Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - Sydney - a few questions...

Hello...

I will be traveling to Sydney for a few days in May or June of next year and was wondering if yall could help me out a bit???

1. Accomodations...price is the main factor here...what is inexpensive...a motel/Holiday Inn/Comfort Inn type place is fine (no hostels)...Id prefer to spend less than US $50 per night if possible...and must be able to get public transport (no taxis) to downtown...

2. Public transportation...How good is the public transport system in Sydney, and is it expensive??

3. Any hidden tourist attractions??...Of course I plan on seeing the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, but is there anything that is overlooked by most tourists???

4. Sporting Events...Id love to go to a sporting event in town...what sports are in season at that time and are tickets expensive/hard to get???

Thanks so much in advance!

N674UW

I can try and answer a few of your questions for you. Someone else will have to answer the accomodation one though.

As to an opinion on the public transport in Sydney..well it depends on who you talk too. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif Seriously the rail, bus and ferry network is vast and will get you to most places you would want to go. You can purchase travel passes that will get you transport on buses (Government ones only), trains and ferries. The cost depends on which zone you get and how many days you purchase it for. I hear the green zone ticket will get you to most places around Sydney and is the better value.

While in Sydney don't forget to do the bridge climb..my husband still raves about it and tries repeatedly to get me to go with him http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif. He also loved the trip on the Hawkesbury River Boat Postman. The Hunter Valley is a good escape from Sydney for the Day as is Wollongong and the Blue Mountains. If you go to the Blue Moutains you may want to to it by train. Jump off at Blackheath and cross the highway right to the pub. In May it should have it's log fires roaring and it has good food. Then make your way down to Govatt's Leap. IMHO it's nicer and not as touristy as the Three Sisters lookout which most bus trips go to.

The South Coast is full of pretty spots you can do in a day from Sydney. The Central Coast just north of Sydney also has it's gems, when you can manage to escape the encroaching suburbia. And it's only an hour by train from Sydney.

As for sport..May/June is footy season (Rugby League). Go and watch a game on a Sudnay afternoon but you have to buy a meat pie with sauce while you are there and eat it out of the bag. Just don't go and see the Bronco's play..they suck http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif

Have fun
Phoebe

1. Accommodations
Here are some sites you might find useful. They are for last minute reservations but will give you some idea about prices.
1-sydney-hotel.com (http://www.1-sydney-hotel.com/australia-hotels/sydney.html) (scroll down the page for hotels under US$50) dingoescape.com (http://www.dingoescape.com) need it now (http://www.needitnow.com.au/needitnow/needitnow.asp) travel mall (http://www.australia.travelmall.com/) wotif.com (http://www.wotif.com/)

2. Public Transport
You can get almost anywhere you need using public transport. Trains are the easiest and the connect smoothly with buses and ferries. Go to CityRail (http://www.cityrail.info/) for trains and 131500.com.au (http://www.131500.com.au/) for integrated transport options.

3. Hidden Tourist Attractions
I find a book titled Untourist Sydney (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0646245295/qid=1065997430/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/102-6375450-8326560?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) to be a wealth of off-the-beaten-track ideas. It may be hard to find a copy, but it is well worth it.

4. Sporting Events
Rugby League, Marathon, and Surf Safari are the main events for May and June 2004. Go to www.whatsonwhen.co.uk (http://www.whatsonwhen.co.uk/scripts/query.asp?categories=408&country_id=131003&location=sydney&keyword=&day1=1&month1=5&year1=2004&day2=30&month2=6&year2=2004&+Search+=+Searc h+) for more details. To purchase tickets to events (sport and non-sport) go to www.ticketek.com.au (http://premier.ticketek.com.au/Ticketek/default.asp).

Enjoy your trip!

------------------
Latitudes.

For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move; to feel the needs and hitches of our life more nearly; to come down off this feather-bed of civilisation, and find the globe granite underfoot and strewn with cutting flints.
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894)

[This message has been edited by Latitudes (edited 10-12-2003).]