Sydney Specials

City Guide

SYDNEY

White beaches, blue harbours, gilded lifestyles and lots of flash.

Sydney is Australia's oldest city, the economic powerhouse of the nation and the country's capital in everything but name. It's blessed with sun-drenched natural attractions, dizzy skyscrapers, delicious and daring restaurants, superb shopping and friendly folk.

Although it's come a long way from its convict beginnings, it still has a rough and ready energy, and offers an invigorating blend of the old and the new, the raw and the refined. While high culture attracts some to the Opera House, gaudy nightlife attracts others to Kings Cross.

'No one in Sydney ever wastes time debating the meaning of life - it's getting yourself a water frontage.' - David Williamson - Emerald City

Timezones

Gmt +10 Eastern Standard Time
Daylight savings start: last Sunday in October
Daylight savings end: last Sunday in March

Orientation

Sydney wasn't a planned city and its layout is further complicated by its hills and the numerous inlets of the harbour, its focal point. The centre of Sydney is on the south shore of the harbour, about 7km (4mi) inland from the harbour heads. Skyscrapers in the Central Business District (CBD) vie for dominance and harbour views, but the city's relentlessness is softened by shady Hyde Park and The Domain parkland to the east, Darling Harbour to the west and the main harbour to the north. The Sydney Harbour Bridge and the harbour tunnel link the city centre with the satellite CBD of North Sydney and the suburbs of the North Shore. Sydney Airport is about 10km (6mi) south of the city centre. Central station, Sydney's main train station, is in the south of the city centre, and the main bus terminal is located outside it.

From the spectacular to the even more spectacular.
Sydney Harbour's sandstone headlands, dramatic cliffs and stunning beaches define the city. But whichever way you look, from the white sails of the harbour to the arc of The Coathanger to the toned flesh on Bondi, Sydney is serious eye-candy.

International kudos, local flavour, weekend markets.
Shopping in Sydney is fun if you pick and choose. The CBD tends to the generic, but if you venture out into the inner-city areas such as Paddington, Glebe and Newtown, you'll find a variety of eclectic boutiques, home-grown designers, darling knick-knackeries, one-offs, and bargain-priced markets.

Events

It all kicks off with the huge Sydney Festival, which takes up most of January. It's the umbrella for a number of events from open-air concerts in The Domain to street theatre and fireworks. The Great Ferry Boat Race celebrates Australia Day in January. Indie film festival Tropfest happens in February, as does the spectacular Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras. The more traditional 12-day Royal Easter Show brings the country to the city in March/April. The Sydney Writers Festival brings international scribes to the city in May, and hot on its heels is the Sydney Film Festival, reeling in the crowds in June.

Around 20,000 compete in the annual 14km (8.5mi) City to Surf Run in August. And sports fans are in for a treat with the Rugby League Grand Final in September. The Manly International Jazz Festival tunes up in October and in the same month you can laugh along with the Sydney Comedy Festival. The city's Christmas orphans traditionally gather on Bondi Beach on Christmas Day, drinking up a storm and keeping the life-savers and police busier than they would like to be on a public holiday. After a short nap, they do it all over again on New Years Eve. Those scared of the water usually do their end-of-the-year hellraising in The Rocks or Kings Cross. The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race starts in late December and continues through to January.

New Year's Day
official holiday
1 Jan

Australia Day
official holiday
26 Jan

Easter
official holiday
Mar-Apr

Anzac Day
official holiday
25 Apr

Queen's Birthday
official holiday
Second Monday in Jun

Bank Holiday
official holiday
First Monday in Aug

Labour Day
official holiday
First Monday in Oct

Christmas Day
official holiday
25 Dec

Boxing Day
official holiday
26 Dec

Sydney Festival
festival/event
Jan

Held throughout January for the last 25 or so years, this big bonanza hosts a wide range of events from inline skating and street theatre to huge, free concerts in The Domain. Any performance happening around the Opera House forecourt is also worth looking into.

The Great Ferry Boat Race
festival/event
26 Jan

Held on Australia Day (26 January) as part of the Sydney Festival, the city's ferries are decorated with balloons and streamers for the race from the Harbour Bridge to Manly and back. God knows, we're still getting over the excitement of the 1983 Great Ferry Boat Race Sinking! We've been assured it won't happen again though.

Tropfest
festival/event
Feb

The world's largest short-film festival is held on the last Sunday in February each year in Sydney's Domain and selected cafés on Victoria Street, Darlinghurst. Grab a picnic basket and a few beers and join the rollicking, easy-going crowd for this fun event.

Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras
festival/event
Feb

This world-famous festival, held from February to early March, attracts more visitors and generates more tourist dollars than any other event in Australia. This month-long festival includes a sports carnival, the Blessing of the Mardi Gras, theatre performances, a film festival and lots of parties culminating in an amazing parade (first Saturday in March) and the Mardi Gras Party. Despite financial difficulties in recent times, it appears to be keeping its head above water. Tickets for the famous/infamous party normally sell out by mid-January and are usually only available to Mardi Gras members, though interstate and overseas visitors can get temporary membership.

Royal Easter Show
festival/event
Mar/Apr

This wonderful Sydney tradition takes place at the Sydney Showground at Homebush Bay. It's a 12-day event beginning with a massive parade of farm animals and has a distinctly agricultural flavour throughout - although there are plenty of events to entertain even the most dyed-in-the-wool city slickers.

Sydney Writers Festival
festival/event
May

This festival in May gathers together the leading lights of Australian writing and publishing who hob-nob with visiting literary luminaries.

Sydney Film Festival
festival/event
Jun

Held at the magnificent State Theatre or at Dendy Opera Quays, this excellent, highly regarded film festival screens new release gems from Australia and around the world. Subscribe to the whole season or buy tickets to special screenings. It starts in early June and runs for two weeks.

City to Surf Run
festival/event
Aug

On the second Sunday in August more than 50,000 runners pound the 14km from Park St in the city to Bondi Beach; some are deadly serious, some are in costume and in it for fun, and everyone gets their name and finishing position published in the paper. Entry forms appear in the Sun Herald months before the race, but you can enter on the day, for a fee.

Rugby League Grand Final
festival/event
Sep

Once a year, two of the national rugby league tribes meet face to face to battle out the title of 'team of the year', in what's probably the toughest rugby league comp in the world. Tickets sell fast, so book ahead. Games are generally played at Aussie Stadium or Sydney Stadium.

Manly International Jazz Festival
festival/event
Oct

This nice local event takes place on the Labour Day long weekend (early October). Styles range from traditional and big band to fusion, bop and contemporary.

Sculpture by the Sea
festival/event
Oct

This outdoor sculpture exhibition utilises one of Sydney's greatest natural settings, the Bondi to Bronte coastal walk, to display stunning artworks from local and international artists. Free, open 24 hours and great for starting debates!

Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
festival/event
Dec-Jan

On 26 December Sydney Harbour is crowded with boats farewelling yachts competing in the race. It's the sort of event that melds the city's psyche, despite the disastrous events (thanks to grim weather conditions) of recent years.

Golden Slipper
festival/event
Mar/Apr

This major Sydney horse race, which is held at Rosehill, takes place over 1200m with two-year olds. Prize money on the day hits about
3000000.00
- putting it firmly in the big time. It takes place in late March or early April.

Communication

Area Code 02

Getting there and away

Plane

Most visitors to Sydney arrive at Sydney Airport (formerly known as Kingsford Smith) about 10km (6mi) south of the city centre. Airfares to Australia are expensive - it's a long way from anywhere and flights are often heavily booked. On the upside, you can get to Australia from just about anywhere. Australia's domestic airlines offer discount flight passes which can be used once you're in the country - if you've only got a short time here, it's worth flying, because Australia's a mighty big place. Airport Link trains run from city train stations to domestic and international terminals. Airport Express buses run to Central Station, Circular Quay and Kings Cross; the Kingsford Smith Transport/Airporter runs between the airport and central city hotels and the Manly Airport Bus goes to, you guessed it, Manly.

Bus

All the major bus lines run services to and from Sydney. Most lines offer discounts for students, and Greyhound Pioneer/McCafferty's has a good bus pass deal. There are also a number of specialised bus tours running out of Sydney.

Train

Interstate and regional trains run from Central station, and will take you to most other capitals, as well as cities and towns throughout NSW. Major roads from Sydney go north to Newcastle, west to the Blue Mountains, south to Melbourne and Canberra and down the south coast to Wollongong.

Getting around

The buses and ferries of Sydney offer some of the cheapest and most rewarding sightseeing in Australia. A ferry trip to Manly passes the stunning harbour sites and heads onto the ocean past Sydney's famous North Shore beaches and a bus trip to Vaucluse offers some of the best views of the harbour and surrounds.
The public transport in Sydney is an integrated system and one ticket can get you travelling by bus, ferry or train to almost any part of the city.

Train

There are some gaps in the train network, notably the coast on the south shore and all of the north shore east of the Harbour Bridge. Heading west, the rail network is extensive. Sydney's underground city centre train loop is the fastest way of getting around, but not exactly the most scenic.

Bus

The bus network is extensive, but can be slow. There are plenty of fare deals and several hop-on, hop-off buses specifically designed for visitors who hate walking or for those who have no sense of direction.

Ferry

The most pleasant way to get around is by ferry; a trip on the Manly ferry is the best way to experience the harbour if you can't charm someone into taking you sailing.

Monorail

The monorail is an elevated toy train that shuttles between the city and Darling Harbour. Sydneysiders either love its sub-
Bladerunner futurism or think it's a godawful eyesore, depending on their aesthetic bent.

Taxi

Confusing one-way streets and hellish parking make driving a nightmare in central Sydney - take a taxi instead. They're plentiful and easily flagged down.