My husband and I went for a 3 weeks trip of a lifetime to Sydney and New South Wales. I searched on Tripadvisor and even went into forums on the area and had great experiences from that and a few of our own.

Upon arriving at 5 a.m. we were picked up an brought to the Shangri-La hotel. We had a panoramic view of the harbour with the Opera House on one side and the beautiful bridge on the other side. The view was magnificant and being in the Rocks was great.

I would suggest when staying in area for any great length of time you purchase a metro and ferry pass. It saved us a tremendous amount of time and expense. It was also quite relaxing just to spend an afternoon going from one end of the harbour to the other. The metro was clean, easy to get around and took us to Chinatown, wharf, uptown and downtown.

After three days in Sydney, we drove to Canberra and toured the Old and New Parliament buildings. What beautiful architecture.

Upon leaving Canberra were going further South and decided we wanted to spend more time in Sydney because there is so much to do and it is so easy to get around.

We spent 2 days and went to the Coast and stayed at Bateman's Bay and at Woolagong. Beautiful ocean views.

Upon returning to Sydney we stayed at the Hilton on George St. That provided another flavor for the business district and high end shopping. Wonderful time there for 5 days. Did not have the scenic view that the Shangri-La provides.

We went back to the Shangi-La to finish our time. We took helicopter flights to the Blue Mountain and Hunter Valley. That was a fantastic experience and something everyone should do, if money is not an object.

Come prepared because everything is expensive but well worth the price. We dined at some of the finest restaurants, toured Manly, cruised the harbour, enjoyed wine tastings and even ate "Kangaroo Pie" at Jackson's on George St.

Everyone we met was friendly and helpful. I felt as if it was almost a small town feeling.

An experience of a Lifetime. A trip we will never forget. Rich in history, culture, and friendliness.

We spend time in Sydney from Feb 4-8 and it was great. Syndey is a great city and has lots to offer for everyone. There is so much to see and do that we did not get to see everything we wanted it would take at least 2 weeks. We stayed at the Star City Hotel and Casino which was a great place to stay. Clean and great staff. We loved the Maritime Museum were we got go on Cpt.Cooks Ship, and got to enjoy the Harbour. I would recommend taking the Tours that they offer, it helped us getting around in Sydney since it is a busy place and that way we got to enjoy the scenery and got to see things without having to look for them. The only thing that we can complain about would be the prices. Sydney is very expensive and it was unbelievable what a simple luch or dinner cost.

If you ever have the chance to go “Down Under” to Australia, you have to go!! It’s a place where you can go to another country yet still feel like you are still in the USA. The country is gorgeous, the food is yummy and the people friendly.

There is so much to do that you need to plan on spending a week or more in Sydney. You have to take the Captain Cook cruise tour so you can get a great view of the infamous Opera House, the Sydney Bridge and the wonderful countryside. Then take the tour to the Featherdale Wildlife Reserve where you can actually feed and pet kangaroos, pet koalas, pet Dingo’s and see so many other Australian animals. This was definitely one of the highlights of our trip!

Darling Harbour is a great place to visit where you can shop and stop in for a great bite to eat. Also plan on visiting the Australian Zoo where you will be able to see a variety of great animals. It’s a great zoo and we loved the monkey area where there was a baby chimpanzee that stole our hearts.

I would definitely come back to this country where I could spend more time and enjoy more of the countryside and all that it has to offer.

MMoore

We have just spent a month traveling the main cities in southern Australia and have to say that Sydney was the highlight! Even though it is home to more than 4 million people, we had no sense of the big city while there. People went out of their way to be friendly, helpful and courteous. The city itself has easily available restrooms, walking paths, shade areas, information booths and food! It was clean, calm and beautiful! The botanical garden was amazing! We would love to go back!