Let us know where the TJs should go...

i was in sydney last christmas and new years, and even though i went with my family i had so much fun walking around and seeing the city for a week

-i took a bridge tour, which is where you walk over the top of the sydney harbor bridge. this is very expensive, however, so the next best thing would be to take a ferry boat around the harbor
-taranga zoo is directly across the harbor and you have an incredible view of the bridge and the city itself from the giraffe pen. it's open-air throughout and very fun to just enjoy the weather and see the view
-go to bondi beach. it's about an hour or two (i think? at the most) from the center of town and you can take a bus with the rest of the surfers. if you go on a hot, sunny day, the entire beach is crowded with people and there is nowhere to sit. take a surfing lesson or just admire the surfers. there's this really cool pool that is next to the ocean and as the waves roll in, it gets filled with salt water and people do laps all day long. definately one of the most famous and beautiful beaches in the world


anna

quote:

Originally posted by purpleposeur:
i was in sydney last christmas and new years, and even though i went with my family i had so much fun walking around and seeing the city for a week

-i took a bridge tour, which is where you walk over the top of the sydney harbor bridge. this is very expensive, however, so the next best thing would be to take a ferry boat around the harbor
-taranga zoo is directly across the harbor and you have an incredible view of the bridge and the city itself from the giraffe pen. it's open-air throughout and very fun to just enjoy the weather and see the view
-go to bondi beach. it's about an hour or two (i think? at the most) from the center of town and you can take a bus with the rest of the surfers. if you go on a hot, sunny day, the entire beach is crowded with people and there is nowhere to sit. take a surfing lesson or just admire the surfers. there's this really cool pool that is next to the ocean and as the waves roll in, it gets filled with salt water and people do laps all day long. definately one of the most famous and beautiful beaches in the world


anna

Anna, that sounds lovely! How much does it cost to get into the zoo?

Lucky for us we have Josh in the group who has promised to teach us how to surf. We are definitely holding him to that.

oops sorry, it's taronga zoo:

http://www.zoo.nsw.gov.au/

and it looks like it might be $30 for a full-price adult ticket. yikes! group tickets are obviously less expensive, and if the whole group went i'm sure you would be able to discount it slightly. also, try contacting the zoo in advance and telling them about your situation and they might be able to discount it further.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/sentirbon11/detail?.dir=b...dnm=ae6b.jpg&.src=ph

here's one of my pictures from the dock of the zoo

anna

quote:

Originally posted by purpleposeur:
oops sorry, it's taronga zoo:

http://www.zoo.nsw.gov.au/

and it looks like it might be $30 for a full-price adult ticket. yikes! group tickets are obviously less expensive, and if the whole group went i'm sure you would be able to discount it slightly. also, try contacting the zoo in advance and telling them about your situation and they might be able to discount it further.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/sentirbon11/detail?.dir=b...dnm=ae6b.jpg&.src=ph

here's one of my pictures from the dock of the zoo

anna

$30! Ouch. I wouldn't be able to eat that day That is an absolutely gorgeous picture of Sydney though. WoW! I'm starting to drool with anticipation.

What else did you do in Sydney?

Actually Anna, I'm looking at the other pics and you've got some great stuff there. The restaurant on the inlet pic is phenomenal! Nice!

thanks! that restaurant, if i remember correctly, is somewhere near port douglas, which is an hour from cairns. we had been snorkeling all day and had dinner at the dock when we got off

when we were in sydney, we stayed in the swisshotel in the center of town, so obviously i walked around the downtown a lot. there is an amazing shopping center owned by westfield and there are ALWAYS people milling around and watching performers.

we also explored the neighborhood called "the rocks", which is by the bridge and is one of the more old-fashioned areas, with a british feel. there are some tenements where immigrants lived and sloping cobblestone streets with pubs everywhere.

i'm excited FOR you guys-- i will definately be watching this season as religiously as the first one.

anna

Hey Anna!
Thanks for the 411 about Sydney. I'm lovin the thought of snorkling. Downtown sounds cool too, I'm interested to see the performers. Yeah, Tony's right about the not-eating thang if we do the tour. We can always all share a jar of Vegimite...does it come in jars? I heard that stuff was pretty bad actually. But, maybe we can do something like it. That "keep left" picture is funny. I'm a lefty and all, so it might be interesting to drive on the left side of the car. Lefty power! I really like the idea of a "Natural Pool" where the waves roll in too. If there was one thing to do in Sydney that stands out in your mind, what would it be?

quote:

Originally posted by purpleposeur:
thanks! that restaurant, if i remember correctly, is somewhere near port douglas, which is an hour from cairns. we had been snorkeling all day and had dinner at the dock when we got off

when we were in sydney, we stayed in the swisshotel in the center of town, so obviously i walked around the downtown a lot. there is an amazing shopping center owned by westfield and there are ALWAYS people milling around and watching performers.

we also explored the neighborhood called "the rocks", which is by the bridge and is one of the more old-fashioned areas, with a british feel. there are some tenements where immigrants lived and sloping cobblestone streets with pubs everywhere.

i'm excited FOR you guys-- i will definately be watching this season as religiously as the first one.

anna

Peformers huh? Maybe we could set up a little street performance that's so horrible people will take pity on us and give us money.

I'm going to take a different direction from Renee. If there was one thing NOT to do in Sydney that stands out in your mind, what would it be?

hmmm tough questions

i was only there for a week, but i feel like i started to understand australian culture by just walking around the city, DEFINATELY by exploring the harbor on the ferry and the bridgeclimb, and hanging out at bondi. of course i love seeing surfers! surfing is a huge part of eastern australia, and i'm sure on the western coast too. the whole mindset is to be very relaxed and go-with-the-flow.

i think my favorite part was being anywhere near the harbor to see the view, and also seeing bondi. the harbor is so amazing because the bridge, opera house, and skyline are all in one place. there are always sailboats and yahts out on the water, and you can see queen elizabeth's estate and luna park's famous ferris wheel. it's an expensive city so unfortunately you wont be able to do the bridgeclimb and might not be able to see the zoo, but i hope some people that know sydney better than me will post and give you little secrets about it! i dont pretend to be an expert at all!

my least favorite part was leaving the city! my dad wanted to visit the blue mountains for a few days, and i wasnt overly impressed with them. that's just my opinion, though. also, expect a ton of tourists when it's hot and sunny-- it can take hours to get anything done

hope that helps,
anna

Anna,
I love the pics! The harbor pic is brilliant! You are getting my hyped to get on that plane asap Bondi Beach sounds great and I can't wait to see some street performers.
Couple Q's for ya:
Was snorkeling pricey? I have never been and would love to go.
Would you recommend any cool spots (maybe "the rocks" as you mentioned earlier) to hang out at night and meet the locals??
Cheers!
Gabe

Thanks for the info. Anna! I like to adbsorb views too. We'll check out the harbor for sure. Bondi looks nice, hope we visit there at some point.
Gabe, I like the way you're thinking. I actually found this place online called: "The Brooklyn Hotel" I think it's a bar in Syndey, I wonder if it has a NY theme?
"Hello Mate, I'd like a Long Island Iced Tea and a Manhattan for my friend here."
hmmm.....

hey gabe--
i think i would hold off on snorkeling until you're in cairns, because the great barrier reef is up there and i have no idea how much it would cost, but you can probably google it... i'm pretty sure you can't just rent a snorkel mask and fins, b/c the reef is a ways out, and i dont think they allow people to go out there by themselves to prevent damage to the reef

and i was with my family so i didn't have any chances to sneak into bars or go to nightclubs, but it's a big, young city and you can find places anywhere. the aussies love their VB, if you know what i mean. ask around when you get there

anna

Take the bridge tour. I've been to the top. It's an awesome view of Sydney.

quote:

Originally posted by worldtraveler777:
Take the bridge tour. I've been to the top. It's an awesome view of Sydney.

does it cost anything?

If I remember right, it cost us around $165 AU or around $128 US per person. We used a company called Bridgeclimb. Sounds kind of expensive, but I thought it was worth it. How often do you get to climb to the top of a bridge(unless you are jumping off!). The whole thing takes about 3-4 hours to complete.

Sorry, I forgot you guys only get $50 per day. Guess the bridge tour might be out. Maybe you can get resourceful and come up with some extra cash!

yea i mentioned doing the bridgeclimb in my first post, but it's definately too expensive on just $50 a day. you guys would have to do something crazy and/or illegal to pay for that climb! it was really cool, though

anna

For one of the best views of Sydney Harbor, other then the boat cruise, go to Mrs. Macquerie's chair, you have an amazing view of the opera house and the Sydney skyline. Be sure to tour the Opera house, or at least go see it up close. When I was there last summer Lleyton Hewitt, the famous Aussie tennis player, was getting married, and I got to see part of his wedding!!! How cool is that??? The downer to the Opera House tour is that you can't take pictures inside, but it's still worth a stop!

quote:

Originally posted by worldtraveler777:
If I remember right, it cost us around $165 AU or around $128 US per person. We used a company called Bridgeclimb. Sounds kind of expensive, but I thought it was worth it. How often do you get to climb to the top of a bridge(unless you are jumping off!). The whole thing takes about 3-4 hours to complete.

Good lord! How about I just give them $10 and they let me go by myself.

quote:

Originally posted by worldtraveler777:
Sorry, I forgot you guys only get $50 per day. Guess the bridge tour might be out. Maybe you can get resourceful and come up with some extra cash!

Any ideas? I am down for making some extra cash. I am a bartender and I hear some people get jobs bartending while over there. How is the street performing and panhandling scene down there? Would I have any luck singing off key while juggling with a cup?

quote:

Originally posted by nwtennis706:
For one of the best views of Sydney Harbor, other then the boat cruise, go to Mrs. Macquerie's chair, you have an amazing view of the opera house and the Sydney skyline. Be sure to tour the Opera house, or at least go see it up close. When I was there last summer Lleyton Hewitt, the famous Aussie tennis player, was getting married, and I got to see part of his wedding!!! How cool is that??? The downer to the Opera House tour is that you can't take pictures inside, but it's still worth a stop!

What do the locals do for fun here? I mean, I am sure we will hit all the tourist spots and definitely enjoy them but I am really interested in finding out what the locals do. I mean, I live in the middle of DC and I don't go visiting museums and monuments in my spare time. I want type of trouble or fun the locals like to get into.