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sydney: general info
· city links
· history
· hostels
tours
· nightlife
· photos
· things to do
· read reviews
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SYDNEY
Calling Code: +61
Celebrated as the "Queen of the Pacific Rim", vast, vibrant Sydney is home to one of the world's most
beautiful harbours, with the imposing Opera House as the jewel in its crown.
The State capital of New South Wales, Sydney is a thriving centre for both business
and the arts. The city has all the cosmopolitan amenities - top shopping, excellent
restaurants and buzzing nightlife - and visitors often find similarities with
San Francisco. Carved between the mountains and
the sea, the city offers the ultimate in the great outdoors. The Pacific Ocean
swells onto golden beaches, while a seasonally shifting palette of colours unfolds
further inland, over the Blue Mountains. In addition to the harbour, famously
adorned with sailing boats that mirror the distinctive curves of the Opera House,
there are numerous inland waterways and national parks.
With the Olympics, Sydney came of age as one of the world's great cities. The games' smooth running has been attributed
to the thousands of local volunteers, whose helpful, welcoming attitude revealed - much to Sydney's own surprise - that
beneath its somewhat vain and self-seeking surface there still exists a bedrock of traditional Australian virtues. But the
Games did more than affect the city's mindset; they transformed its physical appearance. Streets and public areas were
remodeled, long-neglected eyesores were removed and new street furniture erected, resulting in a city centre that is more
pleasant and easier to navigate than ever before. Combine that with semitropical summers and mild winters and the result
is an excellent city to visit at any time of the year.
As Australia's largest city, Sydney has no shortage of great nightlife. The Rocks, the oldest part of the city, has narrow alleyways,
shady courtyards and historic pubs. Restaurants, late-opening cafes and pubs abound in Darlinghurst. Kings Cross is the city's red
light area, where backpacker hostels jostle for space with strip shows, sex shops and 24 hour pubs.
Quick tips/suggestions
They don't let you take your camera up the Harbour Bridge, but they are more
than happy to charge you an obscene amount for a souvenir one... we'll leave it
up to you to decide whether or not it's worth it.
 Activities
Bridge Climb - scale above the harbour
Hostels
Australian Backpackers
Backpackers Headquarters Hostel
Balmain Backpackers
Boomerang Backpackers
Chippendale Backpackers
City Central Backpackers
Footprints Westend
G'day Backpackers
Glebe Village Backpackers
Hyde Park Hostel
Indy's Bondi Beach Backpackers
Jolly Swagman Backpackers
Surfsidebackpackers
Sydney Backpackers
The Funk House
The Globe Backpackers
The Maze Backpackers
V Backpackers
Wake Up ! Sydney Central
Wanderers On Kent
Wizard Of Oz Backpackers
Other
City Links - links to help you survive sydney
Photos
City Scapes - pictures of sydney
If you know of a great destination we're missing,
review it for us!!
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