Hello everyone!<BR><BR>I just read a post about storing luggage at the airport in Fiji, and was wondering if anyone has suggestions for the same at Kingsford Smith Int'l in Sydney?!? Our Air Canada flight arrives in Sydney at 7 AM (and does not depart for Cairns (Virgin Blue) until 4:15 PM. We will have three weeks worth of luggage and I doubt we can claim our bags and re-check at Virgin Blue for our flight to Cairns as early as 8 AM for a 4:15 PM flight. We don't want to just sit in the airport all day but don't think we can manage looking around the city with all the baggage...does anyone know if there's a storage room, or if we can in fact, check our luggage in so much earlier than the flight? <BR><BR>And finally, I know that in California (LAX) that for domestic flights, you have to check in 2 hours prior to departure and 3 for Int'l flights. Does this apply for domestic flights within Australia? If we're flying from Sydney to Cairns (via Brisbane) do we need to check in 2 hours prior as well? Or are there less lines...and therefore check-in times are much shorter?!?!<BR><BR>Thanks for reading this long post! Any suggestions or comments would be extremely helpful!

To my knowledge, due to September 11, 2001, most airports no longer have luggage storage facilities. I attempted to store my carryons at two different locations while on a trip in Australia & was advised such facilities were eliminated.

We are planning a trip to Oz also and were wondering the same thing. We are staying overnight at the Four Points Sheraton, we wondered if they would store our luggage there when we went to a GBR island? Any ideas?

bill,<BR><BR>thanks for the reply. that sucks that there is no storage room available. what ended up happening with your luggage then? i don't know WHAT we're going to do now. does anyone have any alternative suggestions? does anyone know if we could in fact check our luggage in WAY earlier than our flight time and then hit the city for some jet lag treatment/relief before our flight at 4:15? thanks again (in advance) for all your help!

Hi Oz<BR><BR>When we were in Oz in February we had to check in prior to domestic OZ flights one (1) hour in advance. It was easier there. Actually everything there was so pleasant - I know you'll love it. I could be wrong but I don't believe there's any luggage storage at the Sydney airport. You might give Qantas a call and see what their suggestions might be or check with Virgin Blue. We stayed at a hotel in L.A. and had to fly out later that night and they very nicely kept our luggage in a storage facility until we came back from sightseeing.<BR><BR>When we flew out of Sydney - we had to be at the airport two hours prior.<BR><BR>We packed light for our 4 weeks in OZ and NZ and used the hotel's washers and dryers. It was very handy and helped us in getting around a lot easier. Every hotel we stayed at had hairdryers too. Have a really great trip.

Patti,<BR><BR>thanks for your reply! - was your vacation post september 11th? is it just in the US then, that getting to the airport/check in times have doubled for the extra security clearances etc?<BR><BR>does anything think that a hotel in the sydney city area would let us store our luggage there for the day?!?!<BR><BR>

We spent this past March 2002 in Australia and NZ. So yes it was post 9/11 and everywhere we went in the states (started at BWI and were greeted by military with machine guns to Pittsburgh and then to LA. LA had long, long lines. There was a lot of searches (probably random and yes I was searched twice going out)<BR><BR>Many Sydney hotels are on the net - you might e-mail one of them close to the airport to see if they have a place you might rent( ??) while you tour around. We actually e-mailed most of our hotels and had good rapport with them as did Bill Simpson. Sydney people are quite nice and very easy to talk with. Give it a try - have a ball - and pack light!!!

I am sure that you will find that there is something you can do - Please help Alan!!!!!!!! to confirm that the station still has a left luggage section - if only to get a train to Central Station and leave your luggage there at the left luggage section - which is what I would do if there was no left luggage at the airport, from Central you just carry on to Circular Quay and you are in the thick of things. There is a station underground at the airport which you could access easily and then just get off at Central as there used always to be a luggage section there. <BR>I think that if you contact Virgin Blue they may have a better suggestion or if you are coming in from Fiji on Qantas they too should be able to help you out.<BR>The lines at the airports are not too long and don't take much time, however it is a requirement that you arrive 2 hours ahead - make that 1 1/2 just because of security systems. However if you are flying with Virgin from Sydney to Cairns I would get there early to try and get a seat further up the front of the plane unless you are particularly tiny and don't mind being like a sardine at the back. Also make sure that you have a nice meal in Sydney as Virgin doesn't serve meals and you have to buy anything you need.<BR>