Could someone tell me their thoughs on: I"m planning to take my family (two girls ages 7 and 13) to Sydney Australia this July? I know its their winter but its off season and we can avoid the crowds. What is interesting to see and do around Sydney?

BC- try typing FAMILY into the text search box, then choose Australia in the subject box, then click "find". There have been some great threads on family visits here in the last year.

Try Opera House, Rocks Area, Zoo, Blue Mountains, Captain Cook cruise of the harbor. <BR><BR>Sydney can be cold so take warm clothes as many places on the outskirts of town are not heated.<BR><BR>Take a train, shuttle or taxi to town, forget driving, its bad ( I know because I used to live there).<BR><BR>

Hi, B.C.!<BR><BR>Can you not perhaps delay the trip for just a month, or, better, six weeks? When you mention "avoiding the crowds", I gather you think Sydney is a bit like the capitals of Europe in high season. Well, it's nowhere near as busy as that... you won't have to queue to get into museums or tourist attractions even in the height of January. And, really, what your children will like best about Sydney is the sunshine and the beaches and the colour, which you won't find in July or in the first half of August. I reckon it would be a shame for a kid to come halfway round the world and not be able to put a foot in the water at Bondi or Manly! Europe is good in any season, because there are so many places of historical interest that you can plan on these when the weather outside is frightful. Sydney, however, is a relatively new city, and its main attraction has to be its sunny environment.... so, please, hold off a little!

Thank you for the responses. Alan the trip planned for july is a fixed vacation I have with the company I work for so July is the only chance to get two weeks away to do this. I'm sure the beaches are great in Australia but we live in Ft lauderdale Florida and are kind of burnt out on the beach trips. In that time of the year with the other things that are to do there would 5 days sound about right for a Sydney area visit?

BC- We visited Australia last summer with our 14 & 17 year girls, although in early June. <BR>As we are from Hawaii, we also hadn't that much interest in beach activities. We spent our last 6 nights in Sydney. The BEST by unanimous opinion was the Harbour Bridge climb, despite my fear of heights. Second was the Aquarium -the best one we've ever found. Other fun things were shopping (costs are LOW, fashions are good.), wandering the Circular Quay and Rocks area (especially on the market day),a rugby game at the stadium one night, and several ferry rides...from the aquarium to Circular Quay in the evening was beautiful and from CQ to Manly for lunch one afternoon. We'd heard the Zoo is nice, but having spent time with animals up in Surfers, Brisbane and Cairns, took a pass on it. <BR>We even braved the cold one evening to see David Duchovny (my kids love X-Files) at a movie premier. We walked a lot, but also took the very affordable taxis frequently to avoid the cold.<BR>It is a great place! I hope you get to go up north as well...the weather will be much warmer.

Hi again, B.C.!<BR><BR>I apologise for my "negative" post yesterday... I didn't know your dates were so inflexible, and, yes, of course there are good things to do in winter in Sydney. If you are used to the weather in Fort Lauderdale, you would even find the cool (not really all that cold!) Sydney July part of the fun of the whole thing. So let's think about cool weather activities. It's not too far from Sydney to the Snowy Mountains -- you could do a three-day tour with any of the local agents when you arrive -- and July is the height of their ski season. Skiing is not an inexpensive pastime, but with the exchange rate being what it is, you are likely to find this some of the most bargain-basement skiing you will ever do, unless they have ski fields in Laos!<BR>Also, in the Blue Mountains (only a couple of hours by train from Sydney) winter is the time for "Christmas in July", where Sydneysiders can experience a Christmas like back in the "old" country: huge banquets, log fires, hot toddies, sometimes even snow... the sort of experience Aussies don't usually have in a December Christmas when it's the height of summer! Both of these activities should appeal to your girls. And, as was said earlier on, there is the shopping. Late June and early July is the winter sale time in Sydney; even our regular prices seem cheap to overseas visitors, so when you see signs like "75% off", you'll think you've landed in Shoppers' Paradise. The Opera House may not look as picturesque without the blue summer skies, but the concerts inside will be just as good. You will have a great time, I am sure, and maybe you'll want to come back again later and see the "other" side of Sydney. Have a wonderful trip, and, again, accept my apologies for an earlier negative response.

B.C.<BR>We were in Sydndey last year from July 1-6. We had FANTASTIC weather. Mid 40s in the a.m. to mid-70s in the p.m. Night was quite cool - light jacket only. Rained a couple of days in the very early mornings, but cleared by the time we were ready to go. Sydney is a fantastic city for kids. Have a great trip. If you're there over July 4, they have fireworks near the harbor.

Thanks again for the help, I have made a list with all of the suggestions. B.C.