Next Question - MyMulti Pass

[RumpunchGirl]

While in Sydney for 5 days before our cruise,we're staying in Pyrmont near Blackwattle Bay. We are not renting a car. We plan on using public transportation or taxis to get where we want to go. I've been reading about the MyMulti 3 pass. I'm not sure if it would be more cost effective to purchase this pass for a week or just pay separately each time we travel about the city. The things we know we want to see for sure while in Sydney are the Rocks area, Botanical Gardens, Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Manly Beach, Taronga Zoo and the Blue Mountains. The cost of a weekly MyMulti 3 is $61 each. It looks to me like one could use this pass to travel pretty much anywhere around Sydney, across the harbour and to the Blue Mountains.

 

Do you think this pass would be wise to purchase or would we be better off just paying for transportation as we go?:confused:

 

Any and all input welcome!:D

 

Thanks,

Teri

[maxmia]

Pyrmont is walking distance from the Harbour Bridge, the rocks, Botanical Gardens and Opera House, The Ferries leave Circular Quay for Manly, and also Taronga Zoo. The train goes from Sydney Central station to the Blue Mountains, and most of the buses that go along George Street stop there. I think $61 for 3 days is quite expensive, and if you like walking, really not necessary. You could Google Sydney Ferries, to find out the cost of the ferry, but I think they are quite cheap. You are fitting a lot in in 3 days with that pass. Have a wonderful time in Sydney. :D

[Sparky74]

Pyrmont is walking distance from the Harbour Bridge, the rocks, Botanical Gardens and Opera House, The Ferries leave Circular Quay for Manly, and also Taronga Zoo. The train goes from Sydney Central station to the Blue Mountains, and most of the buses that go along George Street stop there. I think $61 for 3 days is quite expensive, and if you like walking, really not necessary. You could Google Sydney Ferries, to find out the cost of the ferry, but I think they are quite cheap. You are fitting a lot in in 3 days with that pass. Have a wonderful time in Sydney. :D

 

Personally, I'd walk too but it is a bit of a step from Pyrmont. An alternative would be to catch the light rail to Central Station. (For fare information: http://www.transportnsw.info/sites/en/tickets/ticket-types/light-rail.page )

I've never used it but I believe the 555 bus is a free shuttle that would take you to Circular Quay where you can access the Rocks, Bridge, Opera House and ferry to Manly and Taronga Zoo.

 

 

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[tillydog]

The MyMulti 3 pass can be used on the light rail as well as the trains, ferries and buses.

[RumpunchGirl]

We are staying in Sydney for 5 days pre-cruise. Even if a destination is only a kilometer away, I'm not sure everyone in the group would want to walk to it. Some walking is fine, but if we can get around faster using light rail or buses, then that would be prefered. We would probably only use the ferries a couple of times so I check on how much they cost. Thanks for the feedback!

[OzKiwiJJ]

Here is the maths.

 

The ferry to Manly is $14.80 return, to Taronga Zoo is $12 return, and train to Katoomba (Blue Mountains) is $17.20 return I think. That adds up to $44 alone.

 

Pyrmont is probably just a bit too far to walk to and from the CBD all the time so you may want to use the light rail ($6.20 return) combined with train (short trip Central to Circular Quay is $7.60 return), although that 555 bus would be worth looking into. One trip on each brings the total up to $57. Add in another trip and you're well over the $61.

 

These calculations are based on unrestricted fares, not off-peak.

 

The Rocks, Botanical Gardens, Opera House, and Harbour Bridge are all within easy walking distance of each other so no transport required.

 

You also have to add in the convenience of only having to buy one ticket. I think it would be worth having the Multipass tickets. However you would need to buy these at a ticket outlet before you get on the light rail. You can buy them at train stations but I'm fairly certain you can't buy them on the light rail.

 

Of course, you have to decide how often you will use taxis. Taxis are expensive in Sydney but can be quicker than public transport and, of course, take you door-to-door.

Edited May 14, 2014 by OzKiwiJJ

[RumpunchGirl]

Here is the maths.

 

The ferry to Manly is $14.80 return, to Taronga Zoo is $12 return, and train to Katoomba (Blue Mountains) is $17.20 return I think. That adds up to $44 alone.

 

Pyrmont is probably just a bit too far to walk to and from the CBD all the time so you may want to use the light rail ($6.20 return) combined with train (short trip Central to Circular Quay is $7.60 return), although that 555 bus would be worth looking into. One trip on each brings the total up to $57. Add in another trip and you're well over the $61.

 

These calculations are based on unrestricted fares, not off-peak.

 

The Rocks, Botanical Gardens, Opera House, and Harbour Bridge are all within easy walking distance of each other so no transport required.

 

You also have to add in the convenience of only having to buy one ticket. I think it would be worth having the Multipass tickets. However you would need to buy these at a ticket outlet before you get on the light rail. You can buy them at train stations but I'm fairly certain you can't buy them on the light rail.

 

Of course, you have to decide how often you will use taxis. Taxis are expensive in Sydney but can be quicker than public transport and, of course, take you door-to-door.

 

Thanks for doing the math! I was just trying to find the cost for the ferries and didn't have much luck. We will only take a taxi from the airport to our rented apartment, to the port for the cruise and then after the cruise, back to the airport. I was thinking the MyMulti 3 pass would give us some flexibility to be spontanious during our visit. We don't have a set agenda. We just have a list of things we what to see and do.

[OzKiwiJJ]

I'll see if I can figure out some bus routes for you.

 

The light rail is a roundabout way to get to many things. It goes to Central Station and you'd need to transfer to a train to get to places like Circular Quay. Most of the other light rail stops are a fair walk from the CBD.

 

I'll assume you're staying near the Fish Markets.

[OzKiwiJJ]

There are a couple of buses but it looks like they are not much better than the light rail. Sorry. Sydney public transport is not the best in the world :(

[RumpunchGirl]

Thanks for all your research OzKiwiJJ. Yes we are very near the Fish Market, I think. I believe the street we're staying on is Wattle Crescent if that helps. I've found some websites that show schedules for buses, trains, ect. I'm also checking out the 555 shuttle as well.

[OzKiwiJJ]

I think the most useful bus will be the 443. You can check the route map and timetable here http://www.sydneybuses.info/routes/timetables-route-maps.

 

The only other one that goes through that area ends up in the same place as the light rail, so better to take the light rail as it will be quicker.

 

The free 555 only runs up and down George St between Central Station and Circular Quay. Possibly useful but quicker to take the train between those two points if you get the Multipass.

Edited May 15, 2014 by OzKiwiJJ

[OzKiwiJJ]

Oh, one thing I don't think anyone has mentioned. You can walk across the harbour bridge, free. Not to be confused with the bridgeclimb which takes you right up to the top. This is across a walkway at road level on the Eastern side. It's accessed from The Rocks, off Argyle St. It should be clearly signposted. You get great views of the harbour as you cross. There are some nice cafes at Kirribilli, at the Northern end of the bridge, and a convenient railway station (Milsons Point on the North Shore Line) if you don't feel like walking back.

 

Actually a nicer way, and a walk we do regularly, is to get the train over and walk back, but instead of going down to the Rocks, go up and over the Cahill Expressway. From there you can go straight into the Botanical Gardens. Go right through the gardens keeping to the upper levels and then down to Mrs Macquarie's Chair. Then go down to shore level and back to the Opera House and Circular Quay. 1-2 hours walking depending on how much time you spend in the gardens.

[RumpunchGirl]

Oh, one thing I don't think anyone has mentioned. You can walk across the harbour bridge, free. Not to be confused with the bridgeclimb which takes you right up to the top. This is across a walkway at road level on the Eastern side. It's accessed from The Rocks, off Argyle St. It should be clearly signposted. You get great views of the harbour as you cross. There are some nice cafes at Kirribilli, at the Northern end of the bridge, and a convenient railway station (Milsons Point on the North Shore Line) if you don't feel like walking back.

 

Actually a nicer way, and a walk we do regularly, is to get the train over and walk back, but instead of going down to the Rocks, go up and over the Cahill Expressway. From there you can go straight into the Botanical Gardens. Go right through the gardens keeping to the upper levels and then down to Mrs Macquarie's Chair. Then go down to shore level and back to the Opera House and Circular Quay. 1-2 hours walking depending on how much time you spend in the gardens.

 

Thank you so much! This is very good info. DH and I are so excited about this trip. There's so much to see and do but we do have a budget. Anything "free" is good. We love walking around and exploring without being with an "official" tour group.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Thank you so much! This is very good info. DH and I are so excited about this trip. There's so much to see and do but we do have a budget. Anything "free" is good. We love walking around and exploring without being with an "official" tour group.

 

You're welcome. :)

 

Walking around and exploring is our favourite way of sightseeing too.

[MadWoofter]

A few more things to consider:

 

Most buses require you to have a 'pre-paid' ticket if you are travelling during peak times, and some of the express services only take pre-paid. If you think you're going to be using buses even a little bit, I'd recommend getting a pass that allows you to travel up to 10 journeys - it's also cheaper than buying 10 individual tickets.

 

There is a 'free' shuttle bus (555) that runs from Central to Circular Quay - there's one roughly every 10 minutes

 

From the Fish Markets you can walk to Darling Harbour - it's pretty well a straight line (the street doglegs a bit but you just follow it) - it's about a 10 minute fast walk to Darling Harbour, or a 20 minute walk up to Town Hall and the CBD. The light rail from the fish markets goes around the CBD and takes about 25 mins to Central. It runs every 15 mins or so. It can get pretty pricey to use this if you don't have a mymulti ticket (over $6 return each day)

 

I guess the biggest question is how much are you willing to walk each day? If you're fit and active you can get by with buying a ticket just for the one-off trips (ie to Manly or the zoo) but if you're not used to walking much then definitely get the mymulti pass.

 

Have a fabulous time :)

[RumpunchGirl]

Thanks MadWoofter. Also good info. I think we will probably buy the MyMulti 3 pass. I'll be sharing all this info with our traveling buddies this weekend. There's a lot of things to consider!