Australia Thread 4

[travelling_daisy]

By the way, sis, is spring/autumn weather in Sydney comparable to Baguio weather in December/January? No need for thick jackets? Na-experience na kasi namin spring & autumn in Japan and Korea and both seasons are colder than Baguio. We wore thick jackets pa and thermals in autumn.

[ataypool]

^not as cold as compared to SK and Japan, light layering with thin jackets or coats and comfy shoes but may times that it gets too cold or too hot on those seasons. Bring umbrellas if you can kasi mahal dito. Sa Bondi naman, lagi may swimmers kahit anong weather, depends na lang sa tolerance. Okay na idea din iyong tour na one day na sa Blue Mountains and Featherdale, saves you time.

For cafes and restos, lots of cuisines and some of the best outside the countries they represent. Food courts are okay, in Chinatown, and in the CBD, Westfield (a bit high end) and Myer lower ground (mid scale). Coffee is good, if you see workers lining up doon ka punta pero even the not so popular ones okay din. Steak don't forget kasi mahal sa Pilipinas. Hurricane's Grill for the ribs, it's in Darling Harbour, the Fish Market, and for buffet, Star City is okay too, cheaper than hotels' pero masarap din naman but go on a weekday and weeknight, or go to Yumcha in Chinatown, naging Aussie tradition na rin maski it's Chinese. Try the kebabs (shawarma), fish and chips, meat pies, sausage rolls, bubble teas (everywhere but they are good, Gongcha here is better than in Manila) etc. Puwede ka rin bili vouchers from Groupon, Scoopon etc, they have nice deals there.

[travelling_daisy]

^

Thanks so much for being so generous in sharing info, sis ataypool.
Appreciate all your inputs! I have noted them all and will do proper research more on Sydney.

Marami palang pwedeng kainan doon. I need to research how much should I bring as pocketmoney then...hehe...

BTW, my kids are into themeparks kasi... I saw there's Luna Park. Is it any good? My kids (11 and 12) are not really into thrill rides though. Roller coasters make them happy na.

[ataypool]

^Luna Park is on old style amusement park. Okay siya for the nostalgia. Mga pamangkin ko noon same age as your kids parang di nagustuhan, then bumalik uli sila as teenagers last year, natuwa naman sila. Depends na rin siguro sa mood.

Ang cost ng eating out dito I think it?s the same price sa Myeongdong cafes and restaurants. Food court maybe around $12 average iyong may pangalan na.

[travelling_daisy]

^ Thanks, sis!
Might consider going to Luna Park para di ma-bore yung mga kids. They complain kasi pag puro sightseeing lang and no activities for them... kaya I usually include a trip to a zoo talaga and a themepark pag meron...  so it maybe worth dropping by Luna Park since malapit lang sya sa Harbour Bridge...

Salamat din sa tip on how much a meal cost... would be easier to do the budget for the trip now...

Next thing on my list is to read on reviews on accommodations. I was looking at a hotel that could accommodate the 4 of us... main considerations ko lang when looking at a place to stay is the accessibility to transpo (usually near train stations) para easier to commute from one place to another and malapit sa mga kainan. Initially, ang mga nakita ko ay Adina, Meriton Suites, Novotel and Mercure Hotel. Undecided pa ko talaga which area to stay at. Any suggestions?

Thanks so much!

[rocky]

^adina kent street kami nag-stay dati sis, maganda location nya. yong ibang tourist spot like darling harbour lakad lang

[almond]

@ataypool please pm me dear

[travelling_daisy]

^adina kent street kami nag-stay dati sis, maganda location nya. yong ibang tourist spot like darling harbour lakad lang

Around how much was the room per night nakuha nyo, sis rocky?
Mukhang maganda nga locatio nya. And I also prefer lodging with kitchen and in-room laundry.

Easy to go to and from the airport din ba dito sa Adina at Kent Street?

Thanks!

[ataypool]

^Sa hotels you mentioned, closest to Central station are Mercure and Adina, just 5 minutes from the station exit.

Wala naman problema sa lakaran within the CBD kasi hindi naman siya parang Tokyo or Osaka na magkakabungguan kayo sa paglakad pero mabibilis din maglakad mga tao. Kaya kahit saan naman kayo puwede sa location. If proximity para sa Airport line, you can consider accommodation pag malapit stations of Town Hall, Wynyard, Circular Quay, Museum, Central and St James.

[travelling_daisy]

^Thanks, sis ataypool!

I checked and both of the 2 hotels are located near the stations you mentioned; Adina in Town Hall and Mercure in Central. Actually torn between the two. Plus lang ni Adina for me would be the in-room laundry and kitchen. Well, 5 days lang naman kami so baka it won't matter much to have the laundry facility anyway.  ... I will check the prices na lang kung alin ang mas mura sa aming travel date...

Thanks, sis!

[althea_ge]

^ Thanks, sis!
Might consider going to Luna Park para di ma-bore yung mga kids. They complain kasi pag puro sightseeing lang and no activities for them... kaya I usually include a trip to a zoo talaga and a themepark pag meron...  so it maybe worth dropping by Luna Park since malapit lang sya sa Harbour Bridge...

Sis , maraming playground sa OZ, so di mabore and kids mo, try Darling harbour  may playground doon,and every suburb or community meron, popular din and Blaxland Riverside park, and even in Milson's Point, that's the station you have to get off if going to Luna Park, meron ding playground, and if matapat may weekend market din doon pagbaba ng station for food trip or browsing off stuff

[travelling_daisy]

^ ay, good to know there are free playgrounds pala, sis althea_ge! Mas okay so we can save a few $$$...

I'll post my draft itinerary here sis once I am done doing my research.
Most likely spring season kami... may cherry blossoms din ba sa Sydney?

[althea_ge]

^ may Japanese garden sa Auburn, meron sakura pero don't expect much

[ataypool]

^^not really celebrated ang spring blossom, warning pa nga lagi for hayfever. Some places faraway do in a small scale, or just go to Centennial Park or Royal Botanical Gardens. Japanese garden in Auburn is out of the way for you. Ang alam kong equivalent to the cherry blossom is a street somewhere in the upper north of Sydney na purple trees (Jacaranda yata) na dinadagsa ng buses of tourists from China just to get a photo. Nagagalit ang locals and not really worth it.

[travelling_daisy]

^^ Thanks, sis althea_ge and sis ataypool.

If out of the way, will not consider going na lang just for the cherry blossoms... I bet mas maganda pa rin talaga yung sa Japan and Korea. Royal Botanic Gardens might be good already for us to visit since within the vicinity also are other tourist attractions...

I saw posts nga sis of the jacaranda trees... are you referring to McDougall Street, sis?

[ataypool]

^That could be it. Nakita ko nga sa news noon natatawa ako thinking what's the big deal when nandiyan naman ang Japan and SK. Maganda naman Royal Botanical Gardens. When I went there last year with relatives from the US and Philippines, they thought it was one of the highlights of their trip. May planned trip naman kayo sa Blue Mountains so covered na ang natural sights.

[travelling_daisy]

^ Thanks, sis ataypool.

I will be posting more questions as i draft my itinerary.
Meantime, I will do my research.
Salamat sa mga inputs.

[rocky]

makakabalik na ulet ng AU sa june, nag-booked ako 1-way 2,599 manila-sydney via cebu pac. RT nasa 7K lang sana kaso hindi ko pa alam kung gano katagal ako papayagan wala sa office

[travelling_daisy]

Wow! Ang mura sis rocky! Hope we could score cheap tickets too for next year.

[travelling_daisy]

Drafting our itinerary now, may I know if this looks okay? I am not sure if tama yung pagkagroup ko ng mga pupuntahan and doable sya per day.

Day 1 - Royal Botanic Gardens, Mrs. Macquarie?s Chair, Sydney Harbour Bridge (possible to cross the bridge by walking? Would it be tiring for kids?), Sydney Opera House, The Rocks

Day 2 - Blue Mountains, Featherdale Zoo

Day 3 - The Grounds of Alexandria, Luna Park, Circular Quay

Day 4 - Bondi Beach (advisable ba to do the Bondi to Coogee walk if may kasamang bata?), Darling Harbour

Day 5 - St. Mary?s Cathedral, Hyde Park, Museum of Contemporary Art

I have also a list ng mga gustong kainan but I don?t know yet where to squeeze them into sa draft itinerary above. On my list: Harry?s Cafe de Wheels, Mr. Wong, Hurricanes Grill, Gumption. Saan ko kaya sila pwede isingit? Haven?t checked locations pa kasi of these restos/cafe.

Need your comments mga sis.
Thanks!