Do the Green and Orange Travel Passes include Bondi Explorer?
 

Will be in Sydney for around 3.5 to 4 days and will be visiting Manly, Bondi, the Darling Habour area and the area around Circular Quay, the Rocks, George Street, ...

Do the Green and Orange Travel Passes include the Bondi Explorer?

Do I need the Green Travel Pass or will I be fine with the Orange Travel Pass which covers ferries and buses?

Hi - you sound like you've done your research!

The bottom line is that the green/orange etc passes are designed for commuters but are brilliant for visitors who have the time and inclination to do their own thing.
The Bondi explorer is for tourists who don't.

So neither pass includes the Bondi or Sydney explorer, just as the 'with train' Green pass doesn't include travel to the airport.

The only area out of your given list where the train could be of any use at all is Bondi. There is a train that goes to Bondi Junction - then you'd have to get a bus to the beach. So the Orange pass would be fine.

But then, you never know, you might get sidetracked - you might wander off to the north shore - like taking a walk across the bridge would bring you to Milsons Point - and it is a whole lot quicker to get back to town on the train than on the ferry or (don't even think about it) a bus. So for the few extra $$$ I'd go for the Green!!

Hope you don't mind my saying so, but your itinerary is a bit conservative.
If you have that pass why not take a ferry to Balmain. Have a bit of wander around the back streets - it's a fun place to explore. You can wander all the way up Darling Street, or just sample a few streets before you hit the village proper. Then hop on a 445 or a 432 and go up to Victoria Road. Catch a 501 from there to the Fish Market for lunch. And then walk from there to Darling Harbour. See what there is to see and take the ferry back to CQ (preferably at sunset).

Have fun.

I've always sworn by the green travel pass for Manly privileges, but another time might even downshift to the red. Ferries are an essential part of your visit enjoyment, and red covers all but Manly. Probably it covers buses to Manly, and maybe you can pick up a bus not too far from a ferry to the north shore.

For Bondi, I would take a city bus from Watson's bay which you arrived by ferry/walking or non-explorer bus. This route would be far more enjoyable than the dreary utilitarian direct route, and that scenic route would probably be more enjoyable than Bondi itself which is kind of blah. Or take a bus to Coogee, then walk to Bondi (bus via Watson's after).

Aside from the inherent charms of a physical beach, Bondi and it seems to me even Manly seems to be drifting downmarket in terms of visitors and tacky shops. There are pocket beaches nearby that are more interesting. The ferry to Manly is the most scenic route, but has the absolute worst deckspace limitations for sightseeing - its pure combat to get a descent view seat unlike the other ferries.

For non-explorer bus routes, they are well documented on the web with excellant pdf route maps. Can get hardcopies outside west side of QVB bldg for instances.

Thanks for giving me the details. I think we will go with the green pass.

fuzzylogic, thanks for your suggestions. Milsons Point is a place that we may go but I thought it was easy to take a ferry there. Your tip about the train is absolutely helpful. We also want to go to some other areas but we will see how things are when we are there since we have limited time and we will be in Sydney over Christmas, we are not sure exactly how our schedule will be affected.

viking, I will take your suggestions about ferrying to Watson's Bay and bus to Bondi. It sounds like a wonderful trip. I have already got a reservation for lunch at Icerbergs, as per suggestions here on fodors. I am really looking forward to it. By the way, is the bus stop in Watson's Bay close to the wharf?

If we decide to take a bus to Congee. How long is the walk to Bondi?

Hello again. The bus stop at Watson's Bay is close enough to the ferry jetty - you just need to walk across a park - 5 mins at a brisk walk should do it.

Coogee to Bondi is one of the GREAT WALKS. It's pretty much along the sea all the way, except for a detour through the (worth it for itself) Waverley Cemetery. But it's quite a long way. You could probably find the exact km from a google search but off the top of my head I would say about 6km - and it's up hill and down dale. Allow 2 hours. There are also buses to Bronte Beach which is lovely and the walk to Bondi from there is only about 30-45 mins depending on how often you stop to admire the view.

If you want to combine the ferry and a walk - then apart from Balmain I would recommend going to Cremorne point and walking around Mosman Bay - ferry both ways - again late afternoon /dusk is perfect. Or take the bus to Watson's Bay and get off before you get there at the top of the big hill, just before an edifice that looks like a gothic castle but is actually a school. If you can find the way down this leads to the "Hermitage Foreshore" walk (no idea why it's called that) - an easy 45-60 min wander round some gorgeous coves that ends at Neilsens Park. You can swim there (it's netted). And then take the bus on to Watson's Bay or back to town.

I am ferry addict as you can probably tell, and hope you enjoy them too.

I should have added that it is, or course, easy to get a ferry from Milsons Point - back to CQ or on to Balmain or Darling Harbour. But if you wanted to return to the shopping area of the CBD then the train would take you to Town Hall Stn.