Q: Hiya ! me, my 18 and 16 yr olds have 8 days in sydney. Unsure whether to stay in sydney all 8, or maybe 4 in the city and 4 at a beach e.g. bondi. Where would be good places to stay? We like it relaxed and informal. Ou most important holiday proirity is to check out the local rock scene. Any good venues in the city or near a beach ?? thank you !!!
A: Rock scene??? Rock music or hard ingnous and matamorphic type rocks? If the latter, then take a day trip to the Blue Mtns west of Sydney - lotsa rocks up there and the train journey is great as it follows the route of the original explorers Bourke and Wills. Also the Hawksbury River area is very scenic as is the south coast to Wollongong. Too cold for swimming at Bondi (or any other beach) unless you enjoy freezing you B*M off! If you are looking for Rock Music then there are many venues available depending where you are staying - Sydney is a very large city of over 5 million people! Not sure of the total area but its 65 km to the western extremity of the suburbs and much the same south or north. Why not take the train to Katoomba and see the sights up there and ride on the "Scenic Railway", the steepest inclined railway in the world (cable hauled). Check out the view from The Skyway cable car and don't forget your camera. Visit Echo Point and see if you can make your voice echo from the valley floor. Just up the line a bit from Katoomba is The Zig Zag Railway. This steam train trip takes you down the giant Zig Zag, one of the greatest engineering marvels in the world, a giant Z carved into the rock. It used to be the original railway line over the mountains until 1910 when it was replaced by a series of tunnels as traffic became too much for the single line. Volunteers reopened the line using locos from Queensland and carraiges from Tasmania - a great place for a picnic but does get quite cool up there at this time of year. If you are into history, Sydney has plenty of that, since it was started as a convict settlement in 1788. Parramatta (14 miles west of the city) is another place steeped in History... It was the original port (at the head of the navagible part of the river). La Peruse to the near south situated on Botany Bay (you see Botany Bay when you fly in because the main airport runway sticks out into it) is another historical area Accomodation prices around any of the beach suburbs will certainly ROCK you! Expect to pay an arm and both legs. Better to seek out one of the more moderate priced Hotels in the suburbs. I don't reccomend driving around Sydney because there are way too many toll roads and toll tunnels to get caught up with that cost a fortune in tolls. Public transport may be a bit slower but at least you won't get lost. Do check out the coathanger. You can climb to the top of Sydney Harbour Bridge - don't know cost but I think its around $60 and you get a certificate and a photo to prove you did it. The view from the top is spectacular - never been up myself but seen it on TV.