Beyond the Black Stump (Sydney Harbour National Park)

Member Name: helencb

Product:	Sydney Harbour National Park
Date:	25/05/02 (163 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: culture, climate, opportunity

Disadvantages: Too far from UK

Phew, I think this is my longest op ever, so please bear with me until the end....

As I lived and worked in Sydney for two years, I thought I would share my experiences with you. I first went to Sydney in November 1997, but unfortunately this was only for a few days as I was on a three week assignment in Brisbane. However, less than six months later, I got the opportunity to move to Sydney in the course of my job.

A Little Bit of Australian History
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Well, as we all know, in the beginning, the only residents of Australia were Aborigines. However, European man started to explore and everyone wanted to find the Great Land they had heard about.

A Dutch Captain, William Jansz landed in 1606, but he figured there was nothing to be had there. However, exploration still continued and in 1642 Abel Tasman was in the area. He discovered Van Diemens Land, or what we now call Tasmania. He explored much of the coast and he too did not have a lot of positive things to stay about the aborigines. The called the land New Holland, but as they were so unimpressed they never bothered to try and claim the land as their own.

The British traveller Dampier explored the West of Australia at the end of the 17th century, and he was also negative about the land and its people.

So finally Lieutenant James Cook explored the area known as Botany Bay in 1770. He, on the other hand was fascinated by what he found in the land. His ship was subsequently damaged on the Great Barrier Reef. Cook named the land he found New South Wales.

How to get there
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OK, let's get the worst bit out of the way first. You can fly from Heathrow, and it typically takes about 23 hours. You will touch down for refuelling in Bangkok or Singapore normally. Many people use this opportunity to go and see a bit of Asia, but amazingly despite making this journey many times, I never had the
time or the opportunity to do a stop off. You can fly with British Airways, Qantas or Singapore Airlines. To be absolutely frank, the journey is horrendous no matter who you fly with, so I wouldn't get too hung up on this aspect. Just see it as the means to an end. I always flew with British Airways, in Business, thankfully, but it still isn't the most comfortable ride of your life.

Now because of the time differences, by the time you land, it will be about 34 hours from the time you actually took off, and if you catch the 2205Hrs flight from Heathrow, you will lose a whole day in the air.

British Airways and Qantas are part of the OneWorld Alliance, and you will often see flights advertised for about £700, including three stop overs in Australia. (For my money, these would be into Perth, then Uluru, Sydney and Great Barrier Reef).

I always bought Round the World tickets, (RTW), as these are invariable cheaper than a direct return flight. Sometimes the savings for me was as much as $2500 AUS. Many specialist travel companies such as Trailfinders have good reputations in tickets of these types. However the cheaper the ticket, the more restrictions, so be sure, before you book anything.

Oh, and don't forget to get your Visa. Everyone who wants to gain entry to Australia must have a Visa, unless you are a New Zealander.

When you land, you could get a coach to the city for a few bucks, or alternatively just get a cab, which typically cost me about $35 to North Sydney.

Accommodation
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Now thankfully, this was always taken care of for me, on my initial trips, until the company found me an Apartment. (It was on the 7th floor in a brand new block in North Sydney, and if you leaned out far enough, you could juussstttt see the bridge!).
However, there is plenty of accommodation to be had from the luxurious to the borderline habitable! All the major hotel chains have hote
ls in Sydney, although I would avoid the Hilton as it is a wee bit dated, (but nothing wrong with it, so don't panic if you have already booked it!).

Some of the best hotels are around the Darling Harbour area. If you want to go real cheap, there is always the Youth Hostel.

Quick Geography lesson: the Harbour Bridge connects the Area North Sydney, with the Main City. If you are going for a holiday, don?t get a hotel in North Sydney, as it is really just a Business District, and not a lot happens in the evening. Oh and the place is totally deserted on the weekend, as I know to my cost having spent 104 weekends there! Not only that, but you will forever be crossing the bridge into town!

Probably the best Hotel in North Sydney, however, if you must stay there, is the Duxton. This is so close to the Harbour Bridge that you could almost touch it. The other two are the Rydges, and what was the Centra, and both are ok, but not fabulous. The main north train line runs under the Centra and you can feel them rumbling through at all hours of the day and night. This hotel has wonderful views of the harbour however.

Weather
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During the winter, (June July), the temperature can drop to about 10 degrees C in Sydney. It also goes dark quite early, similar to our own winters, and this definitely isn't the best time for a trip. In the summer, temperatures are normally in the 30's range, although they can obviously get even warmer. Sydney is relatively humid too.

Time Difference
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Well it obviously depends on what time you go. Sydney has Daylight Savings Time too. During our winter period (Oct-Mar), there is an eleven hour difference, and during our Summer Period (Mar-Oct), there is a nine hour difference. Australia is ahead of us, of course.

Currency
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The Australian Dollar. Australia only abandoned Pounds, Shilling and Pence, in 1966. Their money
is brightly coloured and plasticky in feel. The exchange rate is currently about $2.6 AUS to the £1 GPB. During my two years there, it varied from $2.25 - $3 to the pound, but I used to use $2.5 as my rule of thumb. (Probably because I cannot divide by $2.61 in my head!)

Important Dates
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Australia Day - End of January. Lots of celebrations and fireworks, and you will need to practice the National Anthem Advance Australia Fair.

Anzac Day - 25 April Commemorating Soldiers lost in the War, Australia and New Zealand Army Corps.

Otherwise, Public Holidays are generally what you would expect at home.

Shopping
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Now trust me when I tell you this, Sydney is not really a place to go shopping, well not for clothes anyway. The Queen Victoria Building, in Sydney is a restored building, containing lots and lots of the nicest shops and boutiques however, and this was where I whiled away many a Saturday afternoon, people watching. And if you do go, say hi to Emilio, the hairdresser on the third floor for me would you?

The QVB building takes up a whole block on George Street. It started life as a vast market, and included a hotel, but was converted in the 1930's into offices and a library. In the 1980's a Malaysian company took it over and restored the Stonework. It is linked, underground to a shopping centre, which is at the base of the vast Department Store, Grace Brothers.

There are two big department stores in Sydney, Grace Brothers and David Jones. I especially like the Grace Brothers store, it was given a face lift a couple of years ago.

Another arcade dating back to the same time is the Strand Arcade.

Popular tax free buys are Diamonds and Opals. These can be bought down the specialist shops in the Rocks, all of which are reputable stores. Aboriginal Artwork is also popular.

And of course, there is loads and loads of trashy souven
ir stuff, and badly made clothes!

Church
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Well I know you wouldn't want to miss now would you? There are two cathedrals in Sydney, St Andrews and St Mary's. And if you want to go to the best Mass you might ever attend on the planet head for Francis Xaviours in North Sydney, Lavender Bay at 6.15pm every Sunday. Fantastic Folk Mass. This is a Catholic Church, but attracts christians from far an wide.

Sight Seeing in Sydney
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1. The Sydney Harbour Bridge. One of the World's most well known landscapes is Sydney Harbour and Bridge. The bridge was opened in 1932. Probably the best way to see a little of the Harbour and Bridge is by catching a boat from Circular Quay. There are a couple of two hour sightseeing trips, which are reasonably priced. You can also go to the lookout point, at the top of one of the Pylons. And if you are really brave, or stupid, you can walk over the top part of the bridge itself (yes the curvy part). This will cost you about $100, and will take about three hours. It opened as an attraction only two or three years ago. You should not have any alcohol, and you will be required to change into a regulation jumpsuit. You are not allowed to take any personal possessions with you either. Imagine what would happen if you dropped something below.

The bridge, of course is a major thoroughfare for traffic coming into and out of the city, and despite the eight lanes, it is still really busy. Let me tell you, when you live there, the novelty wears off after a while!

2. Sydney Opera House. Another fantastic attraction to this city. Sydney Opera House stands in the Harbour, and this is a great place to visit. You can do a tour of the Opera House itself, or you can just wander around the grounds surrounding it. The Opera House was the result of a competition, which a Danish Architect won. However, it went massively over budget, from $7 million initially t
o over $100 million. There are five theatres within the building, and I managed to get to one or two shows, thankfully.

3. Sydney Harbour. Just relax, get on a boat, and enjoy being in the water. There are many ways you can do this, including the ferries that cruise, the regular ferries between two points, or charter something for the day! Go on, indulge yourself!

4. Taronga Zoo. I believe this is the second largest Zoo in the world (and San Francisco the largest). Taronga Zoo can be reached by ferry in twelve minutes from Circular Quay. You can buy an all inclusive ticket. The Zoo's location is fabulous, looking over the harbour to the skyscrapers in the Sydney CBD. Oh, and you can cuddle a Koala here too.

5. Sydney Tower. This is that very tall building you will have seen on any photos of Sydney Skyline. It is sometimes known as AMP Tower, as AMP Insurance have a connection. It is the highest point in the Southern Hemisphere, and stands 1000ft above street level. You go to the top, in ultra fast lifts. At the top as you might expect, you will find revolving restaurants. Make sure you go on a clear day though. You can see as far as Wollongong, which is about 100km, South of Sydney.

6. Darling Harbour. Another great place to let time pass idly by. Darling Harbour is linked to the CBD via the monorail, and it is the harbour next to Circular Quay and the Opera House. Here, you will find street artists, hotels and restaurants and there is also a large IMAX theatre.

7. Sydney Aquarium is also a popular attraction, and is a good place for kids. You can see crocodiles and fish that normally inhabit the Great Barrier Reef.

8. The Rocks. This was my favourite place to hang out on Sundays. This is where the founding fathers came ashore in 1788. The area contains some of the oldest buildings in Sydney. There is a visitor?s centre, and The Story of Sydney Attraction is popular. There are loads of pubs and restaura
nts and there is a market on Sundays, selling lots of wonderful artwork, including many wooden bowls and the like.

9. Parks. If you need to slow down the pace a little, spend some time in Hyde Park, complete with the Anzac War Memorial or the Royal Botanical Gardens, this is just to the East of Circular Quay, and the Opera House.

10. Star City. Australians are into their gambling and casinos more than the Brits are, and if you want a glitzy night out, it is worth going for a trip to the Casino at Star City, and gambling a few dollars away. You might even win something - we won $400!

Wining and Dining
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Wow, what can I tell you here? I spent two years in this place. You can find any kind of cuisine you like, here, although there is a strong Asian influence. There are loads of great Modern Australian Restaurants too, although I am struggling to remember them all - nothing to do with the vast quantities of South Australian Merlot, I consumed whilst visiting them all, I assure you.

Well for real character; go along to the Orient Hotel in the Rocks area. This consists of a large pub, and a large restaurant upstairs. If you are feeling brave, you can try a bit of Kangaroo steak, although I would be careful where I did try this in Australia, as it can be tough if not cooked to perfection.

Al Porto Italian Restaurant. This is a delightful restaurant at the Star City complex, and worth it if you manage to win enough to pay for dinner, like we did.

L'Incontro. This restaurant is actually in North Sydney, on the corner of Miller Street. It is housed in an old Federal building, and is really cosy, with a great intimate bar. There is some seating undercover, but actually open to the elements. Oh, and the best part, it was two minutes from my home.

Wockpool. This is an Asian restaurant in Darling Harbour; it can be quite hard to get a table without a reservation though. The f
ood was fantastic, so I can see why

Bel Mondo. My sister treated me to dinner here, as she had read about it in her guide book, when she visited. Another Modern Italian feel, absolutely fantastic, but pricy, especially the wine.

Lowenbrau Keller. A more relaxed café/restaurant, with mainly outdoor seating, and reasonably priced, this was where I whiled away my Sunday lunchtimes. The restaurant is in the Rocks Area, and so it is a very lively part of town.

Doyle's on the Beach. This is one of those restaurants that everyone flocks too. It has a great view of the city, from Watson's Bay, this time, and it isn't mega expensive.

Slightly further afield, the areas of Glebe and Balmain were good areas for eating, in particular Darling Mills Restaurant in Glebe.

And I am afraid that is all I can remember for now. I have a few more, where I could walk you to them; however I cannot remember their names! Just avoid those places around Circular Quay and you will be ok.

Beaches
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Well of course all tourists flock to Bondi beach, don't they, although it isn't one of my favourites, it is an extremely busy location at weekends. Alternatively, if you are prepared to drive a bit further north try Palm Beach, which is where they film Home and Away. It never seemed to be that busy either. Manly is another popular seaside spot and you can get the ferry here from Circular Quay. Because, I had a car, however, I tend to drive further north, and find the quieter and less spoilt locations.


Further Afield
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The Blue Mountains is an extremely popular location which is easy to reach from Sydney. It gets its name from the Bluey Haze, which seems to exist when looking at the mountain ranges from a distance.

The main town, Katoomba, looks out over the Three Sisters rock formation. You can also see the Jenolan caves close to Katoomba, and take guided
tours. If you don't have a car, there are loads of tour buses that leave for these locations every day. And you can find out more information at the information point near Circular Quay.

The Hunter Valley is the Wine Making region of New South Wales. Now I have to admit, that they don't make my favourite Australian wine in this region (Unless it is Rosemount Hills of Gold Mudgee, but that's another op). However the countryside is pleasant and it is always fun to taste new wines, and perhaps have lunch at one of the vineyards.

Fair Dinkum
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Now you are armed with all this tourist information, it only remains for me to teach you the language. The Australians speak "Strine" short for "Australian", and just to get you through those initial few days, here are a few words to help you understand and communicate:

Back of Beyond - The Outback
Beaut - Very Good
Billabong - Water hole
Bush - Country Area
Dinkum - Honest
Footy - Aussie Rules Football
Kiwi - New Zealander
Matilda - Swag
Ocker - Stereotypical Aussie
Tinny - Can of beer
Ute - Truck

And finally ..

Root - If you don't know, I'm not telling you!

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