JudyADenver

We will be in Sydney for 5 full days, 11 days on the south island of NZ then have a long connecting time on the way home in Sydney. We will arrive in Sydney at 8:30 am on a Thursday and our plane for the US departs at 4:25 PM. Our bags will be checked through to LAX so we are free for several hours. Is there anything worth seeing near the airport or should figure out how to get into the city, have lunch and return back to the airport?

Alan

The second visit to a city -- even a brief one -- is always a lovely coda to a holiday, so I think I would hop the airport train and be at Circular Quay in fifteen minutes. There's nothing much to see around the airport, but seeing one more time the very best of Sydney -- the harbourfront -- will end your holiday on a great note -- even better because you've been there before and know it! You are lucky that nowadays rail travel between the city and the airport terminals is so swift and frequent... a few years ago it wasn't like that. Take advantage of it and have a lovely last half-day!

tropo

When you take into consideration the boarding times, customs, etc, I think I would forget the city, and get a taxi around to Brighton Le Sands. Its the large suburb on the edge of Botany Bay that you see when landing. Depending on the time of year, you could get a swim in, or why not partake of a seafood lunch at the one of the restaurants overlooking Botany Bay. You will only have a short taxi ride back to the International Airport (about 10-15 minutes)

lizF

You could do some wonderful Factory Outlet shopping near the airport and then lunch at Newtown where there is every type of restaurant imaginable.
I see you have factored in your "be at the airport by whatever time"in so you will in fact have quite a few hours to twiddle your fingers.
I am sure that you will have found a number of things that you didn't have time to get around to doing and perhaps that is the day to do those things. If not then if you expect it will be a nice day why not arrange for David Jones to have a wonderful hamper packed for you, grab a wonderful bottle of something nice and head for the botanical gardens OR a nice harbour ferry ride and have a quiet and wonderful lunch?

Betsy

Liz, could you provide some specific info on outlet shopping around the airport and at other places in/around Sydney?

Peteralan

Judy, some good suggestions above but I would go for Alan's idea ( especially if it is a nice day ). Take the airport train in to the city and ,as Liz suggested , do a ferry trip on the harbour and a general walk around the Quay area before going back to the airport. I thought the airport train only took you to Central in which case you would need to get another train to the Quay but Alan could be right and maybe the train goes to the Quay as well. Good luck!

fuzzylogic

Oh - I would definitely head into the city for all the reasons Alan gives. The train from the airport does go to Circular Quay. It also stops at St James on weekdays. So I would get off there are walk down through the Botanic Gardens.

Alteratively, do what friends of mine (foodies) really wanted to do, and didn't have enough time - get off at central and lunch at the Golden Century in Chinatown.

I would go for option One - just tossing out the other as a thought.

Cheers.

Alan

Just to clarify the airport-Circular Quay trains: there are two platfoirms only at Circular Quay, and they both head back to Central Station, with two stops (in each case) along the way. If you board on Platform 1, I believe that you do, indeed, have to get off at Central and walk to the platform where the airport trains leave. If you board at Platform 2, there are frequent rrains which go to the airport without the need to change. If you're in a hurry and you just miss one, then the idea is to board the next platform 1 train and try and "head off" the airport train at Central... but if you're a stranger in town, this is not a recommended option, as one false move and you wind up in Liverpool, or somewhere!