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General
Sydney is dramatically located within the south-east coast around Port Jackson.
This includes the Sydney Harbour which they eventually called "the Harbour City".
The city of Sydney is the oldest city in nestling Australia. The city is multicultural
and cosmopolitan with its fair share of great beaches, fortunate to have the view
of sun when drenching naturally, woozy skyscrapers, prestigious a wide selection
of restaurants which serve delicious foods and , excellent shopping centres and
accommodating friendly people.
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Area
Sydney's urban area is in a coastal basin, which is bordered by the Pacific Ocean
to the East, the Blue Mountains to the West, the Hawkesbury River to the North and
the Royal National Park to the South. It lies on a submergent coastline, where the
ocean level has risen to flood deep river valleys (ria) carved in the Hawkesbury
sandstone. Port Jackson, better known as Sydney Harbour, is one such ria and is
the largest natural harbour in the world.
The urban area has around 70 harbour and ocean beaches, including the famous Bondi
Beach. Sydney's urban area covers 1,687 km2 (651 sq mi) as at 2001. The Sydney Statistical
Division, used for census data, is the unofficial metropolitan area and covers 12,145
km2 (4,689 sq mi). This area includes the Central Coast, the Blue Mountains, and
national parks and other unurbanized land. This makes Sydney the third largest urban
agglomeration in the world behind Brasília (14,400 km2) and Tokyo (13,500 km2).
Geographically, Sydney lies over two regions: the Cumberland Plain, a relatively
flat region lying to the south and west of the harbour, and the Hornsby Plateau,
a sandstone plateau lying mainly to the north of the harbour and dissected by steep
valleys. The parts of the city with the oldest European development are located
in the flat areas south of the harbour. The North Shore was slower to develop because
of its hilly topography and lack of access across the harbour. The Sydney Harbour
Bridge was opened in 1932 and linked the North Shore to the rest of the city.
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Population
The 2006 census reported 4,119,190 residents in the Sydney Statistical Division,
of which 3,641,422 lived in Sydney's urban area. Inner Sydney was the most densely
populated place in Australia with 4,023 persons per square kilometre.
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Time
Sydney is 10 hours ahead of GMT (GMT/UTC +10 hours). Sydney has daylight savings
time from 2am on the last Sunday in October (with the exception of the year 2000
when it is from the 27th of August) until 3am on the last Sunday in March. All clocks
are turned forward one hour for the duration of daylight savings time.
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Culture
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; 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 and September.
Sydney's New Year's Eve and Australia Day celebrations are the largest in Australia.
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Visa
Everyone travelling to Australia must present a valid and approved travel document
as evidence of their identity and nationality. The most common and preferred travel
document is a passport, but other types of travel documents may also be accepted.
More Information
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Transportation
Taxi services are usually plentiful within the CBD, however, it is a good idea to
know where you are going as you will often be asked for directions by the driver.
There is a good public transport system (buses, ferries, light rail and train) with
regular services operating within the city's underground rail network and throughout
the suburbs. Like most large modern cities Sydney has a plethora of public transport
options to help you get around the city. On the whole these services are regular
and very reliable.
All information relating to transport around Sydney can be found through the
Transport Infoline website
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Climate
Sydney has a pleasantly mild climate. Temperatures are generally in the mid 20's
with clear sunny days common for around a third of the year.
Summer is the most popular time to visit Sydney with temperatures ranging from 19
to 26 degrees Celsius (66 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit). You can get occasional hot
days where the mercury can rise to over 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit).
Winter temperatures range from an average of 8 to 18 degrees Celsius (45 to 65 degrees
Fahrenheit) and while there are plenty of clear sunny days over the cooler months,
there can also be a chilly westerly wind blowing down off the Great Dividing Range
making it quite cold in exposed areas and in the shade.
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Sydney International Airport
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Location
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9 km/6 Miles SSW of the City centre
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Airport Overview
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3 terminals: The Intl Terminal (T1) on one side of the runway, and
the
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domestic terminals (T2 & T3) on the other side. Connection between
the two is free for QANTAS passengers with onward connections, otherwise the Airport
Train Link is AUD5
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Banking and Business Hours
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Banks
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Monday to Thursday 9.30am to 4pm
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Friday 9.30am to 5pm
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Post offices
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Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm
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Office hours
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Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm
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Retail shops
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Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm
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Thursday 9am to 9pm
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Saturday 9am to 4pm
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Sunday 10am to 4pm
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Currency and Currency Exchange
Australian currency notes come in $100, $50, $20, $10 and $5 denominations.
Coins come in $2, $1, 50c, 20c, 10c and 5c.
Exchange facilities are available for all incoming and outgoing flights at the Sydney
International Airport. Changing foreign currency can be done quickly and efficiently
at most banks and at Bureau de Change outlets.
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Tipping
As a rule, tipping is not expected in Sydney, however, it is customary so if you
are happy with someone who has tried that little bit harder and gone the extra mile,
then a tip is in order and always appreciated. Giving a small tip (10% of the bill)
in a restaurant is in order if the service is good. It is also fairly common practice
to tip bellhops in international hotels a few dollars, some hotels discourage tipping
so don't be offended if they refuse to take it.
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Language
The official language of Australia is English.
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Attractions in Sydney
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• Museum and galleries
• Darling Harbour
• Sydney Opera House
• Sydney Harbour Bridge
• Mrs Macqueries Chair
More
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Links
Sydney Tourism
Centre
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