Trip to Sydney
 

My wife and I are planing a trip to Sydney the last week of May for our 26th Anniversary. We know a week is not near long enough to visit what we believe to be a wonderful country. We are not shoppers and enjoy history, wildlife and nature. We would love to hear from anyone who has suggestions. We are going to be staying at the Hilton on Pitt Street. We have wanted to visit for the last 26 years and are finally going to make it!

Returned from Oz 2 days ago and had a great time. I used Marriot points and had a free 7-night stay. Could stay at Marriott or Renaissnace Hotel. I opted for Renaissnce, which is also on Pitt Street, but i believe much closer to Circilar Quay, which is the hub-bub for getting around. Buses, ferries, trains and jet-cat boats all depart from there. We gt a 7-day Sydney pass at the airport, and needed no car. It covered round-trip tranport from airport to city, plus and ferries, jet-cats, city narrated bus tours, Bondi Beach narrated bus tours and virtually all public transport in city and nearby burbs. be sure to catch the jet-cat boat at wharf 2 of Circular Quay to manley beach (15 minute ride). The beach was warm enough in april, but will likely be chilly when you are there. Be certain to try the Copenhagen ice cream shop near the oceanside beach in Manly for the best sorbets, premium ice creams and reduced fat frozen treats try passionfruit) that were all home made (including the waffle cones made in front of you and dipped in chocolate. Best I ever had. Be sure to look for the arts and crafts typically on display Sat. and Sunday at several locations. Best I saw was in the Rocks (open 10 to 5). Unique gifts there...not the boring and ususal stuff you see at all the souvenir shops. Don't miss the botanical gardens, where there were hundreds of bats "hanging out" in the trees overhead. Great fauna and flora. Don't miss tours of the known trips... the Opera House, the tower (includes nice 3-d films along with trip to the top)and Darling Harbor. Simple but great seafood at Nicks in Darling Harbor, but all restaurants in Darling Harbor looked good. We went up north to the rainforest, so we skipped the Blue Moubntains near Sydney, because it would be repetitive. I hear it is great. We missed the acclaimed aboriginal noon-time dancing at the Art museum. Paddy market in Chinatown was a waste of time...cheap stuff like you'd see in th USA. You can re-coup your GST tax if you save receipts for goods purchased and carry them on-board. if you check them with your luggage, no refund. Have fun and enjoy the barramundi, john drory and snapper fish.

Hi, Steve!<BR><BR>Rick has given some great advice, and just about everything he says is worth following to the letter. But I can improve on one suggestion, if you are interested in wildlife and nature.... when you go to Manly (and you should) do NOT go by the fast hydrofoil. Its only advantage is speed, but you won't see anything. The best way to get to Manly -- and this is one of Sydney's best-kept secrets -- is to WALK. There is a GREAT three-to-four-hour nature walk from the Spit Bridge to Manly Pier, and May is the perfect time of year to walk it. Here's what you do: pick a nice, clear morning and walk (it's only about five blocks from the Hilton) to the bus stand behind Wynyard Station -- it's in Carrington Street-- as early as you can.... before 9 a.m. would be great. Choose Bus Stand C and catch bus no 180. Ask the driver to let you off at the Sydney side of the Spit Bridge (the fare is about $2.80). Cross the road and walk across the bridge, and you will see, as you approach the far side, the beginning of a trail around the water's edge. This trail is clearly marked and winds its way around several beaches, through water's-edge forest, and past some of Sydney Harbour's most glorious scenery. If you go early enough you might see a beach covered in crabs. Any time of day you will see the yachts dotting the harbour, the famous "squatters' huts", and (just off the track, about half-way through the walk, just as the view starts to get breathtaking) a host of aboriginal rock carvings. What you won't see is many people... I have done this walk and hardly passed a soul, except when the walk opens out for a few minutes and goes past one of the popular beaches. You will arrive at Manly Pier mid-afternoon and you will really appreciate the cold drinks available at the shops around it! Then you take the regular ferry .. NOT the fast one ... and enjoy one of the great ferry rides of Sydney (and it's cheap, too: around $4.00) -- half an hour past the Bridge and the Opera House. This trip will use up virtually the whole day, but you won't feel it's a waste, I promise you. <BR><BR>Rick is right when he says that the Blue Mountains is great. While you will spend most of your week just in Sydney (take a few of the other ferry rides to different parts of the harbour, too), you should allow at least one day to catch the fast train to Katoomba (about two hours), get a bus from the station to Echo Point, and walk down into the valley. The staircase down past the Three Sisters at Echo Point is a challenging forty-five minute walk, but you don't have to climb back up again... you can walk around the bottom of the cliff, to the right, for a further forty-five minutes and come back up by what is called the Scenic Railway, an ultra-steep cable train. Once again, pick a clear day for this trip, as the Blue Mountains can often disappear in a blanket of fog. (Don't take a tour bus from Sydney, as they won't care whether it's foggy or not.... a self-tour is the best and cheapest option).<BR>Best wishes for a great stay in Sydney. Bet you want to come back for three more weeks!

Hi Rick and Alan, really want to thank you both for the reply and the great advice. As it turns out my airline tickets had a minor issue which worked out for the best. We are now coming for almost 3 weeks. We will be there from 7/31 until 8/18 and will by flying through Auckland. Besides Sydney we want to visit Cairns and one other city that we have yet to decide on. Sometimes problems work out for the best. Rick, we are using points for our Hilton stays too. The only way to travel is free!

If you don't want to see a "city" for the sake of it, why don't you stop over in the Whitsunday group of islands. There are about 80 of them and they are really lovely. If not then stop in Brisbane and perhaps go up the north coast to Australia Zoo and see Steve Irwins place. Or go south of Brisbane to the Gold Coast area and trek around the border ranges and have some run around there. <BR>If you are able you could perhaps go to Hobart and see a little of Tasmania or perhaps fly to Davenport or Launceston and go to Cradle Mountain.

Steve, the three week option is much nicer. The weather won't be quite as accommodating, but it should still be reaonably mild along the east coast(depending, I guess, on what you are used to.) You might find Tasmania chilly at that time of year, though! Your third city, since you have definitely decided on Sydney and Cairns, should certainly be Brisbane, which, as Sean correctly points out, is a good base for short trips both north and south... and while it can be a bit taxing to visit in summer, it should be delightful at the time you're going!

Don't miss the aquarium. It was spectacular!