sydney tourist info please ...

[simonm]

Looks like my job might bring me to Sydney for a week in September (10-17).

There is a possibility that I might then stay for some vacation after that but that's another question. My job will have me in our office in North Ryde so what I am wondering is what part of the city would be good for a hotel/accomodation that would get me near (30min walk/few mins drive) the beach/sailing opportunities while I am there while at the same time keeping the commute to the office reasonable. A beach with swimming opportunities and the possibility to jump into a dinghy or onto a hobie cat would be sheer bliss. A sail in a bigger boat would be great too. I see there are "twilight sailing tours" advertised from Clontarf Marina but they don't actually start up until long after I am back in Europe.

Thanks

Simon

[kiwigeo]

I usually stay at The Observatory Hotel in The Rocks but it's not the cheapest digs in town.

[simonm]

I usually stay at The Observatory Hotel in The Rocks but it's not the cheapest digs in town.

Looks nice. But as you say not the cheapest. I guess about double what the company will pay. I can dream.

[sebastiaan56]

Its a bit of a hike from North Ryde to any beach. You will learn about Sydney traffic 40mins would be a good run to the Northern beaches from North Ryde. IMO they are all much of a muchness. I prefer to get out of Sydney altogether.

[simonm]

Its a bit of a hike from North Ryde to any beach. You will learn about Sydney traffic 40mins would be a good run to the Northern beaches from North Ryde. IMO they are all much of a muchness. I prefer to get out of Sydney altogether.

Very useful to know. Google maps told me 20 mins between the two points I entered but it looked suspiciously low for the distance in a city.

[jeffhigh]

Well I think swimming in Sydney in September is wishful thinking temperature wise unless you are one of the Bondi Iceberg types.

[kiwigeo]

Well I think swimming in Sydney in September is wishful thinking temperature wise unless you are one of the Bondi Iceberg types.

And you have to fight your way through hordes of half naked Kiwis....

[Kim]

Well I think swimming in Sydney in September is wishful thinking temperature wise unless you are one of the Bondi Iceberg types.

And you have to fight your way through hordes of half naked Kiwis....

If your game enough to do that, I'll give you an inside survival tip...Stay upright on two feet and 'don't' wear anything made of wool down to the water.

[simonm]

Hmmm...
This looks like a hint that the water might a bit on the coolish side in September.

So if I stay in the North Ryde area, is there anything to do there in the evenings or on Sat/Sun?

[jeffhigh]

So if I stay in the North Ryde area, is there anything to do there in the evenings or on Sat/Sun?

Not Really

[Alastair]

Hmmm...
This looks like a hint that the water might a bit on the coolish side in September.

So if I stay in the North Ryde area, is there anything to do there in the evenings or on Sat/Sun?

Bear in mind these are soft antipodeans, used to milder conditions than EU/UK.

Water temps in Sept would be ` 18-19?? Not too bad compared to the North Sea

[Clancy]

Swimming in September - possible, but it's "spanner water".
It tightens the nuts...

[matthew]

So if I stay in the North Ryde area, is there anything to do there in the evenings or on Sat/Sun?

Not in North Ryde but there is plenty of good music in the city, only about 30 mins by bus or train from North Ryde depending on exactly where you are. There's dancing too. Depends what you're into. Check out the Basement for blues and roots, Club 505 for jazz, Camelot for World. For starters.

Pity you're not here next week for Alvin Youngblood Hart ...

[simonm]

My plans are taking shape from a work perspective at any rate. I am going to grab a self-catering apartment close to Sydney bridge. The place has mixed reviews so if it turns out to be a flea bag I'll check out and get something else.

For transport I reckon one of the weekly "multi-pass" tickets seems to be just the business as there are train stops both near the office and near the apartment with a direct link. (the Newcastle& Central coast line). I can probably use it for getting to and from the airport as well. I may head up or down the coast at the weekend (10th or 11th) for a little sightseeing outside Sydney. In the end its going to be just a biz trip and then straight back. I will definitely look into some of the music recommendations.

Simon

[Kim]

Hope you have a great time Simon.

I've done a lot of travel around AU throughout my youth. Cultural hubs, small town pubs, oceans of people at 3 day festivals and nothingness for as far as the eye can see. If there's one thing they share its their ability to deliver a memorable experience for anyone willing to put their hand out and take one. Just eat the meat and spit the bones mate and you'll be sure to have urself a really good time.

Cheers

Kim

[simonm]

In north sydney. So far I am very impressed. I got a "my-multi" weekly ticket and spent saturday jumping on the ferries. Went up the Parramatta in the morning and then over to Watsons Bay and walked along the cliffs past Macquarie lighthouse. Then eventually back to the apartment when jet-lag kicked in and put me to bed early.

As a first-timer my immediate impression is that if I were young enough to get-in I'd apply for immigration now. . To be fair I suppose I'd have to skip over to NZ and have look if I were going to emigrate.

I find it a little bit pricey here in the centre of Sydney compared to where I live in Germany but then I don't hang round the city centre there either. Could also be the exchange rate - in trips to the US over the last decade I've seen it swing from being reasonable (first time), to ferociously expensive (middle trips) to fairly cheap (last two) - all driven by the dollar-euro relationship. What struck me in Parawatta (mainly went up for the boat ride not to see any tourist sights) was how the massive shopping complex has pretty much gutted the town town centre.

The quality of bakery goods (I have sweet tooth) and coffee is top class. The quality I've had sofar is better than what I get my region of Germany and that's just walking into the first place I see as opposed to trying to find out which are the best bakeries. Off to some do some more tourism this morning. Will try to get to Kirribilli and Manly to see the sea and boats. Doubt if I'll see any guitars anywhere.

Thanks.