
For me Manly Beach, on the North East side of the harbour is infinitely nicer than Bondi.
A 20 minute ferry trip from Circular Quay, the ferry passes the entrance to Sydney Harbour.
The ferry trip itself is great with stunning views, although it gets a little choppy passing the Harbour entrance.
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Ferries operate every 20 minutes - it's a popular route.
Even if the beach doesn't float your boat the town of Manly itself is delightful, with a colonial feel.
If you like drinking hot chocolate there is a delightful chocolate shop near Manly Wharf with hot chocolate to die for.
Also on the northern side of the Harbour is Sydney Harbour national Park, home to Taronga Zoo again you can get there on the ferry and don't forget Opal cards can be used on ferry services.
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Luna Park is where many Aussie kids sought entertainment before the days of the internet, after falling into decline it reopened in 2004. Not a white knuckle sort of place but a good old fashioned seaside funfair.
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