Australia Thread 4

[rocky]

^depende siguro kung ilang days ka sis & yong nasa draft IT mo. ako kasi kahit walang savings acct since si hubby sponsor ko, sya nag-provide ng financial docs. compute mo airfare, entrance fees & food then pocket money na rin for pasalubong & konting shopping. mahal kasi food don, usually AUD10 per meal

[kaisha]

^ noted sis.. thanks so much.. =)

[ysa.belle]

anybody tried helicopter scenic rides in sydney?

[i_miss_sleep]

Ladies, when traveling to Australia, where do you buy your AUD? Ok ba exchange rate nila for PHP to AUD?

[rocky]

sanry's or czarina

[i_miss_sleep]

Thanks, @rocky!

So far here's my itinerary for a week in Sydney. Initially we're thinking of flying to Melbourne for 2 days. Mag-long drive sa Great Ocean Road or try to catch the Southern Lights. Given the tight timeframe, we decided to spend the entire week and enjoy na lang sa Sydney.

We'll be staying at Meriton at Kent.

Here it goes (Pls. feel free to suggest alternatives or comment if overly ambitious.  I'll update this with actuals once I get back from this trip):
Day 1:  Airport to hotel via airport link to Circular Quay using Opal Card
-   Walk to St. Mary's Cathedral, Sydney Tower/walk
-   Stroll along Darling Harbour/National Maritime Museum
-   Vivid Sydney Dinner Cruise departing at King Street Wharf
Day 2:
-   Light Rail to Sydney Harbour Bridge/Luna Park
-   Stroll along Circular Quay (The Rocks, Museums, Government House)
-   Sydney Opera House (Badu Gili water light show)
Day 3:
-   Walk Sydney Town Hall, Queen Victoria Bldg
-   Sydney Wildlife World
-   Chinese Garden
Day 4:
-   Taronga Zoo
-   Manly Beach
Day 5:
-   Rest/Shop/Rent car
Day 6:
-   Blue Mountains
Day 7: Check-out/Return car/Depart Sydney

Any other a 'must see' or 'must eat' or 'must buy' while in Sydney?

[rasee16]

Lodged my visa application via online last April 25. Now I'm super worried kasi June 5 ang flight namin ng mom ko to Sydney. Sana umabot yung visa huhu.. didn't know na umaabot pala ng 1 month ang processing dito.. 

[rocky]

^sana umabot sis, medyo matagal talaga processing sa AU

^^sis  i_miss_sleep, mukhang ok naman IT mo. mas enjoy kasi kung relax lang

add ko na rin bondi beach & kung may time ka pa, port stephens which is 2.5 hr drive. may camel riding along the beach. pwede ring canberra, 3 hr bus lang. pero kung na-booked mo na buong stay sa meriton, enjoy sydney na lang talaga

[rasee16]

Kinabahan ako bigla. Lumabas na visa ng mom ko now lang. 6 days lang processing nung kanya. yung akin wala pa!!! waaah sana approved.. fingers crossed.

[rasee16]

Update: Approved na rin Visa ko. Whew. Multiple entry for 1 year. 8 days processing time.

Mga magkano need ko na budget per day? Sydney lang kami the whole week. TIA!

[ataypool]

^50 AUD per day kung food and transpo and that's still on budget.

Imagine mo na lang ang gastos mo sa Manila if you go out all day, halos pareho lang.

[rasee16]

Ok thanks. Will work on our itinerary na. Yung itinerary kasi na ginawa ko for the visa, ginawa ko lang just for the sake of the requirements hehe

[rocky]

korek! kahit hindi sundin yong IT saka exact date ng travel. kahit mag-stay ka ng 3 months ok lang, since ME naman yong visa mo. yun lang magastos haha

[rasee16]

Mga sis, saan kayo nag-rent ng pocket wifi and how much? Wala kasi sa klook eh, HK or SG pickup lang.. :-(

[rocky]

^mahal internet sa AU sis bumili na lang ako ng vodafone sim sa airport, then load ng AUD15 may 1GB na yon. pag naubos reload ka lang sa mga convenience store

[rasee16]

Aww.. Crucial pa naman internet in getting around. Heavily dependent ako sa mga transpo apps pag abroad eh. Sige thanks sa info sis. Baka nga sim card nalang kunin ko instead of pocket wifi

[rasee16]

Next week na alis namin mga sis. Any navigation apps na helpful in getting around Sydney?

[travelling_daisy]

Good morning, sisses!

For those who have flown to Sydney via Singapore Airlines (SQ) from Manila, is the 2-hour lay over in Singapore enough na to do the transit process? Will the baggages be checked thru na din ba to final destination? Or need ba i-retrieve pag land sa Singapore and check them in again for the connecting flight to Sydney? I am choosing kasi between a 2-hour versus 6-hour stopover sa Changi. It's a huge airport so I am worried that the 2-hour stopover might feel so rushed. Any thoughts, sisses?

Also, how much is the usual fare by SQ? I have seen promo rates for Sydney for about USD 630 to USD 740. Pinagiisipan ko if I will book na with this rate or may chance pa kayang bumaba? I checked with PAL and halos konti lang difference sa price. Qantas is also  on the same price range based on our preferred dates. Hope to get your inputs on this.

Thanks in advance!

[ataypool]

^I will still choose a direct flight. Okay rin naman ang Cebu Pacific, especially the timing (you leave at midnight Manila time, morning in Sydney, then accommodation check-in at 2 or 3PM). If you're going to take the PAL morning flights sa weekdays, then 9PM or 10PM dating sa Sydney, parang nasayang isang araw. That's just me anyway, if I have to pay for the accommodation.

Lagi naman bumababa ang pricing ng Sydney-Manila <->, huwag lang December and January, hunger games.

[travelling_daisy]

^Thanks for your inputs, sis.

Actually, okay nga ang flight sched ng CebuPac. How much was the airfare you got from them, if I may ask?