holiday in australia

[jcg303 1]

my SO and i are planning a trip to sydney, so we're looking for a little help regarding places to stay, what to do, where to go, etc.

which neighborhoods are the most interesting? best location?

any recommendations for places to stay? apartment rentals? hotels? websites would be helpful.

what about restaurants? breweries? must see items? what is vegemite?

any advice would be much appreciated!!!

[Heracles 417]

Hmm where do I begin. Sydney has lots to do all over the city. Circular Quay is where the harbour is, which allows you to go on cruises, see the Opera house etc. A little further up from there is an area called the Rocks. Which has a lot of pubs and restaurants etc. The lowenbrau restaurant / pub is quite popular there. Also one of my favorite. The Belgium beer garden is another great upmarketish type of pub there.

The Darling Habour has a nice range of restaurants and bars there. If you follow that around (from the restaurant side), it leads to another range of new restaurants and chillout bars. That section is new and built for the cruise ships as well. The other side leads to star city casino.

The city also has a mono-rail, not to mention a large observation deck.

[Heracles 417]

Check out: www.zuji.com.au There are a couple of nice hotels in Sydney, including the new Hilton.

Here are some travel sites:

http://www.australia.com/index.aspx

http://www.visitaustralia.com/

You will also have a lot info once in Sydney. The country/city is very tourist friendly and has tourist centers setup throughout the city

[scandal 951]

Hmm where do I begin. Sydney has lots to do all over the city. Circular Quay is where the harbour is, which allows you to go on cruises, see the Opera house etc. A little further up from there is an area called the Rocks. Which has a lot of pubs and restaurants etc. The lowenbrau restaurant / pub is quite popular there. Also one of my favorite. The Belgium beer garden is another great upmarketish type of pub there.

The Darling Habour has a nice range of restaurants and bars there. If you follow that around (from the restaurant side), it leads to another range of new restaurants and chillout bars. That section is new and built for the cruise ships as well. The other side leads to star city casino.

The city also has a mono-rail, not to mention a large observation deck.

That's the casino where I won AUD$300 playing hold'em poker. Fun night.

Also worth checking out are Bondi Beach, lots of eye candy there (for both sexes). They've also got a "swim the sharks" attraction which is pricey and needs reservations, but is awesome. You actually get to scuba dive with nurse sharks. They're tame (so they say) but look fierce up close.

The other highlight for me was the trip I took to the Blue Mountains. It's an easy day trip from Sydney, and simply stupendous views.

Oh! not sure if it's relevant for you -- but if you need a kosher restaurant, there is one at the Jewish Community Center. The food was decent, but not spectacular. I ate there one night because my boss was Orthodox so I joined him there. After that I left him on his own, and did my own thing. There are much better eats in Sydney than that.

Edited October 15, 2009 by scandal

[Heracles 417]

I cannot tell you much about sight seeing as most of the time I was in Sydney working, I would go to the office, then proceed to after work drinks with the Sydney crew, have a meal, hit the bars and pubs, sleep for 5 hours then repeat.

Another thing you may want to look at is getting a pass and visiting Melbourne and the Gold Coast. Melbourne is a lot more cultured than Sydney. Lots of restaurants, cafes, bars etc.

The airlines that fly there are:

http://www.qantasusa.com (Qantas)

http://www.vustralia.com (Virgin Australia)

http://www.delta.com (now Delta flies to Sydney)

http://www.airnewzealand.com (Air New Zealand)

http://www.united.com (united)

If you wanted to, using airnewzealand or Qantas, you could even swing by New Zealand on the way there or back.

Edit: There are also great wine tours in NSW (the state of Sydney). Gold coast in Queensland is great if you like nice warm sub-humid tropical weather. Then there is Perth in the other side of the country which is beautiful and laid back.

Edited October 15, 2009 by Booyah!

[Ban Hammer 13,352]

Also worth checking out are Bondi Beach, lots of eye candy there (for both sexes).

what about sheep?

[spookyturtle 9,466]

What about Melbourne? I have always wanted to visit there. I read somewhere that it is the sister city to Boston.

[scandal 951]

Also worth checking out are Bondi Beach, lots of eye candy there (for both sexes).

what about sheep?

Well OF COURSE that goes without saying!

For once, I was trying to respond to an Australia thread on the level.

But, since you ask, these are the stories that emerge from a country with a 3:1 sheep/human ratio....

[spookyturtle 9,466]

I'm being serious in this thread too.

[scandal 951]

I'm being serious in this thread too.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

I'm being serious in this thread too.

I'm not going to be a smartass unless provoked. No more being antagonistic. So bite me scandal.

Edited October 15, 2009 by spookyturtle

[scandal 951]

I'm being serious in this thread too.

I'm not going to be a smartass unless provoked. No more being antagonistic. So bite me scandal.

[Heracles 417]

I like this good cop bad cop game you two are playing. Definitely a first. Unfortunately in doing so, you have derailed another posters thread, who is trying to ask legitimate questions.

Keep that sort of ####### in EP.

Edited October 15, 2009 by Booyah!

[spookyturtle 9,466]

I like this good cop bad cop game you two are playing. Definitely a first. Unfortunately in doing so, you have derailed another posters thread, who is trying to ask legitimate questions.

Keep that sort of ####### in EP.

I did post a serious reply. I asked about Melbourne.

[scandal 951]

I like this good cop bad cop game you two are playing. Definitely a first. Unfortunately in doing so, you have derailed another posters thread, who is trying to ask legitimate questions.

Keep that sort of ####### in EP.

I did post a serious reply. I asked about Melbourne.

I posted about Bondi Beach. And the Blue Mountains. And Kosher food.

I blame Charles. He brought up the sheep first.