Day 2 Bondi Beach & Sydney Harbour

took their public transport to the city, oh ya if you are alighting and getting back from the city. Rem to buy the city return fare AUD5.80 which is like 40% cheaper than return single tix...

Reached Bondi Junction Station and change to the bus (you can know the bus no. on my prev post). 

seagulls is everywhere in aussie~ 

lotsa surfers ard ~! 

spend about an hr there and we took a bus strg to the city. 

alighted at circular quay station~ 

HUGGGEEE RC cruise! Rhadsophy of the Seas!!! & the Harbour Bridge 

shops along the way that lead us to the most famous sydney landmark...

didnt know Guylian choc have a cafe too... i alwys tht its some cheapo choc from ntuc ... =X

lunch at opera bar ~ table tracker... so the waiter know where you are seated. 

fish salad ~ 

burger

my beef salad~ 

the sydney opera house ! 

in order to see the full view of the opera house and the harbour bridge... you need to go to mrs macquerie chair which is across the royal botanic garden~ 

the AUD10 train which brings you ard the whole park .. 

 the garden look so nice and clean that you wanna just lie down there and enjoy...

 one of the stops is palace garden where there is a rose garden 

walking toward mrs macquerie's chair ... 

and here is this ... the very classic view of sydney ~ 

Day 1 Singapore to Sydney

As explained on previous post, it was really a last min decision to come to aussie, so one really bad point is that every thing is ex... like air tix. The cheapest we found is scoot that was around SGD812 for return trip. 

Despite all the negative feedbacks, i decided to gv it a try... so far i had to say its comfy, more leg room and larger than the rest of the budget airlines. But sad to say my returned flight was delayed by around 1.5hrs due to some problem with the previous flight...however we were informed during our check in so we can loiter around the shops rather than waiting on the plane.  hmm i dont mind flying with them again..coz even reputable airline have delays... ~ 

So our flight reach sydney ard 1pm... and aussie shop closed earlier like ard 5pm/6pm so day 1 is just resting at my relative's place. 

Really beautiful house with view!!!

can even see pelican outside! OMG!

11 Days Sydney & Melbourne

Soon after i returned from my RC trip, i need to planned and head of to another.... 

as my parents' tour trip to china was cancelled due to insufficient pax... 

it's the first time i planned a trip within such short timeframe... 2weeks! 

Book air tixs, book day tours, accomodation etc~! 

So below is my 11 days itineray, some are just standby information which i dont wanna delete as I think its useful to others too. 

Wednesday
SG à SYD  2am to 12.55pm

TZ 2 28 Nov 2012 02:10 Singapore 28 Nov 2012 12:55 To: Sydney

Airport Train - 'AirportLink'
COST: $16.20 (International)per single ticket.

Thursday

Bondi Beach

The stations in order are Central, Town Hall, Martin Place, Kings Cross, Edgecliff and Bondi Junction. The train ride takes 11 minutes from Town Hall to Bondi Junction. Then change into a 380, 381, 382 or 333 bus for a 15 minute ride to the beach.

Sydney CBD (Circular Quay)
Sydney Observatory (http://www.sydneyobservatory.com.au/)
Sydney Opera House (http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/)
Ferry to Manly (for the beach and the Corso)

For View of Habour Bridge & Opera House 

Mrs Macquarie’s Chair

Sydney habour bridge climbEarly twilight and late twilight. You should be going for the 2.45pm or 3.15pm climbs. For these two timings, you willl get to see the twilight when you reach the peak of the bridge and on your way down, you will see the night view of Sydney.

Friday

 CityRail MyMulti Day Passes

1 day unlimited bus/train/ferries pass $21, weekly $60

Blue Mountains

Explorer Bus (First bus at 9.45am)

Bus to Hurstville :
Hurstville station to Katoomba Station $8.20 X 2 = $16.90

Explorer Bus Pass $36 

Lyrebird Pass (include skyway, rail, cable) $58

Cityrail explorer link $49.90

Scenic World (all 4) Pass $28

Train:
From Central Railway Station (7.21am, 8.24am, 9.09am), take train to Katoomba. Take Blue Mountain bus 686 ($2.10), www.bmbc.com.au

1) Scenic World – Scenic Pass $28 (Combine Skyway and Valley)- arrive before 4pm
www.scenicworld.com.au

2) Echo Point & The Three Sisters
- World Heritage Plaza (see the aboriginal performance)
 luxurious real hot chocolate.

3) Gordon Falls Reserve
offers excellent views of the falls and over the Jamison Valley. This is the departure point for the easy, 2-km, one-way Gordon Falls to Leura Falls Walk, offering excellent views over Gordon Falls and the Jamison Valley

3) Leura Cascades 
Leura Cascades is a peaceful setting for a family picnic or BBQ. From the Cascades you can leisurely walk to several waterfalls including Leura, Linda, Lila and Bridal Veil Falls. You can also walk to Copelands Lookout and Flying Fox Lookout.

Saturday

The Rocks Markets, 10am - 5pm Saturday and Sunday 
Foodies Market, 10am - 4pm Friday
Take the train to Sydney's Circular Quay and you are only a short walk away. Just head in the direction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and you're on your way!

- Pancakes on the Rocks

Sydney Fish Market (http://www.sydneyfishmarket.com.au/)

Darling Harbour (http://www.darlingharbour.com/)

Take the train to Town Hall Station and exit south into Bathurst Street. A short downhill walk on Bathurst Street will take you directly to the new Darling Quarter, Tumbalong Park and the Sydney Visitor Centre. 

1) Sydney Aquarium*

2) Sydney Monorail (http://www.metrotransport.com.au )- $9.80 Day pass, $15 Monorail+ Light Rail
Stations: 
City Centre, Darling Park, Harbourside, Convention, Exhibition, Paddy's Markets, World Square, Galeries Victoria

3) Cockle Bay Wharf (http://www.cocklebaywharf.com.au/)
4) WILD LIFE Sydney*
5) Skytower (http://www.sydneytowereye.com.au)*- $25

For AUD$58.50, you get to see the 3 sights above with an asterix 
http://www.sydneytowereye.com.au/tickets/#combo-passes
Watch fireworks at darling harbourside, sat at 9pm

Sunday 

SYD à MEL  9.45am to 11.20am

Take Skybus to Southern Cross Station (20mins) & take hotel transfer service to Citadines

One way $17, Return $28

When departing Melbourne
Ask your concierge to call SkyBus on +(61 3) 9600 1711 (quoting your room number) to reserve a pick-up time for the SkyBus Hotel Transfer Service.

or

Take maxi cab cheaper, might be around $70

Citadines on Bourke Melbourne

131–135 Bourke Street, 
Melbourne VIC 3000

Visitor pack costs (1 day unlimted in zone 1 & 2)
A full fare myki Visitor Pack costs $14 and includes $8 myki money for travel.
You can buy a myki Visitor Pack from the Melbourne Visitor Centre at Federation Square and from PTV Hub at the corner of Swanston and Little Collins streets.

Normal fare (1day zone 1 & 2 per trip $3.30)

St. Kilda Beach

·        TRAM 96 EAST BRUNSWICK TO ST KILDA BEACH

The number 96 lightrail tram is the quickest link between Melbourne CBD and St Kilda.  On the way, the No. 96 connects with Bourke Street Mall and Swanston Street, Southern Cross Station, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Crown Casino and the No. 109 Tram from Station Pier to deliver you directly to St Kilda Beach.

·        TRAM 16 MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY - KEW VIA MELBOURNE CBD AND ST KILDA BEACH

The No. 16 tram connects Melbourne CBD via Swanston Street, Federation Square, the Arts Centre, National Gallery of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens and St Kilda Road with St Kilda Beach and the Balaclava Railway Station. 

·        TRAM 112 SOUTH MELBOURNE / ST KILDA BEACH - WEST PRESTON (VIA CITY)

The No. 112 tram connects Melbourne CBD via Collins Street, Southern Cross Railway Station, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Crown Casino, the No. 109 tram from Station Pier, South Melbourne and Fitzroy Street, St Kilda

The Esplanade Market on Sunday 10am – 5pm
Upper Esplanade St.Kilda (Tram 16 or 96) Tram stop : 136

Luna Park : Tram Stop 137

St Kilda’s Pier
Spot the penguins at breakwater during sunset around 4pm. & maybe dinner at seaside.

Monday

Great Ocean Road Tour Departs 7am – 9pm (one meal included)

Tuesday

Queen Victoria market
Market Closed on Mon & Wed, Market operating hours 6am to 2pm.

Wkend 9-4pm

Wkdays 6 – 2pm

South Wharf

Crown Entertainment Complex

DFO South Wharf

Shrine of Remembrance or Federation Square/St. Paul Cathedral

Wednesday

Philips Island – Penguins Departs 10am – midnight (one meal included)

Thursday

Melbourne Central

State Library

QV mall

MEL à SYD 8.35pm to 10.05pm

Friday

Paddy market @ Hay market (cheap place for souvenirs)

9am – 5pm

Catch the train to Town Hall or Central Stations. It's only a five minute walk to Paddy's!

Pls get your souvenirs and T-shirts here. For eg a T-shirt is sold at $10/$25 at city souvenir stores/ tourist attractions, you can get it at 4pcs at $25.

Saturday

SYD à SG 2.05pm to 7.05pm

TZ 2 28 Nov 2012 02:10 Singapore 28 Nov 2012 12:55 To: Sydney

Standby info for sydney

Birkenhead point or DFO (outlet shopping)

You can buy a travel pass (GREEN) it last u a for 7 days and u can take a bus/train/ferry to anywhere you want within the limits of the Green zone. Cost about $40
Here's some public transport direction: (No worries if you use a green travel pass)

For DFO homebush 10am – 6pm

Take a train to Strathfield, and take BUS 525 or 526 from there. Tell the driver u want to stop at DFO homebush, underwood road. 

For Brikenhead point 10am – 5.30pm
There's only 2 ferry a day, one is at 9:20am and one is at 3:20pm from circular quay. 
Else take Bus 501 from circular quay or town hall (QVB) bus stop (As usual tell the driver where you want to go)

Port Stephen
see dolphins/whale

Sand dune 4wd

Manly beach

Hunter valley winery

Our tour provider for Melb: 

Sydney Wildlife Tour Tel: 1300 661 730 (7am - 10pm).

3 Dec Monday 1 Day Great Ocean Rd Tour $99 (discount $94)

5 Dec Tuesday 1 Day Philips Island Penguins Tour $109 (discount $104)