Port Jackson, containing Sydney Harbour is the natural harbour of Sydney. It is known for its spectacular natural beauty, and in particular as the location of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. The area around the harbour forshore contains pockets of bushland which was once common around Sydney, containing a surprising range of native animals.

The Sydney Opera House is one of the most distinctive and famous 20th century buildings, and one of the most famous performing arts venues in the world. Situated on Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour, with parkland to its south and close to the equally famous Sydney Harbour Bridge, the building and its surroundings form an iconic Australian image.

It was included in the Olympic Torch route in 2000 to the Olympic stadium, and involved Australian swimmer Samantha Riley standing on top of the Opera House waving the Olympic torch. It was the backdrop of some Olympic events, including the triathlon—which began at the Opera House—and the yachting events on Sydney Harbour. Unfortunately the dramatic exteriors have not been matched with technically superior interiors, and the Opera House’s reputation as a music venue has suffered as a result.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is the main crossing of Sydney Harbour carrying rail, vehicular, and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district (CBD) and the North Shore. The dramatic water vista of the bridge together with the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic image of both Sydney and Australia. The South-east pylon for many years operated as lookout and tourist attraction, containing a number of telescopes and antiquated arcade games which operated on pennies, long after that currency had gone out of operation. The couple that ran this tourist venue also kept a number of white cats which gave the interior of the pylon a memorable odour. The pylon has recently been renovated and returned to its tourist function.

Since 1998, BridgeClimb has made it possible for tourists to climb the southern half of the bridge. Tours run throughout the day, from dawn to dusk and are only cancelled for electrical storms or high wind. Night climbs are also available. Groups of climbers are provided with protective clothing appropriate to the prevailing weather conditions and are given an orientation before climbing. During the climb, attendees are secured to the bridge by a wire lifeline. Each climb begins on the eastern side of the bridge and ascends to the top. At the summit, the group crosses to the western side of the arch for the descent. Each climb is a three-and-a-half-hour experience.

The Shores of Sydney Harbour are home to a number of Historical forts, some of which are now heritage listed. Some of these forts date back to 1871 and were designed to defend Sydney town in the event of a seaborn attack. There are four historical fortifications located between Taronga Park Zoo and Middle Head, Mosman. The forts were constructed from mostly large sandstone blocks and consist of many tunnels, catacombs and underground rooms. The four forts located between between Bradleys Head and Middle Head are; the Middle Head Fortifications, the Georges Head Battery, the Lower Georges Heights Commanding Position? and a small fort located on Bradleys Head.

Watsons Bay sits on the end of the South Head peninsula and takes its name from the sheltered bay and anchorage on its western side, in Port Jackson. It provides spectacular views across the harbour to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The Gap is an ocean cliff on the eastern side with spectacular views to Manly at North Head and the Pacific Ocean.

Watsons Bay is a mostly residential area with some recreational areas and beaches, including one legal nude beach. Some restaurants, cafes and a hotel are located here, with Doyles on the Beach being one of the most famous Sydney seafood restaurants located on the foreshore of Watsons Bay. The Sydney Harbour Pilot Boat Station is located on the bay, and the HMAS Watson naval station is located nearby at South Head.

The Rocks is an inner-city suburb, tourist precinct and historic area of Sydney. It is located on the southern shore of Sydney Harbour adjacent to the city centre, close to where Sydney was first settled in 1788. The close proximity to Circular Quay and the views of the iconic Harbour Bridge, as well as the historic nature of many of the buildings, mean that the Rocks is very popular with tourists. It features a variety of souvenir and craft shops, and many themed and historic pubs. The Rocks Market operates each weekend, with around 100 stalls. There are numerous historic walks through the area, visiting historical buildings such as Cadman’s Cottage, Sydney Observatory, and the Dawes Point Battery, which was the first fortified position in New South Wales.

Sydney Tower is Sydney’s tallest free-standing structure, and the second tallest in Australia, the Q1 building on the Gold Coast being the tallest. It is also the second tallest observation tower in the Southern Hemisphere after Auckland, New Zealand’s Sky Tower; though Sydney Tower’s main observation deck is almost 50 metres higher than that of the Sky Tower. The Sydney Tower is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers. It is known by locals as the Centrepoint Tower, after the shopping centre building the tower sprouts from.

Sydney Tower Skywalk, or just Skywalk, is an open-air, glass-floored platform circling Sydney Tower at a height of 260m above ground level. The moving viewing platform extends out over the edge of the main structure of Sydney Tower. This attraction is more than twice as high as the popular BridgeClimb walk to the top of Sydney Harbour Bridge. From the platform the seaward horizon is 58 kilometres away, although inland features such as the Blue Mountains can be seen at further distances. See Sydney Attractions Group.

The Kings Cross area is infamous in Australia as being a red-light district, similar to Kings Cross in London with numerous strip clubs and “girlie” bars along Darlinghurst Road, although the demographics have changed in recent years and gentrification of the area has led to clashes between new and established elements. Kings Cross is also known for its Neon signs and advertising posters, the most famous being the iconic Coca-Cola sign. It is often referred to by Sydneysiders by the affectionate colloquialism “the Cross”.

The Kings Cross district was the City of Sydney’s bohemian heartland from the early decades of the 20th Century, but due its proximity to the naval docking area at Garden Island it also came to serve as the city’s main tourist accommodation and entertainment centre, as well as its red-light district. The drugs and crime associated with this trade led to Kings Cross achieving a high level of notoriety.

Sydney is home to a number of established museums. The Australian Museum is the oldest museum in Australia, and is particularly renowned in the fields of natural history and anthropology. The Powerhouse Museum specialises in science and technology, and its exhibits include the oldest steam engine in the world with a rotating action that is still in operation. The Australian National Maritime Museum focuses on Australia’s maritime history.

Hyde Park contains well-kept gardens and approximately 580 trees; a mixture of Moreton Bay Figs, Palms and other varieties. It is famed for its magnificent fig tree lined avenues. At the park’s southern end is the ANZAC War Memorial and a monument consisting of a 104-millimetre gun from the German light cruiser SMS Emden. Any traveller who visits Sydney, should take some time out to go for a walk through Hyde Park. The Royal Botanic Gardens is the largest of three major botanical gardens open to the public in Sydney. One may enter the park free of charge and it is open to the public every day of the year.

Sydney is renowned for its beaches and, with its warm climate, attracts people to the beaches almost all year round. Large numbers of tourists visit Bondi Beach throughout the year with many Irish and British tourists spending Christmas Day there. Bondi Beach features many popular cafes, restaurants and hotels, with spectacular views of the beach. The beach itself is approximately one kilometre long.

Manly Beach is a well known beach situated in Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Manly Beach is highly popular with tourists and locals alike; a popularity rivalled only by the famous Bondi Beach south of the harbour. Travelling to Manly from Sydney’s main ferry terminal, Circular Quay, takes 30 minutes by ferry or 15 minutes by the faster ‘Jet Cat’ catamaran.

Taronga is the city zoo of Sydney, officially opened on October 7, 1916. It is located on the shores of Sydney Harbour in Mosman. Taronga is linked to Dubbo’s Western Plains Zoo in terms of breeding programs. Taronga Zoo is home to over 2,600 animals on 28.7 hectares, making it one of the largest of its kind, and it divided into eight zoogeographic regions with numerous indoor pavilions and outdoor exhibits. Taronga Zoo has about 340 species and over 2600 individual animals. They are housed in a large variety of exhibits.

Sydney Wildlife World is a zoo in the Sydney CBD. It officially opened in September 2006. It is located on the shores of Darling Harbour and is attached to Sydney Aquarium. Sydney Wildlife World is unusual for a zoo in that it is entirely enclosed and air-conditioned. The indoor zoo features a one-kilometre walkway which snakes through 7000 square metres of enclosures. The enclosure features around 6000 native animals.

Sydney’s coastline is part of the annual group 5 Humpback migration path from Antarctica to the Coral sea. From mid May to Early December they can be seen in the waters of the coast and on rare occasions swimming into Sydney harbour itself. Whale Watching can be done from any of the clifftop walks or lookouts, however there are volunteer locations at North Head and Cape Solander at Botany Bay and a number of boat based whale watching tours departing from the Sydney CBD.

Sydney Olympic Park is a 640-hectare site located adjacent to the suburb of Homebush Bay, New South Wales, Australia. It was built for the 2000 Olympics and continues to be used for sporting and cultural events, including the Sydney Royal Easter Show, Sydney Festival, Big Day Out and a number of world class sporting fixtures. It is served by the Olympic Park railway line and station. There are also regular services to the nearby wharf which operate from various points around Sydney Harbour.

Centennial Park is located 4km south east of the city. It is traditional European parkland, laid out for the centenary of European settlement in 1888. It is suited for family picnics, horse riding, sightseeing, scenic walks and those who wish to keep fit. Those who wish to go horse riding may do so in Centennial Park, there is a place just across the road from the park, right next door to Fox Studios where one can hire a horse.

Fox Studios Australia is a major movie studio located in Moore Park, around 4km south-east of Sydney’s city centre. The studio has been involved in the production of a number of blockbusters, including The Matrix trilogy, Moulin Rouge!, Mission Impossible II, Star Wars Episode II, Star Wars Episode III and Superman Returns. An adjacent precinct known as the Entertainment Quarter provides restaurants and cafes, a retail complex, parklands, entertainment venues, and sporting facilities.

The Blue Mountains National Park is one of the most popular parks in Australia. The majority of tourists to the Blue Mountains see the National Park from one of the many lookouts between Wentworth Falls and Blackheath, and many of these never actually set foot in the park. Despite this, there are many activities for the visitor. Short walks to impressive lookouts above cliff and waterfalls abound. Overnight and longer walks allow access to some of the more remote areas of the park. Other popular activities include canyoning and mountain biking.

• Sydney Hostels Directory

Although the CBD dominated the city’s business and cultural life in the early days, other business/cultural districts have developed in a radial pattern since World War II. As a result, the proportion of white-collar jobs located in the CBD declined from more than 60 per cent at the end of World War II to less than 30 per cent in 2004. Together with the commercial district of North Sydney, joined to the CBD by the Harbour Bridge, the most significant outer business districts are Parramatta in the central-west, Penrith in the west, Bondi Junction in the east, Liverpool in the southwest, Chatswood to the north, and Hurstville to the south.

The extensive area covered by urban Sydney is formally divided into 642 suburbs (for addressing and postal purposes), and administered as 40 local government areas. There is no city-wide government, but the Government of New South Wales and its agencies have extensive responsibilities in providing metropolitan services. The City of Sydney itself covers a fairly small area comprising the central business district and its neighbouring inner-city suburbs.

In addition, regional descriptions are used informally to conveniently describe larger sections of the urban area. These include Eastern Suburbs, Hills District, Inner West, Canterbury-Bankstown, Lower North Shore, Northern Beaches, Northern Suburbs, North Shore, St George, Southern Sydney, South-eastern Sydney, South-western Sydney, Sutherland Shire and Western Sydney. However, many suburbs are not conveniently covered by any of these categories.

Sydney hosts many different festivals and some of Australia’s largest social and cultural events. These include the Sydney Festival, Australia’s largest arts festival which is a celebration involving both indoor and free outdoor performances throughout January; the Biennale of Sydney, established in 1973; the Big Day Out, a travelling rock music festival which originated in Sydney; the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras along Oxford Street; the Sydney Film Festival and many other smaller film festivals such as the short film Tropfest and Flickerfest.

Australia’s premier prize for portraiture, the Archibald Prize is organised by the Art Gallery of New South Wales. The Sydney Royal Easter Show is held every year at Sydney Olympic Park, the final of Australian Idol takes place on the steps of the Opera House, and Australian Fashion Week takes place in April/May. Also, Sydney’s New Years Eve and Australia Day celebrations are the largest in Australia.

Sydney’s skyline is large and widely recognizable. Sydney also possesses a wide array of diversity of modern and old architectural style. They range from the simple Francis Greenways Georgian buildings, to Jorn Utzon’s Expressionist, or the Sydney Opera House. Sydney also has a large amount of Victorian buildings, such as the Sydney Town Hall and the Queen Victoria Building. The most architecturally significant would be the Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, among many others. Skyscrapers in Sydney are also large and modern such as the Sydney Tower, which dominates the Sydney skyline.

There are also pockets of architecturally significant housing dotted around Sydney’s suburbs. The inner-eastern suburb of Paddington is known for it’s terrace houses, while several inner-west suburbs contian streets lined with so-called federation houses (built around the time of Australian federation in 1901). Further away on the lower North Shore, Castlecrag is a unique suburb, being planned by the architect Walter Burley Griffin in the 1930s.

Sydney’s large natural harbour was the reason that the original penal settlement was established in the area. The first fleet arrived in the area now known as Circular Quay. It is now well developed, with skyscrapers, highrises, and houses all around its shores, but it is still very beautiful.

The harbor is served by ferry services that transport passengers around the harbor. An excellent way to see both the harbor and Sydney attractions is to take a ferry east from Circular Quay to Taronga Zoo or Manly or west under the Harbour Bridge towards Parramatta.

There are a number of islands in the center of the harbor which you can visit for a picnic. These include Shark, Goat, Clark, Rodd, Cockatoo and Garden Islands. These are all distinct and beautiful islands and have magnificent views of sailing boats on the harbor and of Sydney’s harborside buildings.

While cities such as London, Milan, Tokyo, Paris, and New York City are traditionally regarded as the fashion centres of the world, these days Australia’s unique style and creativity means Sydney is also mentioned as ‘must-visit’ centers on the international fashion circuit. When it came to fashion, Australia used to be seen as isolated and out-of-touch. That notion is now out-of-touch itself, as designs from Australians such as Wayne Cooper, Collette Dinnigan, Akira Isogawa, Lisa Ho, and Easton Pearson are seen around the globe. In fact, around 60 Australian labels are currently exporting their designs to boutiques and department stores in Asia, Europe and the United States. Sydney has now been listed in the many “must visit” fashion lists.

Sydney has a wide variety of cultural institutions. Sydney’s iconic Opera House has five theatres capable of hosting a range of performance styles; it is the home of Opera Australia—the third busiest opera company in the world, and the Sydney Symphony. Other venues include the Sydney Town Hall, City Recital Hall, the State Theatre, the Royal Theatre, and the Wharf Theatre.

The Sydney Dance Company under the leadership of Graeme Murphy during the late 20th century has also gained acclaim. The Sydney Theatre Company has a regular roster of local plays, such as noted playwright David Williamson, classics and international playwrights.

In 2007, New Theatre (Newtown) celebrated 75 years of continuous production in Sydney. Other important theatre companies in Sydney include Company B and Griffin Theatre Company. From the 1940s through to the 1970s the Sydney Push, a group of authors and political activists whose members included Germaine Greer, influenced the city’s cultural life.

The National Institute of Dramatic Art, based in Kensington, boasts internationally famous alumni such as Mel Gibson, Judy Davis, Baz Luhrmann and Cate Blanchett. Sydney’s role in the film industry has increased since the opening of Fox Studios Australia in 1998. Prominent films which have been filmed in the city include Moulin Rouge!, Mission Impossible II, Star Wars episodes II and III, Superman Returns, Dark City, Son of the Mask, Stealth, Dil Chahta Hai, Happy Feet and The Matrix. Films using Sydney as a setting include Finding Nemo, Strictly Ballroom, Mission Impossible II, Muriel’s Wedding, Our Lips Are Sealed, Independence Day and Dirty Deeds. Many Bollywood movies have also been filmed in Sydney including Singh Is Kinng, Bachna Ae Haseeno, Chak De India, Heyy Babyy. As of 2006, over 229 films have been set in, or featured Sydney.

Sydney’s most popular nightspots include Kings Cross, Oxford Street, Darling Harbour, Circular Quay and The Rocks which all contain various bars, nightclubs and restaurants. Star City Casino, is Sydney’s only casino and is situated around Darling Harbour. There are also many traditional pubs, cafes and restaurants in inner city areas such as Newtown, Balmain and Leichhardt. Sydney’s main live music hubs include areas such as Newtown and Annandale, which nurtured acts such as AC/DC, Midnight Oil and INXS. Other popular nightspots tend to be spread throughout the city in areas such as Bondi, Manly, Cronulla and Parramatta.

• Sydney Hostels Directory

Sydney is situated on Australia’s south-east coast. The city is built around Port Jackson, which includes Sydney Harbour, leading to the city’s nickname, “the Harbour City”. It is noted for the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, and its beaches. The metropolitan area is surrounded by national parks, and contains many bays, rivers and inlets. It is listed as a beta world city by the Loughborough University group’s 1999 inventory.

Sydney is the capital city of the south-eastern Australian state of New South Wales, situated on Port Jackson, a waterway including Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour, and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers. With a population of just over 4.25 million, Sydney the “Harbour City” remains the largest, oldest and most cosmopolitan city in Australia.

Sydney holds a reputation worldwide as one of the world’s most beautiful and liveable cities, brimming with historical associations and globally influential in the realms of culture, art, fashion, cuisine and design. The city is also home to many unique architectural styles, including the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, two of the most iconic structures on the planet.

Sydney is a dynamic centre for Australian economic activity and one of the most important cities for finance in the Asia-Pacific region. Sydney was also the host of the 2000 Olympic Games, which successfully raised the city’s global profile. Though comprised of a large, sometimes sprawling population, Sydney nonetheless retains many large public spaces and lush green parklands the city is literally surrounded by national parks, which extend even into the suburbs and the shores of the harbour.

The city has hosted international sporting, political and cultural events, including the 1938 British Empire Games, 2000 Summer Olympics and the 2003 Rugby World Cup. In September 2007, the city hosted the leaders of the 21 APEC economies for APEC Australia 2007, and in July 2008 hosted World Youth Day 2008. The main airport serving Sydney is Sydney Airport.

Sydney is one of the most multicultural cities in the world, which reflects its role as a major destination for immigrants to Australia. According to the Mercer cost of living survey, Sydney is Australia’s most expensive city, and the 15th most expensive in the world.

Sydney, Australia is located in a coastal basin bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east, the Blue Mountains to the west, the Hawkesbury River to the north and the Woronora Plateau to the south. Sydney lies on a submergent coastline, where the ocean level has risen to flood deep river valleys (rias) carved in the sandstone. One of these drowned valleys, Port Jackson, better known as Sydney Harbour, is the largest natural harbour in the world. There are more than 70 harbour and ocean beaches, including the famous Bondi Beach, in the urban area.

Geographically, Sydney sprawls over two major regions: the Cumberland Plain, a relatively flat region lying to the south and west of Port Jackson, and the Hornsby Plateau, a sandstone plateau lying mainly to the north of the harbour, rising to 200 metres above sea level within the urban area and dissected by steep valleys such as the Lane Cove River valley. The oldest parts of the city are located in the flat areas south of the harbour; the North Shore was slower to develop because of its hilly topography, and was mostly a quiet backwater until the Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened in 1932, linking it to the rest of the city, with the suburbs surrounding the northern entrance to said bridge effectively developing into a second Central Business District.

The Nepean River rises to the south in the Woronora Plateau, and wraps around the western edge of the city. Most of Sydney’s water storages are on tributaries of the Nepean (e.g. the Warragamba River). Where the Nepean turns east it becomes the Hawkesbury River, which winds through the Hornsby Plateau before emptying into Broken Bay. Broken Bay and the lower Hawkesbury form the commonly accepted boundary between Sydney and the Central Coast to the north.

Parramatta River drains a large area of Sydney’s western suburbs, flowing from west of Parramatta east, becoming a tidal estuary that flows into Port Jackson. Its banks have been largely industrial, but heavy industry is steadily moving away to be replaced by new housing developments and the Sydney Olympic Park. The other major tributaries flowing into Port Jackson are the Lane Cove River and Middle Harbour Creek.

The south and south west of Sydney is drained by the Georges River, flowing from the south towards Liverpool and then turning south east towards Botany Bay. The other major tributary of Botany Bay is the Cooks River, running through the inner-south west suburbs. The Georges River estuary separates the main part of Sydney’s urban area form Sutherland Shire. The Woronora River travels in a steep-sided valley from Woronora Dam to the Georges River.

Minor waterways draining Sydney’s western suburbs include South Creek and Eastern Creek, flowing into the Hawkesbury, and Prospect Creek draining into the Georges River. Cowan Creek and Berowra Creek run north from the Upper North Shore to the Hawkesbury.

The extensive area covered by urban Sydney is formally divided into more than 300 suburbs for addressing and postal purposes, and administered as 38 local government areas. There is no city-wide government, but the Government of New South Wales and its agencies have extensive responsibilities in providing metropolitan services. The City of Sydney itself covers a fairly small area comprising the central business district and its neighbouring inner-city suburbs. In addition, there are a number of informal regional names describing large sections of the urban area. Not all suburbs are necessarily covered by any of the following informal regional categories. The regions are Eastern Suburbs, Hills District, Inner West, Lower North Shore, Northern Beaches, North Shore, Southern Sydney, South-eastern Sydney, South-western Sydney, Sutherland Shire and Western Sydney.

 Sydney from airSydney’s central business district (CBD) extends southwards for about 2 kilometres (1.25 mi) from Sydney Cove, the point of the first European settlement. Densely concentrated skyscrapers and other buildings including historic sandstone buildings such as the Sydney Town Hall and Queen Victoria Building are interspersed by several parks such as Wynyard and Hyde Park. The Sydney CBD is bounded on the east side by a chain of parkland that extends from Hyde Park through the Domain and Royal Botanic Gardens to Farm Cove on the harbour. The west side is bounded by Darling Harbour, a popular tourist and nightlife precinct while Central station marks the southern end of the CBD. George Street serves as the Sydney CBD’s main north-south thoroughfare.

The oldest, inner suburbs are dominated by terrace housing. The original suburbs lay within walking distance of the CBD, and later urban development in the Inner West and Eastern Suburbs was served by trams. With a boom in passenger railway construction came rapid extension of the suburbs along the railway corridors to the west and south, and eventually to the North Shore, after the completion of the Harbour Bridge allowed trains to continue from North Sydney into the CBD. This radial-spoke pattern of development changed after World War II, when increasing car ownership encouraged infill development where the railways didn’t run, and then further expansion around the perimeter of the city. These outer areas have mostly missed out on further rail expansion and are primarily car dependent to this day.

Although the CBD dominated the city’s business and cultural life in the early days, other business/cultural districts have developed in a radial pattern since World War II. In 1945, two-thirds of all jobs in Sydney were located in the City of Sydney and surrounding inner city municipalities, but postwar suburbanisation meant that only a quarter of the workforce were located in the City, South Sydney, Leichhardt and Marrickville municipalities.

Together with the commercial district of North Sydney, joined to the CBD by the Harbour Bridge, the most significant outer business districts are Parramatta in the central-west, Blacktown in the west, Bondi Junction in the east, Liverpool in the southwest, Chatswood to the north, and Hurstville to the south.

Sydney has a compact city centre surrounded by suburbs and districts, sprawling over 40km to the north, west and south. The city and its suburbs (many of which are cities in their own right) form a vast metropolitan area.

• Sydney City (CBD) – The busy centre of government and finance, but also home to many of Sydney’s famous tourist and cultural attractions.
• The Rocks – Just to the west of Circular Quay, The Rocks includes the first colonial village of Sydney and the iconic Harbour Bridge.
• Darling Harbour – An extensive, enjoyable leisure and entertainment area immediately to the west of the CBD.
• Haymarket and Chinatown – On the southern side of the city centre, near Central Station, are markets, cafes, chinese culture and cuisine.
• Kings Cross – To the east, chic bars, blinding neon signs and hip night clubs. Kings Cross is also well known as Sydney’s red light district.
• Darlinghurst – Once the site of countless brothels and speakeasies, now filled with chic and stylish eateries and the heart of the gay community.
• Paddington – Oxford Street ranges from the camp to the posh and is a must for upmarket fashion addicts and drinkers.
• The Inner West – Sydney’s original suburbs are now bohemian and are a hub of cheap eats, shopping and inner-city culture.
• The North Shore – Over the Harbour Bridge are leafy residential areas stretching northwards. The North Shore also has major commercial and retail areas at North Sydney and Chatswood, many smaller boutique shopping areas, and many parks and gardens.
• The Northern Beaches – From Manly stretching North along the coast to Palm Beach.
• The Northern Districts area includes Sydney’s Silicon Valley at Macquarie Park, and the northern side of the western reaches of Sydney Harbour.
• The Hills District is a largely residential area around 30 minutes to the North and West.
• The Eastern Suburbs – Between the City and the sea, includes the world-famous Bondi Beach and other city beaches, which are strong drawcards for visitors and residents in the city during summer.
  Sydney Olympic Park – Home of the Sydney Olympics, now an area of parks, and venues for sports and outdoor activities.
• Parramatta – The historical core of Western Sydney, now a thriving commercial, tourist and retail district, around thirty minutes from Sydney by car, train or ferry.
• The Outer West stretching from Parramatta out to the Blue Mountains.
• The South West centers of Liverpool and Campbelltown are a large swathe of residential and commercial Sydney.
• Southern Sydney – The area south of the CBD and north of the Georges River, including the areas surrounding Sydney Airport and Brighton Le Sands on Botany Bay.
• Sutherland Shire- Is the district to the far south and east of the city center including Cronulla and Captain Cooks Landing Place.
• Richmond.
• Windsor.

Sydney is best described as “sub-tropical”. Sydneysiders talk about four seasons, but is truer to say that Sydney has two seasons: a hot, mildly humid one (summer), and a cooler one (winter). The city is generally comfortable for travellers to visit any time of year. The city enjoys in excess of 300 sunny days each year – that said, when it rains, it really can rain, varying between days of grey drizzle to over a week of bucketing downpours with occasional localized flooding.

Summer can be hot, with temperatures climbing to over 40°C for a few days each year in summer, accompanied by stifling humidity or searing dry winds. Sydney is generally well equipped with air conditioning in public buildings, however, and the beaches and harbour are only a short journey away. Remember sun protection, as the UV exposure risk can be extreme.

Hot summer days frequently (though not always) end with a “southerly buster”, a cold front sweeping up from the south, bringing a clearly noticeable drop in temperature, and thunderstorms. Within hours, the storm can pass and the evening continues cooler. Summer is also the season when bush fires on the margins of the city are most prevalent. For this reason, in hot weather lighting of outdoor fires (non-gas BBQ’s etc) is frequently banned (reported as a “total fire ban” during weather reports) and visits to national parks can be hindered.

Winter in Sydney is generally cool, not cold – daytime temperatures rarely drop below 13°C, but night-time temperatures can fall to below 10°C. It does not snow in Sydney, and unless you intend spending long periods outside, you can usually get by with just a sweater.

March and April, especially, tend to have clear, warm days with mild nights. October and November are very similar, though perhaps with a greater chance of rain. If you wish to make the most of Sydney’s beaches, visit between late-October and early-April. Outside of these times it is generally considered too cold to swim in the ocean.

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Popular attractions include ‘The Strand’, a long tropical beach and garden strip; Riverway, a riverfront parkland attraction located on the banks of Ross River; Reef HQ, a large tropical aquarium holding many of the Great Barrier Reef’s native flora and fauna; the Museum of Tropical Queensland, built around a display of relics from the sunken British warship HMS Pandora; and Magnetic Island, a large neighbouring island, the vast majority of which is national park.

Townsville is on the coast and enjoys an average of 320 days of sunshine a year. It is an appealing place for locals and a great jumping off point for visitors. A great spot for visitors wanting a taste of outback Australia while not venturing far from the coast.

It offers a quiet cosmopolitan feel with its good choice of restaurants & bars but also has a relaxing siesta style during the hottest parts of the day in high summer. Townsville takes great pride in being the unofficial Capital of North Queensland.

Townsville lies approximately 1,300 km north of Brisbane, and 350 km south of Cairns. It lies on the shores of Cleveland Bay, protected to some degree from the predominately south-east weather. Cleveland Bay is mostly shallow inshore, with several large beaches and continually shifting sand bars. Magnetic Island lies 8 km offshore, to the north of the city centre.

The Ross River flows through the city. Three weirs, fish stocking and dredging of the river in these reaches has resulted in a deep, stable and clean waterway used for many recreational activities. Thirty kilometres from the mouth (at the junction of Five Head Creek) is the Ross River Dam, the major water storage for the urban areas. This is supplemented by pipelines from a smaller dam in the Paluma range to the north, and in times of drought, further water may be sourced by pumping from the Burdekin Dam. Because of the shifting sand bars at the mouth, Ross River is navigable only by small vessels, where speed and wash limits apply in most sections.

The historic waterfront on Ross Creek, site of the original wharves and port facilities, has some excellent old buildings mixed with the later modern skyline. However, the central city is dominated by the mass of red granite called Castle Hill, 292 metres high (just 8 metres short of being a mountain). There is a lookout at the summit giving panoramic views of the city and its suburbs, including Cleveland Bay and Magnetic Island. There are a number of parks scattered throughout the city, including three botanical gardens – Anderson Park, Queens Gardens and The Palmetum.

The North-East Coastlands Region is characterised by its somewhat dry, tropical climate (where the Outback meets the sea), with distinct seasonal weather patterns. The wet runs from November through March and produces heavy rainfall heralded by thunderstorms; yet, there is rarely any rain during the other part of the year. The area receives a lower annual rainfall than the “wet” tropics due to its northern coastal orientation, as the south east trade winds move parallel to the coast rather than perpendicular to it.

Townsville is the venue for the Annual Australian Festival of Chamber Music, which runs over ten days each year in July. The festival has been running since 1991, and attracts many acclaimed international and Australian musicians. The city also has its own orchestra, the Barrier Reef Orchestra, which presents concerts throughout North Queensland.

The region has many renowned festivals, celebrating some of the various international cultures that call the region home. The Annual Greek and Italian Festivals (Italian based in Ingham, north of Townsville and Greek based at Thuringowa’s Riverway) are popular with the locals and tourists alike

The city has a large and diverse range of restaurants representing many different cuisines of the world. The Palmer Street restaurant strip in South Townsville is home to many of these, and is the scene for an annual Jazz Festival. The city also has a vibrant pub and night-club scene, many of them located in Flinders Street East. Local and national music groups can often be found performing live in these venues.

The Townsville Entertainment Centre, seating 4500 people, is host to many national and international music shows, as well as sporting and trade shows. The Townsville Civic Theatre is North Queensland’s premier cultural facility. Since its opening in 1978, the Theatre has been a centre of entertainment and performing arts, providing an environment to further develop the performing arts in Townsville and the North.

Townsville is connection point of two major National Highway routes, the A1 (Bruce Highway), and the A6 (Flinders Highway). The A1 connects Townsville to Cairns in the north, and Mackay, Rockhampton, and Brisbane in the south. The A6 connects Townsville to Charters Towers and Mount Isa in the west.

Numerous road projects are under construction or planned in the future, especially the Townsville Ring Road, which will eventually become the new A1 route bypassing the urban areas of the city.

The North Coast railway line, operated by Queensland Rail, meets the Western line in the city’s south. Rail services from Brisbane pass through Townsville and continue through to Cairns, including the regular Tilt Train service between Brisbane and Cairns. Townsville is a major destination and generator of rail freight services. Container operations are also common in the city. The products of the local nickel and copper refineries as well as minerals from the western line (Mt Isa) are transported to the port for trans-shipment to other destinations.

Townsville has a significant port at the mouth of Ross Creek. The Port of Townsville has bulk handling facilities for importing cement, nickel ore (for processing at the Yabulu Nickel Refinery), and fuel, and for exporting sugar and products from North Queensland’s mines. The port has three sugar storage sheds, with the newest being the largest under-cover storage area in Australia.

Townsville’s public transport system consists of bus services operated by Sunbus. Sunbus provides regular services between many parts of the city, and also operates several express routes. Public transport is also available from the CBD to Bushland Beach, a route run by Townsville’s Hermit Park Bus Service, Townsville’s biggest Charter Bus Service.

Regular ferry and vehicular barge services operate to Magnetic Island and Palm Island. The ferry service to both islands is operated by Sunferries. The City is served by Townsville International Airport, but hasn’t handled regular international flights since 2002. The Airport handles daily flights to Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne, as well as to regional destinations such as Cairns, Mount Isa and Mackay.

• Townsville Hostels Directory

Imagine Hawaii, only with wider, whiter beaches, and cheaper to stay and eat, and not so commercialized, and weather just a little more temperate, and Australian beer. Now you are starting to get the picture of Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia. With 70 km of beaches and several hundred km of tidal rivers and basins, water sports rule Surfers Paradise.

Many Australians believe that Surfers Paradise has been spoilt, and the whole of the Gold Coast area now has a somewhat dubious reputation for being a place where foreign tourists go to get ripped off or locals go for a night out in seedy strip clubs (which are plentiful).

Although there can be no doubt the area has been overdeveloped, this reputation is probably a little bit harsh and in recent years many of the seedier aspects of the Gold Coast have been redeveloped into more lucrative upmarket ventures. The beaches are undeniably great but be aware that high rise developments just off the main beach mean that every afternoon huge amounts of the beach sit in the shadows!

The Gold Coast Oceanway is a foreshoreway that travels along a beachfront alignment between Narrowneck and Surfers Central but then diverts inland to travel along a narrow corridor along Garfield and Northcliffe Terraces behind the beachfront highrises. Gold Coast City Council proposed to create a new Oceanway pavement along the public road reserve between the highrise buildings and the dunes but there was considerable opposition from local residents.

The Surfers Riverwalk travels along the Nerang River foreshores through to Surfers Paradise. The CavilWest corridor is proposed to be developed to link Cavil Mall westward to the Gold Coast Arts Centre and on through the Bundall business district to the Gold Coast Turf Club. The corridor will encourage pedestrians and cyclists to enjoy more sustainable lifestyles through the construction of two new green bridges:

• From Tiki Village Surfers to Tarcoola Avenue Chevron Island.
• From Mawarra Street Chevron Island to Evandale.

Since 1991 the Champ Car World Series has run an annual race on the streets of Surfers Paradise, an event known generically as the Nikon Indy 300. For 2008 the Indy Racing League will take up the event. Schoolies week is celebrated by around 50,000 high school graduates each November. Assuming that you want to experience the sea, the best time to hit the Gold Coast in between October and March when temperatures climb.

Surfers Paradise is located on the Gold Coast of Australia, about an hour by car south of Brisbane. A train service also connects to Brisbane Airport and arrives at Robina just a 10 minute bus ride from Surfers. Coolangatta Airport is on the southern side of the Gold Coast and is about a 30 minute bus ride to Surfers. Frequent domestic flights are available.

There are 21 theme parks and attractions on the Gold Coast, including Sea World, Warner Brothers Movieworld, Dreamworld and Wet ‘n Wild Water Park. At Currumbin Sanctuary you can see hundreds of mountain parrots. If you want to pet kangaroos and emus, then Fleays Wildlife Park is where you should head.

As with all beaches in Queensland you need to swim between the Red & Yellow flags at all times. These flags mark the safest area of water in which to swim & also the area in which the lifeguards are supervising. Many lives have been lost due to people not swimming in the marked area.

In the post-apocalyptic world of Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, the paradise that the refugees hoped to reach is Surfers Paradise. Surfers Paradise beach was voted as one of the best beaches in the world by the American Travel Channel.  Surfers Paradise beach was judged Queensland’s Cleanest Beach in 2006 by the Keep Australia Beautiful Council.

• Surfers Paradise Hostels Directory

It has a population of about 12,000 people (2001 census), of whom about 25% were born overseas. Of those, most were born in the United Kingdom; only a small percentage were born in non-English speaking countries.

A coastal suburb named after the English beach resort Scarborough, it currently has the only high-rise five-star resort on the Western Australian coastline, the Rendezvous Hotel Observation City, built in 1986 for Alan Bond.

Scarborough is often spelt ‘Scarboro’ by local residents, one particular example being the Scarboro Surf Life Saving Club (SSLSC). Scarborough Beach is one of Perth’s most popular beaches, popular with sun-worshippers and surfers alike, although the popular consensus is that Scarborough’s waves are poor.

Scarborough beach is also home to the Australian national lifesaving competition (Aussie’s) for the years 2007, 2008 and 2009 which is sure to produce massive spending in the area which will produce big profits for local shops. Along the beach front are many cafes, fast-food restaurants and a couple of pubs. There is also a large Coles supermarket.

Scarborough is a small town on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. It sits in the Northern Illawarra region, south of Stanwell Park and north of Wollongong on a narrow stretch between the Illawarra escarpment and sea cliffs. It’s immediate northern neighbour is Clifton. Scarborough hosts a number of surfing competitions. Scarborough Public School is the town’s public school. The town used to be called South Clifton but in 1903, to avoid confusion between the railway stations, it was renamed. The escarpment behind Scarborough is approximately 300 metres above sea level.

Scarborough is home to the Northern Suburbs Rugby League Club known as the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs’ home ground is the Jim Allen Stadium located in Monash St, the same road as Scarborough Beach. Star players past and present include; Andrew “George” Stephens, James “Jimbo” Loeman, Ben “Cuz” Currey and Josh “Chooksy” Brooks. The Bulldogs often see spectator numbers for home games easily surpass the 5000 mark, with most punters chowing down on a nice lukewarm meat pie.

The suburb is known primarily for Morgans, a very popular seafood restaurant, and its thriving seafood industry at the Scarborough Boat Harbour. Scarborough Beach is one of a number of sandy beaches along its eastern coastline, with its Scarborough Beach Park awarded the “Queensland’s Friendliest Beach” in 2003 and “Australia’s Friendliest Beach” in 2004.

The main street of Scarborough, Landsborough Avenue, is a popular location for families and day visitors from Brisbane with numerous cafés and the Scarborough Hotel. Part of the reason for its popularity is its overlooking views to Moreton Island across Moreton Bay, and quieter ambience compared to the Redcliffe central business district.

• Scarborough Hostels Directory

Much of the land used to build the town’s shopping centres and other structures in recent years was originally owned by the Roman Catholic Church, who many claim are in large part responsible for the town’s growth and development.

Port Macquarie is a popular retirement location and popular tourist destination, It is known for its extensive beaches and waterways. The town is also known for its koala population, being the home the Billabong Koala Park, and the Koala Preservation Society’s Koala Hospital, caring for koalas injured through bushfire, dog attacks and collisions with vehicles.

In recent times, real estate developments have led to clashes with residents, in particular the Rydges Hotel (formerly Four Points by Sheraton) built opposite the Town Green. The Post Office on the Town Green was demolished to make way for a new apartment block, a development that saw the controversial removal of several large fig trees and subsequent debate in the community about the value of public space.

The residential suburbs stretch to Lighthouse Beach in the south, Thrumster to the west and to the so-called “North Shore” on the north bank of the river. Settlement Point has a new canal development, being one of the most expensive real estate developments in the town. More recently, Sovereign Hills (Area 13) has begun development in the west. It will include new schools, shopping facilities and residential areas.

In the 2006 Census the wider area of the Hastings Valley had a total population of 68,429 up 9.5% from the 2001 Census. In the last two years the Newcastle Jets have played one of their Pre-Season Cup matches at the Port Macquarie Regional Stadium.

Beaches include (in order from north to south): North Shore, Town Beach, Oxley Beach, Rocky Beach, Flynns Beach, Nobbys Beach, Shelly Beach, Miners Beach and Lighthouse Beach. Only Town, Flynns and Lighthouse Beaches are manned by Surf Life Saving Clubs and Lighthouse is only watched at the north end. There is an active surf culture with the beaches being the main tourist attraction.

Qantaslink provides up to 3 flights per day from Kingsford Smith International Airport, on Dash 8 (or similar Turboprop driven) aircraft. The flight to or from Sydney takes between 50 minutes to an hour.

From Brisbane, Brindabella Airlines airlines provide two flight per day on weekdays and one flight per day on weekends, via Coffs Harbour, which takes approximately 2 hours.

Bookins for both can be handled at most Qantas offices or online, and check-in for Brindabella flights is at Qantas desks. During the middle of the year, and out of school holiday times, flights into and out of Port Macquarie are quite easy to get seats on, however, early bookings are highly recommended for flights in school holidays, and especially the summer break.

Flights to other regional or capital cities are not currently available direct from Port Macquarie, however connecting flights are very easy to get in both Sydney and Brisbane.

Both Greyhound and Premier Motor Service run multiple daily bus services to and from Port Macquarie to and from Sydney and Brisbane.

Sydney buses arrive and depart Central Railway Station in Central Sydney, and take approximately 8 hours to travel between Port Macquarie and Sydney. Brisbane buses depart and arrive at the Roma St Transit Centre in Central Brisbane and take approximately 10 hours to cover the distance.

In Port Macquarie, all buses drop off at the Port Macquarie Coach Station on the southern side of the Central Business District (CBD). The main shopping area is located withing easy walking distance from this station, and some hostels, hotels and a caravan park are located within a distance that you could walk if you didn’t have much luggage. If you’d prefer not to walk, the coach station has a public phone to call a taxi, or hotel for pick-up, but most hotel owners and taxi drivers know when the buses arrive, and will be waiting for you anyway.

Port Macquarie does not have a railway station, however located approximately 20 minutes west of Port Macquarie is Wauchope, which is serviced by the North Coast Railway Line. Services to Wauchope originate at Central Station in Sydney and take around 7 hours. Wauchope is serviced by three trains a day from Sydney. One train terminates at Grafton, another at Casino, and one runs through to Brisbane.

CountryLink Rail Services arriving or departing during the day, and early afternoon are connected to Port Macqaurie by bus, which must be booked at the same time as booking your rail ticket. (This bus drops off at Port Macquarie Coach Station).

Services departing or arriving early in the morning or late at night are more of a challenge, as this connection is not availble, and no public transport services Wauchope at this time. In this event, you will be forced to decide between staying in Wauchope (some cheap hotels are located west of the station, and some motor inns are located several Km’s further west as well) or getting a taxi back to Port Macqaurie, which can be extremely expensive. For this reason, arrival by rail at these times is not recommended.

Port Macquarie is located to the east of the Pacific Highway, which is the major north-south highway in NSW. When travelling from the south (Sydney) you will see an exit sign pointing to Wauchope/Walcha/Port Macquarie on the left hand side of the road. Take this exit, and turn RIGHT at the large round-a-bout (called “The Doughnut” by locals) and follow this road (Oxley HWY) into all the way into central Port Macquarie where it terminates.

When travelling from the north you will enter an 80Km/h zone and cross the Hastings River over a bridge signposted as Dennis Bridge. After crossing the bridge, the exit is located immediately to the LEFT. Follow this road (Hastings River Drive) all the way into town.

Note that an alternative route from the south is available which is quite scenic. When travelling from Sydney, turn RIGHT at the set of traffic lights in the small town on the highway called Kew. Follow this road for about 10 minutes until you see a sign pointing LEFT, saying “Port Macquarie”. Follow this road into town. This route takes aboute 45 minutes to get to Port Macquarie, however it is worth it for the scenery including North Brother Mountain, Middle Rock Beach & The Christmas Bell Plains. A tourist information board is located in Kew for you to check this route & confirm it before taking it. You should also avoid taking this road after dark, as it is notorious for wildlife on the road, and numerous accidents have been caused by kangaroos jumping in front of cars.

Port Macquarie is linked by daily air services to both Sydney and Brisbane. Road access is via the Pacific and Oxley Highways. The Pacific Highway lies between Port Macquarie and Wauchope, and is the main road for tourists travelling from coastal areas. Improvements to the Oxley and Pacific Highway has seen steady improvements in travel times between Sydney and the mid-north coast region from 6 hours to just 4 hours.

Unfortunately, Port Macquarie does not have a reliable or useful public transport system which can make getting around difficult. While buses may run to most places, they often run at odd times, and terminate early in the day. The most useful bus route is the Shelly Beach – Town Centre route, which seems to run quite regularly, and is the best way of those without a car getting to the beaches and lighthouse. Other than this, don’t bother with the public transport, it isn’t worth the aggravation.

Fortunately, Port Macquarie has a great many places to walk to from the Town Centre. From here you can quite easily walk to many beaches and some attractions. Because it has such a compact CBD, you won’t have to walk far to get to restaurants, shops and pubs if you stay in town, or nearby.

• Port Macquarie Hostels Directory

The town’s population can often quadruple, however, with the influx of tourists during the peak tourism season May-September. The town is named in honour of former Premier of Queensland, John Douglas. Port Douglas developed quickly based on the mining industry, other parts of the area were established with timber cutting occurring in the area surrounding the Daintree River and with settlement starting to occur on lots around the Mossman River by 1880.

Previous names for the town included Terrigal, Island Point, Port Owen and Salisbury. The town is situated adjacent to two World Heritage areas, the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest.

The Port Douglas township was established in 1877 after the discovery of gold at Hodgkinson River by James Venture Mulligan. It grew quickly, and at its peak Port Douglas had a population of 12,000 and 27 hotels. With the construction of the Mulligan Highway it serviced towns as far away as Herberton.

When the Kuranda Railway from Cairns to Kuranda was completed in 1891, the importance of Port Douglas dwindled along with its population. A cyclone in 1911 which demolished all but two buildings in the town also had a significant impact. At its nadir in 1960 the town, by then little more than a fishing village, had a population of 100.

In the mid-1980s, tourism boomed in the region with the aid of the late Christopher Skase, an investor who financed the construction of the world-class Sheraton Mirage. A lovely resort town, which can only be reached by road (it’s about one hour drive from Cairns airport). It’s best known for its “four mile beach”. Macrossan street is where the action is.

Port Douglas is arguably the best place from which to take off for your trip to the Great Barrier Reef. The quality of the marine life and also the clarity of the water is superior here as the human population dwindles the further north you go.

Port Douglas is also ideal for a day trip to the Daintree Rainforest, with Cape Tribulation a 90 minute drive on well maintained sealed roads.

Port Douglas maintains a village feel, as it is a town where the Palm Trees are taller than the buildings and you can meander through the town to do some shopping, or enjoy a wide variety of cafes, pubs, restaurants & bars, ranging from those offering excellent value to world class cuisine.

There are 2 bus systems that will take you into town for $5 dollars round trip. The return ticket is only good with the bus company you went in to town with. On Wednesdays and Sundays there is a small train that runs into town. Tours to the reef or rain forest pick you up at your hotel. Buses go past 4 times per hour from 7am til around midnight.

In November 1996 United States President Bill Clinton and the First Lady chose the town as their only vacation stop on their historic visit to Australia. When dining at a local restaurant they witnessed a couple’s wedding certificate who had just got married the same day. On a return visit on September 11, 2001, the then ex-President was again dining at the Salsa Bar and Grill, a local restaurant, when he was advised of the 9/11 attacks. He subsequently returned to the United States the following day.

The town has enjoyed a steady influx of full-time residents since its ‘rebirth’, with most newcomers arriving from Australia’s south, namely Victoria and Tasmania.

On 4 September 2006, entertainer a.k.a. “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin died at Batt Reef, off Port Douglas, after a stingray barb went through his chest into his heart while Irwin and his crew were filming a documentary called The Ocean’s Deadliest.

Irwin was filmed snorkelling directly above the stingray when it lashed him with its tail, embedding its poisonous barb. Irwin died almost immediately. This event was widely reported both in Australia and overseas.

Kitesurfing is popular at the southern end of Four Mile Beach, particularly during the winter months when trade winds blow from the South. It is the place where the reef meets the rainforest, a tropical wonderland of diversity.  Port Douglas provides the best access for the Great Barrier Reef and also the Daintree Rainforest. Another great day trip is also the nearby Atherton Tablelands. Three remarkably different experiences all placed within easy reach.

Port Douglas is near the Great Barrier Reef. Numerous companies run daily trips from the marina to the outer reef and the Low Isles for scuba diving and snorkelling. Port Douglas is also well known for its many restaurants, golf courses, and five star resorts. A number of private homes are available for rental year round, from simple budget-style accommodation to the ultimate in luxury living.

• Port Douglas Hostels Directory

Perth was founded on 12 June 1829 by Captain James Stirling as the political centre of the free settler Swan River Colony. It has continued to serve as the seat of Government for Western Australia to the present day. The metropolitan area is located in the south west of the continent between the Indian Ocean and a low coastal escarpment known as the Darling Range. The central business district and suburbs of Perth are situated on the Swan River. Perth is ranked 4th on The Economist’s 2008 list of the World’s Most Livable Cities.

Perth became known worldwide as the “City of Light,” as city residents lit their houselights and streetlights as American astronaut John Glenn passed overhead while orbiting the earth on Friendship 7 in 1962. The city repeated its feat as Glenn passed overhead on the Space Shuttle in 1998.

Perth is generally a good place to visit any time of the year, being in a temperate/Mediterranean climate zone, however those sensitive to the heat may like to refrain from visiting Perth during January and February, typically the hottest months, when the temperature can break the 40 degree Celsius/104 degrees Fahrenheit mark. In the winter months (June to August) temperatures are usually around 20 degrees Celsius/68 degrees Fahrenheit.

Although Western Australia has many public holidays during the year, most of these are not celebrated, with the exception of New Years’ Day, Australia Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday and Christmas Day. Most shops are closed on days like Labour Day (first Monday of March), Queen’s Birthday (uniquely in Western Australia this is held near the end of September or at the beginning of October and different to the other states of Australia) and Foundation Day (first Monday in June).

For those who like fairs, the Perth Royal Show is held to coincide with the local school holidays. In 2008 the dates are 27 September – 4 October. As it is held by the WA Agricultural Society (RASWA), farm animals feature prominently at the Show along with the typical show fare (i.e. ferris wheels, a sideshow alley, etc.).

Perth is one of the most isolated metropolitan areas on Earth. The nearest city to Perth with a population over 1 million is Adelaide in South Australia, which is 2,104 kilometres (1,307 mi) away. Perth is geographically closer to East Timor, Singapore and Jakarta, Indonesia, than it is to Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. It is the antipode of Hamilton, Bermuda.

Perth is set on the Swan River, named after the native black swans in 1697 by Willem de Vlamingh, captain of a Dutch expedition. Traditionally, this water body has been known by local inhabitants as Derbal Yerrigan. The city centre and most of the suburbs are located on the sandy and relatively flat Swan Coastal Plain, which lies between the Darling Scarp and the Indian Ocean. The soils of this area are quite infertile. The metropolitan area extends to Yanchep in the north, Mandurah in the south, total distance of approximately 125 kilometres (78 mi) by road. From the Coast in the west to Mundaring in the east, a total distance of approximately 50 kilometres (30 mi) by road. This means that the area of Perth is over 1.5 million acres (6,100 km²).

The coastal suburbs take advantage of Perth’s oceanside location and clean beaches. To the east, the city is bordered by a low escarpment called the Darling Scarp. Perth is on generally flat, rolling land – largely due to the high amount of sandy soils and deep bedrock. This abundance of sand has resulted in West Australians’ being given the nickname sandgropers by the rest of the country. The Perth metropolitan area has two major river systems; the first is made up of the Swan and Canning Rivers. The second is that of the Serpentine and Murray Rivers, which discharge into the Peel Estuary at Mandurah.

The centre of the Perth metropolitan area is the Perth CBD located on the Swan River around 10 km inland. The CBD is the premier business and shopping centre, and together with the adjacent Northbridge, the entertainment centre as well.

The CBD is about 1 km North-South but 2 km East-West and is centred on the pedestrianised Forrest Place. In or adjacent to Forrest Place you will find the General Post Office (GPO – open Monday – Friday 9-5 and Saturday 9-12), the Tourist Information Centre, Perth Train Station and the Forrest Chase shopping centre including Myer Department store.

The main East-West streets are Wellington Street (northern boundary), Murray and Hay Streets (which become pedestrianised shopping malls in the centre), St Georges Terrace/Adelaide Terrace and Riverside Drive (which runs along the Swan River and forms the southern boundary of the CBD). The main northbound street is Barrack Street which runs along the eastern end of the central shopping district and the main southbound street is William Street to the west.

Perth receives moderate though highly seasonal rainfall. Summers are generally hot and dry, lasting from late December to late March, with February generally being the hottest month of the year, making Perth a classic example of a Mediterranean climate. Summer is not completely devoid of rain with sporadic rainfall in the form of short-lived thunderstorms, weak cold fronts and on very rare occasions decaying tropical cyclones which can bring significant falls. The hottest ever recorded temperature in Perth was 46.2 °C (115 °F) on 23 February 1991. Winters are relatively cool and rather moist, though the once reliable winter rainfall has been declining steadily in recent years.

The coldest temperature recorded was -0.7 °C (30.7 °F) on 17 June 2006, and the only temperature ever recorded below the freezing point. The coldest temperature recorded in the Perth metropolitan area was -3.4 degrees Celsius on 17 June 2006 at Jandakot airport. Even in mid-winter, maximum daytime temperatures only occasionally fall below 16 °C (60 °F). Though most rainfall occurs during winter, the wettest day ever was unusually on 9 February 1992 when 121 millimetres (4.75 in) fell. On most summer afternoons a sea breeze, also known as “The Fremantle Doctor”, blows from the south-west, cooling the city by up to 15°C.

Perth Cultural Centre is both an area of central Perth and the collective name for the main buildings of the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Western Australian Museum, Alexander Library, State Records Office and Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA).

The Western Australian Museum holds an extensive display of Aboriginal artefacts as well as numerous zoological and social exhibits. The new (2002) Western Australian Maritime Museum in Fremantle displays maritime objects from all eras and includes a former Royal Australian Navy submarine. It also houses Australia II, the yacht that won the Americas Cup in 1983.

The West Australian Art Gallery houses the state’s premier art collection and hosts numerous impressive visiting exhibitions, like the 2006 Norman Lindsay exhibition. Additional exhibits occur at PICA and many other smaller venues on a regularly across Perth.

Perth is served by Perth Airport in the city’s east for regional, domestic and international flights and Jandakot Airport in the city’s southern suburbs for general aviation and charter flights. Perth has a road network with three freeways and nine metropolitan highways. The Northbridge tunnel, part of the Graham Farmer Freeway, is the only significant road tunnel in Perth.

Perth metropolitan public transport, including trains, buses and ferries, are provided by Transperth, with links to rural areas provided by Transwa. There are 59 railway stations and 15 bus stations in the metropolitan area. The rail system has recently undergone significant redevelopment, with a new railway line built between Perth and Mandurah which doubled the length of Perth’s railways. The railway was opened on 23 December 2007, a year after the original deadline.

Recent initiatives include progressive replacement of the bus fleet and the SmartRider contactless smartcard ticketing system. Perth provides zero-fare bus and train trips around the city centre (the “Free Transit Zone”), including three high-frequency CAT bus routes. Additionally, the rail network has been expanded in the northern and southern suburbs as part of the New MetroRail project.

The Indian Pacific passenger rail service connects Perth with Adelaide and Sydney via Kalgoorlie. The Transwa Prospector passenger rail service connects Perth with Kalgoorlie via several Wheatbelt towns, while the Transwa Australind connects to Bunbury, and the Transwa Avonlink connects to Northam.

Rail freight terminates at the Kewdale Rail Terminal, 15 kilometres south-east of the city centre. Perth’s main container and passenger port is at Fremantle, 19 kilometres south west at the mouth of the Swan River.[46] A second port complex is being developed in Cockburn Sound primarily for the export of bulk commodities.

• Perth Hostels Directory

Newcastle is Australia’s oldest sea port, currently the second most important in the country in terms of overall tonnage. It is also the world’s largest coal export port. Since the closure of the BHP steelworks, Hunter New England Health and The University of Newcastle have become the city’s primary employers.

Newcastle is located on the southern bank of the Hunter River at its mouth. The northern side is dominated by sand dunes, swamps and multiple river channels. A ‘green belt’ protecting plant and wildlife flanks the city from the west (Watagan mountains) around to the north where it meets the coast just north of Stockton.

Because of this, urban development is mainly restricted to the hilly southern bank. The small town of Stockton sits opposite central Newcastle at the river mouth and is linked by ferry. Much of the city is undercut by the coal measures of the Sydney sedimentary basin, and what were once numerous coal-mining villages located in the hills and valleys around the port have merged into a single urban area extending southwards to Lake Macquarie.

Many novocastrians take an avid interest in sports, as participants, spectators or both. The local NRL Rugby League team, the Newcastle Knights are widely followed. Newcastle also hosts soccer, baseball, ice hockey, netball and various other sporting teams.

Newcastle is located at the mouth of the Hunter River approximately 150km North of Sydney and lies in a region known as the Hunter Valley. Newcastle has a population of about 300,000 people with a further 100,000 people in the Hunter and Port Stephens area.

Newcastle is a 2hr drive north of Sydney on the F3 freeway which starts at Wahroonga (close to Hornsby) on the North Shore. The freeway is in excellent condition and driving is normally not difficult. However, as a large number of people commute to Sydney daily from the Central Coast and even Newcastle, travellers driving north during the evening peak (5pm to 7pm) will encounter heavy traffic between Wahroonga and the Central Coast with traffic easing off as you travel north the same applies to south bound traffic during the morning commute.

The F3 is located on the Western side of Lake Macquarie. If you want to travel up the Eastern side of Lake Macquarie (which travels through Swansea) then take the “Charlestown” exit on the F3. This route is more scenic, more hilly, and less congested (though it takes a few minutes longer).

If you follow this route you will eventually come to the “Charlestown Bypass” at Bennett’s Green which you can take if you wish to head north-west (towards Lambton). Otherwise keep following the main road until you reach Charlestown and then follow the signs to the city.

Traffic during holiday periods and long weekends is also affected with heavy northbound traffic at the beggining of the period as Sydneysiders flee the city for the weekend and finally heavy southbound traffic as they return.

Sydney’s Central, Strathfield, Epping and Hornsby stations have hourly Cityrail trains to Newcastle Station via the Central Coast. Travelling time is about 2.5-3 hours, and there is at least one train per hour for most of the day.

Several Countrylink services pass through Newcastle’s Broadmeadow station (approximately 5 kms from the CBD) daily from Sydney and the Central Coast to the south and from the North Coast and New England. These trains are a lot more expensive than Cityrail services and tickets must be booked in advance, but they are somewhat more comfortable and are also faster. Occasionally Countrylink discount tickets by up to 50% if booking tickets within 24 hours of travel, so it may be worth checking their fare.

• Newcastle Hostels Directory