Sydney travel guide

Banks

The major banks have ATMs on all the major shopping and eating streets. Foreign exchange is readily available on the arrivals concourse of Sydney Airport. In the city there are many outlets especially around Circular Quay and along George St.

Hospital

Prince of Wales Hospital, High St, Randwick, T9382 2222; Royal North Shore Hospital, Pacific Highway, St Leonard’s, T9926 7111; St Vincent’s Hospital, Victoria St, Darlinghurst, T9339 1111; Sydney Children’s Hospital, T9382 1111.

Internet

Internet is widely available throughout the city with the southern end of George and Pitt streets (between Liverpool and Hay) and the western end of Oxford St (between Crown and College) having numerous outlets. Most backpackers offer their own internet facilities and outlets, especially in the outer suburbs.

Global Gossip has several Sydney outlets including 14 Wentworth Av, 790 George St

in the CBD, and 37 Hall St, Bondi. Expect to pay from $4 to $10 per hr (be careful to confirm your start and finish time; ‘rounding up’ seems to be common).

Post

There are post shops dotted around the city marked with the prominent red and white circular logo. The main General Post Office is located at 1 Martin Pl, T131318, Mon-Fri 0815-1730, Sat 1000-1400. Post Restante is based on the 3rd floor, 310 George St (across the road from the Wynyard Station entrance). Log your name into the computer to see if any mail awaits. The city centre poste restante code is NSW 2000. Open Mon-Fri 0830-1700.

Useful contacts
For the police, emergency T000, general enquiries T9690 4960. City of Sydney Police Station, 192 Day St, T9265 6499.

Public transport in Sydney is generally efficient and convenient. The great hub of public transportation in the city centre revolves around Circular Quay at the base of the CBD. It is from there that most ferry (Sydney Ferries) and many suburban rail (CityRail) and bus (Sydney Buses) services operate. State Transit (STA) own and operate the principal suburban ferry and bus services. Other principal terminals are Wynyard on York Street for northbound bus and rail services, Town Hall on George Street and the Central Railway Station. For information about all public transport, T131500, http://www.131500.com.au, 0600-2200. Once in the city, ferry and rail route maps are available from information centres. The free leaflet CBD Access Map Sydney, available from the VICs or information booths, is a very useful map and guide for the disabled.

Transport

Air

For information and details of arrivals and departures, T9667 6065, www.sydneyairport .com.au.

Bus

Local

The STA (Sydney Buses) is the principal operator with the standard buses being blue and white, the Sydney Explorer red and the Bondi Explorer blue. For information about

suburban buses in Sydney, T131500, http://www.131500.com.au.

Standard bus fares are between $1.70-5.60 depending on distance and subsequent zone. If you intend to travel regularly by bus, a Travel Ten ticket is recommended ($13.60-44.80) while further savings can be also be made with the TravelPass and Sydney Pass system . The Explorer buses cost $39 for the full return trip ($68 for 2 days). There is an on-board commentary and you can hop on and off when you want. Both leave at regular intervals from Circular Quay. For all of the above bus fares children travel half price and there are also family concessions. Note most Explorer buses operate between 0840 and1722 only.

Drivers do not automatically stop at bus stops. If you are alone you must signal the driver, or at night gesticulate wildly.

Long distance

Sydney Coach Terminal is in the Central Railway Station, Shop 4-7, Eddy Av, T9281 9366, daily 0600-2230. Major interstate companies include Greyhound (National) T131499 (T1300 4739 46863), http://www.greyhound.com.au; Murrays, (Canberra, South NSW Coast), T132251, http://www.murrays.com.au; Premier Motor Services (national) T133410, http://www.premierms.com.au; and Firefly (Adelaide, Melbourne), T1300 730740,

http://www.fireflyexpress.com.au. Typical interstate services and prices for 1-way from Sydney are: Brisbane, Greyhound, 5 daily, 20 hrs, $121; Byron Bay, Greyhound, 4 daily,18 hrs, $111; Cairns, Greyhound, 5 daily, 46 hrs, $364; Canberra, Greyhound, 10 daily, 5 hrs, $15; Melbourne, Greyhound, 5 daily, 14 hrs 20 mins, $77.

Car/campervan

Travelling by car around Sydney is a nightmare with numerous tolls, expensive parking and omnipresent parking wardens. There really is no need to see the sights by car but if you must, take lots of change. Note that as of December 2004 only vehicles with the city auto-toll E-Tag system will be able to use the harbour tunnel. The toll for the harbour bridge ($3 southbound, free northbound) will remain payable by cash or E-Tag. NRMA are located at 74-76 King St, CBD, T9292 8292, T131122.

Car hire offices at the airport (Arrivals south) include Avis, T136333, Budget T132727, Hertz T1300 132 607, National, T131390, Red Spot, T1300 668 810 and Thrifty T136139. In the city try Avis, Budget and Ascot centred on or around William St, Darlinghurst. Cheaper options often include Bayswater Rentals, 180 William St, Kings Cross, T9360 3622, and Dollar, Domain Car Park, Sir John Young Cres , T9223 1444. Rates can get as low as $40 per day. Campervan hire from Britz, free call T9667 0402, http://www.britz.com.au, and also Maui, T1300 363800, http://www.maui-rentals.com.

Secondhand car and campervan dealers include Kings Cross Car Market, Ward St Car Park, Kings Cross, T1800 808188, http://www.carmarket.com.au (good buying and selling), and Travellers Auto Barn, 177 William St, Kings Cross, T1800 674374, http://www.travellers-autobarn.com.au.

Cycling

The pace of cycling is perfect for sightseeing. Unfortunately the rest of the road users don’t agree. Travel by bike within the city centre can be hairy to say the least. Several companies offer bike hire from about $35 per day or $175 per week, including Inner City Cycles, 151 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe, T9660 6605; the Manly Cycle Centre, 36 Pittwater Rd, Manly, T9977 1189; and Wooly’s Wheels, 82 Oxford St, T9331 2671. For general advice contact Bicycle NSW, Level 5, 822 George St, T9218 5400, http://www.bicyclensw.org.au. For Sydney Cycle Ways maps and information contact the RTA, T9218 6816.

Ferry

A trip on one of Sydney’s harbour ferries is a wonderful experience and an ideal way to see the city, as well as accessing many of the major attractions and suburbs. The principal operator is Sydney Ferries, which operates the ‘green and golds’, also the fast JetCats to Manly and RiverCat to Homebush Bay and Parramatta. Several independent companies also operate out of Circular Quay offering cruises as well as suburban transportation and water taxis.

Like the buses, ferry fares are priced according to zone and start at a single trip for $5.20. If you intend to travel regularly by ferry then a FerryTen ticket (from $33.50) is recommended, while further savings can also be made with the TravelPass and Sydney Pass system . Various travel/entry combo tickets are offered to the major harbourside sights including Taronga Zoo (Zoo Pass $44, child $21.50) and Sydney Aquarium (Aquarium Pass $33, child $17.00). Children travel half price and there are also family concessions on most fares. For ferry information T131500, www.sydneyferries .com.au or http://www.sydneytransport.com.au. The main Sydney Ferries Information Centre is opposite Wharf 4, Circular Quay.

MonoRail and LightRail

MonoRail

MonoRail, http://www.metromonorail.com.au, runs in a loop around Darling Harbour and South Western CBD and provides a convenient way of getting from A to B. They run every 3-5 mins, Mon-Thu 0700-2200, Fri-Sat 0700-2400, and Sun 0800-2200. The standard fare (1 loop) is $4.50, a Day Pass costs $9. Children under 5 travel free and there are discounts for some major attractions.

LightRail

The LightRail network links Central Station with Lilyfield, via a number of stops within the southwest CBD and Darling Harbour, as well as the Casino, Fish Market and Glebe. It is a 24-hr service with trains every 10-15 mins from 0600-2400 and every 30 mins from 2400-0600. There are 2 fare zones starting at a single journey at $3. A Day Pass with unlimited stops costs $8.50.

Children travel at half price. For information, T8584 5288, http://www.metromonorail.com.au.

Taxi

Land based

Sydney’s once rather dubious taxi service was given a major revamp for the 2000 Olympics and it is now much improved. Ranks are located near every railway station, at Circular Quay and numerous spots in the CBD, otherwise hail one as required. From 2200-0600 higher tariffs apply. On short journeys tipping is not expected. There are several companies including ABC T132522, Combined T133300, Legion T131451, Premier T131017 and RSL T132211.

Water based

Water taxis operate all over the harbour with most being based on the western edge of Circular Quay. The main operators are Water Taxis Combined, Circular Quay, T9555 8888, and Yellow Water Taxis T1300 138840.

Train

Local

Sydney’s 24-hr double-decker train services are a convenient way to reach the city centre and outlying areas, or to link in with bus and ferry services. Fares start at $2.40 and savings of up to 40% can be made with ‘Off-Peak Tickets’, which operate after 0900 on weekdays. Further savings can be made with the TravelPass and Sydney Pass . There are coloured routes with the green/purple City Circle (Central, Town Hall, Wynyard, Circular Quay, St James and the Museum) and blue Eastern Suburbs Line (Central, Town Hall, Martin Place, Kings Cross, Edgecliff, Bondi Junction) being the most convenient. Tickets and information are available at all major stations. For information about suburban trains in Sydney, T131500, http://www.cityrail.com.au or http://www.131500.com.au.

Long distance

All interstate and NSW State destination trains arrive and depart from the Central Railway Station on Eddy Av, just south of the city centre. There is an information booth and ticket offices on the main platform
concourse. Countrylink are the main interstate operators operating with a combination of coach and rail to all the main interstate and NSW destinations, T132232 (daily 0630-2200), http://www.countrylink.info. You can find a Countrylink Travel Centre at the railway station, T9955 4237; Town Hall Station, T9379 4076; Wynyard Station, T9224 4744; Circular Quay, T9224 3400; and Bondi Junction T9377 9377. First class and economy fares vary so you are advised to shop around and compare prices with the various coach operators. The railway station also houses the main interstate city coach terminal (Greyhound) and from there, or Pitt St and George St, you can pick up regular city and suburban buses. For information T131500, http://www.sydneytransport.net.au. Countrylink operates the ‘XPT’ Sydney to Brisbane (12 hrs daily, overnight, from $111) and Melbourne (11 hrs, twice daily, 1 overnight, from $111).

The inclusive tourism market incorporates people with disabilities and those who are ageing and who have access needs (mobility, vision, hearing and communication). Significant numbers of Australians and people from overseas have disabilities – 600 million worldwide. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that 4 million Australians have a disability [1]. Based on the National Visitor Survey 88 per cent of these people travelled within Australia in the previous year, 7 per cent travelled overseas and most travelled in independent groups with an average size of 4.1 people. The accessible tourism market has recently been valued at $4.8 billion to the Australian economy [2] with significant latent demand.

Yet, finding tourism experiences and day trips that are accessible has been a major issue for people with disabilities and those with access requirements. Many disability organizations provide member created word of mouth lists, tips and stories to help others plan their day trips and holidays more easily. However, these information systems are incomplete and problematic.

A prototype Web “portal”, http://www.sydneyforall.com, aims to make it easier to find accessible destination experiences around Sydney for those with access needs.

The portal reflects the findings of a research project and seeks to provide accessibility information about key tourism experiences that people can enjoy when they are in Sydney. The area covered by the portal includes The Rocks, Circular Quay, The Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain. It also includes the Sydney Fish Markets, a ferry trip to Manly and a visit to North Head.

The research project was sponsored by the Sustainable Tourism Co-operative Research Centre, Tourism NSW, the Tourism and Transport Forum and the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change. The project was led by Associate Professor Simon Darcy of the University of Technology, Sydney.

One key feature of the portal is its ability to provide information to people with vision impairment. The portal has been developed to meet international W3C Web Accessibility standards and was independently assessed by Vision Australia to verify compliance with those standards.

[1] Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2004). Disability Ageing and Carers Summary of Findings, 2003 (Cat No. 4430.0). from http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/

[2] Dwyer, L., & Darcy, S. (2008). Chapter 4 - Economic contribution of disability to tourism in Australia. In S. Darcy, B. Cameron, L. Dwyer, T. Taylor, E. Wong & A. Thomson (Eds.), Visitor accessibility in urban centres: Technical Report 90040 (pp. 15-21). Gold Coast: Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre (forthcoming).