Sydney - The Rocks to Bondi Beach by Bus - A First Timer's Journey

Wandering around a big Australian city on your own, at your own speed, is a real blast. Nothing makes you feel like you really know your stuff - "Hey. I'm doing this independently" - like a day zipping around Sydney and the suburbs on the way to Bondi Beach.

Big problem, however: How do you get from the Rocks to Bondi Beach by bus without losing your way, ending up in the wrong place and generally screwing up the outing? Easy: Let the Hop-on, Hop-off Bus do the navigating - you just decide where to get on and then get off again.

OK, so let's start by looking at the map of Sydney again. Bondi Beach is just to the east of downtown, the Rocks and the Sydney Opera House.

Bondi Beach

How do we do this? First you buy a Sydney and Bondi Hop-on Hop-off Tour ticket. This will give you up to 24 hours continuous riding over two different tour routes on their bright red, open topped, double decker bus. Sit up the top for the best views. A warm, wind proof jacket is always a good idea.

Start off at Stop 1 of the Sydney Explorer at Circular Quay - you can either take the full route, or you can change straight onto the Bondi and Bays Explorer at William Street (Stop 5) - or at Central Station (Stop 14).  Get off at the Bondi Beach Terminal.

As one of Australia's surfing icons, Bondi is not just sand, surf and people, it is home to a whole local beach culture. A couple of hours wandering Campbell Parade along the beachfront will leave some lasting impressions. Great pubs, bars restaurants and shops.  Don't miss it!  And for your first day at an Aussie Beach, how about some surfing lessons?

Hotel Bondi

Hotel Bondi - Campbell Parade - Find a Hotel in Bondi Beach

The trip back to the city will take you along the clifftops through Dover Heights - great views out onto the Pacific, and back to the City over Sydney Harbour.  

Take as long as you like - is this the way to see Sydney and Bondi Beach, or what?

See you next time.  Even though we could spend months in Sydney alone, I'm going to move around Australia randomly from now on.  Next post, let's check out Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef.   Stay tuned. 

Route Map for the Sydney and Bondi Hop-on Hop-off tour.

More info on Bondi Beach.

Sydney - Walk the Sydney Domain Foreshore - A First Timer's Journey

Today, let's take a walk along the foreshore path between the Sydney Opera House and Mrs Macquarie's Chair.  Get a map of Sydney and look at the area between the Opera House and the next point of land to the east - Macquarie Point.

But, what on earth is Mrs Macquarie's Chair?  Back in 1810, the wife of the Australian Governor, Lachlan Macquarie, used to like sitting out on Macquarie Point near Government House, watching the shipping in Sydney Harbour.  A bit like watching TV today. To make it more comfortable, the Governor got some Convicts to carve a chair out of the solid rock on the point.  Hence the name.  The chair is still there, and it's not any more comfortable today than it must have been then.

Macquarie Point is a great place for getting photos of the Opera House with the arch of the Sydney Harbour Bridge behind it. 

Farm Cove foreshore

Between the Opera House and Mrs Macquarie's Chair is Farm Cove. There is a great walk around Farm Cove on a foreshore path that takes about an hour return. From the Opera House, follow the foreshore east. Very scenic, great photos.  Not good in the rain, so go on a fine day. 

Leaving Macquarie Point, take the lower path between the foreshore path and Mrs Macquarie's Road and walk northwest back towards the city. You will see the high rise buildings behind the trees. This area is called The Domain, and is a very popular place for picnics, open air concerts and events.

Royal Botanical Gardens

Have a look through the Royal Botanical Gardens. The Gardens are uphill, adjacent to Downtown. You'll see some weird looking "parcels" hanging from the trees, These are Grey Headed Flying Foxes, also known as Fruit Bats - half fox (the front half) and half bat. They're not local, but have moved in and formed a colony in the Gardens.

Fruit Bats hanging from the trees

Flying Fox/Fruit Bat

With a wing span of about 1 meter (3 feet), they are grotesque. If disturbed, and near sunset, they make an unbelievable noise. They have been destroying a lot of the trees in the Gardens and the authorities are trying to remove them  Good luck with that!

After checking out the Flying Foxes and the Gardens, cross onto Macquarie Street, and walk back downhill to the Opera House.

More information on the Farm Cove and the Domain:  

More information on the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney: 

Next Post we will head off to Bondi Beach on the Hop-on, Hop-off bus. Stay tuned.

Sydney - The Sydney Opera House - A First Timer's Journey

It's your first day in this iconic Australian city. You want to see and feel the Sydney Opera House. No need for a car in Sydney - it's a bit like hiring  a car in New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Paris or London - it costs more to park than it's worth.  We are going to walk from our hotel.   Let's check a map of Sydney for the exact location.

Look at the picture below. The Opera House is on a point of land sticking out beside Circular Quay (pronounced "Key"), where all the ferries leave from. If you can't see the Opera House from Circular Quay, you are in real trouble, or you have a serious case of jet lag and should go back to bed. 

Designed by Danish Architect, Jorn Utzon, the Opera House took years to build and was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1973.  Like plenty of other projects, it came in late and way over budget.

Walk right around the front, smell the air (it has an indefinable "Sydney" smell about it - moist, salty, hint of diesel), feel the breeze, listen to the hum of the bridge and the city.  Then take one of the Sydney Opera House tours to look through. This is not just one big, single Opera Hall, it is actually a number of performance areas of varying size and function. It is well worth a look through the inside and getting backstage.

After the tour, just sit at one of the many cafes of restaurants beside the Opera House and soak in Sydney.

"Sails" of the Opera House

Why do the "Sails" of the Opera House gleam in the sun? When you get close, look directly up along the curve of the "Sails". They are covered with thousands of single tiles. The tiles alternate from glossy white to matte cream.  No wonder they seem to change colour depending on the time of day and the weather.

So, how do you book to see a show? Easy. You can book directly online and then pick up your tickets at will-call.

More information on the Sydney Opera House? - Check Wikipedia.

Next post, we'll take a walk through a real suburban oasis - the Sydney Botanical Gardens.  Stay tuned.

Sydney - Such a City - A First Timer's Journey

As the plane banks over Sydney for the run into landing, other first time visitors crane their necks to glimpse the harbour, the Opera House and the Bridge. If you are arriving from overseas, the long flight is over and the adrenalin is flowing. Sydney has come a long way since the first settlers ended their six month journey from Europe to Australia in 1788 and started building what is now one of the World's most exciting cities. So, how long was that plane flight again?

Heading in from the airport, the first impression is bustle, energy and activity. Sydneysiders seem a happy lot, and they move quickly. The trees look almost tropical - broad leaves and obviously well watered - Sydney has a pretty high annual rainfall (1,213mm, or 47 inches) and averages about 10 rainy days a month. Rainfall and rainy days are spread evenly throughout the year. An umbrella is not a bad idea in Sydney.

To be in the thick of things, the best place to have your Sydney hotel is within a Kilometre of Circular Quay. The ferries are nearby, buses and trains leave for all parts of the city and some of the best restaurants are within walking distance.

Aerial View of Sydney

Check out the picture above and refer to a map of Sydney. You can see Circular Quay, with the Opera House on the left, the Bridge is in the centre, and the Downtown Central Business District in the top left hand corner. Darling Harbour is to the right of the CBD. The ferry to Darling Harbour from Circular Quay goes under the Bridge and loops around to the Casino, the Maritime Museum, the Aquarium and the Wildlife Sydney Zoo.

Check in to the hotel, and then check out the area.

Stay tuned as we journey around the Land Downunder for your first time...