Active sightseeing in Sydney or Cairnes

[estebofarr]

Aussie Gal,

Many thanks for the links! Now, how do I pick one, so many to chose from?

[DonnaLill]

I did the bridge climb in November:D last year. Not to be missed. You can ask when booking for the sunset time. They time it perfectly so that the sun is setting as you climb. The trip to the top is light, then darkens as you descend. Really neat to see the sunset and the city skyline in lights. And the HUGE bats that come out. I am talking HUGE! Just be aware that the whole trip takes a few hours in your planning. Takes a long time to orient, dress, practice, etc before you actually step out onto the bridge. Have fun! Email me for more info dwaliky@optonline.net.

[Aussie Gal]

Estebofarr,

 

The best website for Sydney B&B's is the Babs one I gave you. There are some good B&B's in Paddington and Glebe. They are quite close to the city. I would just read each one and then choose. It is always a bit of luck but we usually have always been comfortable. If they belong to one of those websites, the standard is usually quite high.

 

Jennie

[ldnrdh]

I appreciate everyones comments and have used them in planing our trip. Thank you for taking the time to respond, any last minute suggestions, like a recommendation for one of the shows at the Opera House? Appreciatively ~ Leslie

[Globaliser]

a recommendation for one of the shows at the Opera House?

I wouldn't normally be looking for what's on at times when I'm not in Sydney, but you got me to have a peek - and I'm dead jealous.

 

The route into what's on is through this search page. Having a quick look, it seems that the outstanding events in November are a cycle of Sibelius symphonies performed by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy. Frankly, this is probably going to be the highlight of the entire year in Sydney - my friends in the SSO are going to have a ball doing these.

 

12+13 Nov - Symphony No 1, Symphony No 2

16+17 Nov - Oceanides, Violin Concerto, Symphony No 3

20+22 Nov - Symphony No 4, Luonnotar, Symphony No 5

24+26 Nov - Symphony No 6, Tapiola, Symphony No 7

 

Hope the dates match yours. You'll almost certainly have to put some effort into getting tickets for these; if you want to go, I wouldn't risk leaving it until you get there unless the concerts are already sold out. But if they are, you can probably queue for returns somewhere.

[ldnrdh]

Thank you Globaliser!! I'm getting excited to get on our way, booked our bridgeclimb last night now I'll look at the link you provided.

[estebofarr]

Leslie, when are you going to be in Sydney?

 

My husband also wants to book the bridge climb. I'm a little chicken to join him.

 

Janis

[ldnrdh]

We are climbing on Nov 4, my husband is not real comfortable with heights, but all I read was it was a must do, so he is!!

[estebofarr]

Leslie

Are you planning a trip out to the Blue Mountain region?

[Globaliser]

I'm a little chicken to join him.

It really isn't anything to worry about. The worst part of it, for someone who is afraid of heights, is actually the first part of the walk when you are on walkways beneath the roadway. Once you actually climb the ladder onto the bridge structure itself, you are walking on a very wide and very solid steel structure, and you will barely notice that you are high up.

 

The other thing is that throughout the entire time you're on the bridge, you are tethered to a static line with a climber's gadget (I don't know the proper name for it). This means that you cannot fall off by accident, or even jump off if you were minded to do so - that is the whole idea of the thing. You literally cannot go anywhere other than along the path of the walk.

 

But because you are tethered to the line, you can't swap places with anyone once you've started. Make sure you're happy with your neighbours when you line up.

[estebofarr]

Globalizer

 

Thanks for the encouragement! I still don't know if I will do it. My husband has gone paragliding, skydiving and helicoptered in Hawaii. All of which, I have remained on land. At least, he will go without me, some people won't go alone.

 

Janis

[Downunder Des]

Maaate,

Just do it!

[Aussie Gal]

Janis,

 

I agree with Des, just go ahead and do it. The view from the top is absolutely fantastic and it is a wonderful feeling to know you have achieved something that you didn't really want to do.

 

As I mentioned back on page 1, we did it when the Climb was fairly new and it was one of the best experiences of our lives. We have climbed Duomos, Bell towers etc around the world but the Harbour Bridge is the best. You are tied on and cannot fall. Our guide told us that an 80 year old lady had done the climb. But you need to book as it is the best tourist attraction in Sydney.

 

GO FOR IT!! :) ;) :)

 

Jennie

[ldnrdh]

We got back today and wanted to thank you all for your comments to my original posting. What a trip, what a great country! My afraid of heights husband did do the bridge climb, he had a firm grip the whole time, as I was swinging my arms as we walked. He is very glad he did it. The guides put you at ease right away and the safety measures taken are numerous. You MUST see the great barrier reef if you like to snorkel at all. It is like swimming in an aquarium. We have snorkeled on many islands, nothing like this for clarity, and coral colors. We bought the 3 day transportation pass in Sydney that lets you on all the busses, ferries, rail, and some harbor sights cruises. It is $100 for 3 days but if you are likely to do alot of moving around the city it is will worth it. Public transport is a breeze there once you get the hang of it.

Sydney is remarkably green for being such a big city, and clean. The shop attendants etc are more than helpful. Maybe some day we will return, we loved our visit. Leslie

[ldnrdh]

Can I add a couple of "cruise" suggestions?

 

There is an ex-America's Cup yacht called Spirit which does sailing cruises around Sydney harbour - a harbour cruise with a difference. The

 

We were not in Sydney yet so I heard alot about this but did not read the articles...apparently that yacht was doing some publicity shootings so were running closer to the Opera House than normal and the skipper crashed into the Opera House, people were thrown into the water, and the yacht was very damaged. They believe the skipper had been drinking.

[Globaliser]

Oh dear, there goes one of my ideas for showing off to some new visitors to Sydney when I'm out there next month. That's a real pity.

I did the trip on a boat called [I]Gretel[/I], which has a real place in Australian America's Cup history. However, she's since been retired from commercial sailing and [I]Spirit[/I] was the effective replacement. I hope they'll be back in action before too long.

Many thanks for passing on the news.

[drandyl]

ldnrdh...

Where were you when you visted the Great Barrier Reef? We will be on the Sapphire Princess Sydney-Bangkok 3/7/05 and we will be stopping in Cairns and Cid Harbor. We would like to go scuba diving at one of these but cannot figure out which is best.

Thanks...

[estebofarr]

WOW

Thanks for all your support. Maybe I will climb with him. Arthritic knees and all! After the landing I had in New York's LaGuardia Airport last week with the wind sheers, this will not be frightening at all.

Is there a link to the Opera House's schedule for February?

Janis

[Globaliser]

[quote name='estebofarr']Is there a link to the Opera House's schedule for February?[/QUOTE]Just go to the [URL=http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/sections/whats_on/boxoffice/?sm=1&ss=1]search page[/URL] and put in the dates you want (remembering to use standard format, of course!).

[Globaliser]

[quote name='ldnrdh']We were not in Sydney yet so I heard alot about this but did not read the articles...apparently that yacht was doing some publicity shootings so were running closer to the Opera House than normal and the skipper crashed into the Opera House, people were thrown into the water, and the yacht was very damaged. They believe the skipper had been drinking.[/QUOTE]I've done a bit more research about this. There's an ABC article about it [URL=http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200410/s1228257.htm]here[/URL] - the skipper tested negative for alcohol.

I've also now heard back from the operators, who say that she will be back in operation by the end of November - so it sounds like the damage is not too serious. This is the operator's website: [URL=http://www.kookaburragroup.com.au]Kookaburra Challenge[/URL].

[estebofarr]

I tried the link putting in the days we would be there and it came back nothing available. Now does that mean, there are no shows, sold out, theatre closed? Also, does anyone know the range of prices and dress code?

[FEMH]

Actually, a 100-year-old woman has climbed the bridge. Mrs. Chris Muller climbed the same day we did back in 1999. She had been among the throngs of people who had walked across the bridge on its opening day in the 1930s, and her late husband had been involved in the bridge's construction. She asked her grandson for this for her 100th birthday. Apparently, she turned back halfway to the summit due to severe arthritis, but nevertheless, received widespread media coverage.
[url]http://www.bridgeclimb.com.au/experience_frs.htm[/url]

[ldnrdh]

drandyl ~ Cod Hole is a fabulous place to dive. It was featured in Scuba Diving Magazine Nov.2004 issue. We flew one hour from Cairnes to Lizard Island, and did a day tour out of Lizard Island, which is a recc I picked up off this board. It is expensive but very worth it, better than anything we saw on our 3 night cruise. The site is 65 miles offshore, with incredible healthy coral, very large cod fish, 60-80 foot visibility....I could go on and on, it is fantastic. Not sure how this could work though if you only have a day in the Cairnes port.

[Globaliser]

[quote name='estebofarr']I tried the link putting in the days we would be there and it came back nothing available. Now does that mean, there are no shows, sold out, theatre closed? Also, does anyone know the range of prices and dress code?[/QUOTE]When are you going to be there? It would be surprising if nothing was returned. Are you using standard format dates (dd/mm/yyyy)?

Prices will depend on what you're going to see, obviously. I don't think that Aussies are particularly demanding on the dress code front, so anything tidy ought to do for most events.[quote name='Globaliser']I've also now heard back from the operators, who say that she will be back in operation by the end of November - so it sounds like the damage is not too serious. This is the operator's website: [URL=http://www.kookaburragroup.com.au]Kookaburra Challenge[/URL].[/QUOTE][I]Spirit[/I] is definitely back in full working order - I had a great afternoon out on her a couple of weekends back.

[estebofarr]

Globaliser

We arrive Sydney Feb. 11 and depart the 14th. Will try the link again, thanks.