Sydney

[_mormonmistress]

Has anyone here ever been to Sydney? I have a half day/evening to do something when I am there in a couple of weeks for a conference. We get to go on a Harbour Cruise the evening after the conference, so don't want to do that.

Aside from visiting the obvious, Sydney Opera House, I have no idea what to do. Any suggestions would be great.

[_Ray A]

Has anyone here ever been to Sydney? I have a half day/evening to do something when I am there in a couple of weeks for a conference. We get to go on a Harbour Cruise the evening after the conference, so don't want to do that.

Aside from visiting the obvious, Sydney Opera House, I have no idea what to do. Any suggestions would be great.

You've probably been to Sydney by now, but I'll post this anyway. I would have recommended the Museum, Chinatown, and naturally the Opera House. Travelling over the Harbour Bridge is also a great experience. I worked as a truck driver in Sydney for 9 years, crossed that bridge more times than I can count, and never once felt bored with the scenery. Kings Cross is another "hotspot", which goes 24/7/365.
Another popular attraction is crossing the harbour by ferry to North Sydney, and visiting Taronga Zoo. The glassed underground aquarium allows visitors to view sharks and other marine life close up.

[_mormonmistress]

You've probably been to Sydney by now, but I'll post this anyway. I would have recommended the Museum, Chinatown, and naturally the Opera House. Travelling over the Harbour Bridge is also a great experience. I worked as a truck driver in Sydney for 9 years, crossed that bridge more times than I can count, and never once felt bored with the scenery. Kings Cross is another "hotspot", which goes 24/7/365.
Another popular attraction is crossing the harbour by ferry to North Sydney, and visiting Taronga Zoo. The glassed underground aquarium allows visitors to view sharks and other marine life close up.

Yep, been and gone but thanks anyway. I got to see the Opera House from the harbour and when we moored for dinner I saw all the bats ascending from the botanic gardens to fly over us as dusk. That was cool. I've never seen bats before! I went for a wander around downtown Sydney one evening on my own but didn't get to Kings Cross unfortunately. I was a bit scared of getting lost in the big city on my own. Other than that I saw the motorway, the airport and the hotel. Will def go back sometime and check out some of the other sights.

[_Ray A]

Yep, been and gone but thanks anyway. I got to see the Opera House from the harbour and when we moored for dinner I saw all the bats ascending from the botanic gardens to fly over us as dusk. That was cool. I've never seen bats before! I went for a wander around downtown Sydney one evening on my own but didn't get to Kings Cross unfortunately. I was a bit scared of getting lost in the big city on my own. Other than that I saw the motorway, the airport and the hotel. Will def go back sometime and check out some of the other sights.

Never saw bats? I'm not Australian-born. I migrated at age 20, some time before water was invented. I grew up with bats all around me. In fact, my mother was bitten by a "vampire bat" before I was born (no kidding). There are some theories about this, and how I subsequently turned out, but I'll pass on that.

Doesn't sound like you saw much. If you have the time, next time, visit the Jenolan Caves.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenolan_Caves

http://www.jenolancaves.org.au/

It's far more interesting than motorways, airports, and hotels. And it has - plenty of bats! Bats, by the way, are not blind, it's only a myth. They can see quite well. If you throw a stone at a flying bat, it will not try to avoid it, it will try to grab it. Try it sometime. I did it all the time.

I was a bit scared of getting lost in the big city on my own.

No need to worry, if you get lost, just call a taxi. I don't work in Sydney, by the way, so you're safe from a discourse on the Lectures On Faith.

[_mormonmistress]

Never saw bats? I'm not Australian-born. I migrated at age 20, some time before water was invented. I grew up with bats all around me. In fact, my mother was bitten by a "vampire bat" before I was born (no kidding). There are some theories about this, and how I subsequently turned out, but I'll pass on that.

Doesn't sound like you saw much. If you have the time, next time, visit the Jenolan Caves.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenolan_Caves

http://www.jenolancaves.org.au/

It's far more interesting than motorways, airports, and hotels. And it has - plenty of bats! Bats, by the way, are not blind, it's only a myth. They can see quite well. If you throw a stone at a flying bat, it will not try to avoid it, it will try to grab it. Try it sometime. I did it all the time.

I was a bit scared of getting lost in the big city on my own.

No need to worry, if you get lost, just call a taxi. I don't work in Sydney, by the way, so you're safe from a discourse on the Lectures On Faith.

Apparently we have bats here in NZ but I have never seen them. They're obviously not very common and I think they're smaller than the ones I saw in Sydney. I didn't see much, no. My boss, in her infiinite power happy wisdom, decided that we were there for work only, so changed our proposed flight times, so that we had no time to sight-see. If we go back to the same conference next year, I will take some annual leave to stay longer and see some more of the city and attractions. The caves sound cool.

[_Ray A]

The caves sound cool.

Don't miss it, because it's an experience you'll never forget. At one point they turn out all the lights (during the tour), and you can't even see the tips of your fingers, no matter how close you place them, it's so dark. I first toured the caves when I was 15, on my first visit to Oz, before migrating, then again after I migrated. They are not far from Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains, which is a beautiful small city. It gets almost as cold as NZ there :)

I've been to NZ too. Three times. In 1969, and 1976, 1978. (I think one of my toes is still embedded in ice somewhere in NZ.) My ex-wife and I actually went on our honeymoon to Hamilton, and also visited Rotorua, where I actually got a bit warm. I went through the Hamilton temple in 1976, as a missionary, and to get married, in 1978, before there were any in Australia, which didn't happen until 1984. The Hamilton temple was the first built in the Southern Hemisphere, in 1958, if I recall correctly.

I also remember a place called Rainbow Springs, which we visited on our honeymoon. Quite a contrast to Rotorua's boiling mud. You could say the latter is how our marriage eventually ended up.

(Yawn, time for bed. I live like a bat, sleep during the day, work at night. Must be those vampire genes.)

[_mormonmistress]

I've been to NZ too. Three times. In 1969, and 1976, 1978. (I think one of my toes is still embedded in ice somewhere in NZ.) My ex-wife and I actually went on our honeymoon to Hamilton, and also visited Rotorua, where I actually got a bit warm. I went through the Hamilton temple in 1976, as a missionary, and to get married, in 1978, before there were any in Australia, which didn't happen until 1984. The Hamilton temple was the first built in the Southern Hemisphere, in 1958, if I recall correctly.

I also remember a place called Rainbow Springs, which we visited on our honeymoon. Quite a contrast to Rotorua's boiling mud. You could say the latter is how our marriage eventually ended up.

(Yawn, time for bed. I live like a bat, sleep during the day, work at night. Must be those vampire genes.)

Oh my goodness. I was sitting here thinking, he came to hamilton??? (my home town) Noone comes to Hamilton as a tourist. Why the heck did he do that?! Then I read about the temple. Makes sense now. It is probably the only real tourist attraction in the city, aside from the zoo which has the biggest open air aviary in the Southern hemisphere. I last went to Rainbow Springs when I was a kiddie. I guess it's still going, but I rarely get to Rotorua even though it is really not that far down the road. My toes are freezing off today, even though it's supposed to be Spring. Some things never change.