DIRECTIONS
By plane
Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport (SYD) is Australia's busiest airport and is the main gateway to Australia. It is located only 8km from the City center in Southern Sydney on the northern shores of Botany Bay. Sydney Airport is the oldest continually operated commercial airport anywhere in the world.
Over 35 airlines fly in and out of Sydney Airport with daily flights linking Sydney to key destinations on every continent. The Asian-Pacific transport hubs of Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Tokyo and Seoul have several daily flights, as do various European centres (especially London) via Asia or the Middle East. North America is connected via Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver. Direct flight links also exist with many destinations within New Zealand.
Travellers from Europe and the Middle East tend to travel into Sydney via Asia. Travellers from South America can fly direct from Buenos Aires or via North America or New Zealand.
You can fly to Sydney directly from all other Australian capital cities and from many major regional airports. Otherwise, you need to fly to the state capital and transfer to a Sydney flight. Sydney can be reached within an hour and a half from Melbourne and Brisbane, 45 minutes from Canberra and just under four hours from Perth and Alice Springs
There is a curfew between 11PM and 6AM, and if you arrive late in the evening with a view of connecting to flight departing early the following morning, you cannot easily spend the night in the terminal. T1 closes except for a small transit area with few facilities. The domestic terminals, T2 and T3, close entirely after the last flights are cleared.
By car
It is possible to drive to Sydney from Brisbane or Melbourne in a full day, around 9 hours non-stop to Melbourne or 11 hours to Brisbane. A comfortable drive would allow two days from Melbourne or Brisbane, and three to Adelaide. The Melbourne drive is mostly dual carriageway high quality road. The same can't be said for the Brisbane drive, which while it has high quality sections, it also has some very narrow winding sections, carries high traffic volumes, and has many stoppages from roadworks.
- Melbourne - Sydney = 862 km via Albury-Wodonga (Hume Highway).
- Adelaide - Sydney = 1422 km via Mildura or 1659km via Broken Hill (National Highway 32).
- Brisbane - Sydney = 938 km via the coast (Pacific Highway) or 961 km via Armidale (New England Highway). The Pacific Highway passes through more towns, attractions, and has more facilities compared with the New England Highway, but it can get congested moving through the towns around holiday times. Although the Pacific Highway route follows the coast, you won't see the ocean except for some brief glimpses. There are rivers all the way up the coast, and the river mouths are wide, causing the road bridges and the towns to be a little inland. If you have time, look for the tourist route diversions to see more of the Mid-North Coast and Northern Rivers on the way down (the beaches will be less crowded than Sydney!).
If you are renting a car, check the daily distance allowances and any one-way charge that may apply. Cars may be rented at the airport and elsewhere from major rental companies, or at smaller, less conveniently located, cheaper companies such as Airport Car Rental [7] at Sydney Airport or Bayswater Car Rental [8] in Kings Cross.
There are tolls applicable to all motorways coming into Sydney, and not all routes accept cash. See "Tolls" section below.
By bus
Coach companies operate to Sydney from all capital cities, and many New South Wales regional centres. The Sydney coach terminal is located adjacent to Sydney Central train station in the City South. Follow the signs.
Coach travel to Sydney is usually quicker, cheaper and more frequent than train travel. Online and advance booking specials are usually available.
- Greyhound Coaches [9] has the most extensive bus network in Australia, but there are a few others.
By train
The New South Wales long distance train service CountryLink, (13 22 32 within Australia) [10] runs at least daily services to Sydney from Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra and many regions of New South Wales including the Mid-North Coast, New England, the Central West and the Southern Highlands. It also services Broken Hill weekly. Travelling time from Melbourne and Brisbane is around 12 hours. Fares range between $30 and $100 for standard class seats, and reservations tickets can be purchased online, by phone, or at the station. The long distance trains between Melbourne and Sydney, and Brisbane and Sydney can be a less stressful alternative to driving, but they do not average particularly high speeds and take longer than flying. It is often possible to get a discount airfare around the same price or cheaper than the adult train fare.
The Indian Pacific (13 21 47 within Australia or +61 8 8213 4592 internationally) train service runs from Perth to Sydney via Adelaide and Broken Hill. Adult fares from Perth are $1250 for a sleeper cabin and $513 for a seat. Children's fares are $805 for a sleeper cabin and $139 for a seat. The train departs from Perth on Wednesdays and arrives at Sydney on Saturdays. Note that these fares are much higher than return plane fares to Perth, this journey is really for train journey enthusiasts who want to see the interior of Australia. It also gives you the ability to take your car on the train for an additional fee.
All long distance (Countrylink and Great Southern Railway) trains to Sydney terminate at platforms 1-3 of Sydney's Central Station in the south of the CBD area. Travellers can transfer to Cityrail trains, the light rail service to Darling Harbour, city buses, as well as taxis. It is also easy to transfer to other long distance trains and coaches. There is free short term parking up the ramp in front of the station, and you can meet the trains on the platform. There are ATM's, a choice of food outlets, cafes open until late, and a railway heritage society display and bookshop in the terminal.
The Cityrail network runs services several times a day from close regional cities: Newcastle via the Central Coast (New South Wales), Goulburn via the Southern Highlands, Nowra via the South Coast and Lithgow via the Blue Mountains.
By ship
Cruise ships generally dock at the International Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay or at Darling Harbour.
Circular Quay is a spectacular place to dock, right by the Harbour Bridge, and you can walk off the ship into the centre of the The Rocks.
Darling Harbour passenger terminal at Barangaroo seems a little more remote when you disembark, but it is still easy walking distance to the main attractions, Wynyard Station, and Darling Harbour itself. The terminal is immediately adjacent (north) of the King St Wharf precinct, at Darling Harbour, but immigration makes sure you exit away from the water where you can't see it. Just turn right and follow the road, it is only a short walk. It is less than 15 minutes walk to the city centre and The Rocks. It is a 5 minute walk to Wynyard station. There is also a Sydney Explorer bus stop in Sussex St nearby.
White Bay in the Inner West is being developed as a new wharf for passenger arrivals, to replace Darling Harbour as Barangaroo is re-developed. Currently it is only used if their are already two passenger ships in the harbour. White Bay is not easy walking distance to anywhere. You could potentially walk up to Victoria Road and get a bus to the city, or you could walk over the Anzac Bridge into Darling Harbour. Expect the walk to take about an hour. Probably best to rely on the shuttle buses supplied arranged by the cruise company unless you are keen to save a few dollars.