Australia Travel Blog: In Sydney Downtown

Sydney Travel Blog: Part 3

Devere Hotel, Potts Point, Sydney

Sydney Travel Blog: Part 2 First Time Taking Sydney Metro Subway

My hotel, Devere Hotel at 44-46 Macleay Street, Potts Point, should be within walking distance. I asked a random person on the street for direction. I didn’t feel like opening my GPS. To my surprise, the guy walked me a couple of blocks just to show me where the hotel is, which was totally unexpected. That was my first experience of how friendly Australians can be right on my first day.

The hotel was rated 3.5 stars and very old. I was relieved my room reservation was still good, as I was a little late. There was only one person at the counter who checked me in.

I took a very old elevator to my room. My room description was “single room with view”. However, it was so small that I barely could move. I could not find any in-room safe box. I had my Chromebook with me and didn’t want to leave it in my bag, so I kept my laptop at the front desk safe-deposit box.

Also, I had to pay for the Internet, which I haven’t done in a long time. But I was able to get a deal after requesting it; sometimes just asking for things nicely does the job.

One good thing about the room was that it had a very nice view of the bay and the many sailing boats exploring its waters. The view made my stay in that tiny room OK. Everything in the room was too old and showed its age. Even the air conditioner was so loud that it found it difficult to sleep. It was so hot that I had no choice but to keep it on.

Australia Travel Blog: First Time Taking Sydney Metro (Subway)

Sydney Travel Blog: Part 2

Sydney Travel Blog: Part 1

Sydney International Airport Station

While I was waiting for my train to come, I took a closer look at the Metro or subway station and some trains passing by on the other side of the station. 

In terms of cleanliness, lightings and fixtures, aesthetic looks, and everything else, I could not see much difference in a Sydney metro station than in a Toronto station. 

However, there were some obvious differences such as the Australian accent in the announcements, door closing chimes, and the noise of the train. And these were expected to be different in a different city. 

The train I boarded was a double-decker train, like Go Transit trains in Toronto. I noticed that yellow and silver colours were used for the trains’ inside and outside colour-theme. However, the seat covers were all blue. The door space felt like slightly wider than on Toronto TTC trains. 

Without any trouble, I changed my train at the Central Station and boarded a different train towards Kings Cross station. It took me slightly more than an hour to reach Kings Cross station. Once I got out of the station, it was close to 11:00 PM. I was out on the street and I was shocked to see so many people were out partying, sitting in open-air restaurants, or just hanging out. Although it was expected because it was Friday night, I have not seen people out partying on this scale for a while. 

That’s when I realized right away that Australians are happier than people in many other countries on the planet. People seemed to be friendly and cheerful. I wouldn’t mind watching people more, but I had to concentrate on finding my hotel, which was supposed to be not too far from the station. 

Australia Travel Blog: Just Landed in Sydney

Sydney Travel Blog: Part 1

At the SYD Airport

Passing airport immigration and customs was a breeze. It was all done electronically, and no one stopped me to ask any questions. Now, it was time to head for public transit. Sydney Airport is far from downtown, and it would cost a lot to take a taxi.

The train station I needed to take was the Sydney International Airport Station. The station was located at the northern end of the terminal; just a few minutes walk. I had only a piece of carry-on luggage, so it didn’t bother me to walk a little.

Sydney Metro Experience

I knew I had to reach Kings Cross Station, but I didn’t know how to reach it. After going underground a few levels on escalators, I saw the ticket counters and machines. It was close to 9:30 and I didn't see any humans, so machines were my only way to buy tickets.

The card I purchased from the machine for a one-way ride to my station was called Opal. Opal is the smartcard ticket you need to ride public transport systems in Sydney and many other cities in Australia. 

My trip cost me $18.70 AUD, which was close to the same amount in Canadian dollars. Once I tapped on the Opal card and got inside the station, I asked someone to tell me which platform to use and how to get to my final destination, Kings Cross. People seemed to be friendly and one young gentleman who looked like a student explained everything to me in detail. I needed to change the train at Central Station, i.e. change to platform 24 to take the Eastern Line train. 

Melbourne Travel Blog: Part 6 | Sovereign Hill Gold Mine

Going Back in Time: 1850 - Sovereign Hill Gold Mine in Ballarat

Melbourne Travel Blog: Part 1

Melbourne Travel Blog: Part 2

Melbourne Travel Blog: Part 3

Melbourne Travel Blog: Part 4

Melbourne Travel Blog: Part 5

One of the attractions in Melbourne you must visit is the Sovereign Hill Gold Mine in the suburb of Ballarat. A small city from the 1850 gold rush in Australia is preserved as it was back in those days. You will be able to go back in time and experience a gold mine city.

Visiting the whole city would take a full day, so I rushed to finish everything as fast as I could. Some of the places you can experience in Sovereign Hill as they were in the past are:

- A real underground gold mine and the ability to ride a real mine tram

- Original working conditions and mining equipment

- A real gold melt & pour to make a $100,000 gold bar

- Blacksmiths and traditional craftsmen

- Bakery, bank, blacksmith, post office, grocer, tentmaker, tinsmith, bank, post office, candle-dipping shop, lolly shop, stables, nine-pin bowling saloon, library and various other shops on the main street

- Houses, tents, water well, and gardens from the old days

- 1850s-style hotels, schools and a theatre with goldfields entertainers

- a gold museum is also located right across from the front exit

I spent my whole day videoing as much as possible at Sovereign Hill and will post these on You Tube.

Chasing Kangaroos at the Lysterfield Lake Park

Going to Australia without seeing kangaroos is like going to Egypt without visiting the pyramids. I encountered my first kangaroo sighting in the Lysterfield Lake Park, which is located in the greater Melbourne area.

There are 60+ different species of kangaroos. Some of them are big and some of them are small. The ones I was chasing in the park to take pictures and videos are the small ones. They wouldn’t let me get very close. I saw some of them carrying babies in the pouch located on their bellies.

Melbourne Travel Blog: Part 5 | Burger King or Hungry Jack's

Where Is Burger King? I See Hungry Jack’s

Melbourne Travel Blog: Part 1

Melbourne Travel Blog: Part 2

Melbourne Travel Blog: Part 3

Melbourne Travel Blog: Part 4

The fast food restaurant Hungry Jack’s struck me in Melbourne because of its similarities with Burger King. Later on, I found out that Hungry Jack’s is indeed Burger King in Australia. Burger King could not trademark its name because it was already taken, so it’s called Hungry Jack’s in Australia.

The Whopper tasted the same at Hungry Jack’s in Melbourne as it does Canada or USA. When I went to New Zealand after finishing my Australia trip, I saw a Burger King actually called Burger King in New Zealand.

No Regular Coffee in Australia

I usually drink 2 cups of coffee a day. The difficulty I had in Australia (and New Zealand as well) is that there is no regular coffee (coffee with cream and sugar). Wherever I asked for regular coffee, they looked at me like they had no idea what I was talking about.

Australians love their coffee, but they prefer barista-made coffee. I did not find anywhere where they would pour brewed black coffee and add cream or milk and sugar to make regular coffee. So the trick I learned after trying a few different barista-made specialty coffees is that latte and Americano are very close to my favourite regular coffee.

Fast Food Chain Aesthetic Looks

McDonald’s, Hungry Jack’s, 7-Eleven, or any other multinational companies or restaurants have one thing common in Australia and that is they all look better in Australia than they do in Canada or USA.

The designing, cleanliness, furniture, aesthetic looks - basically everything looked better and more higher-end than their North American versions.

However, I compared grocery chains, both value and upscale, and Canadians are unbeatable in grocery stores.