We are coming to the end of 2019 and it's been a fruitful year for me. I just returned from my second last trip of the year, with my annual family trip coming soon in 1 month time! If you have been a loyal reader, you would have known that I had an extremely short stay in Sydney before flying to New Zealand back in 2017. And you probably remember that the city didn't manage to awe me back then, on account of my unpleasant experience with RedytoGo and the gloomy weather (if you are interested to find out what happened, click here).
Okay, you must be wondering how I ended up in Sydney again? My boyfriend and I were looking for a travel destination with cool, temperate climates and won't require us to drive as we were both unreliable drivers. Nonetheless, the major push factor was the enticing promotional flight fare offered by Scoot :)
Little did I know how this trip would totally change my impression on Sydney and we had a great time there. You could expect a series of posts on this amazing city in the next few weeks (I will try to be hardworking but no promise)!
- Arrival in Sydney and check in Renovated Art Deco Studio Apartment
- Dinner at Hurricane’s Grill Darling Harbour
- Watch fireworks at Darling Harbour (i.e. Cockle Bay) at 9pm
Day 2 (Sunday) - Make use of the cap fare of your Opal card!
- Breakfast at Social Hideout
- Ferry from Circular Quay to Watsons Bay
- Explore Watsons Bay (South Head Heritage Trail to Hornby Lighthouse, Robertson Park and The Gap viewing area)
- Lunch at Doyles on the Beach Restaurant
- Ferry from Watsons Bay to Manly Beach (by private provider; outside the remit of Opal fare cap)
- Explore Manly Beach (Walk to Shelly Beach, tea time at Manly Pantry and sunset at Manly Wharf)
- Ferry from Manly Beach to Circular Quay
- Dinner self-prepared
Day 3 - Day trip to Newtown
- Breakfast at Brewtown
- Explore murals around Newtown
- Walk to Sydney University (stop by Gelato Messina and Pie Tin for treats)
- Lunch at Mary's Burger (this was in our initial itinerary but we skipped in the end as we were just too full)
- Explore and snap photos around Sydney University
- Walk to Queen Victoria Building (stop by Bubble Nini Tea and wander around Chinatown)
- Visit Angel Place and dinner self-prepared
Day 4 - Day trip to Blue Mountain
- Breakfast at Grounds of the City and watermelon cake from Blackstar Pastry
- Blue Mountain Sunset Tour
- Dinner at Chinese Noodles House
Day 5 - City tour in Sydney
- Breakfast at The Grounds of Alexandria
- Visit Green Square Library
- Explore Sydney's iconic buildings (Sydney Opera House and Pylon Lookout)
- Lunch at Pancakes on the Rock
- Chill at Hyde Park and visit St Mary Cathedral
- Explore Royal Botanic Garden and view sunset at Mrs Macquarie's Chair
- Dinner self-prepared
Day 8 - Goodbye, Sydney!
- Visit Sydney Fish Market
- Departure from Sydney (oh yeah, grab a cup of Campos coffee at airport to satisfy your last-minute craving for caffeine)
Visa wise, we would recommend obtaining it through any online agency as this method managed to save us a few bucks compared to direct application in Australian government website. The visa worked just as fine. Another trick is to apply for the visa a few days before your trip, particularly if you plan to visit the country again in the near future. This will maximise the validity period of your visa because its expiry date will be either 12 months from the issue date or the expiry of your passport. The approval is prompt, and it's usually within 24-hour.
A hardcopy version of the visa is not required as it is electronically linked to your passport number. For fellow Malaysians and Singaporeans, you may clear your immigration using the automated gate upon arrival, instead of queuing for the traditional counter service.
Address: 39 Roslyn Street, Rushcutters Bay, NSW 2011, Australia.
Nearest train station: Kings Cross
Cost per night for 2 pax = SGD 107.65
(+) Convenient location (6 to 8-min walk to King Cross train station), responsive and helpful host, multiple supermarkets nearby (Coles, Woolworth Metro and Harrison's Farm Market), a lot of food options around, well-equipped studio apartment (kitchen cookware, microwave, utensils, hair dryer etc), fairly affordable
(-) Not entirely soundproof, need to pass by a lot of dustbins from the gate to the apartment entrance (it gets stinky sometimes), small and cramped kitchen, not-so-powerful heater (for people who come during winter to take note)
In my opinion, the pros unquestionably outweigh the cons. Accommodation in Sydney is definitely not cheap, and one-night stay in a hotel can easily exceed SGD 200. Hence, this fits into our budget perfectly. For the price we paid, I could not be more grateful for the quality of our stay here.
Unfortunately, tourist travel pass is not available in Sydney, but fret not, we have summarised some tips below for a more affordable trip:
Hope this post will help everyone who has plans to visit Sydney. Will be sharing more about our experience in the next one ~~~
Okay, you must be wondering how I ended up in Sydney again? My boyfriend and I were looking for a travel destination with cool, temperate climates and won't require us to drive as we were both unreliable drivers. Nonetheless, the major push factor was the enticing promotional flight fare offered by Scoot :)
Little did I know how this trip would totally change my impression on Sydney and we had a great time there. You could expect a series of posts on this amazing city in the next few weeks (I will try to be hardworking but no promise)!
Itinerary
Day 1 (Saturday) - Fireworks day!- Arrival in Sydney and check in Renovated Art Deco Studio Apartment
- Dinner at Hurricane’s Grill Darling Harbour
- Watch fireworks at Darling Harbour (i.e. Cockle Bay) at 9pm
- Breakfast at Social Hideout
- Ferry from Circular Quay to Watsons Bay
- Explore Watsons Bay (South Head Heritage Trail to Hornby Lighthouse, Robertson Park and The Gap viewing area)
- Lunch at Doyles on the Beach Restaurant
- Ferry from Watsons Bay to Manly Beach (by private provider; outside the remit of Opal fare cap)
- Explore Manly Beach (Walk to Shelly Beach, tea time at Manly Pantry and sunset at Manly Wharf)
- Ferry from Manly Beach to Circular Quay
- Dinner self-prepared
- Breakfast at Brewtown
- Explore murals around Newtown
- Walk to Sydney University (stop by Gelato Messina and Pie Tin for treats)
- Lunch at Mary's Burger (this was in our initial itinerary but we skipped in the end as we were just too full)
- Explore and snap photos around Sydney University
- Walk to Queen Victoria Building (stop by Bubble Nini Tea and wander around Chinatown)
- Visit Angel Place and dinner self-prepared
Day 4 - Day trip to Blue Mountain
- Breakfast at Grounds of the City and watermelon cake from Blackstar Pastry
- Blue Mountain Sunset Tour
- Dinner at Chinese Noodles House
- Breakfast at The Grounds of Alexandria
- Visit Green Square Library
- Explore Sydney's iconic buildings (Sydney Opera House and Pylon Lookout)
- Lunch at Pancakes on the Rock
- Chill at Hyde Park and visit St Mary Cathedral
- Explore Royal Botanic Garden and view sunset at Mrs Macquarie's Chair
- Dinner self-prepared
Day 6 - Day trip to North Sydney
- Visit McDougall Street for blooming Jacaranda Trees (only in end Oct/early Nov)
- Breakfast at Celsius Coffee Co
- Hang around Luna Park to take photos
- Visit Taronga Zoo (to pack your own lunch)
- Depending on how much time spent in the zoo, you may choose to have dinner around North Sydney or head back to city area for food
Day 7 - Day trip to Bondi Beach
- Breakfast at Speedos Cafe
- Bondi to Coogee Walk (Bondi Iceberg Pool, Sculpture by the Sea [only in end Oct/early Nov] and Bronte Bath)
- Dinner self-prepared
Day 8 - Goodbye, Sydney!
- Visit Sydney Fish Market
- Departure from Sydney (oh yeah, grab a cup of Campos coffee at airport to satisfy your last-minute craving for caffeine)
Flight and visa
As mentioned earlier, we took Scoot from Singapore to Sydney (an 8-hour flight), with add-ons of 25-kg checked-in baggage round trip and 1 meal per way for sharing. This costed us SGD 935.34 in total for 2 persons, after enjoying 20% discount by paying with a DBS card. If we take away the add-ons, the bill was SGD 761.34 and we thought it was a pretty good deal.Visa wise, we would recommend obtaining it through any online agency as this method managed to save us a few bucks compared to direct application in Australian government website. The visa worked just as fine. Another trick is to apply for the visa a few days before your trip, particularly if you plan to visit the country again in the near future. This will maximise the validity period of your visa because its expiry date will be either 12 months from the issue date or the expiry of your passport. The approval is prompt, and it's usually within 24-hour.
A hardcopy version of the visa is not required as it is electronically linked to your passport number. For fellow Malaysians and Singaporeans, you may clear your immigration using the automated gate upon arrival, instead of queuing for the traditional counter service.
Accommodation
Renovated Art Deco Studio Apartment (Airbnb)Address: 39 Roslyn Street, Rushcutters Bay, NSW 2011, Australia.
Nearest train station: Kings Cross
Cost per night for 2 pax = SGD 107.65
(+) Convenient location (6 to 8-min walk to King Cross train station), responsive and helpful host, multiple supermarkets nearby (Coles, Woolworth Metro and Harrison's Farm Market), a lot of food options around, well-equipped studio apartment (kitchen cookware, microwave, utensils, hair dryer etc), fairly affordable
(-) Not entirely soundproof, need to pass by a lot of dustbins from the gate to the apartment entrance (it gets stinky sometimes), small and cramped kitchen, not-so-powerful heater (for people who come during winter to take note)
In my opinion, the pros unquestionably outweigh the cons. Accommodation in Sydney is definitely not cheap, and one-night stay in a hotel can easily exceed SGD 200. Hence, this fits into our budget perfectly. For the price we paid, I could not be more grateful for the quality of our stay here.
Kitchen and bathroom.
Transport
It's very convenient to travel around Sydney by public transport, including trips to or from airport (station access fee of AU$14.90 applies). You can either get an Opal card (something similar to Touch N Go or Ezlink card) or tap with your credit card.Unfortunately, tourist travel pass is not available in Sydney, but fret not, we have summarised some tips below for a more affordable trip:
- Avoid taking trains during peak hours (i.e. 7am to 9am and 4pm to 6.30pm during weekdays) as surcharges apply. Detailed information on the fares can be found here.
- Make use of the Sunday cap of Opal card at AU$2.80. It's the best time to hop on a ferry (ferry fare starts at a minimum of AU$6.12 on normal days) or have multiple public transport rides to cover greater distance!
- If you don't mind walking, that's even better as it certainly saves you a lot of money on transport!
Food
- Cook your own meals. Unlike Malaysia/Singapore, there are no hawker centres in Australia. A casual meal in a cafe/restaurant can easily burn a big hole of your pocket.
- Grab the deals in various supermarkets while you can as stocks run out amazingly fast. It is not infrequent to spot half price promotion in Coles and Woolworths, especially for snacks (they make good souvenirs)! We love the wide selection of dips that go well with crackers and bread.
- Some cheap food options for budget travellers include Subway (AU$5 for a meal), neighbourhood restaurants (~AU$10 per meal) and our highly recommended Chinese Noodles House in Chinatown (~AU$10 per meal).
- First Table website allows you to get 50% off your food bill for 2 to 4 people by booking the first table of the night. Fastest fingers win as there is only one booking per night. Availability for every restaurant is added just after midnight each night and booking is allowed one week in advance. However, kindly note that booking fee (non-refundable) and various terms and conditions apply.
Hope this post will help everyone who has plans to visit Sydney. Will be sharing more about our experience in the next one ~~~
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