I’m moving to Sydney… any tips?

[TT-ONR-NRN]

… not for good - just for five months, but it’s still going to be rather daunting all the same!

I've accepted an unconditional offer to study at the University of Sydney from early February to early July, as part of the 2nd year exchange partnership programme offered by my current University (where I will of course remain a permanent student and return in the Summer to take third year there) Of course, I'm very excited, but this is an enormous thing to get my head around.

Therefore, if anyone has any advice or tips, or interesting/helpful information about living in Sydney as a student, then I'd love to know. Many thanks in advance.

PS: Don't mention snakes unless it's to reassure me that I won't see any in the city centre. Too much talk of snakes and I'll end up cancelling the exchange

 

[peri]

Don't worry about snakes......
spiders have eat all the snakes.

 

[cactustwirly]

… not for good - just for five months, but it’s still going to be rather daunting all the same!

I've accepted an unconditional offer to study at the University of Sydney from early February to early July, as part of the 2nd year exchange partnership programme offered by my current University (where I will of course remain a permanent student and return in the Summer to take third year there) Of course, I'm very excited, but this is an enormous thing to get my head around.

Therefore, if anyone has any advice or tips, or interesting/helpful information about living in Sydney as a student, then I'd love to know. Many thanks in advance.

PS: Don't mention snakes unless it's to reassure me that I won't see any in the city centre. Too much talk of snakes and I'll end up cancelling the exchange

Watch out for the spiders...

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Don't worry about snakes......
spiders have eat all the snakes.

Watch out for the spiders...

Spiders don't bother me And OI, this thread is supposed to avoid scaremongering; I'd rather have some actually useful information thanks

 

[robvulpes]

Loftus Tramway Museum, easily accessible by suburban train south of the centre. LINK

Suburban train across the iconic Harbour Bridge. General link for public transport in New South Wales LINK

Collection site for links to heritage railways in Oz LINK Sadly my tour timetable didn't permit visiting any others around Sydney, apart from the Katoomba Scenic Railway (an option on my tour), which is really a modern funicular.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Loftus Tramway Museum, easily accessible by suburban train south of the centre. LINK

Suburban train across the iconic Harbour Bridge. General link for public transport in New South Wales LINK

Collection site for links to heritage railways in Oz LINK Sadly my tour timetable didn't permit visiting any others around Sydney, apart from the Katoomba Scenic Railway (an option on my tour), which is really a modern funicular.

Interesting, thank you

 

[XAM2175]

Visit Melbourne frequently
(and Brisbane's decent for a look-in too)

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Visit Melbourne frequently
(and Brisbane's decent for a look-in too)

I most certainly plan to visit Melbourne (and the Yarra network) as it's a city I've long wanted to visit. Could fly or possibly take an XPT.

I have family in Perth and outskirts (as well as in Sydney), but a three day train journey does not sound appealing, and neither does the price tag for the flight. However, I do plan to visit further afield in Australia - Brisbane, maybe Adelaide (and New Zealand where I have yet more family in Wellington) while I'm on the Easter break. I can't go all that way and not explore properly.

 

[XAM2175]

I most certainly plan to visit Melbourne (and the Yarra network) as it's a city I've long wanted to visit. Could fly or possibly take an XPT.

Yeah, both the tram and suburban rail networks in Melbourne have a lot of interesting features.

Flying is obviously the far more popular way of making the trip down - to the extent that the route is one of the busiest in the world by a number of metrics. Qantas operate several flights daily with A330-200s, though I miss the days prior to 2015 when they used dozens of 767-300s up and down the east coast. Depending on your tastes Sydney-Melbourne via Canberra can also be fun, as a number of turns are operated with 717s.

By train is obviously more on-topic for this board, and the XPT fleet is definitely well-loved and worth going out of your way for given that retirement (in favour of "replacements" by CAF) looms closer and closer. The daylight trip to and from Melbourne is wonderfully scenic, but very long and let down by the silly decision to spec 2+2 seating in both first- and standard classes. The overnight trip is worth a go - in my opinion, at least - even though it's also a bit of an endurance task. However the XPT twinette rooms are (again IMO) much nicer places to be than any sleeper cabin in Britain and there's a special joy to sitting with the lights out and the curtains open as you're going along - indeed the time I did it on a cloudless night with a full moon remains one of my most cherished journeys even though I barely slept a wink

I have family in Perth and outskirts (as well as in Sydney), but a three day train journey does not sound appealing, and neither does the price tag for the flight.

Oh if you think the price tag for the flight is bad you haven't checked the tickets for the train, haha. The Indian Pacific is more of a hotel-on-wheels than even the most optimistic Caledonian Sleeper marketing rep could ever dream of, except that by most accounts it actually delivers on the promise. It's absolutely something on my list for when I've more disposable income than I know what to do with

I can't go all that way and not explore properly.

Exactly so!

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Oh if you think the price tag for the flight is bad you haven't checked the tickets for the train, haha. The Indian Pacific is more of a hotel-on-wheels than even the most optimistic Caledonian Sleeper marketing rep could ever dream of, except that by most accounts it actually delivers on the promise. It's absolutely something on my list for when I've more disposable income than I know what to do with

Yes, we’ll leave that for when I’m on a full time salary, I think

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

there's a special joy to sitting with the lights out and the curtains open as you're going along - indeed the time I did it on a cloudless night with a full moon remains one of my most cherished journeys even though I barely slept a wink

Who would want to sleep and miss an experience like that… sounds fantastic.

 

[dave87016]

All I can add is good luck with your uni mate hope Sydney is everything you hope it is and take care and stay safe

 

[SouthEastBuses]

Sydney has a rather well connected public transport system. They have frequent train lines run with double decker electric multiple units (Sydney Trains and most NSW TrainLink lines). Interestingly, Sydney is the only city in Australia to have double decker trains (Melbourne did once have a double decker train but the trial did not last long). There's also a couple of tram lines, all of which go to the city centre, and there's also a driverless automated metro (Sydney Metro) in the northern part of the city, due to be extended to the City Centre and South West in 2024.

P.S. I haven't been to Sydney yet (would love to!) but I've informed well enough (thanks Wikipedia!) to be able to say this.

@Pakenhamtrain would be the best person to ask about Australian public transport, he lives in Australia!

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Sydney has a rather well connected public transport system. They have frequent train lines run with double decker electric multiple units (Sydney Trains and most NSW TrainLink lines). Interestingly, Sydney is the only city in Australia to have double decker trains (Melbourne did once have a double decker train but the trial did not last long). There's also a couple of tram lines, all of which go to the city centre, and there's also a driverless automated metro (Sydney Metro) in the northern part of the city, due to be extended to the City Centre and South West in 2024.

P.S. I haven't been to Sydney yet (would love to!) but I've informed well enough (thanks Wikipedia!) to be able to say this.

@Pakenhamtrain would be the best person to ask about Australian public transport, he lives in Australia!

Ah yes, I am very familiar with the Sydney Trains network from extensively researching it, which looks brilliant. I won't be able to see the Metro extension as I'll return to Cardiff in July.

All I can add is good luck with your uni mate hope Sydney is everything you hope it is and take care and stay safe

Thank you very much

 

[route101]

The Sydney Surburban system is massive. I recommend heading West on the line out to the Blue mountains to Katoomba on a double deck unit. An interesting feature of the stock is you can change the top half of the seats to face the direction of travel. The line up to Newcastle is scenic too. The section between Strathfield and Sydney Central feels kinda like London 3rd rail land.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Is Sydney quite like other big cities, maybe like London?

My concern would be the weather, you will be there in "winter" which is maybe unlike "winter" back home. Anybody experienced both?

How much studying must you do, and how much free time will you have?

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Is Sydney quite like other big cities, maybe like London?

My concern would be the weather, you will be there in "winter" which is maybe unlike "winter" back home. Anybody experienced both?

How much studying must you do, and how much free time will you have?

When I go it will be the hottest time of the year…
Early/mid February - possibly late January.

I assume similar to my lectures and seminars at my UK uni, which is three two-hour lectures and three forty-five minute sems per week.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Would July correspond to our January? Looks like you might experience a lot of different weathers.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Would July correspond to our January? Looks like you might experience a lot of different weathers.

I think Winter starts to set in around May so perhaps I’ll experience both Summer and Winter

 

[Magdalia]

I have been to Sydney, though it is a long time ago now.

My visit was in November/December, early summer "down under".

The weather was much like the record heatwave we had here recently, with temperatures 35-40C in the shade.

But, because Sydney is nearer the equator, the sun is much higher in the sky so the difference between sun and shade temperatures is even bigger than here, and in the middle of the day it can be hard to find any shade at all. Sunburn is the inevitable result if you don't do slip slop slap.

And because Sydney is in the southern hemisphere the sun goes across the sky from right to left not left to right.

When you first get there, make sure your first exploration starts by walking along the waterfront from the naval dockyard towards the city. When you get there, you will see why.

Sydney is not an old city, most of it is very modern with no buildings more than about 200 years old. And the Sydney harbour waterfront is very different from the London Thames-side waterfront.

If you want to see the wildlife, such as kangaroos, koalas and wombats, then you need to go "upcountry".

If you have any interest in the night sky, go somewhere dark to see the stars that can't be seen from the northern hemisphere. One of the highlights for me was seeing Orion upside down, you will need to crack that early if it is on your must do list.

On the other hand, if you want to go to Brisbane, leave that until later, because of its tropical summer climate.

If you have any interest in military history, then I recommend visiting Canberra. The way that Australia remembers the two world wars is quite different from here.

I also visited Adelaide, which I'd recommend, but I've not been to Melbourne.

And do try a vegemite sandwich! I prefer vegemite to marmite.

One other thing: do check very carefully the Australian entry requirements to make sure that you don't take anything with you that isn't allowed. They are very strict on what you are allowed to bring into Australia.

 

[route101]

Sydney does get a lot of rainfall. I have experienced Sydney in early winter and it's not cold by our standards but still gets dark and wet. You will get the odd chillier day under 15c and warmer day. In Spring its warms up with thunderstorms. You may get a really warm day in the mid 30s then the next day is 20c! It is fairly humid, not sure if Sydney is classed as sub-tropical but gets way if you go up the coast.

 

[XAM2175]

... One of the highlights for me was seeing Orion upside down ...

The moon will also appear upside down compared to the northern hemisphere's perspective.

Sydney does get a lot of rainfall.

They've had a particular wet time this year, too - 2200 mm already, the wettest year ever on record. For comparison, Glasgow averages 1100 mm a year and London's average is something like 600.

That said, it also manages to get about a thousand more sunshine hours on average a year than London, so it's not all bad

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I have been to Sydney, though it is a long time ago now.

My visit was in November/December, early summer "down under".

The weather was much like the record heatwave we had here recently, with temperatures 35-40C in the shade.

But, because Sydney is nearer the equator, the sun is much higher in the sky so the difference between sun and shade temperatures is even bigger than here, and in the middle of the day it can be hard to find any shade at all. Sunburn is the inevitable result if you don't do slip slop slap.

And because Sydney is in the southern hemisphere the sun goes across the sky from right to left not left to right.

When you first get there, make sure your first exploration starts by walking along the waterfront from the naval dockyard towards the city. When you get there, you will see why.

Sydney is not an old city, most of it is very modern with no buildings more than about 200 years old. And the Sydney harbour waterfront is very different from the London Thames-side waterfront.

If you want to see the wildlife, such as kangaroos, koalas and wombats, then you need to go "upcountry".

If you have any interest in the night sky, go somewhere dark to see the stars that can't be seen from the northern hemisphere. One of the highlights for me was seeing Orion upside down, you will need to crack that early if it is on your must do list.

On the other hand, if you want to go to Brisbane, leave that until later, because of its tropical summer climate.

If you have any interest in military history, then I recommend visiting Canberra. The way that Australia remembers the two world wars is quite different from here.

I also visited Adelaide, which I'd recommend, but I've not been to Melbourne.

And do try a vegemite sandwich! I prefer vegemite to marmite.

One other thing: do check very carefully the Australian entry requirements to make sure that you don't take anything with you that isn't allowed. They are very strict on what you are allowed to bring into Australia.

A very informative and helpful post; thank you very much. I love that Sydney is modern - I very much like modern cities as opposed to older, historic cities such as Prague or Bratislava - beautiful but not my type of place.

I plan to visit Canberra with it only four hours away by train.
I actually came very close to going to Adelaide instead of Sydney as it happens.
I adore Marmite so Vegemite is a must.

Sydney does get a lot of rainfall. I have experienced Sydney in early winter and it's not cold by our standards but still gets dark and wet. You will get the odd chillier day under 15c and warmer day. In Spring its warms up with thunderstorms. You may get a really warm day in the mid 30s then the next day is 20c! It is fairly humid, not sure if Sydney is classed as sub-tropical but gets way if you go up the coast.

The moon will also appear upside down compared to the northern hemisphere's perspective.


They've had a particular wet time this year, too - 2200 mm already, the wettest year ever on record. For comparison, Glasgow averages 1100 mm a year and London's average is something like 600.

That said, it also manages to get about a thousand more sunshine hours on average a year than London, so it's not all bad

I dare say the odd day of showers will be a welcome break from 40 degree heat

 

[XAM2175]

I dare say the odd day of showers will be a welcome break from 40 degree heat

I only faintly regret to inform you that it's entirely possible for it to be nearly that hot even while it's raining
(and for "showers" the more appropriate term is "torrential downpours", hah)

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I only faintly regret to inform you that it's entirely possible for it to be nearly that hot even while it's raining
(and for "showers" the more appropriate term is "torrential downpours", hah)

The uni accommodation doesn't have air conditioning...

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Sunsrise and sunset periods are much shorter than in "temperate" regions, instead of the long twilight we are used to.

The language is the same in theory, but in practice? Would one sometimes feel quite at home (say when waking up) and forget one is so far away?

Visiting a nearby country in Europe with a strange language is one thing, but a distant country with a familiar language?

Looking forward to reading of your experiences Down There.

 

[Pakenhamtrain]

Yeah, both the tram and suburban rail networks in Melbourne have a lot of interesting features.

We do indeed.
We have a station that looks like a piece of liquorice all sorts now:

https://i.imgur.com/78tyy0b.jpg

Where else in the world do you get a train station that looks like a lolly.

 

[busestrains]

Be aware that Australia (and New Zealand too) can be quite expensive. Especially the cost of food. Most people i know that have lived there always mention how much more expensive it is compared to here in the UK.

Supermarkets in Australia are basically a duopoly with Coles and Woolworths (which has no relation to our old Woolworths shops) having almost total control over the supermarkets and very little competition which makes food prices very expensive.

Aldi did start opening stores in Australia so hopefully that will bring costs down. Aldi are certainly cheaper than the other chains so worth shopping at if you are near one. Although it is noticeable that Aldi in Australia are still a lot more expensive than the Aldi in the UK or in European countries.

It looks like they have some interesting trains in Australia too. Sydney and the New South Wales area seems to be almost entirely double decker trains and it is quite an extensive network too.

Not all the wildlife in Australia is bad! They might have spiders and snakes but they also have koalas and quokkas!

 

[Pakenhamtrain]

Be aware that Australia (and New Zealand too) can be quite expensive. Especially the cost of food. Most people i know that have lived there always mention how much more expensive it is compared to here in the UK.

Supermarkets in Australia are basically a duopoly with Coles and Woolworths (which has no relation to our old Woolworths shops) having almost total control over the supermarkets and very little competition which makes food prices very expensive.

Aldi did start opening stores in Australia so hopefully that will bring costs down. Aldi are certainly cheaper than the other chains so worth shopping at if you are near one. Although it is noticeable that Aldi in Australia are still a lot more expensive than the Aldi in the UK or in European countries.

It looks like they have some interesting trains in Australia too. Sydney and the New South Wales area seems to be almost entirely double decker trains and it is quite an extensive network too.

Not all the wildlife in Australia is bad! They might have spiders and snakes but they also have koalas and quokkas!

The price of beer at a pub is a bloody outrage.
Easily 13-15 bucks a pint of beer.


I would recommend during winter to head off to the Aussie Rules Football which runs between late March and September. Sydney will have at least one game a week with the Sydney Swans or GWS Giants playing at thier home ground. Better to go to Melbourne and do it at the MCG though.

 

[thaitransit]

Make sure you travel to Western NSW as its very different to Sydney and alot of coastal areas. Some people say the inland of Australia is the real Australia! I also recommend Western Queensland where I spend a lot of my time its so different to the cities.

Train travel in Australia is far cheaper than the UK from what limited information I have of UK train prices. But train frequency especially in regional areas is at best 1 to 2 trains a day! Journeys are long some overnight when travelling in rural areas.

We are currently in a terrible La Nina weather pattern and widespread rain with flooding has been a problem in many inland areas so check conditions before travelling out of the major cities in case of line closure due to flooding