Good point. Both Katoomba and the Royal National Park should, in general, be considerably cooler than the western suburbs. The mountains are generally a bit cooler anyway, and the RNP benefits from the coastal breeze.
Still, for much of the way, the coastal walk from Bundeena doesn’t have a lot of shade, so at the very least make sure you have a hat and sunscreen if you do a walk like that.
Edit: Simulpost!
Bumping this thread to ask the OP how the trip went.
I’m beginning to plan an Australia trip for early December and came upon this thread in my research. Would love to hear what you enjoyed and recommend, Nars!
We had a great time. I’ll follow up later when I’m at a computer instead if my iPhone. We went to the Blue Mountains and had a really good time. We absolutely loved Featherdale zoo where my wife fulfilled her lifelong dream of putting her hand on a koala. Taking selfies with the wallabies was cool too.
I don’t know really what I expected from Sydney but it reminded me a lot of San Francisco. Its cosmopolitan. The architecture seemed similar and the harbor was similar to San Francisco Bay.
We bought Opal cards to get around. That’s a great way to get around IMHO. It was basically all the transportation you could need for the week for $60 a piece. It covers trains buses and ferries.
I’ll post more tomorrow. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.
Getting back to a review of our trip.
We arrived in Sydney early in the morning and after a 15 hour flight from LAX. we were surprisingly wide awake. We didn’t have any trouble with jet lag going over. Coming back was an entirely different story. We flew on Qantas, a 747 going and an Airbus 380 on the return leg. On both flights, we had the window section to ourselves, so with 3 seats for the 2 of us, we had plenty of room. I would not have wanted to be in the middle section of the plane. I don’t see how those people slept at all.
When we got to Sydney, we bought Opal cards at the airport and took the train into town. Their subway system is pretty straightforward and I say this as an Okie that never uses public transportation. The train took us to within 2 blocks of our hotel. We were right by the Sydney Tower Eye but never went up in it. It’s attached to a large indoor mall with plenty of shopping and restaurants. We ate there several times. None of the food knocked my socks off but it was all fine with the exception of a sandwich shop whose name I can’t recall. I wish I could remember it because I really didn’t like it and I’d advise you to stay away from it. There’s a chocolate dessert cafe in there somewhere. We ate there twice. Obviously we liked it.
Zoos were to be a big part of the trip all along. The Sydney Zoo, is just about like any other zoo in any other country. If you’re not into zoos, I’d skip it. We absolutely loved the Featherdale Wildlife Park. It took a train to a ferry to a bus to get there but it was well worth it IMHO. You can get pretty close to a lot of the animals and you can get as close as you want with the wallabies. I sat next to one as I was trying to pose for a selfie. I’d put my hand on his(?) back and try to get closer and he’d take his paw and gently push my hand away. It was hilarious. I guess you had to be there.
We walked around town (the CBD or Central Business District) quite a bit. Even though we’d never been there before, it had a familiar feel to it. Like I said above, it felt a lot like San Francisco but with fewer homeless people. Not zero, but a lot fewer.
We went to the maritime museum and Australian museum. It’s huge. Actually, they both are. I preferred the Australian museum to the maritime museum but the maritime museum also lets you tour a battleship and a submarine. Those were both very cool.
My wife had to buy an opal ring while we were there because Australia.
We never went to the Opera House but we went by it several times while on ferry rides. That was close enough for me.
When we went to the Blue Mountains, we did the tour bus thing that takes you throughout the city of Katoomba. There are also 3 rides that take you deep into and over the canyons. We really enojyed that as well.
We never took a cab ride. With the Opal card, it just wasn’t necessary.
Food seemed expensive. Part of that impression was no doubt from the exchange rate. It’s hard to switch back and forth (for me anyway).
Everyone was really friendly. Anyone that we asked for advice was more than free to give it. Listen closely though, they speak pretty quickly and somewhat softly. Unaccustomed to the accent, I found myself saying “What?” frequently.
They don’t tip there. That was nice.
I’m sure that you’ll have a great time. We certainly did.
Thanks!
Could you talk a bit about hotels? Locations and cost?
I really don’t know much. We stayed at the Swissotel and like I said, it was right in the heart of the CBD. The room was actually bigger than I’d expected based on the reviews that I’d read. Our hotel and airfare was packaged together and for round trip from Oklahoma City with 5 nights at the hotel, the cost was $4600. I thought it was a pretty good deal.
There are quite a few small boutique hotels in an area that they call “The Rocks”. It’s close to where the ferries dock so getting around the harbor would be convenient. It’s also near where the cruise ships dock so it’s quite touristy.
This has always been my experience. I’m never jet-lagged when i fly from the US to Australia, but nearly always am when i fly from Australia to the US.
It’s not so bad now that i live in California and only have one flight to worry about. When i lived in Baltimore, and had to add a full cross-country flight to my trans-Pacific flight, i was absolutely wrecked by the time i got home.
Bumping this thread again - I’ve bought my tickets and arranged a hotel near Hyde Park! Going in December as planned.
Wine tasting in the Hunter Valley might be a little far for a day-trip, but probably perfect as an overnight excursion.
Glad to hear it Llama! I’m sure that you’ll have a great time.
Re previous suggestions:
Featherdale Wildlife Park over Koala Park. The latter is a run-down, expensive tourist trap. At Featherdale, you can stand next to koalas (and stroke their fur) for good pictures.
my suggestions:
One of the best things about Sydney is the proximity of so many national parks that are unchanged by European habitation. Even around Sydney Harbour. I would recommend two walks to get a ‘feel’ of what it was like before white settlement. North Head of Sydney Harbour - access from Manly. If you don’t want to drive, take the ferry from the city to Manly and walk south. The added benefit of this is a close-up view of the homes of all the rich peole with harbourside mansions.
The best view of a Blue Mtns valley is Govett’s Leap.lookout, 3km from Blackheath train station. Easy walks (even wheelchair-accessible) along the cliff tops. See Govetts Leap lookout
My last bump of this thread - I came back from Australia a couple weeks ago.
Had a great time! Mostly stayed near Sydney, although I did take the train to Katoomba to see the Blue Mountains. As others have said, the train / ferry / bus system there is excellent and easy to use. I had enough on my itinerary to keep me occupied in Sydney for most of my trip, but if I were to return I’d branch out more.
I spent a good deal of time at the Opera House and wandering the Royal Botanical Gardens adjacent to it. The Taronga Zoo was amazing, and I enjoyed the ferry ride through the harbor getting there. Visited some friends in the suburbs and the Opal card made that very easy on the subway. Also an easy way to get to and from the airport.
Next time I’d like to see Perth and some less developed parts of the country.