Holiday Review- Sydney

Holiday Review

My last holiday was a mini- break to Sydney for a weekend with a couple of close friends. The whole idea behind trekking the 1050km up there was to see the musical version of Priscilla- Queen of the Desert. We flew up early Friday morning via Avalon, arriving at lunchtime, checked into our hotel at Milsons Point and wondered what to do next. We decided to catch a train over the bridge into the big smoke in search of some lunch and walked all over the heart of the city, taking in the atmosphere and lively culture of the place, finally stumbling upon a McDonalds. Later that evening we set out in search of something to do. To our amazement, Sydney’s Luna Park was only 2 blocks from our hotel, just under the harbour bridge. We each bought an unlimited pass and spent the night having a ball on the rides.

The next day, we set out early to take in the sights. As it was a Saturday, one of my friends suggested we go to the famous Rocks Markets. As we wandered through, I couldn’t help but be disappointed in the items for sale as almost all of the goods were clearly aimed at foreign tourists. Afterwards, we hopped on a ferry which took us out around the bridge, past the opera house and out to the inlet areas of the harbour as far as Rose Bay. We were all astonished to see the hundreds of mansions scattered throughout the harbour’s fringes, and chatted about the rich snobs who must live there. When we finally got back, we took a walk around Circular Quay and the Opera House, taking happy snaps of all the sights. Feeling weary from our day’s adventures, we went back to the hotel for some R&R ahead of the musical which was on that night.

We arrived at Star City Casino, had a quick meal and found our seats in the theatre. The director of the production came on stage, explaining that as the show was a pre-premiere matinee, they were having teething problems with some of the props, making a number of them unavailable for this performance. In the light of this, he explained we would receive complimentary tickets to see it again after the premiere. The show was fantastic with great costume and set design, with the absence of some props adding to the comedy of the performance as the actors had to improvise.
After the show, my friends and I decided to seek out some nightlife. As it turned out, the casino had several bars in its basement area. As you can imagine, we all awoke late in the morning (with killer hangovers) to pack up and go to the airport to head home, feeling worse for wear. Back home we discussed what we were going to do with the free tickets we each would receive. One of my friends suggested we auction them off on eBay. We did just that and ended up making a profit of $60 each!

So, after that whirlwind trip, my advice to anyone going to Sydney- It’s a great place, just allow yourself a bit more time than 48 hours up there!!

Here are some links to accomodation, travel and places to see in Sydney:
Accomodation: http://www.wotif.com, http://www.vibehotels.com.au
Travel: http://www.jetstar.com
Must see attractions: Sydney Tower: http://www.sydneytoweroztrek.com.au/
Sydney Aquarium: www.sydneyaquarium.com.au/
Bondi Beach

Helpful Hints:
1. Get a good map of Sydney to get an idea of where everything is.
2. Purchase a Sydney travel pass, which for $45 will get you unlimited bus, train and tram travel for one week around most of the city.
3. If its just a short trip, plan out what to do before you go, so you don't waste time.