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After around 7hrs of flying over 6485km, we reached Sydney at around 6pm. It was raining heavily and we encountered quite a hassle while being transported to our hotel. With all the shops closed and the unfamiliar surroundings in darkness, we dared not venture far from the hotel. The farthest we went was down the street to the only shop that was opened, 7-11. Oh well, the best thing to do was to sleep well for the next day.
11 Dec:
We took the subway from the Central Station to Circular Quay to catch a glimpse of the Harbour Bridge before walking down Pitt Street to the Sydney Tower for a Sky Tour. From the tower we were able to have a panoramic view of the city.
Before testing out the monorail, we embarked on a walkabout in the uptown area. We took an extended route to the Town Hall by going down the Elizabeth Street besides Hyde Park before making a turn back to the center of the inner city. It was certainly one lo......ng walk. By the time we reached Chinatown after a walk from the monorail station, none of us wanted to go any further. However, there was still the issue of going back to the hotel. We decided to try a third mode of transport, the tram, to go back to the Central Station (not realising that the distance from where we were to the hotel was about the same as the distance between the station and hotel).
Travelling on the sidewalks and three modes of public transport was interesting but no small feat, considering I was in a wheelchair throughout the trip. But Sydney was really a handicapped-friendly city which allowed me great mobility to access the sights. I didn't encounter much difficulty. And by travelling the routes we desired at every turn of the roads enabled us to see more than we expected we could if following a guided tour.
12 Dec:
My brother drove all the way up from Canberra to meet us. With a car, we were able to visit the Opera House, The Rock's, and Star City Casino. However, we were unfamiliar with the roads and actually took a wrong turn while heading back to our hotel. We crossed the Harbour Bridge and almost got ourselves lost in northern Sydney. Thus we have a piece of advice (which a guy in our hotel gave us too but we didn't take) for tourists going to Sydney: never drive in the inner city. With its horrible layout of one-way streets and terrible traffic flows, walking was faster than driving at times.
17 Dec:
My brother and his girlfriend drove back to Canberra the previous day. Hence it's back to mono-rail, light-rail, and more walking for us. In the morning, we went back to Chinatown and got ourselves some bargains for family and friends back home at Paddy's Market. Then one of my aunts suggested we go to the outskirts of Sydney to a residential area called the Glebe. The place hadn't much to see though we got to see the houses people there lived in. We left shortly after having lunch. For the rest of the afternoon, we were at the Sydney Aquarium and around Darling Harbour.
18 Dec:
This day would be our last day here. We were scheduled to fly back to Singapore in the evening. After checking out of the hotel, we spent the earlier half of the day at the Australia National Maritime Museum. For the later half, my aunts made a final assault at the supermarket Woolsworth while my cousin and I lingered in Kinokuniya.
When we were preparing ourselves to check-in at the airport, we were informed that our flight was canceled due to a technical fault. How amazing! Now we got to stay in Sydney for another night just like that. Qantas was also wonderful to place us in a very nice hotel near the airport so we could catch the same flight early morning home.
Wheechair Accessibility
- Accommodation
I had no problems with the hotel we booked that was seemed to be converted from a apartment block for the elderly. The bathroom was spacious for more than a wheelchair and equipped with facilities for the handicapped. The hotel at the airport was standard in terms of having minimal space for wheelchairs, just enough room in the bathroom for me to manoeuvre into the bathtub.
- Public Transport
The trams were easy access for wheelchairs but the subways and at some stations of the light-rails required help to enter and board. Definitely not for me to travel alone at that time.
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