Travel Guides and Stories

The time difference had me spinning. On March 16, I flew from Wujiaba Airport to Hong Kong in the afternoon, spaced out at HKG until boarding at 23:50 for a nonstop to Sydney. Takeoff was 23:55 China time, 2:55 am in Sydney (daylight saving: 3-hour difference). I can’t even remember the landing time. I think I slept 8 or 9 hours on the plane. Clearing Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport was much faster than Hong Kong. Before landing, flight attendants hand out Australia’s Incoming Passenger Card to all passengers; if you don’t read English, you can get a Chinese translation, but you must fill it out in English.

PS:
• Your signature on the card must match your passport signature.
• For the address in Australia, just write the hotel in your arrival city. If you’re staying with friends/family, write their address.
• If you’re carrying more than AUD 10,000 (or equivalent in foreign currency), you must declare it.
• Answer every question on the Incoming Passenger Card truthfully. If you fail to declare, items may be seized or you may be fined. When exiting customs after collecting luggage, staff will check your card and ask if you are carrying wood products or food, then stamp the card and direct you through for possible bag inspection. If carrying more than AUD 10,000 (or equivalent), you must go to the counter to complete a declaration before leaving the airport.

Pushing a few big suitcases out of the airport, I followed my friend toward the car park. Reaching the roadway, I froze—do I look right first or left first? (Here it’s right then left; on zebra crossings you don’t need to watch the light—cars will stop for you.) Do I press the button and wait for the green man or just push the trolley straight across? After a few seconds of dithering, I looked up—my friend was already across waiting for me. Better to obey the lights. When it turned green, I crossed to the car park. We loaded the luggage, and I instinctively walked to the front passenger door—only to remember Aussie driver seats are on the opposite side from China. My friend lives by a beach not far from the airport but quite a trek from the CBD (about an hour by bus to the Opera House). It’s a few minutes’ walk to the shore. On the map, that little beachfront even has three golf courses—you could get clocked by a stray ball if you’re not careful (haha).
Tail-end Sydney Trip — Ticket Guide (Choosing the right MyZone ticket)
First thing my friend taught me was how to read the Sydney Buses timetable. Where we stayed, taxis need to be pre-booked by phone—you can’t just hail one. Buses are plentiful but slower. You can pick up printed timetables for free at the Visitor Information at Circular Quay or check online (*** or ***). Timetables list Monday–Friday, Saturday, Sunday & Public Holidays, stop lists, arrival times, and route maps. On weekends and holidays there are fewer services and some stops are skipped. During weekday peak hours they add “X”-prefixed express buses that skip many stops. To get off, press the red button in advance—the “Bus Stop” light will come on. Buying bus tickets in Sydney can be confusing, especially if you’re trying to save money. Fares aren’t flat; before you go, check the map and count how many sections between your boarding stop and destination (routes are divided into sections; fares vary by section).

MyBus tickets include:
• MyBus 1: 1–2 sections $2.10 Single; $16.80 TravelTen
• MyBus 2: 3–5 sections $3.50 Single; $28.00 TravelTen
• MyBus 3: 6+ sections $4.50; $36.00 TravelTen
You can also pay cash to the driver on board (including for a 10-trip). A TravelTen saves money, doesn’t expire until all 10 rides are used, and can be used by multiple people at once per ride (insert the ticket in the validator, take it out, then insert again for the next person, and so on; the validator prints time stamps on the back—great souvenir when finished). Note: not all buses sell tickets onboard. Services marked PREPAY (Means buying a ticket before you travel) require you to have a ticket before boarding. Tickets are sold at supermarkets and convenience stores.
If you’ll be in Sydney for a week or more and plan to go out daily (leave in the morning, back at night), consider a MyMulti ticket (Combined train, bus, ferry and light rail travel). It covers trains, government-run buses, and government ferries, with unlimited trips within validity (validate on buses each time). Buy MyMulti at supermarkets, convenience stores, and train stations (PS: if you buy at a station after 3 pm, validity starts the next day). MyMulti comes as 1 Day, Weekly, 28 days, 90 days, 365 days. Also mind the travel zones—check the MyMulti Travel Map. Like bus sections, exceeding your zone costs extra (MyMulti 1–3 train zones*). I bought a MyMulti 1 Weekly for $43.00, went out before 11 am and returned after 6 pm for a week, and took the train as far as Burwood (the edge of MyMulti 1). Once I bought it, I felt obliged to go out daily—got sick of buses, ferries made me seasick… After it expired, I boycotted outings and stayed indoors for days. (PS: this ticket is for one person only—no sharing.)
* Before heading out you can plan at *** by entering your origin and destination; it suggests routes and tells you which bus, train, or ferry to take.
* For buses, note that not every service stops at every stop. For example, to get to Watsons Bay (a popular tour stop; you’ll pass many backpacker/tourist-favorite spots like Bondi Beach), besides the ferry you can take buses. Routes 381/380 go to Watsons Bay, but at certain times they turn back at Dover Heights. Check the timetable or the bus’s destination display before boarding. (PS: also check last service times.)
Similarly, for trains you can pick up free line timetables at stations or check ***.
For ferries, head to Circular Quay Ferry Terminal for services to Parramatta, Manly, Taronga Zoo, Eastern Suburbs, Neutral Bay (Neutral Bay Wharf closed from 20 February to end August 2012), etc. Grab detailed ferry timetables at the terminal for free (***).
Other sites: CountryLink website: http://*** ; AirportLink website: ***
(TIMETABLE)

(FERRIES MAP)