Australia seems to have a lot of different places to discover, but you will not have to leave Sydney to find fabulous places. On arrival, you should get an Opal card, a card which allows you to travel in New South Wales. You can travel by bus, train and ferry. The best day to travel around Sydney with discounted fares is on Sunday.
According to me, one of the best things to do is to plan day trips on this day. I will talk to you about my typical Sunday.
First, with a bunch of friends you should plan to go to Manly Beach. In the morning you prepare your perfect picnic to spend the day at the beach. You better take everything you need: your swimsuit, a towel, a little speaker and of course, your new surfboard. You are in Australia and you will have time to practice surfing, you can easily afford a second-hand board and you can travel with it on public transport.
So, you head up to Central station, the biggest train station in Sydney which is less than 10 minutes’ walk away from UTS. Your next stop is Circular quay, where you will find the Opera House but also a lot of different ferries. Jump into the one which leads to Manly Beach. You are going to have an amazing view of the Opera House, buildings and the famous Harbour Bridge.
After only twenty minutes, you’re finally at Manly Beach. Then, after a short walk through beach shops, you arrive on one of the most beautiful beaches in Sydney. You can spend your day swimming, playing in the waves or even better: surfing. You will find perfect conditions for this sport. I suggest you have a good wet suit in winter for surfing, but the water temperature is always good for swimming. There is also a perfect spot for snorkeling on the right side of Manly Beach. As you can see, Sydney is a perfect city for sea lovers.
Now, that the day is over, it’s time to get back to your housing. For me, this is the best moment of this day, try to go back when the sun goes down. You will have one of the most beautiful views in Sydney: when the sun is going down behind the bridge, the Opera house on your left and all the buildings that light up at dusk.
Jules Demercastel
Engineering
France, ESILV
@julesdcl