Australia Destinations
Melbourne city tour on the free tram
Many cities around the world have special bus or tram routes meant for tourists, which often circle through a collection of the most important sights in the central city. Melbourne has its own version with the City Circle Tram, and the even better news is that it’s absolutely free.
Where the City Circle Tram goes
Exactly as the name implies, this tram literally does a circle (actually more of a rectangle, but you know what I mean) around the Central Business District. It avoids the center of the city, but the stops are frequent so if you have a good map you’ll be able to get within a few blocks of anything you want to reach, and the blocks in the CBD are quite short.
Using the tram for a city tour
This tram won’t replace a proper bus tour of the entire region because the CBD represents only a small portion of the many interesting things to see here, but it’s an excellent and useful place to begin. They have entertaining recorded narration that plays between stops, explaining exactly what you are passing and what you can find if you alight at the next stop. I’d very much recommend jumping on the City Circle shortly after you arrive in Melbourne and taking a full lap around, perhaps jumping off a few times if things interest you. The whole loop takes less than an hour and it can be a great general introduction to the city so you’ll know what is where for later exploration.
Date: August 8th, 2008 |
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Bondi Beach and how to visit
If you’ve seen only one Australian beach on a travel show or in a magazine, it was probably Sydney’s Bondi Beach (pronounced BOND-eye), which is easily the most famous in the country in spite of only being about 1 kilometer long. The country is overloaded with excellent and often secluded shorelines, but this picturesque cove in the suburbs of Australia’s largest city gets much of the attention due to its beauty, convenient location, and good surfing conditions.
During Australia’s summer months of December through February, the beach is nearly always packed with sunbathers, and the water is filled with swimmers and surfers. During the shoulder seasons the weather is often warm enough that things on the sand stay very busy, but during the winter months the temperatures are almost always too cool for sunbathing so the crowds consists of surfers in wetsuits and the various onlookers.
Location
Bondi is the closest proper beach to downtown Sydney, which is known as the Central Business District. It’s about 9 kilometers east from the Sydney Opera House and Circular Quay, and about 8 kilometers from the Kings Cross backpacker district. The beach itself is surrounded by a village with about 10,000 residents and nearly endless facilities for tourists and visitors.
Date: July 20th, 2008 |
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Kings Cross - Sydney’s backpacker heaven, sort of
Travelers searching for affordable accommodation in Sydney will quickly discover that all the cheapest places they find are either in Kings Cross, or way outside the city center. Most of these people choose ‘The Cross’ as it’s locally known, and this is probably a wise decision, although it helps to know what to expect.
Location
Kings Cross is about 2 kilometers east of ‘downtown’, which is called the Central Business District, or CBD, in every Australian city. It’s surrounded by other neighborhoods on each side, so it’s not immediately apparent when you are leaving or entering the official Kings Cross neighborhood, at least until you are on the main section of Darlinghurst Road.
From Kings Cross it’s a fairly easy walk to the CBD, the Sydney Opera House, and everything else notable in the city center. There is a Kings Cross train station that can be used to go one stop closer to the CBD, but it’s not on the same line as the City Circle trains that ring through the area, and transferring to that line takes a bit of backtracking. If you are tired or it’s raining you can take city buses into the CBD as well.
Red Light District
Dating back even before World War II, Kings Cross has been Sydney’s main Red Light District, and that dubious distinction remains even today. Along Darlington Road you find an odd collection of lowbrow strip clubs, adult bookstores, and even some streetwalking prostitutes. The area has gotten better over the years, but these seedy elements do remain to some degree. The area is generally very safe during the day, but late at night you are likely to run across a few obnoxious drunks and other troublemakers, and muggings do occur, so it’s best not to walk around alone then if you can avoid it.
Date: July 13th, 2008 |
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Sydney in October, a month not to be missed
I know October probably isn’t the first month of the year you would think of to come visit Sydney. BUT! it shoudl be! October really is one of the best months of the year. Spring is just kicking into high gear, and with it- the party season. People are just creeping out from under the blanket of winter gloom and emerge straight onto a picnic blanket with a glass of bubbly already in hand. The Aussies love nothing more than a good outdoor reason to celebrate. October …
Date: September 24th, 2007 |
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APEC Week, News From Sydney
APEC week has officially shut down Sydney Until September 9th 2007. As you read through and watch some of the some of the attached serious articles and associated silly stuff, it does make one wonder about calling Australia the land of the free. A police state has been declared in the Central Business District of Sydney. While Security is obviously important, many feel Australia has gone overboard.
As one TV spokesperson stated: “George Bush wanders around the rest of the world with out all of this fuss.” …
Date: September 3rd, 2007 |
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Sydney Tower, OzTrek, and Skywalk
Dozens of cities around the world have some kind of tower that dominates the skyline and features an observation deck near the top, but Sydney’s Tower is one of the few that really should not be missed when visiting the city for the first time. It’s not cheap to visit, but it’s honestly one of the best ‘tours’ of Sydney you can get anywhere. It also comes with an impressive multimedia/thrill ride presentation for the same price, so it’s a pretty good deal, at least as long as the weather is clear.
They’ve recently added a new thrill attraction called the Sky Walk, which allows guests who pay significantly more to walk outside on another platform above the observation deck, after some safety training. There is also a buffet restaurant and a normal restaurant on another level of the main deck, so a sky-high meal is possible, though not cheap.
What’s included in a visit
The Sydney Tower is located on top of the Centrepoint Shopping Center in the middle of the Central Business District. You pay your admission near ground level, and that entitles you to the elevator ride to the observation deck, as well as the OzTrek attraction, which is down below.
Date: July 22nd, 2008 |
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Sydney Opera House and how to visit
One of the world’s most recognizable and iconic buildings, the Sydney Opera House is still a bit of a mystery to most visitors until they do a bit of research. Completed in 1973 and designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, the opera house has a couple of key common misconceptions by foreign travelers.
First off, the domed semi-ceilings designed to look like sails in the harbour are actually atop three separate buildings that don’t touch each other. From most angles it looks like one big and amazing structure, but when you get there you’ll see that it’s more complex than it even looks. Secondly, in addition to being an opera venue, the Sydney Opera House actually contains 6 smaller venues as well as the large concert hall, so many things are often happening here at once, and very few of those involve opera.
Date: July 17th, 2008 |
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Sydney, Hot Dates in October
Every October Sydney comes alive with festivals. The below are some of the loved up major annual events. The dates listed here are for 2007, however, these weekends generally remain constant each year.
Darling Harbour Fiesta
Sept28-October 1st
Mariachis, capoeiristas and flamenco… Darling Harbour is going light up and dance to the Latin beat. Featuring over 70 performances, the Harbour will be swaying rythmically for the entire weekend. Come tap your toes or learn how to salsa, tango or samba in the Palm Grove during the day and try out your swanky new moves each night at …
Date: September 27th, 2007 |
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The Hunter Valley, More Than Just Wine
So I’ve lived in Sydney for over two years and haven’t managed to get my lazy backside out to the Hunter Valley which is only around 2 hours outside of Sydney. Man have I been missing out! It took the APEC weekend for me to need an escape and book a tour to go to the Hunter.
We booked a fantabulous weekend retreat at Shelly Beach Cabins at The Entrance. . These little beauties are across the street from the beach, sleep 6 and …
Date: September 12th, 2007 |
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Sydney Observatory, Total Eclipse Party
Hey any one need a REALLY good idea for a date? The Sydney Observatory is placed in quite arguably one of the most scenic spots in all of Sydney.
On the hill just next to the Harbour Bridge, it is a stunning vantage point. At any time of year, a visit during the day or evening is not misplaced. They quite frequently have family friendly programs and events. One that has caught my eye is coming up next Tuesday.
There is to be a Total …
Date: August 20th, 2007 |
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