gardenweed

I read in the Sydney paper that the airport in Sydney has a very long custom backup for arrivals.

How bad is it? Are all luggage pieces inspected for contraband?

Will I have to wait for a hour or so after flying for 18 hours to clear? My wife an I are advanced in age. Are there any considerations granted for the elderly?

We will be attending the opera for a tour, dinner and then the performance of Carmen. What is the appropriate dress code for the upscale restaurant in the opera house? Will a conservative sport coat be acceptable. Is a dress shirt and tie necessary?

LizzyF

Sydney is generally very good in terms of getting through Customs and Immigration but if you are in need of help then do make arrangements beforehand and you will get attention. Some airlines do ask if you need help when you make bookings so ask if you airline does that and also remind the staff when you get on board that you will need some help on arrival because there is usually a line for people with disabilities.
Dress code for the Opera house is very open really so your conservative sport coat will be fine but you are coming in Feb when its still summer then a shirt would be fine - no need for a tie. So with limited baggage space, if the only reason you are bringing a coat is for the Opera then you need not bring one.

Neil_Oz

Good advice from LizzyF.

There are certainly worse airports than Sydney, but in all honesty there are better too, especially since the airport was privatised.

Every time we've re-entered the country in the last few years, always in the early morning, it's been something of a crush in the baggage collection/ customs line area. Last time we found that it was difficult to discern the difference between the people in the line and the rest of the milling throng. Don't worry, though, it's not Mumbai or anything.

Make sure you have nothing to declare - that way, the odds are very good that you'll be waved through without inpection. Certain foodstuffs, plant and animal materials are the prime suspects, and if you've been on a farm make sure the soles of your shoes are washed. (Don't laugh - we once admitted to having been in close proximity to some water buffalo in Vietnam and had to wait while our shoes were disinfected.)

Customs and immigration officers make their own judgements as to who might repay further inspection, and mature, "respectable-looking" North American tourists are a low-risk group. The only exception might be if you're unlucky enough to be draw the short straw and cop a random check (this has never happened to me and the odds must be low).

Lizzy is 100% right about the Opera House and its restaurant. If there's a public restaurant in Sydney that demands a jacket and tie I've never heard of it. Smart casual is the go. The dress code at the opera ranges from evening wear to jeans - i.e. there is no dress code. You might feel underdressed in shorts and sandals, but not in a decent collared shirt, preferably ironed, and slacks.

di2315

Hi gardenweed

As an addition to Neil's comments above, if you carry in anything you are unsure of (foods, plants etc) then make sure you do declare it on your customs form that you are given to fill out on the plane.

If you have declared goods, you are organised into a different customs queue; an officer will ask what you are carrying, then direct you accordingly to the inspection area. I invariably travel with food as airlines find it impossible to provide anything I can count on eating during the flight. I either dump the left-overs into the bins provided, or declare them on the form.

Washing your shoes won't make any difference - we flew in during the UK Foot & Mouth scare a few years back, and anyone who had visited rural areas had to remove all shoes they were wearing and the shoes from their luggage for disinfecting. We all looked a great sight, sitting barefoot & waiting for the return of our shoes!

As this is the only way we can ensure that diseases and pests are kept out of the country, the caution of AQIS officers can be understood.

Have a great time on your travels, Di

prue

Surely if the OP is spending the time and money to tour the Opera House and eat in one of the upscale restaurants then it would be no trouble to include a tie with his luggage

Neil_Oz

prue, if the OP feels more comfortable in a tie of course he can bring one. My point was just that he'd have plenty of company if he chose not to wear it. IMHO ties are European anachronisms in Sydney's summer and more and more men are waking up to that. I'll bet lots of women in that restaurant will be half-naked from the waist up.

Calex

I have found that by using the assistance provided by the airlines (advance notice required), you get through customs and luggage pickup quickly. The staff they use too wheel the chairs around the airport know the quickest way through.
You might not usually use a chair but it is by far the best way..

chimani

So if you don't actually need to use a chair, what gives you the right to jump the queue?

What sort of yarn do you have to spin to get priority treatment?

LizzyF

Chimani has "foot in mouth" disease again and for her information there are a lot of people who cannot stand for any length of time in a queue and that does not mean that they are wheelchair bound. It could be that they have severe Osteoarthritis, Rhumatoid Arthritis, spinal cord compression, herniated discs, hips degeneration etc etc and the pain is not evident to other people. Would you prefer that these people who are disabled did not go anywhere but just sat at home out of your view? Your ignorance blows me away Chimani and your rudeness is unhealthy as well. I hope that when you are of advanced age you are confined to your four walls and see what that is like.

Neil_Oz

Well, to be fair Calex did say "You might not usually use a chair but it is by far the best way." My first response was to read that as saying that even if you don't need a wheelchair you can use one to bypass the system - not that people with a genuine need should be denied the use of one.

Pretending that you're genuinely wheelchair-bound when you're not (assuming that was the sense of Calex's comment) did strike me as analogous to fit people finagling disabled parking permits from lax doctors.

I accept that Calex's post could be subject to different interpretations.

LizzyF

How many times Neil have you been to a hospital and seen someone admitted to or discharged from hospital in a wheelchair even though they are able to walk. If a person cannot stand for any length of time then the appropriate method of moving them is in a wheelchair, whether or not they can walk. I didn't interpret the previous poster in any other way than what is a good approach for anyone of advanced age and I would suggest that anyone who is not fully ambulatory arrange for a chair to be available.

Calex

Wow, had no idea that my input would cause such a stir. I do have a disability and will fight to not use any aids to assist. It wasn't until on return from our trip to Antarctica I had to request wheelchair assistance. Sometimes the body says no more.
Gardenweed sounds some what like me - slowing down but fighting it all the way.

LizzyF

When did you go to Antarctica Calex and with whom? Hopefully it was not the ship which went aground, had the passengers picked up and then was hit by a huge wave off Cape Horn - that was February this year. I was on the Princess something or another to Antarctica January/February 2007.

gardenweed

It would appear that my questions concerning the Sydney custom backup has prompted some spirited discourse.

Rest assure I had no intention of avoiding waiting in line for my normal clearance, however, in light of some of the suggestions made I have been pricing portable, blow up, lite weight chairs for possible use.

Thank you to all who responded. Your comments and suggestions are appreciated.

LizzyF

gardenweed - stuff those " I don't know what its like not to be able to stand in line for any length of time" people and organize with your airline for help on arrival. I think that more help should be provided for those who are either infirm or elderly and if there are wheelchairs then darn well use one. There are usually lines which are designed for those who have a disability and the stewardess can show you where those are and without the need of a chair most of the time. Hopefully though you wait will not be a long one but be sure of an easier arrival by arrangements made prior to take off.
Cheers

Calex

Gardenweed, use the services that your airline will provide. I know that I will make arrangements for wheelchair assistance for our trip in Oct 2008 to NZ/Australia, if not I will be too exhausted to enjoy the trip. It was much easier on my husband, who has become the mule on recent trips as he didn't have to carry the luggage and push me at the same time. Enjoy your trip.
Antarctic - We were on the Corinthian 11 (Travel Dynamics International) a small ship carrying 100 passengers.
Probably the best trip ever. Zodiak landings twice a day which I managed thanks to a very helpful crew. Expensive, but worth every penny.

quokka

Make sure you do have something to declare, something harmless like an unopened pack of chocolate - I've found the Red Channel much faster, hardly any lines at all, and very friendly staff, while 99% of the passengers are queueing at the Green Channel you'll be out in no time.