Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Add to all this the side trips to the
gorges and cliffs of the Blue Moun-
tains, the wineries of the Hunter Valley,
and the dolphin- and whale-watching
around Port Stephens (see “Port
Stephens: Dolphin- & Whale-Watch-
ing” in chapter 4), and you'll see why
Sydney gets so much praise.
The frugal traveler will find that,
compared to other major international
cities, Sydney offers good value for
your money. Food and public trans-
port are cheap, and attractions are
generally not prohibitively expensive.
(Senior and student prices are almost
always available if you have identifica-
tion.) The price of a hotel room is far
cheaper than in other major popula-
tion centers such as New York and
London.
1 Orientation
ARRIVING
BY PLANE Sydney International Airport
is 8km (5 miles) from the city
center. The international and domestic terminals are separate but linked by free
shuttle buses. In both terminals, you'll find luggage carts, wheelchairs, a post
office (open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm), mailboxes, currency exchange, duty-free
shops (including one before you go through customs on arrival, selling alcohol
and perfumes), restaurants, bars, stores, showers, luggage lockers and a Baggage
Held Service for larger items, ATMs, and tourist information desks. You can hire
mobile phones from the international terminal. There is also a Sydney Visitors
Centre Bookings desk (
&
02/9667 6050
) offering cheap deals on hotels (see
“Where to Stay,” later in this chapter), as well as offering car rental, phone cards,
and maps and brochures. Here you can also buy the SydneyPass (see section 2,
“Getting Around”) and Airport Express tickets (see below). The airport is effi-
cient, has extremely strict quarantine procedures—you must declare all food—
and is completely nonsmoking. On arrival, pick up a copy of
Sydney The Official
Guide,
from the rack just before passport control, which contains tear-out dis-
count tickets for some of Sydney's major attractions. Luggage trolleys are free in
the arrival terminals, but cost A$2 (US$1.30) outside the departure terminal
where you'll need a A$2 coin.
GETTING INTO TOWN
The
Sydney Airport Train Link
connects the
international and domestic airports to the city stations of Central, Museum, St.
James, Circular Quay, Wynyard, and Town Hall. You'll need to change trains for
other Sydney stations. Unfortunately, the line has no dedicated luggage areas and,
as it's on a scheduled route into the city from the suburbs, it gets very crowded
during rush hours (approximately 7-9am and 4-6:30pm). If you have lots of lug-
gage and you're traveling into the city at these times, it's probably best to take an
airport bus (below) or a taxi. Otherwise walk to the end of the platform where
there should be more room onboard. There are elevators at the Airport Train Link
Tourist Refund Scheme
Visitors to Australia are entitled to claim any Goods and Services Tax (GST)
on purchases over A$300 (US$195) per store. The GST component is 10% of
the sale price. Do this at the refund booth located past Customs. After doing
the paperwork—you need to have the goods and receipt with you, not in
your checked luggage—you will be refunded by check on the spot. You can
convert this to cash at any foreign exchange booth at Sydney Airport.
Tips
