Useful Links

For your stay in Sydney, we thought these links might be useful:

http://www.visitnsw.com/

http://www.sydney.com/

www.whatsoninsydney.com.au/sydney/sydney_tourism.htm

http://www.timeoutsydney.com.au/

Or for an extended trip, try these links:

http://www.visitaustralia.com/

http://www.newzealand.com/

Visas

You need to have a short term tourist visa to visit Australia. Either ask your travel agent to do this whilst making your booking or visit:

Before & After

We are planning a few events for family and friends the couple of days prior to the wedding so everyone can get over their jet lag and get to know each other before the big day. We really hope you can make it to Sydney for these events but understand if you are tight on time. More info will be provided closer to the time. Any queries, please let us know before you book flights.

Wedneday 19th January

Join us for a sunset sail around Sydney harbour whilst getting to know the other wedding guests. We will meet at 5.30pm at the wharf in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Circular Quay. The cruise will last 2 hours followed by a girls night out and boys pub crawl in The Rocks. Costs are $25 per person (paid in cash when boarding boat) and this includes food, drink & the cruise. The wharf is a short walk from the Circular Quay train station, bus stop and ferry terminal. The cruise will finish at 8pm in the same place we boarded. Let us know if you can join us.

Thursday 20th January

Enjoy an afternoon of Barefoot bowling in Balmain. This is the perfect sport, as you need no level of fitness, no training and you can drink whilst participating! Bowling will commence at 4pm so try to arrive around 3.45pm sonwe can get teams organised. Cost is $10 per head. Drinks & food are v.cheap here!

The address is: Balmain Bowling Club, 156 Darling St, Balmain. Click here for a map. Ferry & bus stops are close by.

Following the bowls comptetition we will head to the Harrison family house (also in Balmain) for some drinks & canapes from 5.30pm - 8pm.

Saturday 22nd January
The day after the night before we are planning to attend the Symphony in the Domain organised as part of the Sydney Festival with our wedding guests. More here:
http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2010/Music/Wonderful-Town/

This is always a great free night which will allow everyone to see Sydney at its best. Simply bring along a picnic and something to drink (BYO alcohol permitted). Alternatively you can buy food from a wide variety of gourmet stalls at the Domain for around $10 per meal and there is also a bar where you can purchase boutique beer and wine.

Seats can be hired for $8 if you are getting old and sitting on the ground is too low to go!! We will meet everyone at 5pm at the main Domain Entrance (opposite the Sydney Eye Hospital) and lead you to our picnic area. Kids and friends are most welcome – the more the merrier!

Sunday 23rd January - All the international & out of town guests are invited to join us for a wedding after party at the Goes family home. Starting at 12pm we will be relaxing in the garden over lunch and drinks. The address is 9 Aberfoyle Place, Grasmere, Camden if you get lost call 02 4655 7437. Please note this location is an hour our of Sydney heading South West, please let us know if you would like assistance with transport. Click here for a map.

Temperature

The weather in January is typically hot and humid with occasional thunderstorms and showers. Don’t get caught out by downpour and ensure you bring a lightweight waterproof jacket with you.

Think carefully when selecting your wedding day clothing as it can be 40 degrees during January. Please remember to bring a hat, good sunglasses and suncream (plenty available to buy over here and not expensive).

Getting Around

Sydney has an excellent public transport system of ferries, buses and trains so unless you are planning to travel further afield you won’t need a hire car during your stay.

For maps and timetable information you can visit: www.131500.com.au/

A couple of good phone numbers to add to your mobile contacts are:

Taxi's Combined - 133 300 (to order a taxi to your door)

Travel Info Line - 131 500 (to find out the next train, bus or ferry)

Staying in Sydney

For accommodation in Sydney we recommend using http://www.stayz.com.au/ where there are a range of pricing and apartment/holiday home options.

Sydney City, Darling Harbour or The Rocks are the most central areas but you may wish to be next to the beach in which case there are plenty of other options (Bronte, Watson’s Bay, Rose Bay etc).

To see a selection of hotels and their prices then visit www.wotif.com.au

Leaving On A Jet Plane

The earlier you book your flights in advance the cheaper they will be, it is worth checking around for the best deals at this site:

http://www.cheapflights.co.uk/

We recommend that you should then contact the carrier directly to get an even cheaper fare as you won’t be paying fees to a third party. Flights are always cheaper when booked from the UK rather than from Australia.

We know Australia is a very long way to come and hope that you can take this opportunity to make a holiday to remember out of a wedding visit. Stopovers in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia & Singapore allow you to enjoy a relatively inexpensive holiday either before or after the wedding and also help to avoid bad jet lag.