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Sydney suggestions from another Cruise Critic


Ruth
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We are traveling on a cruise to New Zealand & Australia -One of the cruise critic's posted this on our roll call. I wanted to share this with others going to Sydney -It sure was a wonderful start for planning our time in Sydney. This person is from Sydney. Great Information. Here it is:

 

Between Hyde Park and Central is not as good as Darling Harbour or Circular Quay it has improved a lot in recent years and can still serve as a very good base for seeing Sydney. It is quite safe. I have been working around that area of an evening recently and it is quite vibrant even later in the night with many small budget restaurants and a few older but decent pubs mainly frequented by back packers and many Asian student who live in the area. China town and Paddys Markets are also nearby.

 

The trains, busses, ferries and the light rail make it very easy to get around the city and to some great locations a little further afield.

 

A MyMulti Pass can be purchased for $23 per day. This lets you use all of the transport in the greater Sydney area and even travel as far as Newcastle to the North and Wollongong to the South or the Blue Mountains (Katoomba) in the West.

 

http://www.sydneytrains.info/tickets/which/mymulti_day

 

If you are staying longer in Sydney you can purchase a MyMulti weekly pass for $63.

 

http://www.sydneytrains.info/tickets/which/mymulti

 

 

The trains, trams and especially the ferries can get you to fantastic places without the need to hire a car.

 

Must do's. Of course walking around Circular Quay, The Rocks and Darling Harbour. You can walk to them all from in less than 30 mins from your hotel or if less energetic you can also reach these by either bus, train or tram.

 

Ferry to Manly. A great way to get another look at one of the worlds best harbours. Have lunch somewhere in Manly and walk from the ferry to the beach. There is also a swimming area in the harbour and an aquarium where the ferry berths. If you are around on December 26th you can witness the start of one of the top yacht races in the world as Sydney to Hobart yacht race begins around 1pm.

 

Train to Katoomba and visit the Three Sisters. They also have a cable car and scenic incline railway in the area. The train ride through the mountains is nice as well.

 

Train to Cronulla Beach. Walk along the beach path. Many nice restaurants to dine. Great beach for a swim. Far better than Bondi.

 

Train to Kiama( Around 2 hours south of Sydney) A smaller coastal town and if there is swell they have a famous blow hole within easy walking distance from the station. The train trip is very scenic in parts particularly in the last hour or so as it passes through the Royal National Park and runs close to the coast in places.

 

Light rail (Tram). The tram is relatively new. You can catch it from Central station. Stop off at the Star Casino if you wish (I am not a casino person buy it may be to your liking). Stop at Fish Market where you can purchase seafood and have it prepared (I find it a little crowded but many like to visit) . What I like on the tram rout is the stops at Glebe and the cafes of Glebe Pt road. There are also nice parks on the harbour foreshore and many eateries. They run every 15 minutes or so. You can just get off when it looks interesting, have a walk around and get back on if nothing takes your fancy.

 

If you wanted to rent a car I would suggest the number one drive would be the "Grand Pacific Drive"

 

http://www.grandpacificdrive.com.au/

 

One absolutely stunning section is the Sea Cliff Bridge.

 

http://seacliffbridge.com/

 

Along the drive are many great beaches. All have free parking (although they may be crowded at holiday time).

 

Just take the day to make your way southward at least as far as Bulli Pass. You can then turn up Bulli pass, check out one of the two great lookouts. Bulli Lookout

 

http://www.thecliffhanger.com.au/

 

or Sublime Point.

 

http://www.visitnsw.com/destinations...-point-lookout

 

Another option is to have a meal and a beer at the nearby Panorama House while enjoying to view.

 

http://www.panoramahouse.com.au/

 

If you get an early start or want to drive and stay in Kiama or Huskisson for a night you could go and visit one of the worlds best beaches Hyams Beach on Jervis Bay. This is as good a beach as I have seen ANYWHERE. The whole Jervis Bay area including the town of Huskinson is spectacular and really worth a visit.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyams_B...ew_South_Wales

 

http://www.visitnsw.com/destinations...ven/jervis-bay

 

Plenty more information on both Jervis bay and Hyams beach available.

 

 

I hope this give you a little food for thought.

 

Of course there are always the wineries of the Hunter Valley to the North, the Central Coast around Woy Woy or Port Stevens further North from Newcastle, that are all worth a drive if you have a day or two to spare.

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We are traveling on a cruise to New Zealand & Australia -One of the cruise critic's posted this on our roll call. I wanted to share this with others going to Sydney -It sure was a wonderful start for planning our time in Sydney.

 

Appreciate the sharing of this very good summary of options for in and around Sydney from Ruth in Florida. BUT . . . however . . . that listing is only a small sampling. Much, much more. Lots depends on your personal interests. How much for museums, shopping, architecture, dining, shore-side sights, zoos and animals, etc.???

 

For us in our two and a half days before sailing away from scenic Sydney harbor in January, we focused much on two of the great "icons" of Sydney. That's the Opera House and the famed Harbour Bridge. See a few visuals samples, options below. Much more about Sydney, Australia and New Zealand options on my full live/blog connected below. We did both a tour here and did a later opera performance at this amazing location. YES, super worth it to do this superstar in-depth. Seeing the roof-tile up close is very interesting and gives a better idea for what it took to take this rough "design concept" and sketch into a finished structure.

 

Did a walk-around tour from their City Hall that worked out very well in seeing buildings in that area, understanding the history of the town, its settlement and development. Our guide was from the “Free Tour” group that works for tips. Our guide is a teacher who has traveled lots, was excellent in his Sydney/Aussie knowledge and fun, too!! It started at 2:30 pm at their City Hall. It included seeing the Queen Victoria Building (now a three-level shopping area), Westfield Tower, St. Mary’s Cathedral (just finally completed 14 years ago and Australia’s largest), Hyde Park, plus other sights in this sprawling central business district. This area mixes older, classical buildings from their native sandstone, plus soaring new skyscrapers with innovative designs, etc. Lots of people and activity in these wonderful downtown areas. Learning how their first hospital was built there (from a profit-sharing deal with rum sellers) was interesting. Yes, I rubbed the large brass pig at this historic hospital site.

 

Walked to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge with a little night and light rain action. Great views from up at the 404' high level of the Opera House, our ship and Sydney skyline. When doing this BridgeWalk tour, you really get a great "up-close and personal" appreciation for what it took in building this amazing bridge. Even for a "middle-age" guy like me, the climb up and down was not that hard or challenging. And the reward with the views was totally excellent!

 

KEY TIP: Read up and research ahead on your potentials for Sydney. Figure out what's best for your interests, personal style, etc. Can't do it "ALL" in Sydney with even four or five days there. Have plans "A" and "B" in case of weather challenges during your limited time there.

 

Here are added details on the Sydney Opera House. We did their tour and had a great, smart and very entertaining guide. And then the next day at 11 am, we went to see one of their opera production, The Magical Flute, by some guy of the past calling himself . . . Mozart. Great and interesting tour. Lots more good visuals to come.

 

WOW! on both experiences and learning so much. The one-hour tour took us inside three of the theaters, including both of the big ones. We also toured a smaller theater that seated about 550 and was being used for a production about native Aussie soldiers in World World I.

 

On this tour, you appreciate several unique factors in addition to what I had read and researched prior to our trip.

 

1. It was somewhat “luck” and chance that this Danish architect got picked to do this job. His “sketch” was very bold and rough, plus without many of the details for how to actually build this “flying sail” design. He was not an “established” architect with a big name, nor having lots of experience in taking on such a massive project on a dramatic and challenging building site.

 

2. They skipped most of the more conventional ideas with squares and boxes for this “free-flowing” structure on a Sydney site that had lots of history and local connection.

 

3. Building “it” and making all of the levels and mechanics function for these two big theaters and the three smaller ones was a big challenge. There were big cost over-runs and delays, budgets got blown out, the architect got fired before completion, etc.

 

4. Last fall, they celebrated the 40th anniversary of its dedication by Queen Elizabeth II. There is clearly a “love affair” with its unique beauty and icon status.

 

5. We walked in and around this parts of the harbor lots and it was always, busy and happening, in a great, fun way. What a lively area of Sydney with so much going on. Never boring here.

 

We really loved the Magic Flute opera that we saw. This version had many design concepts by the Broadway star who did the magic for the Lion King. You could see that “edge” from her creative ways to stage this production, the complex set changes, the costumes, etc. This smaller 1400-seat Joan Sutherland Theatre, where operas and ballets are done, has a stage with a large, rotating circular portion in its middle. They used those creative options to the maximum. It was a big cast with a full orchestra. We are not opera experts, but it “ALL” was impressive to us and the audience.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Back from doing a 14-day Celebrity Solstice, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure on this ship and getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for much more information and lots of wonderful pictures on these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 68,334 views for this fun posting.

 

 

We got great views of the harbor and shoreline areas on a Captain Cook harbor tour. We also enjoyed seeing the Rocks historic area with a shopping/market day. This water cruising worked well for seeing the Opera House and Harbour Bridge from different angles, beach scene with its nice bathhouse building, seeing Luna Park on the other side of the Harbour Bridge, etc. It was a fun narration done on this ship, pointing out celebrity homes, learning historic details, etc.:

 

GBRLizIslanReef5_zpsacc65f85.jpg

 

 

GBRLizIslanReef6_zps9fb130d7.jpg

 

 

Here we are in the Opera House's Joan Sutherland Theatre intermission lobby with its unique glass structuring that overlooking the harbor. This angle shows its unusual construction design/style.:

 

SidneyTwo11_zps5c7e6acc.jpg

 

 

Outside of the Opera House buildings, we were able to see and feel these tiles that were special made in Sweden. These roof tiles are actually made of two different tone on outside of Opera House roof. If these tiles were pure white, it would be too bright and glaring.:

 

SidneyTwoA1_zps2d23dc8e.jpg

 

 

From our last afternoon in Sydney, here are two samples from the walking “Free Tour” group we did that started at their City Hall. It included seeing this statue of the monarch at the Queen Victoria Building (now a three-level shopping area) and St. Mary’s Cathedral. These areas mixes older, classical buildings from their native sandstone, plus soaring new skyscrapers with dramatic designs. So much people and activity in these wonderful downtown areas. We also saw a statue of their first Governor, Macquarie, who shaped much of the early development here in Australia.:

 

SydneyDepartSolstice10_zps1d7cfd5b.jpg

 

 

SydneyDepartSolstice13_zps4d0755d0.jpg

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Thank you both for the fabulous recommendations and the pictures! We will be doing a cruise out of Sydney next April and so far have wanted to got to the Opera House and zoo. But now, it looks like there is so much to do! We were going to fly in about 2 days early, but I figured after that long flight we would only have one full day for sightseeing. Now I am beginning to rethink our plans.

 

TLCOhio, is there a way to get to the top of the bridge without doing the "walk"? Our group is in the 60's and 70's.

 

Thanks from a fellow Buckeye!!

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Thank you both for the fabulous recommendations and the pictures! We will be doing a cruise out of Sydney next April and so far have wanted to got to the Opera House and zoo. But now, it looks like there is so much to do! We were going to fly in about 2 days early, but I figured after that long flight we would only have one full day for sightseeing. Now I am beginning to rethink our plans. TLCOhio, is there a way to get to the top of the bridge without doing the "walk"? Our group is in the 60's and 70's. Thanks from a fellow Buckeye!!

 

Appreciate the follow-up and good question from our Ohio neighbor. Where do you live in the Buckeye state? Glad you are considering more fully your options and timing for being in this amazing city.

 

Unless you are a bird and/or have a helicopter, there is no other way to get to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge at the 404' level without doing the walk. It is all very well laid-out and designed to make things very safe and possible to do. I'm age 66 and not any super-fitness guy. Worked well for me. The staff are very patience and helpful. You can walk across the bridge. That would be OK. BUT, getting UP, UP in the steel, seeing the sights from this angles, understanding its construction. That is the SUPER PRIZE. Well worth the time and effort in doing. It was a total highlight for me!!

 

Other questions and interests?

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 178,419 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

Here are some more Sidney views, including a shot of retail action at the market in the nearby Rocks, people and architecture in the Rocks, seeing Luna Park on the other side of the Harbour Bridge, etc.:

 

GBRLizIslanReef9_zpsf852448e.jpg

 

 

GBRLizIslanReef10_zps285b8b38.jpg

 

 

GBRLizIslanReef7_zps69ef4886.jpg

 

 

Here is the view from our ship room balcony on the port side of the Solstice showing the famed bridge, some historic Rocks buildings, a newer Hyatt hotel and a P&O cruise ship crossing under the bridge. Great sights and views all around in Sydney. It is a photographer’s dream city!! Our room is on the angled out port in the middle of the ship. Great location for seeing the sights and having quick, easy access to the ship’s main elevators.:

 

SidneyTwo13_zpsacc53e1b.jpg

 

 

As we were walking back to the docked Solstice, here is an interesting White Ibis (I think that is the bird’s name) with its unique long beak. Plus, you can see the ship and harbor area/activity shown in the background:

 

SidneyTwo17_zpsf46ea52e.jpg

 

 

Here is our Opera House guide giving us added background in main entrance lobby of the Joan Sutherland Theatre. Lots of wood on many of the inside surfaces of this structure. High, soaring ceilings here.:

 

SidneyTwoA2_zps5221d8b5.jpg

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Thank You Ruth!! This is some great additional information for our visit to Sydney. We will have 3 days pre-cruise in Sydney before our cruise on the Solstice to Auckland. We will spend 6 nights between Auckland and Rotorua. Then, back to Sydney for 3 more nights. After seeing this, we will be renting a car to drive south to see the Sea Cliff Bridge, and also take in the Illawarra Treetop Walk. This looks like some amazing views!

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The other option is the South East Pylon

http://www.pylonlookout.com.au/Visitor_frs.htm

 

Somewhat cheaper but no easier of that is your concern. This is a much more informative aspect of the bridge (and you get tickets with your bridge climb most of the time. The difference is there is more opportunity to go at your own pace rather than that set by a tour group leader.

 

 

 

The views are just as good (its the brick construction on the left edge of the photos above)

 

A tip on the drive south to sea cliff …… If November and a weekend check that the Gong ride is not on, also be aware it is a very popular training route for road cyclists and popular with motor cyclists for a hit out.

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Thank You Ruth!! This is some great additional information for our visit to Sydney. We will have 3 days pre-cruise in Sydney before our cruise on the Solstice to Auckland. We will spend 6 nights between Auckland and Rotorua. Then, back to Sydney for 3 more nights. After seeing this, we will be renting a car to drive south to see the Sea Cliff Bridge, and also take in the Illawarra Treetop Walk. This looks like some amazing views!

 

Great choice. I was the OP in the other thread and wrote the post that Ruth so kindly shared. The drive south from Sydney, once you are out of the suburbs is fantastic. I was born and raised in the northern suburbs of Wollongong and there are just so many fantastic beaches in the narrow strip between the mountains and the sea.

 

I would suggest turning off just south of Sutherland and driving through the Royal National Park on the way to the Sea Cliff bridge. It isn't much longer and is far more interesting than the highway.

 

Stop at Bald Hill before you start down the hill toward Sea Cliff bridge.

 

http://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/south-coast/wollongong-and-surrounds/wollongong/attractions/bald-hill-lookout

 

If the wind is in the right direction the hang gliders will be flying. The views are wonderful. This was the site where one of the pioneers of flight Lawrence Hargraves experimented with his box kites.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Hargrave

 

If you would like to stop for lunch and have a beer at a great Aussie pub then stop by the Scarborough Hotel about 10 minutes along the road south of Sea Cliff bridge.

 

http://www.thescarboroughhotel.com.au/

 

I am in agreement with much of what TLCOhio says. I did not post these places as they are very well known and certainly worth a look. Sydney is a great city to visit. What I was trying to show is that there are some very nice alternatives for those who have either been to Sydney before or who have more time to seek out things to do a little further afield.

 

I will reinforce again how beautiful Hyams Beach and the Jervis Bay area in general is. While the whole drive south from Sydney could be done in a day it would be too rushed in my opinion to take it all in. If at all possible spend the night somewhere on the South Coast.

Edited by woodyren
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Appreciate the follow-up and good question from our Ohio neighbor. Where do you live in the Buckeye state? Glad you are considering more fully your options and timing for being in this amazing city.

 

Unless you are a bird and/or have a helicopter, there is no other way to get to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge at the 404' level without doing the walk. It is all very well laid-out and designed to make things very safe and possible to do. I'm age 66 and not any super-fitness guy. Worked well for me. The staff are very patience and helpful. You can walk across the bridge. That would be OK. BUT, getting UP, UP in the steel, seeing the sights from this angles, understanding its construction. That is the SUPER PRIZE. Well worth the time and effort in doing. It was a total highlight for me!!

 

Other questions and interests?

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Thanks again so much! We are "just down the road" from you in Miamisburg, just south of Dayton! Another question for you.....did you do the zoo where they have the Komodo dragons? Something my husband would like to see. As for the bridge climb, my husband has had a hip replacement and a friend that is going has had both knees replaced. I think they would be a bit nervous for that climb!

 

Carol

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The other option is the South East Pylon

http://www.pylonlookout.com.au/Visitor_frs.htm

 

Somewhat cheaper but no easier of that is your concern. This is a much more informative aspect of the bridge (and you get tickets with your bridge climb most of the time. The difference is there is more opportunity to go at your own pace rather than that set by a tour group leader.

 

The views are just as good (its the brick construction on the left edge of the photos above)

 

This may be what someone was talking about, but I thought they had mentioned an elevator. Guess I will have to ask him again! Thanks for the info!

 

Carol

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Thanks again so much! We are "just down the road" from you in Miamisburg, just south of Dayton! Another question for you.....did you do the zoo where they have the Komodo dragons? Something my husband would like to see. As for the bridge climb, my husband has had a hip replacement and a friend that is going has had both knees replaced. I think they would be a bit nervous for that climb!

 

Carol

 

I've been to the Taronga Zoo in Sydney many times to see the Komodo Dragons, among all the other animals. Komodo Dragons are very cool animals.

 

The best way to get to the zoo is by taking the ferry from Circular Quay across the harbor to the zoo. Once you get there, you will be taken to the top of the zoo via skyrail or bus. You then walk down through the zoo back to the harbor and take the ferry back to Circular Quay.

 

I would allow for half-a-day or more to see Taronga Zoo.

 

Also, another way to get views from the Bridge is to walk across the span of the bridge on the pedestrian walkway. It costs nothing and you can get some excellent views. There are some steps to get up and down to the bridge, but those should be the only steps your less-mobile companions should have to deal with.

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Thanks again so much! We are "just down the road" from you in Miamisburg, just south of Dayton! Another question for you.....did you do the zoo where they have the Komodo dragons? Something my husband would like to see. As for the bridge climb, my husband has had a hip replacement and a friend that is going has had both knees replaced. I think they would be a bit nervous for that climb! Carol

 

GradUT: I've been to the Taronga Zoo in Sydney many times to see the Komodo Dragons' date=' among all the other animals. Komodo Dragons are very cool animals. The best way to get to the zoo is by taking the ferry from Circular Quay across the harbor to the zoo. Once you get there, you will be taken to the top of the zoo via skyrail or bus. You then walk down through the zoo back to the harbor and take the ferry back to Circular Quay. I would allow for half-a-day or more to see Taronga Zoo. [/quote']

 

Appreciate the follow-up from Carol. Yes, know that town and area south of Dayton. Great added Zoo, etc., info from GradUT. Very helpful.

 

We did not do that Zoo in Sydney as we had just been to Kangaroo Island, seeing wildlife in the wonderful natural settings, etc. Plus, had much else to do in Sydney at the Opera House, etc. From people who have visited there, it is a good zoo in a nice setting. BUT, it is a "zoo", which has all of its plus and minus factors for seeing such creatures in those types of facilities.

 

So much to see around Sydney. So little time??!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 150,895 views. Nice to be hitting this high of a level for viewership. Appreciate the interest and follow-up questions/comments!!

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

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What about a visit to Featherdale to see the Koala's?

 

What do you want to know?

 

We've been there too and it's nice, but it's harder to get there than to Taronga Zoo. If you just want to see koalas, they are at both Taronga and Featherdale. If you want to get near a koala (no holding allowed), you can do it for free at Featherdale, but it will cost you extra at Taronga.

Edited by GradUT
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The Featherdale website has info on how to get there via public transportation. They recommend a train/bus combo and it looks like it will take just over an hour to get there from Sydney CBD. The fare (if I read the schedules correctly) will be around $10 each way per person. Admission to Featherdale is $29/adults.

 

http://www.featherdale.com.au/directions/

 

Taronga Zoo is 12 minutes from Circular Quay via the ferry. The fare is $6 each way. Admission to Taronga Zoo is $46/adult. When I was last there, there was a combo ferry/zoo admission ticket offered by the ferries, but there wasn't a great discount.

 

http://taronga.org.au/taronga-zoo#plan-your-zoo-visit

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