Sydney

Public Transport

Sydney's mass transit system, incorporating bus, ferry and various rail services, is well developed, efficient and cheap. The Transport Infoline (tel: 131 500, in Australia only; website: www.131500.com.au) provides route, timetable and fare information for all buses, ferries and trains.

State Transit (tel: 131 500, in Australia only; website: www.sydneybuses.nsw.gov.au) operates Sydney's buses. Buses run daily 0600-2400 and night buses operate on selected routes thereafter. You can buy tickets from the driver for the most part although on a number of buses you need to buy tickets in advance.

Sydney Ferries (tel: 131 500, in Australia only; website: www.sydneyferries.nsw.gov.au) runs the commuter ferry network that criss-crosses Sydney Harbour. Ferries ply between Circular Quay and approximately 30 destinations, daily 0600-2400. Tickets are available at ticket offices and machines located at the ferry stops or, if there is no office or machine, on board.

CityRail (tel: 131 500, in Australia only; website: www.cityrail.info) operates the network of trains designed primarily for rapid transit between the suburbs and the city. The stops are not necessarily very convenient for tourists, who tend to remain within the city centre. Trains generally operate daily 0430-0100 with varying times on the different routes and a limited service or no service on some routes on the weekend. Tickets are available from the railway stations.

Connex Sydney (tel: (02) 9285 5600; website: www.metrolightrail.com.au) operates the monorail and light rail services. The monorail shuttles between the city centre, Darling Harbour and the Chinatown areas Monday to Thursday 0700-2200, Friday and Saturday 0700-2400 and Sunday 0800-2200. The light rail service operates 24 hours between Central Station and Star City, and Sunday to Thursday 0600-2300 and Friday and Saturday 0600-2400 between Central Station and Lilyfield. Tickets are available on the trains.

Numerous money-saving passes are available, including the SydneyPass (website: www.sydneypass.info),- a three-, five- or seven-day pass. This pass allows unlimited travel on public buses, harbour ferries, the Sydney Explorer bus and the Bondi Explorer bus as well as three sightseeing cruises operated by the State Transit authority and train travel within the red (city and inner suburban) travel pass zone. It also includes a return trip on the AirportLink train. Passes are available from TransitShopsat Circular Quay, Wynyard Station and at the York Street entrance to the Queen Victoria Building (QVB). You can also buy the pass at the Sydney Ferries ticket offices at Circular Quay and Manly, onboard Sydney Explorer and Bondi Explorer buses, and at the Sydney Visitor Centre, Cnr Argyle and Playfair Street, The Rocks Centre.

The colour-coded TravelPass, valid for one week or more, allows unlimited travel on public transport within a designated area.

A DayTripperpass is valid for travel on all regular buses, ferries and metropolitan area trains. A TravelTenbus pass is valid for 10 bus journeys. A FerryTenticket is valid for 10 ferry trips.

There are also travel passes for the Sydney Metro. The Monorail Supervoucher Day Passgives a full day of unlimited use and there is also the Metro Light Rail Day Passand the Weekly Unlimited Trips Pass. A METROConnectpass and allows for unlimited travel on both the light rail and monorail for one week.

All passes are available for purchase from the railway and bus stations, as well as from newspaper stands on bus routes.

Taxis

Taxi ranks can be found outside most bus and railway stations, as well as the larger hotels. Taxis run on meters, with a 20% surcharge added from 2200-0600. Fares are also subject to surcharges for telephone bookings, crossing the Harbour Bridge and using certain parts of the Eastern Distributor, where toll systems operate. Taxi drivers do not expect a tip, although fares are generally rounded up to the nearest dollar. Operators include Taxis Combined Services (tel: 133 300, in Australia only or (02) 8332 8888; website: www.taxiscombined.com.au) and Premier Cabs (tel: 131 017, in Australia only; website: www.premiercabs.com.au).

Driving in the City

The construction of a new road network for the 2000 Olympic Games left many Sydney routes vastly improved. The Eastern Distributor tunnel, for instance, has made driving to the airport a breeze. The Cross-City Tunnel has helped reduce city congestion by enabling travel from Kings Cross to Darling Harbour, under the CBD. That said, Sydney drivers are renowned for their speed and intolerance and parking is invariably difficult and/or expensive.

Parking restrictions are clearly signposted and usually specify an hour or two of metered parking during business hours. There are ‘clearway' zones that apply at certain times of day and vehicles parked in these areas during the times indicated will be towed and impounded. Parking in the city centre is difficult and visitors are often forced to use one of the (expensive) car parks - it's better to take public transport where possible. If parking on the street remember that drivers must park in the direction of traffic.

Many of Sydney's motorways are tolled and most of them are fully electronic; you will have to arrange a pass before or shortly after your trip - see www.rta.nsw.gov.au for details. There's a southbound toll on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Tunnel, a northbound toll on the Eastern Distributor and tolls in both directions in the Cross City Tunnel. The city's main motorways (M1, M2, M4, M5 and M7) are also tolled.

Car Hire

A national driving licence printed in English is required for driving in Sydney, although some hire firms prefer an International Driving Permit. The minimum age for hiring a car is often 25 years. Minimum third-party insurance is required.

Major operators include Avis (tel: (02) 9353 9033 or 136 333, in Australia only; website: www.avis.com.au), Budget (tel: 1300 362 848 or 132 727, in Australia only; website: www.budget.com.au), Hertz (tel: 1800 550 067 or 133 039, in Australia only; website: www.hertz.com.au) and Thrifty (tel: 1300 367 277; website: www.thrifty.com.au).

Bicycle Hire

Sydney's many steep hills do not make for a leisurely ride and there are limited (and often dangerous) designated cycle lanes. Manly has better paths for cycling but best of all is the popular Centennial Park. Hire companies include Centennial Park Cycles, 50 Clovelly Road, Randwick (tel: (02) 9398 5027; website: www.cyclehire.com.au), and Inner City Cycles, 151 Glebe Point Road (tel: (02) 9660 6605; website: www.innercitycycles.com.au).

Introduction

Sydney’s cultural life is uniquely diverse, from high classical at the Sydney Opera Houseto cutting-edge contemporary and experimental performance art. The opera house is the major focus of attention for classical music, opera, theatre and dance.

Cultural productions and events are listed in ’Metro’, the Friday edition entertainment section of the Sydney Morning Herald (website: www.smh.com.au), and the weekly arts and entertainment magazine Time Out is a comprehensive guide to what’s going on in the city.

Tickets are available for purchase from Ticketek (tel: (02) 9266 4800; website: www.ticketek.com) and Ticketmaster (tel: 136 100, in Australia only; website: www.ticketmaster.com.au). The Halftix booth, 91 York Street (tel: 1300 302 017, in Australia only; website: www.halftix.com.au), offers reduced price tickets on the day of the show.

Music: The Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Circular Quay (tel: (02) 9250 7111; website: www.sydneyoperahouse.com), is the premier performance venue for classical music. The Sydney Symphony (tel: (02) 8251 4600; website: www.sydneysymphony.com), the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs (tel: (02) 9251 2024; website: www.sydneyphilharmonia.com.au), Opera Australia(tel: (02) 9699 1099; website: www.opera-australia.org.au) and the Australian Chamber Orchestra(tel: (02) 8274 3800; website: www.aco.com.au) hold most of their performances at the Opera House.

The Eugene Goossens Hall, ABC Ultimo Centre, Harris Street (tel: (02) 8333 1500), tends to be used for smaller performances, as does Sydney Town Hall, 483 George Street (tel: (02) 9265 9189; website: www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au), and City Recital Hall, Angel Place (tel: (02) 8256 2222; website: www.cityrecitalhall.com). The Conservatorium of Music, Macquarie Street (tel: (02) 9351 1222; website: www.music.usyd.edu.au), hosts symphony, wind and chamber concerts as well as jazz big bands.

Theatre: The Sydney Theatre Company(tel: (02) 9250 1777; website: www.sydneytheatre.com.au) is the city’s stylish flagship theatre company. Performances take place at the Wharf Theatres, Pier 4, Hickson Road (tel: (02) 9250 1700), the brand new Sydney Theatre, 22 Hickson Road (tel: (02) 9250 1999; website: www.sydneytheatre.org.au) and the Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point (tel: (02) 9250 7111; website: www.sydneyoperahouse.com). Acting luminaries, such as Geoffrey Rush and Cate Blanchett, have performed at the highly respected Belvoir Street Theatre, 25 Belvoir Street (tel: (02) 9699 3444; website: www.belvoir.com.au). The Performance Space, 199 Cleveland Street (tel: (02) 9698 7235; website: www.performancespace.com.au), and the Seymour Theatre Centre, Cleveland Street and City Road (tel: (02) 9351 7940; website: www.seymour.usyd.edu.au), are the main venues for more left-field contemporary performance.

Musicals are staged at the Capitol Theatre, 13 Campbell Street, Haymarket (tel: (02) 9320 5000; website: www.capitoltheatre.com.au), the State Theatre, 49 Market Street (tel: (02) 9373 6852; website: www.statetheatre.com.au), and the Lyric Theatre, Star City, Pirrama Road, Pyrmont (tel: (02) 9657 8500; website: www.lyrictheatre.com.au). Australian playwrights stage their work at the SBW Stables Theatre, 10 Nimrod Street, Kings Cross (tel: 1300 306 776, in Australia only; website: www.griffintheatre.com.au), which also provides a venue for up-and-coming playwrights. Sydney’s longest established theatre is the Ensemble, 78 McDougall Street, Kirribilli (tel: (02) 9929 0644; website: www.ensemble.com.au).

Dance: The Australian Ballet (tel: 1300 369 741, in Australia only; website: www.australianballet.com.au) performs mainly traditional pieces during its summer and winter season at the Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Circular Quay (tel: (02) 9250 7111; website: www.sydneyoperahouse.com). Similarly, the Sydney Dance Company (tel: (02) 9221 4811; website: www.sydneydance.com.au), the city’s leading contemporary dance group, performs at the opera house for two seasons per year. The Bangarra Dance Theatre, Pier 4/5 Hickson Road (tel: (02) 9251 5333; website: www.bangarra.com.au), performs a fusion of contemporary and traditional dance at various venues throughout the city. The company also tours extensively, both nationally and internationally.

Film: The George St Cinemas, 505-525 George St (tel: (02) 9273 7431; website: www.greaterunion.com.au), in the heart of Sydney’s CBD offer 17 big screens and all the latest releases. Sydney’s Entertainment Quarter, Lang Road, Moore Park; (tel: (02) 8117 6700; website: www.eqmoorepark.com.au), is home to two cinema complexes - Hoyts(tel: (02) 9332 1300), which includes La Premiere, the Directors Suite, and Cinema Paris(tel: (02) 9332 1633), which plays host to international film festivals and arthouse movies. Other arthouse cinemas include the Academy Twin Cinema, 3A Oxford Street, Paddington (tel: (02) 9360 8599; website: www.palace.net.au), the Chauvel Cinema,Paddington Town Hall (tel: (02) 9361 5398; website: www.chauvelcinema.net.au), and the art deco Hayden Orpheum, 380 Military Road, Cremorne (tel: (02) 9908 4344; website: www.orpheum.com.au).

The Sydney Film Festival(tel: (02) 9280 0511; website: www.sydneyfilmfestival.org) takes place every year in June, with most screenings in the magnificent marble auditorium of the State Theatre, 49 Market Street, (tel: (02) 9373 6852; website: www.statetheatre.com.au). Short filmmakers vie for recognition with entries into the Tropfest(tel: (02) 9368 0434; website: www.tropfest.com.au), the world’s largest short film festival held every February/March. Finalists have their works shown on open-air screens set up in the Domain - a large park on the fringe of the city centre.

Notable films set or partially set in Sydney include Peter Weir’s The Last Wave (1977), P J Hogan’s Muriel’s Wedding (1993), Stephan Elliot’s The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1993), Ray Lawrence’s Lantana (2001) and Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich’s animated feature Finding Nemo (2003).

Literary Notes: ’One of the finest, most beautiful, vast and safe bays the sun had ever shone upon,’ wrote inveterate traveller Joseph Conrad in 1906. Sydney Harbour continues to inspire eulogies from writers, including Miles Franklin who, in 1946, wrote: ’A month would not be long enough to imbibe such beauty.’ More recently, Clive James, the writer, satirist, broadcaster and critic, was rather more blunt: ’Sydney is like Venice without the architecture but with more sea.’

Sydney’s literary luminaries include Peter Carey, who lived in the city before moving to New York, and set his Booker Prize-winning Oscar and Lucinda (1988) in 19th-century Sydney, where country girl Lucinda dreams of self-reliance and an industrial utopia. David Williamson, Australia’s most successful playwright, calls Sydney home. His Emerald City (1987) is a comedic hymn to the city’s temptations.

Patrick White, Australia’s Nobel laureate, lived in Sydney for most of his life, and passionately evoked the city’s artistic life in The Vivisector (1970). An idiosyncratic streak led Sydney-born Thomas Keneally from the priesthood to the life of a full-time novelist. He published his first novel in 1964 and was awarded the Booker Prize for Schindler’s Ark (1982).

Teenagers Gabrielle Carey and Kathy Lette wrote Puberty Blues (1979) as an exposé of the teenage sexual rites of passage in the beach suburb of Cronulla. Robin Dalton’s Aunts Up the Cross (1965) is an affectionate memoir of Kings Cross in the 1930s, while John Birmingham’s Leviathan (2000) takes a more cynical look at the city’s history of criminals, ’razor gangs’ and corruption.

Modern Sydney receives a sanction of sorts from one of its favourite sons, world famous art critic Robert Hughes, who wrote: ’The provinciality that seemed to characterise Australian society, and could be plainly seen in Sydney 25 years ago, is all but gone. To a striking degree, the city’s habits have softened...Sydney is no longer quite so keen on the ’ocker’ (Pacific redneck) image of the Australian: beer gut, thongs, nasal foghorn voice and a truculent certainty that, short of Paradise itself, Australia is the only ticket and that the rest of the world only displays its inferiority by not necessarily wanting to come here.’

© Columbus Travel Media Ltd.