Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

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CHAPTER 3 . SYDNEY
A CityHopper ticket allows unlimited all-day travel on CityRail trains
bounded by Kings Cross, North Sydney, and Redfern. Peak time tickets cost
A$6.40 (US$4.15) for adults and A$3.20 (US$2) for children, and off-peak
tickets cost A$4.60 (US$3) for adults and A$2.30 (US$1.50) for children.
A Travelten ticket offers 10 bus or ferry rides for a discounted price. A Blue
Travelten covers two sections on the bus route and costs A$10 (US$6.50) for
adults and A$5.20 (US$3.40) for children; a Brown Travelten covers up to nine
sections and costs A$18 (US$12) for adults and A$8.80 (US$6.15) for children.
The Travelten ferry ticket costs A$26.30 (US$17) for adults and A$13.10
(US$8.50) for kids for 10 trips within the inner harbor (this excludes Manly).
The Manly ferry Travelten costs A$39 (US$25) for adults and A$19 (US$12)
for children, while the JetCat Travelten to Manly (before 7pm) costs A$55
(US$36) for adults (no kids’ price). Buy Travelten tickets at newsagents, bus
depots, or at the Circular Quay ferry terminal. Tickets are transferable, so if two
or more people travel together, you can use the same ticket.
A 7-day Rail Pass costs A$16 (US$11) for adults and A$8.20 (US$5.30) for
children, traveling within the city center. For a full day’s unlimited travel by bus,
you can’t go wrong with the One-Day Bus Tripper. It costs A$9 (US$5.85) for
adults and A$4.50 (US$2.90) for children 4 to 15, and can be bought from
newsagents and at bus depots. An unlimited One-Day Bus/Ferry Tripper costs
A$13 (US$8.45) for adults and A$6.50 (US$4.20) for children.
BY PUBLIC BUS Buses are frequent and reliable and cover a wide area of
metropolitan Sydney—though you might find the system a little difficult to
navigate if you’re visiting some of the outer suburbs. The minimum fare (which
covers most short hops in the city) is A$1.50 (US$1) for adults and A70¢
(US45¢) for children for a 4km (2 1 ⁄2-mile) “section.” The farther you go, the
cheaper each section is. For example, the 44km (27-mile) trip to Palm Beach,
way past Manly, costs A$4.60 (US$3) for adults and $2.30 (US$1.50) for kids.
Sections are marked on bus-stand signs (though most Sydneysiders are as confused
about the system as you will be—when in doubt, ask the bus driver).
Most buses bound for the northern suburbs, including night buses to Manly
and the bus to Taronga Zoo, leave from Wynyard Park on Carrington Street,
behind the Wynyard CityRail station on George Street. Buses to the southern
beaches, such as Bondi and Bronte, and the western and eastern suburbs leave
from Circular Quay. Buses to Balmain leave from behind the QVB.
Call the Transport Info Line (& 13 15 00) for information, or ask the staff
at the bus information kiosk on the corner of Alfred and Loftus streets, behind
Circular Quay CityRail station (& 02/9219 1680). The kiosk is open Monday
through Saturday from 8am to 8pm and Sunday from 8am to 6pm. Buses run
from 4am to around midnight during the week, less frequently on weekends and
holidays. Some night buses to outer suburbs run after midnight and throughout
the night. You can purchase single tickets onboard; exact change is not required.
BY SYDNEY EXPLORER BUS These bright red buses operate every day,
traveling a 28km (18-mile) circuit and stopping at 26 places of interest. These
include Sydney Opera House, the Royal Botanic Gardens, the State Library,
Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Kings Cross, Elizabeth
Bay House, Wynyard CityRail station, the QVB, A.M.P. Centerpoint
Tower, the Australian Museum, Central Station, Chinatown, and Darling Harbour
and The Rocks. Buses depart from Circular Quay at 18-minute intervals
from 8:40am with the last “round-trip” service departing Circular Quay at