Sydney/Melbourne/New Zealand SI tips?
Oct 6th, 2006, 03:44 PM
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Sydney/Melbourne/New Zealand SI tips?
Hello!
I am traveling to Australia/NZ in Nov/Dec. I’ll be in Sydney on my own for about 5 days. Any suggestions on where I should go (besides the usual opera house, harbour bridge…). I would like to see the touristy places as well as just hanging out where locals go…. Any areas I should avoid, safety-wise? How are hostels there for a young female traveling alone? Is there one you recommend that is central and clean? I've heard both good and bad about Kings Cross, so what is your take on it? (And if you are familiar with San Francisco, you could use that as a reference for comparison.)
I’m also considering the tour below….is it worth it? The rest of the trip I’ll be in Melbourne and southern island of NZ. I’d appreciate all the advice I can get on what to do, eat, see, explore….as well as the rip-off places that aren’t worth my time. Also, any cool events going on? Thanks for your help!
Bus tour from Sydney to Melbourne (4 days):
Canberra, Jindabyne, Snowy River High Country, Mt Kosciuszko, Ninety Mile Beach, Wilsons Promontory.
I am traveling to Australia/NZ in Nov/Dec. I’ll be in Sydney on my own for about 5 days. Any suggestions on where I should go (besides the usual opera house, harbour bridge…). I would like to see the touristy places as well as just hanging out where locals go…. Any areas I should avoid, safety-wise? How are hostels there for a young female traveling alone? Is there one you recommend that is central and clean? I've heard both good and bad about Kings Cross, so what is your take on it? (And if you are familiar with San Francisco, you could use that as a reference for comparison.)
I’m also considering the tour below….is it worth it? The rest of the trip I’ll be in Melbourne and southern island of NZ. I’d appreciate all the advice I can get on what to do, eat, see, explore….as well as the rip-off places that aren’t worth my time. Also, any cool events going on? Thanks for your help!
Bus tour from Sydney to Melbourne (4 days):
Canberra, Jindabyne, Snowy River High Country, Mt Kosciuszko, Ninety Mile Beach, Wilsons Promontory.
Oct 6th, 2006, 05:32 PM
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stitchsf
Firstly welcome to Sydney, even before you arrive! I gather this is your first trip downunder?
5 days in Sydney is perfect, you've obviously done some researching already and know about the opera house, harbour bridge (be sure to do the bridge climb, a bit pricey but the view from top of the bridge will take your breath away), the Rocks market, Bondi Beach, the Bondi to Bronte coastal walk etc. If you want to do what the locals do, see if you can go to a cricket game one afternoon or even a day and night game, played at the SCG (Sydney Cricket Ground). I know you Americans don't play cricket so it would be an eye opener for you. Another thing that locals do is drink at a local pub, sink a schooner or two of VB off the tap!! I also suggest you do a couple of side tours out of Sydney, check this site out for things that interest you,
http://www.visitnsw.com.au/
Insofar as Kings Cross is concerned, it remains the 'red light' district of Sydney. I do not know SF so I can't make relevant comparison for you. However I can say that it is not as seedy as it used to be. The local authorities have cleaned it up substantially in the past decade. However I have heard horrid stories about hostels/backpacker premises in the area, not so much safety but conditions of some of the premises. If you are to stay in a hostel, may I suggest either the YWCA or the YHA located near Central Station in the heart of Sydney, website below,
http://www.yha.com.au/hostels/details.cfm?hostelid=29
In relation to the bus tour to Melbourne, please be aware that it is a very long trip. It is 1,000 kms from Sydney to Melbourne and a normal car trip takes over 10 hours, so longer on a bus. But if you like the great outdoors and hiking, Mt Kosciuszko is the place to be.
I too am heading to NZ's South Island next week, flying into Christchurch and will be drive south towards Queenstown and then back up to the wine country, being Marlborough. I have been a couple of times before and can attest that NZ is one of the prettiest countries on earth. Really looking forward to it and am sure you will have a good time there.
Well good luck with your planning. If you have further specific questions, pls post and I shall endeavour to assist.
S
Firstly welcome to Sydney, even before you arrive! I gather this is your first trip downunder?
5 days in Sydney is perfect, you've obviously done some researching already and know about the opera house, harbour bridge (be sure to do the bridge climb, a bit pricey but the view from top of the bridge will take your breath away), the Rocks market, Bondi Beach, the Bondi to Bronte coastal walk etc. If you want to do what the locals do, see if you can go to a cricket game one afternoon or even a day and night game, played at the SCG (Sydney Cricket Ground). I know you Americans don't play cricket so it would be an eye opener for you. Another thing that locals do is drink at a local pub, sink a schooner or two of VB off the tap!! I also suggest you do a couple of side tours out of Sydney, check this site out for things that interest you,
http://www.visitnsw.com.au/
Insofar as Kings Cross is concerned, it remains the 'red light' district of Sydney. I do not know SF so I can't make relevant comparison for you. However I can say that it is not as seedy as it used to be. The local authorities have cleaned it up substantially in the past decade. However I have heard horrid stories about hostels/backpacker premises in the area, not so much safety but conditions of some of the premises. If you are to stay in a hostel, may I suggest either the YWCA or the YHA located near Central Station in the heart of Sydney, website below,
http://www.yha.com.au/hostels/details.cfm?hostelid=29
In relation to the bus tour to Melbourne, please be aware that it is a very long trip. It is 1,000 kms from Sydney to Melbourne and a normal car trip takes over 10 hours, so longer on a bus. But if you like the great outdoors and hiking, Mt Kosciuszko is the place to be.
I too am heading to NZ's South Island next week, flying into Christchurch and will be drive south towards Queenstown and then back up to the wine country, being Marlborough. I have been a couple of times before and can attest that NZ is one of the prettiest countries on earth. Really looking forward to it and am sure you will have a good time there.
Well good luck with your planning. If you have further specific questions, pls post and I shall endeavour to assist.
S
Oct 6th, 2006, 07:52 PM
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stitchsf, you don't mention who your tour from Sydney to Melbourne is with. If it is not with the Wayward Bus I suggest you check their website (www.waywardbus.com.au). I don't actually know anyone who has done the Syd-Melb trip but I know people who used them on other routes (mainly Great Ocean Road) and were very pleased. They have an excellent reputation.
Oct 7th, 2006, 07:51 AM
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I don't know how much free time you will have in Canberra on your tour from Sydney to Melbourne, but here are some recommendations for your stop there. (I lived in Canberra for a few years and really loved it.)
1) Visit the excellent, free museums. My favorites are the National Gallery of Australia, (new) Parliament House and the Australian War Memorial. There are some good free tours at the NGA, especially of the Aboriginal art, but if you cannot be there during the times the tours are offered, you can always get a free audiotour from the information desk. For lunch, there is a nice cafe here. There are tours of Parliament House offered every hour and are very interesting. (This unique building was designed by an American.) Be sure to take the elevator to the roof to see some fabulous views. From Parliament House, you can walk down to Old Parliament House for lunch at their award-winning cafe located at the rear of the building. (You will not have to pay admission to the museum to go to the cafe.) It used to be called "Backbenchers", but now has a new name. You'll see both tourists in shorts and government workers in suits here. Finally, the Australian War Memorial can't be beat for anyone with an interest in military history. If you are on your own for dinner, head to Manuka (a "district" of Canberra in the inner south) for a wide variety of excellent restaurants. Or grab a group of people and head to the Kingston Hotel in Kingston (another inner south suburb) for "cook-your-own" steaks and chicken. It's a fun place to meet the locals but it gets crowded, so go early or call them ahead to book a table.
If you are going to Mt. Kosciuszko, I assume your tour will include a climb to the top. This is not to be missed. The best way to do it is to take the chairlift up part of the way and then walk on the metal walkway (to protect the wildflowers, etc.) until you get near the summit. The last part of the hike is a big spiral round the top and is only slightly steep. It's an easy hike for anyone in moderately good condition. Great scenery and how many people can say they've been to the top of a continent's highest mountain?
1) Visit the excellent, free museums. My favorites are the National Gallery of Australia, (new) Parliament House and the Australian War Memorial. There are some good free tours at the NGA, especially of the Aboriginal art, but if you cannot be there during the times the tours are offered, you can always get a free audiotour from the information desk. For lunch, there is a nice cafe here. There are tours of Parliament House offered every hour and are very interesting. (This unique building was designed by an American.) Be sure to take the elevator to the roof to see some fabulous views. From Parliament House, you can walk down to Old Parliament House for lunch at their award-winning cafe located at the rear of the building. (You will not have to pay admission to the museum to go to the cafe.) It used to be called "Backbenchers", but now has a new name. You'll see both tourists in shorts and government workers in suits here. Finally, the Australian War Memorial can't be beat for anyone with an interest in military history. If you are on your own for dinner, head to Manuka (a "district" of Canberra in the inner south) for a wide variety of excellent restaurants. Or grab a group of people and head to the Kingston Hotel in Kingston (another inner south suburb) for "cook-your-own" steaks and chicken. It's a fun place to meet the locals but it gets crowded, so go early or call them ahead to book a table.
If you are going to Mt. Kosciuszko, I assume your tour will include a climb to the top. This is not to be missed. The best way to do it is to take the chairlift up part of the way and then walk on the metal walkway (to protect the wildflowers, etc.) until you get near the summit. The last part of the hike is a big spiral round the top and is only slightly steep. It's an easy hike for anyone in moderately good condition. Great scenery and how many people can say they've been to the top of a continent's highest mountain?
Oct 9th, 2006, 06:25 PM
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In New Zealand I'd check out Active New Zealand, A friend of mine took a trip with them and highly recommended them. their website is www.activenewzealand.com
Oct 10th, 2006, 01:27 PM
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These are some of the top things to do in the South Island from New Zealand traveller’s feedback, and are in no order. I have tried to put them in order, starting at the top of New Zealand to the bottom of New Zealand
Throughout New Zealand
Buy the Lord of the Rings location guide, and do some hunting out of familiar scenes from the LOTR trilogy.
South Island
Abel Tasman- for relaxing walking and kayaking around the National Park
Walk the Queen Charlotte Track, Marlborough Sounds- Top, South Island
Marlborough- wineries, top East Coast, South Island
Kaikoura- for whale watching and swimming with dolphins
4 day hike, Banks Peninsula - East Coast, South Island
Moeraki Boulders - East Coast, South Island for unusual round boulders
Christchurch- Arts Centre
Akaroa- for a bit of French New Zealand history
Dunedin- for historic homes, albatross, yellow eyed penguins and seal colonies
Oamaru- for Old Oamaru Stone buildings and Penguin watching
Pancake Rocks and blowholes- Punakaiki, upper West Coast, South Island
Mount Cook - South Island
Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers- West Coast, South Island
While looking at the glaciers in the Fox/Franz Josef area take a cruise out to Lake Matheson first thing in the morning to take some amazing photos of the reflection of Mount Cook in the water
Wanaka- a relaxing place in Central Otago
Arrowtown- an old Central Otago Goldfields town with an old Chinese village, 20 minutes from Queenstown
Queenstown- for adventure activities and party atmosphere
Pipeline Bungy Jump in Queenstown
Drive from Queenstown to Glenorchy- have a beer at the Glenorchy pub, after stopping and taking plenty of photos whilst on the drive
Queenstown- wineries
5 day trek of Routeburn/Greenstone Track
Walk Milford Track- one of the Worlds best.
Milford Sound and Fiordland National Park- lower West Coast, South Island
Doubtful Sound in the Fiordland National Park- swim with dolphins
The Catlins- for nature East Coast, South Island
Stewart Island- for nature bottom South Island
Once you have done all these things you will have had a great look around beautiful New Zealand
http://www.newzealandatoz.com/
Enjoy
Throughout New Zealand
Buy the Lord of the Rings location guide, and do some hunting out of familiar scenes from the LOTR trilogy.
South Island
Abel Tasman- for relaxing walking and kayaking around the National Park
Walk the Queen Charlotte Track, Marlborough Sounds- Top, South Island
Marlborough- wineries, top East Coast, South Island
Kaikoura- for whale watching and swimming with dolphins
4 day hike, Banks Peninsula - East Coast, South Island
Moeraki Boulders - East Coast, South Island for unusual round boulders
Christchurch- Arts Centre
Akaroa- for a bit of French New Zealand history
Dunedin- for historic homes, albatross, yellow eyed penguins and seal colonies
Oamaru- for Old Oamaru Stone buildings and Penguin watching
Pancake Rocks and blowholes- Punakaiki, upper West Coast, South Island
Mount Cook - South Island
Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers- West Coast, South Island
While looking at the glaciers in the Fox/Franz Josef area take a cruise out to Lake Matheson first thing in the morning to take some amazing photos of the reflection of Mount Cook in the water
Wanaka- a relaxing place in Central Otago
Arrowtown- an old Central Otago Goldfields town with an old Chinese village, 20 minutes from Queenstown
Queenstown- for adventure activities and party atmosphere
Pipeline Bungy Jump in Queenstown
Drive from Queenstown to Glenorchy- have a beer at the Glenorchy pub, after stopping and taking plenty of photos whilst on the drive
Queenstown- wineries
5 day trek of Routeburn/Greenstone Track
Walk Milford Track- one of the Worlds best.
Milford Sound and Fiordland National Park- lower West Coast, South Island
Doubtful Sound in the Fiordland National Park- swim with dolphins
The Catlins- for nature East Coast, South Island
Stewart Island- for nature bottom South Island
Once you have done all these things you will have had a great look around beautiful New Zealand
http://www.newzealandatoz.com/
Enjoy
Oct 12th, 2006, 01:36 PM
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I'm reluctant to criticise swagman's excellent advice, but be aware that to many Australians cricket, far from being an eye-opener, is a definite eye-closer. Go by all means as an anthropological expedition, but just bear in mind that entire glaciers will have melted by the time the game is over - at least, it will seem that way - so you may not want to stay the course.
I also have to say that you would only drink Victoria Bitter (VB) in order to discover just how bad a beer can be. In fact local brewers in the US produce many, many far better beers. If you appreciate good beer, my advice is to try the James Squire and Coopers ranges.
Yes, Parliament House was designed by the New York firm of Mitchell/Giurgola and Thorpe. From memory one of the partners (forget which one) is Australian. Of course Canberra's original city plan was created by the Chicago architect Walter Burley Griffin with much input from his wife Marion Mahoney Griffin.
I also have to say that you would only drink Victoria Bitter (VB) in order to discover just how bad a beer can be. In fact local brewers in the US produce many, many far better beers. If you appreciate good beer, my advice is to try the James Squire and Coopers ranges.
Yes, Parliament House was designed by the New York firm of Mitchell/Giurgola and Thorpe. From memory one of the partners (forget which one) is Australian. Of course Canberra's original city plan was created by the Chicago architect Walter Burley Griffin with much input from his wife Marion Mahoney Griffin.
Oct 12th, 2006, 02:17 PM
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Oh, come now, VB's not that bad. I agree that a Cooper's Sparkling Ale is much better, but VB's a lot better than, say, Foster's or Castlemaine XXXX.
I think we have a classic case of reverse-nationalism here, where Australians and Americans each cast aspersions on their own country's product.
As for cricket, if you can get someone to patiently explain it to you, at length (allow a MINIMUM of two hours for the explanation part alone), it might be worth it, especially to someone who's already keen on baseball (which it is fascinatingly very similar to AND very different than), but otherwise, just showing up at a match and trying to figure out what on earth is going on is going to be pretty boring after, say, ten minutes. Cricket for Americans might be better left to television to start, as the dosage can be controlled. You're certainly not going to want to go watch an entire day's worth, when you've got so many other things to see.
In Sydney and in Melbourne, be sure to take the time to really wander a lot of the Royal Botanic Gardens in each city. They're both wonderful in different ways. If you're in the Sydney one in the late afternoon, you'll get to see successive invasions of thousands of cockatoos and thousands of flying foxes (giant fruit bats), which will most assuredly blow your your mind. I do mean THOUSANDS. Bring binoculars if you can.
I think we have a classic case of reverse-nationalism here, where Australians and Americans each cast aspersions on their own country's product.
As for cricket, if you can get someone to patiently explain it to you, at length (allow a MINIMUM of two hours for the explanation part alone), it might be worth it, especially to someone who's already keen on baseball (which it is fascinatingly very similar to AND very different than), but otherwise, just showing up at a match and trying to figure out what on earth is going on is going to be pretty boring after, say, ten minutes. Cricket for Americans might be better left to television to start, as the dosage can be controlled. You're certainly not going to want to go watch an entire day's worth, when you've got so many other things to see.
In Sydney and in Melbourne, be sure to take the time to really wander a lot of the Royal Botanic Gardens in each city. They're both wonderful in different ways. If you're in the Sydney one in the late afternoon, you'll get to see successive invasions of thousands of cockatoos and thousands of flying foxes (giant fruit bats), which will most assuredly blow your your mind. I do mean THOUSANDS. Bring binoculars if you can.
