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Seeing Sydney on a Budget
Thursday, September 29th, 2011 /

There’s many ways to describe the amazing city of Sydney: Stunning, friendly, coastal, diverse, buzzing – but expensive! Sydney stands out as the most expensive city in Australia, and in the top 20 most expensive cities in the world. For travellers, most of the everyday living costs and utility bills don’t apply. However the basic travelling essentials like food, drink, transport and entertainment do contribute to the high price tag associated with travelling around Sydney. 

Sydney

Throughout this article, we’ll provide you with some little short-cuts to help make ends meet so you can still get to experience this must-see world famous, and largest Aussie city.

Food/Drink
Vegemite sandwiches and 2 minute noodles will suffice for a few days, at best. However you’re going to need real food that sustains your hunger. In and around the city hotspots such as Kings Cross, China Town the CBD and Circular Quay, keep your eye out for bakeries and food kiosks. Many offer cheap yet nourishing breakfast options such as coffee/muffin or coffee/toasty or ham & cheese croissants/coffee for under $5.00. Tip: Some offer discounts if you eat out rather than require table service. 

China Town

And for lunch or dinner, there’s plenty of specials being offered in exchange for your travelling dollar. For under $10.00 The Bodega Cafe in Surry Hills offers a great menu with loads of specials for between $5.00 – $10.00 per main meal – Make sure you try their famous wagyu burger and Chorizo roll with chimichurri. Other super-cheap eat-outs for chomping around town include the 60 + Asian restaurants in China Town. Take your pick from these cuisines on every corner: Korean, Thai, Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese. Entrees start at just $2.00 as well as yum cha for under $6.00 per person. If you like it spicy, Flying Fajita Sistas in Glebe offers authentic Mexican Tacos and tequila shots for $3.00.       

Sightseeing and Culture
Getting from A to B isn’t a problem, and there’s no shortage of free or low-cost places to go and see, and the mono-rail can get you to any of the central locations around the city. If the $200 price tag attached to the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb isn’t an option, for under $10.00, head to Pylon Lookout for the same vantage point.

Hyde Park hosts the historical Anzac Memorial. Hyde Park is akin to New York’s Central Park, offering magnificent beauty and nature walks overlooking the water, and provides hundreds of tall trees that inhabit sleeping bats scattered throughout the park, perfect for a picnic or even as a cheap yet romantic dating idea with your boyfriend or girlfriend. An ideal location to ‘pop the question’ if you have romance and dating in mind with your sweetheart. For an afternoon of more famous Sydney treats, jump on the bus (grab a 3 day travel pass for $12.00) and head 10 minutes East to Bondi Beach, and chances are, you’ll spot a celebrity or two!

Hyde Park

The Art Gallery of NSW and the Contemporary Art Museum offer free entry for those with an appreciation for world class art exhibits. Other famous museums and galleries include the Powerhouse Museum, as well as various other galleries scattered throughout the Rocks, which showcase some of the finest Aboriginal paintings in the country.

Accommodation
Your best bet for cheap accommodation will be a hostel, starting from $25.00 for a shared dorm. And if you require some privacy for both yourself and the person you might be dating or your boyfriend/girlfriend, expect to shell out around $50 per night. Check out the deals offered by the YHA which has several central locations around Sydney. YHA accommodation typically has clean facilities and friendly staff with an NRMA rating of 3 stars.

Entertainment
The singles and dating scene is one of the most vibrant and diverse in the world. Whether you’re in town as a solo traveller looking for love, lust, casual dating or just any type of companionship, the scene is electric, and you’ll simply never want to leave. Happy hour venues are always a good option, and these are aplenty in Sydney. We’ve also tracked down some other cool entertainment venues with a very reasonable price tag. The Mars Lounge offers $10.00 cocktails until midnight. The Sanctuary Hotel at Darling Harbour offers $3.00 drinks before 9PM, the venue is also a hotspot for backpackers. While you’re at Darling Harbour, check out some other trendy venues like Tokio Hotel and Home Bar – but only stop by these bars if money is no object.

This Sydney travel piece was written by Matt Fuller. Matt also writes about other related topics including singles dating travel, online dating sites advice, Sydney entertainment reviews and free dating websites tips for single people.

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Australia’s famous Bondi Beach
Monday, September 26th, 2011 /

Bondi symbolizes Australia as much as the kangaroo, Uluru or the Sydney Harbour Bridge do. While the kangaroo represents all that is unique about Australian wildlife, Bondi symbolizes the Australian lifestyle. Australia is one country that treats leisure time seriously, somehow managing to combine work and recreation into a seamless unit.

Bondi Beach

Bondi has been synonymous with surf since the aboriginals named it thousands of years ago. Originally pronounced "Boondi", the word means "the sound of waves crashing against the rocks." It is a perfect name, since the waves do crash against the rocks on the two headlands that border sandy Bondi Beach.

Today, all the action at Bondi takes place on the beach between the two headlands. Directly in the middle of the beach is Bondi’s iconic Surf Lifesaving Club. First established in 1907, the Bondi Surf Lifesaving Club is the oldest club of its kind in the world. The club’s primary objective throughout its history has been to live up to its name and save lives. Many of the surf life saving techniques used by this club have been adopted throughout the world, especially since Sunday, February 6, 1937. On that day, club members made over 300 rescues in a single day. Although five lives were lost, the club received international acclaim for saving hundreds of lives.

Bondi on a hot day

In its early years, most of the beach goers to Bondi got there from Bondi Junction via the old Sydney tram line. The last tram to Bondi ran in 1961. Since then, buses have largely replaced trams and a large parking area has been created behind and around the surf club. On a busy Sunday in the summer, Bondi lifesavers have to keep track of as many as 20,000 beachgoers, while the local restaurants and cafes are kept busy keeping them fed. Fortunately, there are enough surf lifesavers and businesses to cater to everyone. Mishaps in the ocean are rare, thanks to the lifesavers and no one goes without sunblock, a beach hat or a hearty meal thanks to the dozens of shops and restaurants lining Campbell Parade, the main traffic thoroughfare.

While Bondi attracts the greatest crowds on hot days, it is a popular destination 365 days a year. In the middle of winter, surfers brave the cold winter waters to ride the waves and the world famous "Bondi Icebergs" jump into the icy waters of their salt water pool. Those who prefer to stay warm and dry exercise by jogging or walking on the scenic coastal walking trail that starts on the southern end of Bondi and goes around the headland to beaches further south.

Bondi to Bronte Walk

Bondi is equally popular at night, when the pubs, entertainment venues, restaurants and other nightspots come to life. Bondi’s nightlife reflects its diverse community and tastes. As you wander down the street, you may hear the strumming of an acoustic guitar coming from inside a cafe/bookshop, the sound of electric guitars inside a local pub or the tinkling of piano keys from inside a lavishly appointed gourmet restaurant.

Bondi’s fame has spread throughout the world and almost everyone who visits Sydney also visits Bondi at least once before they go back home. Many of them choose to stay in Bondi. That is easily done, since there is a Bondi accommodation for every lifestyle and budget. The Bondi backpacker accommodations are some of the most popular in Australia. At the other end of the scale, you can choose a 5 star resort with spectacular views. Whatever you’re looking for, you can find it in Bondi.

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Darling Harbour one of Sydney’s Best Attractions
Thursday, August 18th, 2011 /

Darling Harbour is one of Sydney’s major attractions for tourists and locals alike. With its beautiful harbourside setting, dozens of gift shops and boutiques, restaurants and excellent conference and exhibition facilities, it’s no wonder that almost everyone who visits or lives in Sydney visits Darling Harbour.

Darling Harbour

Darling Harbour didn’t always have so much to boast about. Over the 19th century and much of the 20th century, the Pyrmont-Darling Harbour area was a huge manufacturing center. Slowly, though, the area lost its attraction to manufacturers and they moved elsewhere, leaving neglected warehouses and factories behind. By the 1970s, Darling Harbour was a virtual ghost town.

Australia celebrated its Bicentennial in 1988, but planning for the big event began many years before. As part of the Bicentennial preparations, then Premier of NSW Neville Wran initiated an ambitious Darling Harbour development plan. The project was finished on time and Darling Harbour was back on the map. It got another, even bigger boost in development when private and public funding spent another one and a half billion dollars on it in preparation for the 2000 Olympics.

You don’t need a reason to enjoy Darling Harbour. On a warm spring day, there’s nothing more enjoyable than taking a stroll over Pyrmont Bridge and then across the long promenade that stretches along the waterside in front of the development. If you’re feeling hungry, you will find dozens of cafes, restaurants and take-out stalls to select from. It’s a great place to bring the entire family. The kids love to take the small train tour and, for a big outing, there’s the Sydney Aquarium, one of the world’s biggest, the IMAX theatre and the fascinating National Maritime and Powerhouse Museums.

Captain Cook Endeavour

These are only a few of the things you are able to do in Darling Harbour and even these cannot be done in just one day. Just when you think you’ve seen everything, you hear about Sydney Wildlife World’s six thousand examples of Australian animals. Then you can get a babysitter for the kids and enjoy an evening of entertainment at Star Theatre or the Lyric Theatre at Star City Casino.

If you do not feel like walking, why not get to Darling Harbour via the Sydney Monorail and see the city from a whole new point of view? If you are looking to explore the city by water, it is possible to catch a Sydney Harbour cruise from Darling Harbour. If you would like nothing more than a quiet afternoon in a lovely setting, a stroll through the immaculate gardens of the Chinese Garden of Friendship will be sure to restore your spirits.

Chinese Garden of Friendship

Now can you see why Sydneysiders call Darling Harbour their best Sydney attraction? An excellent way to spend your vacation in Sydney is to make a Darling Harbour accommodation your base. Just try and find at least a bit of time to tear yourself away from Darling Harbour and explore the rest of the city!

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Gay Adventure To Sydney Australia – Fun For All
Friday, April 08th, 2011 /

Sydney is one of the world’s favorite cities. Set on a stunning harbor the shopping and dining variety are superb and you are within easy access of the great outdoors. Sydney was voted by the readers of Conde Naste in 2008. Sydney is a gay friendly city and its wide range of attractions encourages gay travel to this part of Australia.

The Gay and Lesbian community is very active in the city. But the most famous event is the annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. This is party central and the event has general popular appeal. Many non homosexual Sydneysiders stand along the parade route to enjoy the fun atmosphere.

Beaches are everywhere around Sydney. A short ride across the harbor is the Manly area with it’s surf beach and laid back way of Life. There are a wide choice of beaches that are good for swimming and surfing or just lying back and improving your tan. If you want to find naturalist beaches there are four in the area just to the North of Sydney.

Food and cafes are a way of life here. The range of cuisine is immense and you will be able to find an option that suits your budget. One of the highlights of Sydney must be sitting in the sun at a cafe on the harbor and watching the people and boats go by.

The area around Oxford street is known as the Pink Strip. Here is a concentration of Gay friendly shop, bars and clubs. The shopping is diverse as are the clubs – so there should be something for everyone.

If you are in need of some relaxation and sun don’t forget Sydney is southern hemisphere and the seasons are the flip of what they are in the Northern hemisphere – February is still summer. Gay travel to Sydney Australia is great and the city is definitely gay friendly.

While you are in Australia, nose around some of the other spots. You will find Queensland to be gay friendly, as well as a delightful, alternative getaway. Plus, you’ll find gay resorts in Queensland as well.

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A View of Sydney from Circular Quay
Monday, March 29th, 2010 /

Circular Quay1In a small Australian inlet known as Sydney Cove lies the central point of Sydney Harbour: Circular Quay. This is the founding site of Australia. When you visit Sydney, just about every attraction that you will want to see can be reached from Circular Quay, and it is a fun and exciting place for you and your family to visit.

Contrary to its name, Circular Quay is actually in the shape of a horseshoe, and it is a terrific place for first-time visitors to begin their Sydney vacation.
Sydney Ferry

Ferries for such popular destinations as Taronga Park Zoo leave Circular Quay every few minutes, and from here, you will have an amazing view of the Harbour Bridge. There is a walkway on the southern side of Circular Quay which leads to a number of popular attractions, including the Royal Botanical Gardens and the Sydney Opera House, where you can enjoy an evening of live theatre, ballet or concerts. Or take a walk along the northern side to the Harbour Bridge as well as The Rocks, which is one of the oldest and most popular Sydney attractions.

Watching the Ships Roll In
If you just want to spend a relaxing day with your significant other, strolling around Circular Quay and taking in all of the sights, you will want to take some time out to just sit and watch the many ships, boats and ferries coming in and out during the day. You may even get to see a tall ship or two docked in the harbour. Or you can hop on a bus for a visit to the suburbs, or visit the railway station, a part of the underground City Circle. Circular Quay is a major bus, train and ferry terminal, and you can get to just about every location in Sydney from here.

Circular Quay is a Great Place for Literature Lovers
When you visit Circular Quay, don’t forget to take a stroll along the Sydney Writer’s Walk. Metal plaques emblazoned with the names of such famous authors as Robert Lewis Stevenson and Mark Twain are embedded into the Circular Quay walkway. These plaques can be found near the Overseas Passenger Terminal marking the entire way to the Sydney Opera House, and you will find passages from the works of the writers whose names appear here.

Something for Everyone in Circular Quay
Whether you are interested in transportation, the arts, entertainment, shopping, fine dining or taking walking tours, Circular Quay is the ideal spot to begin your Sydney vacation. Circular Quay is a great place to spend a relaxing day while enjoying lunch at one of the many cafes, shopping and being entertained by the talented buskers that are drawn to the area, and you will never be lost for something to do.

Sydney Resources
Sydney Accommodation
Sydney Trains
Sydney Ferries
Taronga Park Zoo
Sydney Islands
Bondi Beach

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