Sydney Area Visit
 

Would one be appropriately dressed for day time visits to tourists sites in Sydney wearing shorts, golf shirts, and tennis shoes? Are coat and tie expected in restaurants in the evenings - other than the most upscale? Believe I've read that a coat, without a tie, is acceptable for the Opera House in the evening........please correct me if I'm wrong.

Is weather in mid September likely to be suitable for casual attire.

Are there web sites for public transportation schedules for Sydney, Blue Mountains, Hunter Valley and Port Stephens areas.

Beginning a two week visit (our first) on September 9. Had originally intended to rent a car, but appears this might not be necessary nor even desirable. Because of the limited time, will probably stay in this general area, rather than rushing from one airport to another, or spending long tedious hours driving from one point to another. But might make an exception for a two or three day visit to see the Great Barrier Reef, if September is a desirable time. Hope to see koalas in the Port Stephens area and kangaroos somewhere outside/near Sydney.

You can wear casual clothes in most cirmcumstances in Sydney. You can go to smart causal for dinner unless you eat somewhere popular with business people then you may feel out of place but still no one would really care.

September weather is nice. It is not hot but can be pleasantly warm midday but may need a jacket in the evenings or early mornings.

A good website is the public tranpsort infoline. www.131500.com. It you click on trip planner and enter where you are and where you are going it will give you all the public transport options available for that journey. (within some distance limit to sydney though). 131500 is also the phone number for our public tranport information btw.

If you go to Hunter Valley without a car you may regret, but there is bus direct from Sydney to the Hunter. However if you want to go to Port Stephens you may want to base in Newcastle where you can have day trips to the Hunter and also close to Port Stephens.

We had no problem with the casual approach during the day and the smart-casual approach during the evening.

We didn't dine at the Opera house but did dine at the Sir Stamford on Circular Quay, where if in Sydney Jacket and Tie was ever going to be enforced it would be here, and it wasn't! Next door at the Intercontinental was similarly "no ties" even in the old-fashioned Cortille Restaurant

Not sure where you will see kangaroos in the wild, outside of Sydney. However, there are koalas to be found, still in the wild, in & around Port Stephens area. I used to holiday at a place called Hawkes Nest (on the northern side of the Port Stepehens) and there is a swampy bushland area, near the Singing Bridge where koalas can still be seen. They are not always easy to sight, as they don't move around much, just sleep in the trees, so you have to have a "sharp" eye to sight them. Over on the Port Stephens side, I think they can be seen in the bushland around Lemon Tree Passage.
Australians like a casual laidback lifestyle, and our casual clothing we wear typifies that. You can never go wrong with "smart casual" in the evening. September is springtime in Sydney and as Jane47 said, it can get cool in the evenings.

We did an Eco 4 wheel drive tour of the Blue Mountains (booked via the concierge at the Intercontinental - we just said we want to go to the blue mountains in a smallish group of 15 as opposed to the usual coaches of 60 and they told us that this was the one to do) On the way back (about 30 miles out of sydney) our guide took us into a small forrested nature reserve and parkland where Kangaroos (load of them!) roam free. I'll try and find the details for the tour operator - It was an excellent trip!

Kangeroos can be seen at Euroka Clearing at the side of the Blue Mtns NP closer to Sydney. Often refered to as breakfast with the kangeroos, because they are out and about closer to dawn( and dusk) , but they broke their siesta to see us about 11 AM.

A/D

Go to Taronga Zoo while you are in Sydney. There are kangaroos and emus roaming around. It is a beautiful zoo overlooking the harbour - an easy ferry ride from Circular Quay - and you will get to see other unique Aussie creatures up close as well. There are a few fab wildlife parks around Sydney - Koala park, Featherdale and The Reptile Park near Gosford (on the way to Hunter Valley) has lots of Aussie animals

Might be worth considering a car for Hunter Valley and Port Stephens. All quite easy freeway driving.

And yes, Sydney is casual. Even in the most exclusive places a tie and jacket are a matter of choice rather than a given.

Submitting nomination now for absurdist post closest to the bone.

This year's fashion is to attend the Opera House naked.

AD
Those roos had been twittering about your visit all week - and they were all there to see you! There was much shoving and clawing to be allowed to join the group.
And they've spoken of nothing else since. :p

Just returned from a short trip, and want to thank all for your kind and helpful responses. You've saved me from dragging along the dreaded coat and tie, and given me some great suggestions for wildlife viewing and transportation needs. If all the people I meet in Sydney and environs are as pleasant and helpful as those on these posts, this short visit is going to be a memorable one.

Actually Margo, they were much more excited to see john_ j, fashionable north Sydney resident than mere foreigners like ourselves.

A/D

PS: When are you off to Uluru/Ayers Rock w/ Auntie? Have fun. Did you listen to Neil's link of Dinky yet ?