Sydney Australia is a city with a wonderful harbour, fantastic weather, a great lifestyle and a standard of living that makes most other countries envious of us.
Sydney is blessed with a large natural harbour, and visitors marvel at the sight of the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House – which are recognised as icons of Australia in every corner of the world.
The climate in Sydney Australia is generally warm and pleasant, and there are many exciting things for the visitor to do.
These include visiting The Rocks, the area of Sydney where the colony was first begun with a few ‘sly grog’ shops (illegal taverns) for the sailors and soldiers. The site was chosen because it had a natural spring of clean water for drinking. (This water still runs underneath the modern city and it’s called the Tank Stream.)
Circular Quay, at the north tip of Sydney central business district (the CBD) is where the Sydney Harbour ferries dock and exchange passengers with the city trains, buses and taxis. It’s right between the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.
All these icons of Sydney Australia are within walking distance of each other, and with a host of cafes, pubs and restaurants to choose from, it makes a very pleasant outing.
Public transport in Sydney is not as good as in other major cities but it is improving. If travelling into Sydney from the suburbs, it is best to go by train but to get around the city and to the eastern and southern beaches, buses or taxis are the way to go. Buses are by pre-paid tickets which are available from newsagents and some other small shops advertising them.
Bus stops are clustered around Central and Town Hall stations to take you to other parts of the city or the beaches. If you need assistance, don’t be afraid to ask as Sydneysiders are generally friendly and want to be helpful to travellers.
Parking generally is expensive and difficult to find, so bear with public transport. With taxi drivers, they are a mixed bunch, ranging from the laconic to the talkative – and that’s just the Australians. Many taxi drivers are from a variety of countries in the Middle East, Asia or Africa. They will want to practise their English on passengers but are, surprisingly, generally as safe drivers as the Australian-born ones. Taxis are not exhorbitant, especially considering you are not obligated to tip the driver.
Tipping, of hospitality and service staff and taxi drivers, is not expected in Sydney. At least the locals don’t as a general rule but, as a traveller, you might want to occasionally when you think the service has been exemplary. Australians are generally well-paid – and you will realise this when paying for food which may be more expensive than you were expecting, especially on Sundays and public holidays when staff are paid extra.
Crime and violence is still pretty low out here, compared to the US or the UK. But, when travellers do come up against violence, it is usually in the small hours of the morning in or around a licensed hotel or club. There is a strong drinking culture in Australia and many young Australians, men and women, drink to excess when out on the town. Unfortunately, Sydney Australia has made international headlines for the wrong reason- when a hapless overseas traveller has been maimed or killed on the streets of Sydney after an altercation with an intoxicated person or group.
So stay aware when out on the town at night. This will be your greatest danger in Sydney as incidents of robbery in the streets is lower than in other major cities. On the city streets day or night, you will see people begging but, again, they are not as visible as in other cities.
Sydney Australia has a variety of accommodation, ranging from luxury time-share resorts right on down to budget-friendly backpacker hostels. Whatever your preference, you are sure to have an unforgettable time in this cosmopolitan city.
Sydney was founded by English colonists 200 years ago and was first populated by British and Irish convicts. It is now one of the world’s most desirable locations to live in, to work in, or just to visit and enjoy this wonderful place.
Sydney Australia is the capital city of New South Wales state, where Captain James Cook discovered the Australian continent for Great Britain back in April 29, 1770 and rowed ashore in what is now called Botany Bay. Here Cook founded the original British colony of New South Wales, in Austral-ia — (with Austral meaning south, and the whole word meaning “Great Southern Land” in Latin).
