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HOW LONG TO VISIT?
Whoever says you need two to three weeks to visit Australia is not up on today's world of jet-set travel. Yes, of course, it would be better to spend an extended period of time here but if you've got limited vacation time, it's better to go than not. Australia is definitely doable in a week. My buddy and mentor Peter Greenberg (have you seen his new book, The Complete Travel Detective Bible? I wrote a few pages of it!) once went to Sydney for 36 hours. Now that's just crazy. But the point is, seven days is not.

SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON AUSTRALIA
Here are some quick facts about Australia.

o You know it's one of the earth's seven continents, right? I hope so. But do you know that it's the only continent to fly one flag? Or that Australia is the largest island in the world?

o Australia is divided into six states (New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania) and two territories (Northern Territory and ACT - Australian Capital Territory).

o In terms of landmass, Australia is about the same size as the continental United States. However, it has nowhere near the same number of people. Australia's population is only 21 million, while the United States' is 303 million. The population of the New York metropolitan area alone is almost 19 million. Crazy, huh?

o Most Australians live along the coast, as the conditions in the interior are too harsh. Australia's major cities are as multiethnic as any in the U.S. There are 282 major languages spoken in Australia.

o Of the world's ten most deadly snakes, Australia has all ten. Gulp!

o The literal translation of the word "kangaroo" means "I don't understand you." It's believed that Captain Cook was trying to ask an Aboriginal what the strange, hop-happy creature was.

o Australia has an estimated 40,000,000 kangaroos -- more than when the country was first settled.

SYDNEY
With our hotel so strategically located, Natalie and I did a lot of walking. We dropped our bags off in the room and went outside, just as the sun was beginning to set. Even though Australia's seasons are opposite to the northern hemisphere's, it was unseasonably warm for early spring. First, we needed to get some exercise after sitting for 11 hours on the plane so we walked across the Harbour Bridge. We walked across … not over. One of the most popular attractions is the Sydney Bridge Climb. I'm afraid of heights and even just walking across with all the other commuters made me a little uneasy. I can't imagine walking over it. Warning: The Bridge Climb takes about three hours, participants have to pass a breathalyzer test (no drunks allowed), reservations are necessary and it costs $179 AUD ($166 USD).

OBSERVATION: One major way that Australia has changed since the last time I walked over the bridge is that security is much more visible. There were two security guards on opposite sides of the bridge and lots of security cameras. I assume that this is because of terrorists and not suicide jumpers.

LUNA PARK
On the other side of the bridge is North Sydney. Just below the bridge is Luna Park, an old, Coney Island-like amusement park. Entrance is free and visitors pay per ride. However, we weren't there to go on rides. We were there to soak up that incredible Sydney skyline. There was a full harvest moon that night, which made the evening that much better. Luna Park’s website.



KIRRIBILLI
On the other side of the bridge is the town of Kirribilli. When our stomachs just couldn't take it any more, we stopped off at the first decent restaurant. Stir Crazy Thai is small restaurant with tables practically on top of each other. There were a few parties of four waiting to be seated but a lone table for two had our names all over it. The friendly, busy staff seated us immediately. Within minutes, we were eating flavorful cashew nut chicken and spicy green curry. It's a fun, happening place, but it's loud. It's even more popular for takeout but scoring an outside table would have been better than eating inside, especially on a nice warm evening. Stir Crazy Thai, 5/1 Broughton St; Kirribilli, NSA (02) 9922 6620.

JET LAG
If you wake up in the middle of the night like so many international travelers do, don't fight it. Go with it. I've learned to get up and work for a couple of hours, then go back to bed for a few more. I woke up at 4am. I popped on the telly and was shocked to see The Today Show broadcasting live. It must be for all the jet-lagged Americans like me. It was neat to watch it. After Al Roker said, "And here's what's happening in your neck of the woods," they cut to Australia weather maps. That right there makes you snap out of it and realize ... you're in AUSTRALIA! So I turned the TV off, looked up what time the sun rises and took off to witness that sacred moment.

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE
The temperature dropped drastically; it went from 80 degrees to 59 degrees overnight. But I still wanted to show Natalie the Botanical Gardens and the view from Mrs. Macquarie's Chair, just as the sun came up. But unfortunately, the gates to the park don't open until 7am! What a total bummer. This used to be my favorite thing to do in Sydney, as the view of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge at this time of day is spectacular. Plus, there would be no tour busses and I would have the place to myself with the exception of a few joggers and savvy flight attendants. Instead, we settled for watching the sunrise from the Opera House, which is still nothing to complain about. Did you know the roof is made of tiles? To catch a performance, here's the link to the website to find out what's playing.

ROYAL BOTANICAL GARDENS
Later in the day, we did take a walk through the Royal Botanical Gardens. It's one of my favorite parks in the world and one of the few that actually encourages visitors to walk on the grass. The highlight is watching the thousands of bats. I'm talking big ol' flying fruit fox bats that are very visible, hanging from the trees during the day and seen flying around at dusk. However, Ms. Natalie did not enjoy this part at all! I didn't know it was possible for someone's hair to stand straight up!

MANLY BEACH
After breakfast and a nap, we went to visit my friends Kristine and Damien who live near Manly Beach. Manly Beach is easily accessible; just take a 30-minute ferry ($6.40 AUD) from Circular Quay. It's not only the fastest option but as a bonus, passengers get a free, scenic boat ride. There are two sides to Manly: the harbor side and the beach side. My favorite (and most everyone else's) is the beach side. To get there from the ferry, just follow the crowd as they walk straight for a quick 10 minutes down The Corso. The Corso has all kinds of shops (including a grocery store), cafes, pubs, restaurants and ice cream parlors.

WILL & TOBY'S
The annual Manly Beach Jazz Festival was taking place, so it was especially crowded. We met up for a quiet lunch with my PR friend Caroline Davidson at Will & Toby's. Will & Toby's is a stylish, casual but expensive restaurant located on Steyne Street overlooking the beach. The menu is modern Italian and I had the green pea gnocchi with red pepper and basil pesto ($25AUD). Will & Toby's, 8 - 13 South Steyne. Tel.:(02) 9977-5944.

TARONGA ZOO
On my first visit to Australia in 1995, I visited the Taronga Zoo. I enjoyed it immensely but I really had no desire to go back. But it was Natalie's birthday and this is what she wanted to do, so we went. Taronga Zoo is a 12-minute ferry ride ($5.25 AUD) from Circular Quay; ferries depart at quarter past and quarter to every hour. There's a Sky Safari cable car that operates between the wharf and the top of the zoo. It was a Saturday so naturally the place was, well ... it was a zoo!

GORILLAS IN THE CAGE
We started at the top and made our way down the spiraling brick paths, stopping along the way at different exhibits. Our favorites were the kangaroos, giraffes, elephants and red pandas. But it pained me to watch the tigers and gorillas. They just didn't look happy. I felt like the gorillas are so advanced, that the roles could have easily been reversed. Those sad gorillas could very well have been my family members, just walking around naked in a cage with a bunch of gorilla tourists gawking at us saying, "Oh my goodness! Humans look so gorilla-like." It was sad.

ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS
The zoo is located in Mosman on 52 acres. The land is worth millions, maybe billions as the views of the Sydney skyline are insane. Natalie's happy birthday was achieved when she was able to get up close and take a picture with a koala at the zoo's Animal Encounter (cost $19.95 AUD). The staff is very friendly. Visitors can't touch the mellow marsupials (they're not actually bears) but if there's no line, they allow extra time to hang out, observe and take pictures with your own camera. The woman collecting tickets told me that the Taronga Zoo gets people from all over the world but their number one clientele are Australians. She said everyone has to at least do it once in their lifetime and I couldn't agree more. I'm actually glad I went a second time. It was a fun couple of hours! Taronga Zoo. Regular admission is $37 for adults, $18 for children (4-15 years) and $23 for students and seniors. Children under four are free.

SYDNEY PASS
If you plan on seeing a lot of the tourist attractions, look into getting a Sydney Pass. You can get three-, five- and seven-day passes and they need to be used over any eight calendar day period. Prices begin at $110 for adults, $55 for children and it's $275 for a family pass. They not only include entrance fees to many attractions like the Taronga Zoo but also provide unlimited travel on the Sydney and Bondi Explorer buses and AirportLink train transfers.

BONDI BEACH
No visit to Sydney is complete without seeing Bondi Beach. It's one of the world's most famous beaches, but it can't be reached by ferry, only by taxi or bus. A taxi from the Four Seasons takes 20 minutes and costs $25. Unfortunately, we arrived after sunset, so we weren't able to take a stroll along the beach or the coastal walk to see the spectacular coastline. (The pictures are from my last visit with my dad). But we did go to Icebergs Swim Club and Bar for dinner to celebrate Natalie's birthday. Icebergs attracts a Hollywood-type crowd and we even sat right next to Josh Groban who was on his worldwide tour. It's not the cheapest place in town; appetizers are in the twenty-dollar range and main dishes go for a whopping $45. But both the view and the service are superb and it's the perfect place to celebrate a special occasion or finish off a quick but memorable trip to Sydney. Icebergs Swim Club and Bar, 1 Notts Ave., Bondi NSW 2026; tel.: 02-9130-3120.

VIDEO
Here's a short Johnny Jet video of my trip to Sydney. It's also on YouTube, so it only takes a few seconds to load (though the quality is not as crisp). We also have all the Johnny Jet videos ever made on their servers.

NEXT WEEK
Next week, we visit a town in Queensland that's one of the most popular vacationing spots for Australians.



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Happy Travels,
Johnny Jet

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Note: This trip was sponsored by Australia.com.




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