Australia Rules (Sydney Harbour National Park)

Member Name: indiecater

Product:	Sydney Harbour National Park
Date:	26/06/02 (614 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Climate, Value For Money, Aesthetics.

Disadvantages: Remoteness And Perhaps Short On Historical Highlights.

Australia's most celebrated city remains an obligatory stop on most itineraries around this vast continent. With a bulging population of 4 million this is a city that is going places. Many vistors are spellbound by the intoxicating mix of fine weather, superb natural environment and a cost of living that is attractive when compared to Europe's oft overpriced capitals. Many a working holiday has extended to much longer stays and for a considerable percentage Sydney eventually becomes home.

Although one of Australia's oldest settlements, Sydney remains a relatively new city. Europeans first arrived here just over 200 years ago and rapidly turned a unique wilderness into a city to be marvelled at. One event more than any, however, injected an unstoppable impetus than has yet to be tamed. The 2000 Olympics were a lavish success and had the eyes of the world jealously trained on Australia's pride and joy.

As with all this dooyoo'ers travel opinions this review is written from the backpackers perspective. Even though we enjoyed 3 months of fruitful employment we keenly guarded our well honed skills for eeking out a bargain and the endless search for the holy grail that is the freebie (Martin Place/Town Hall train stations pre-9am are treasure troves for free handouts!). Thankfully Sydney is hugely accommodating for both the bargain hunter and the more well heeled.


ACCOMMODATION

The man hub of economy accommodation can be found in the sleazy King's Cross suburb. With its coterie of cheap bars, strip joints and internet cafes the Cross is excellent for a night out, if only to witness the underbelly that Sydney doesn't try too hard to hide. Some of the characters that line the main drag, Darlinghurst road, can be a little unnerving so get those happy hour drinks into you.

Cooee Backpackers is the most obvious hostel in the area as it is adjacent to the Cross train station. As well as being party ce
ntral its location means that the cities wildest hedonism is literally at your doorstep. Bondi is another backpacker enclave and boasts several hostels as well as ample long term accommodation. Noah's Backpackers just off Campbell Parade near Bondi Beach has a good reputation and certainly looks clean and well run. Prices for dorm beds are generally around the $20 mark with doubles priced from $60.

Hostels are not really a viable option for many who come to Sydney on a working holiday visa . In summer shared accommodation can be hard to find whereas the winter months tend have an excess of supply. The best resources to look for house/apartment sharing is the Sydney Morning Herald's classified section. The backpacker operators such as Backpackers World and Travellers Contact Point also have good accommodation notice boards even if they tend to be a little out of date sometimes. We found out about our place from a poster stuck to a lamppost so keeping your eyes peeled is half the battle. If you are searching in the Bondi Junction, Glebe, Newtown areas there are tons of these makeshift ads everywhere.

Like finding work (seek.com is the best job site by the way), getting a place to stay just takes a little patience. Don't take the first thing you see, check out at least half a dozen places to get a feel for what's on offer and what people are charging. The price/quality variances are quite wide so be prepared to hold out until the right place comes along. If you are going to be working in town, proximity to local transport is a big factor.

Somewhat annoyingly a lot of shared accommodation on the market comes completely without furniture. So not only do you have to shell out on a bond (usually a months rent) but you may have to seek out a mattress (a base is optional, dependant on your ability to ignore midnight cockroach scurries!) as well. One way to get around this predicament is to move into a communal home like those run by
the aptly titled 'sleeping with the enemy'. These houses are usually well run and come fully furnished, just don't expect to sleep much. Check out sleepingwiththeenemy.com for details.


ATTRACTIONS

Probably the first sightseeing foray most people undertake when they arrive in Sydney is to head to Circular Quay which is home to both the fabulous Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. The Bridge is a huge structure that links the 'Rocks' to the city's North Shore. Now in its 75th year it retains a unique aura as well as providing Sydney's most popular tourist activity, the Bridge Climb.

The Opera House can be accessed by surmounting a series of steps just around the corner from the ferry wharf. We were caught by surprise by the fact that the structure is actually a collection of separate buildings. The now dulling tiles that wrap around its curves are due for renovation later this year so come next year it should look like a Hollywood actors incisors. While the price for shows is around the $75 mark some seats sell for as little $25. Early booking is essential to get one of these. Of late it seems that management have decided to look beyond its traditional market. Dance events are held once a month in the 'Studio' building with prices set at a very reasonable $20. Despite this it's likely that the majority of people who arrive at the Opera House's door will rarely step inside.

Darling Harbour is a huge area just off the Central Business District (CBD) that up to the mid-eighties was a dilapidated Dockland. Getting to the area is just a short stroll from the cities main thoroughfare George street. If you have the time or the inclination take the ferry from the Rocks or the light rail link from Pitt Street. Both afford brilliant views of the approach to the harbour. Darling Harbour has enough going for it to keep you entertained for a full day. The main attraction is the world famous Aquar
ium. At $21 the admission price is a steal and if you present your VIP backpacker card there is a 25% discount. The highlight is undoubtedly the shark tank that has a curved underpass which gets you within touching distance of the creatures. Mixing it (and somehow getting away with it) with the sharks are the graceful manta rays and umpteen other species of fish. Another eye opener are the dreamy Moon Jellyfish that make like a rave generators favourite video.

On a poignant note the Welcome Wall around the corner from the Maritime Museum makes for a solemn reminder of how many different nationalities arrived on Australia's shores looking for a new life. The wall combines inscriptions of the names of thousands of emigrants over the last century with some of their initial impressions of the new land. It's hard not be affected.

There are quite a few attractions just outside the city that are well worth visiting. The Blue Mountains is a very popular destination all year round. You can actually see the range from the city on clear days. If you decide to visit the peaks then you should stop off along the way to see the famous 3 sisters rock formation. The Southern Hemispheres largest theme park, Wonderland, is located near Rooty Hill in the outer suburbs. Day passes for unlimited rides, shows and return rail ticket is a bargain at $54 but be advised to get there early in the morning as the park closes at 5 in the evening. Tarango Zoo is a just a ferry ride from Circular Quay and provides an ideal opportunity to see native animals like Kangaroos, Koalas and Crocodiles.

Sydney's tallest structure is the AMP tower which has its entrance in the Pitt Street Mall. Apart from the observation deck there is a wonderful revolving restaurant that has the best views of the city. At $48 for an all you can eat buffet this is exceptional value. Some of the dishes on offer are a little unusual. Try the Emu, Camel or Kangaroo to leave your taste buds
as well as your body in a spin!


THE BEACHES

Not many capital cities have hundreds of beaches (300 in fact) in their environs but Sydney boasts more wonderful seaside escapes than most do trees.

The big daddy of them all is Bondi Beach in the Eastern Suburbs. As well as being a surfers mecca the beachfront (Campbell Parade) is packed tight with trendy restaurants and shops and has a 'groovy' Sunday market. Bondi Beach is surprising small but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in energy. The main lookout has fine views of all the seafront activities and on a clear days it is possible to see for miles. Facilities on the beach are top notch with free changing rooms and showers. You can rent pricey surf or boogie boards if you feel like showing off. The water can get a little nippy and the rips have been known to catch people by surprise (cowards that we were we never found out...hey it was winter!). To get to Bondi from town catch the train from Town Hall to Bondi Junction station where you can hop on a 380 bus that goes straight down to Campbell Parade opposite the beach.

Manly is a little more difficult to get to but the journey by ferry from Circular Quay is well worth the round trip price of $10. With a sweeping beach that dwarfs Bondi, Manly is another surfers paradise. Facilities in the beach area are excellent and the promenade is a great way to shake off all that accumulated sand on your body. As with most Australian sea fronts there are marked safe swimming zones which are patrolled by lifeguards. Oceanworld near the wharf is also worth a visit.

Palm Beach has become infamous because it is the location for the shooting of 'Home & Away'. If you're not driving then there is a bus service from town. While the area may come across as a little stuffy imagine the joy of seeing the surf club or Ailsa in a swimsuit!

Because we spent our time in Sydney during winter we never ma
de it to Bronte or Coogee beaches but both are among the popular among Backpackers and locals alike.


SHOPPING

Sydney has its fair share of weekend markets that are more or less extensions of the traditional bric-a-brac sales. Many take place in school yards and always attract an eclectic mix of people. The best markets can be found at Glebe (Saturday 10am - 4pm), Paddington (Saturdays) and Bondi Beach on Sunday afternoons.

Sydney's largest indoor market is the much visited (by us anyway!) Paddy's Market in the basement of the Market City complex in Haymarket. Here you can buy anything from fluffy Disney slippers to CD skip doctors. At times the place gets very busy and only the strongest elbow owners make serious inroads down the aisles. Paddy's Market has a similar outlet in the Flemington suburb and is also open weekly from Thursday to Sunday.

The heart of the shopping district is undoubtedly Pitt Street or the Pitt Street Mall to be more precise. Here you have your choise of any number of department stores like Centrepoint, Grace Brothers or the Strand. For a more alternative shopping experience Oxford Street has it all, whether the rubber on your shoes can match the legwork required to see it all is open to question.

The Queen Victoria Building (so called cause you'd have to be Royalty to afford anything in there) on George Street is a definite case of a victory of style over substance ( much like the Strand Arcade just off Pitt Street). As the beautiful people pontificate on whether that Gucci scarf would go better with their recently acquired green Lacoste pullover or the stylish Hugo Boss shirt peasants like us try to pass off the widening gap in the shoulder stitches on our well worn Stereolab T-shirts as a return to 80's cool. The hourly clock action on the third floor is a gas.

If music is your thing then Sydney will have you salivating at the mouth. Pitt Street towards Chinatow
n has a treasure trove of second hand stores. The best (and cheapest) is Lawsons. Red Eye Records is good for collectors but they do tend to overprice. Dirt Cheap records opposite the Hilton sells CD's for $10 and have a surprising good range. Hum in Newton, Egg Records on Druitt, Utopia on George and Revolution CD's in Bondi Junction are also worth checking out.


EATING OUT

It often seems that Sydneysiders spend more time in the restaurant than in the pub. There certainly is a huge variety of choises available. Eating out in Australia is generally cheaper than in Europe and the wonderful 'Bring Your Own' (BYO) drink option that exists in many of the eateries manages to lower the bill further.

Mozzarella's on Bondi Road just off Campbell Parade has a quaint atmosphere. The BYO attracts a small charge but the delicious pizza's on offer make it worthwhile. The decor is homely, the staff are efficient and the prices are good value even by Sydney standards.

YHA run the best hostels throughout the country and their newly refurbished joint near central station is no exception. The restaurant downstairs is unbecomingly arty and the menu is resolutely cheap. So what you get is the joy of eating out without the need to extend your overdraft.

Market City has a fine food court on level 3. Taste of North India was consistently our favourite option with great curries at reasonable prices ($7.50 for a huge helping). There are quite a few food courts spread around the city (Town Hall and Mid-Centre Department Store for example) and they generally match great variety with good value.

Being a sports mad city you'd expect to see lots of sports clubs. RSL's are everywhere, huge buildings stacked high with Pokies (gambling machines), televisions tuned to Foxtel, well maintained gyms, cheap beer and best of all roast dinners for under $10. They may not have much atmosphere but who cares when nutrit
ion comes at such ridiculously low prices. You can become a member for around $7 per quarter. We became members of Easts RSL in Bondi Junction and dined there whenever the thought of cold beans turned our stomachs.

If you like your food fast then the usual suspects are available in abundance. For some reason, however, the meal deals at KFC, McDonalds and Hungry Jacks (Burger King in all but name) are better value than at home. For $6 you can lap up a quarter pounder, fries and coke. As you would expect all the main thoroughfares are brimming with cholesterol jammed snacks.

For some reason Sydneysiders seem to have a passion for Sushi. Not knowing what the stuff was we gratefully tucked in. Not really our cup of tea but at $2 a small dish this was good value for money. Bondi Junction is overflowing with Sushi outlets with Sushi Train being the biggest and the best.


THE BARS

Sydney is a great city to get drunk in. Before you enter though it is a good idea to get a handle on the lingo. Pint size beverages are a rarity, you're more likely to be handed a Schooner (petite glass beaker) or a pot (incredulously tiny liquid container). While your instinct might be to hide in the nearest cubicle while you skull the contents a cursory look at the adjoining punters will put you at ease.

Rather typically the liveliest pubs in and around town have an Irish theme. The star pupil is Scruffy Murphy's on the corner of Goulburn and George Streets in the city centre. Dark, sticky underfoot, packed to the rafters and open 24 hours ensures that having inebriated fun is the only viable outcome. Upstairs the atmosphere is a little more relaxed and the big screen is perfect for watching Ireland take another famous footballing scalp. Back downstairs the band are giving it all while the fresh off the boat punters argue with the staff over the size of their pints.

The Cock'n'Bull in Bondi Junction has a misplaced reputa
tion. Management do little to enhance patronage but still they still come in they droves. While the place has an initial attraction (they serve beer and have bodhrans on the wall), sober reflection reveals an establishment without a soul. Just up the road the Tea Gardens prospers under a guise of minimalism. The countless TV's make it a sport followers dream but try a midweek drink there and appreciate the advantages of couch potatoing.

Back in town the Bristol Arms on Sussex Street has free flowing happy hours where $2.50 bourbon and cokes usually lead to outrageous dance compositions at 'Retro', the nightclub upstairs. Just around the corner on Kent Street the Hotel CBD has Tuesday 'toss the boss' evenings. Here if your call on a coin toss comes up the drinks are free. Get friendly with the coin thrower and the odds get stacked marginally in your favour.

Dirty Nelly's in the heart of Paddington has a real old world feel and where many Irish styled pubs have a cobbled together feel this pub has a genuine ring to it. Made up of poky little corners and unpolished surfaces it is the perfect environment in which to yap the night away.

The Mercantile Hotel gets packed at holiday time probably because it sits in the middle of the Rocks part of the city. Initial impressions would lead you believe that its in need of some renovation but the clientele are among the liveliest in the city. As the drink starts to flow you may even start to overlook the dodgy creditionals of the bearded wonder on guitar and start to grind to his dulcet tones.

Cheers Sports Bar on George Street has the most soul destroying basement disco bar in the city but upstairs the atmosphere is much better. With a huge screen and fast service this is a great venue for football matches. PJ O'Briens on King Street is another monument to the great franchise that has come down the East Coast from Cairns. It's hard to fault the authenticity ev
en if it is a Scotsman that runs the show.

Kings Cross has a good selection of pubs. The most famous and biggest is the Empire Hotel. Spread over 3 levels this place is forever thinking of ways to attract the budget drinker. It more or less succeeds but the atmosphere suffers a little due to its size. Club 77 on South William Street has a brilliant indie club called 'London Calling' on Friday nights (just beware of the trashy bands that come on before it). For late night drinking in a relaxed atmosphere then Barons in the Cross is hard to beat. Perfect for mixing with people while you mix your drinks. Have the paracetamol on the bedside table for when you return home.

Bondi Beach has a slew of classy bars that are worth avoiding unless you want to be seen looking goofy stirring an overpriced cocktail. Much better is the Bondi Hotel that boasts a dark hovel in the back where the coolest of bands occasionally sell their wares.


ENTERTAINMENT

Sydney excels in laying on free entertainment. With a dependable climate much of this takes place outdoors. There are plenty of festivals including the Darling Harbour Jazz fiesta in June and the impressive Surry Hills Festival a month earlier. The Entertainment Centre in Darling Harbour sometimes has free shows like the recent visit by the Dalai Lama.

Most of the bigger suburbs have their own multiplex cinemas. The best choise is to be found in town however. The huge Hoyts complex on George Street has over 20 screens showing mainstream flics. Dendy cinemas at Martin Place and Circular Quay are a better option if you want to see independent or alternative movies. Reading Cinemas (Market City) have good meal/film deals for around $16. Ticket prices are a bit exorbitant at $13.50 so it makes sense to go on budget nights which fall on Mondays (Reading) or Tuesdays (Hoyts).

Rugby League is the major sport in the city and even the national sport footie takes a back seat
leaving Melbourne to lead the way. Soccer is a fair bit down the pecking order despite the fact that Sydney's Olympic Sharks (I know!) beat Perth Glory in this years grand final. Johnny Warren and Les Murray on SBS put a new definition on soccer punditary such is their laid back sleep inducing style.

If you fancy a night in watching the box then expect to be pulling your hair out by the end because Australian TV is unequivocally rubbish. The content itself is not always to blame, its the incredibly high quotient of ad breaks. At times a 90 minute film can take almost 3 hours to watch. Forgetting plot lines, character names and the will to live is an inevitable consequence.

Sydney has a pretty active live music scene. The best venue is the Metro near Town Hall which has an alternative heart (but oh so expensive, $52 for Mercury Rev). Other venues include the Enmore Theatre in Newtown and the aforementioned gigantic Sydney Entertainment which holds 9,000 people. Most live acts are local which means that the quality can be a little lacking. There are some impressive acts on the go like Alex Lloyd, Coade and Gerling but several dozen excretable, yet unfathomably popular groups, such as Cog, the Butterfly Effect and the dreadful Oasis clones Motor Ace who just curl your ears. Overseas acts are few and far between and tend to all come at once around festival time.


TRANSPORT

Sydney has a well run transport infrastructure highlighted by an underground rail network that images the London equivalent. Fares before 9am are steeper than later journeys but for regular travellers a weekly rail ticket makes sound economic sense. The weekly Red ticket costs $29 and offers unlimited rail, bus and ferry travel in the inner city. There are 10 rail lines in total that service most suburbs and extend well beyond the metropolitan area. In the city centre a futuristic monorail system looks good but really needs a few more kilometres of track to
attract the non tourist dollar.

One thing you will notice when tramping the streets of the city is the distance that many of them extend. Oxford Street starts off in town and winds its way through Paddington only coming to a halt in far off Bondi Junction. Elizabeth and George Streets are similarly gargantuan and should only be tackled by those with adventurous instincts.


MISCELLANEOUS

There is a slew of free publications that are worth a read to get a feel of what's happening around the city. Drum Media is great for alternative music news and reviews. 3D World has digital leanings which means it has a specific audience. Revolver holds the middle ground and boasts excellent listings. If you need to get some footie news from home the crudely titled British Balls is a must. Witty, irreverent and pretty much indispensable for those unwilling to fork out 12 bucks for Loaded. Metro (in the Sydney Morning Heralds Friday addition) is allegedly the bible for weekenders but in reality tends to be a
little stale. The paper itself has slim pickings during the week but thankfully comes into its own at the weekend.

With a climate that never dips down to Western European standards Sydney is perfect for those seeking that Mediterranean feel in the Southern Hemisphere. We were somewhat taken aback, however, by how chilly the Sydney winter morning/evening can get. During May/June/July you need to wrap up well. When the sun shines it will warm you bones but at any other times it's fleece time. For the rest of the year though your only inclination will be to grab a towel and head for the beach.

It may seem a little odd of me but when living in Sydney I couldn't banish the thought of isolation. While the city has enough for a lifetimes worth of experiences getting anywhere else requires the services of a long haul flight. Perhaps its the fact that in Europe there are so many diverse capitals within a couple of hours air
time that makes the Australian experience so different.

Sydney is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Its population is multicultural which adds an energy and diversity that many cities lack. Taking your time to explore its nooks and crannies is essential for appreciating the Sydney way of life. Without doubt a fair dinkum place to visit.

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