Hii...
I would be arriving in Sydney at approximately 5 to 6 am in the morning. Since my hotel check-in time is at 15:00 afternoon... Any advise on how i can find rest... do abit of sight-seeing or shopping... without having to lug my luggage with me nor me having to incur extra costs by reserving an extra day of hotel room prior my arrival...

Go to the hotel when you arrive. Often they will allow early check in if the room is ready, or sometimes will let you freshen up somewhere. If not, ask them to hold your luggage so you can wander easily!

We live in Hawaii, so every trip involves major time changes. Here are my top two tips for extra long lights:

Try to stay up till at least 7 pm on our first day. That way, the next day, even if you wake early, you're on the local time.

We also pack little packs of instant oatmeal, hot cocoa, or other "warm and sleepy" snacks in our bags, just in case we wake up starving at 3am.

Happy travels!
lucy

We arrived around 9am by the time we cleared customs etc...got luggage, found the shuttle buses.....I had arranged early arrival when I made the hotel reservations. I would advise calling back and asking for early check-in. It is not out of the question.

Which hotel will you be staying??? We were at the Hilton CBD but it is closed now for renovations but they were great...gave us the opportunity to shower and nap a bit before heading out to sightsee.

xanado:
By all means go to the hotel. They will be glad to hold your luggage for you. If you're luckey, your room might even be ready.
John

Thanks for all the tips & replies!!

This has often happened to us - we've gone to the hotel and thrown ourselves on their mercy. Nine times out of ten they have found a room for us straight away and when that hasn't been possible, they have minded our luggage until check in time.

Another recommendation for going straight to the hotel. Hotels will usually not guarantee you an early check-in, but they can often accommodate you if you arrive early.

I have never had to wait more than two hours for a room, even when I arrived in the morning. One time I arrived at 3:00 a.m. at a hotel in Malta and they let me in the room immediately--without charging me for the extra night.