Practical information
Money & costs
Sydney is not a cheap place to visit. If you bed down in dorms, eat takeaway and use public transport, you won’t get much change out of $60 per day. Sharing a double room at a budget hotel and sitting down for a restaurant dinner will kick this up to about $100 per person. Bank on $150 per person for a few more comforts (a shared three-star hotel room and three decent meals). At the upper end, the sky’s the limit.
Most accommodation options have cheaper rates for stays of longer than a week, and you can reduce your daily transport budget with weekly or 10-trip bus/train/ferry passes. If you’ve got the kids in tow, look out for family rates on transport and attractions. And while some sights are downright pricey, there’s plenty to do for free.
The unit of currency is the Australian dollar, which is divided into 100 cents. There are plastic, washing-machine-proof notes – $100 (an ‘avocado’), $50 (a ‘pineapple’), $20 (a ‘lobster’), $10 and $5 – and $2, $1, 50¢, 20¢, 10¢ and 5¢ coins. The old 2¢ and 1¢ coins have been out of circulation for years, so shops round prices up (or down) to the nearest 5¢ on your bill.
Travellers cheques are something of a dinosaur these days, and they won’t be accepted everywhere. It’s easier not to bother with them.
Indicative costs
Litre of unleaded petrol $1.30
Short train trip $3.40
Short taxi ride $12
Schooner of Tooheys New $4
Litre of bottled water $3
Flat white coffee $3.50
Harry’s Café de Wheels pie $4
Souvenir T-shirt $15
Movie ticket $16
Hostel dorm bed $25
ATMs
There are plenty of ATMs throughout Sydney; both American Express (1300 139 060; 105 Pitt St, Sydney; 8.30am-5pm Mon-Fri) and Travelex (9231 2523; 175 Pitt St, Sydney; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm Sat) have city branches. Seven-day exchange bureaus include:
Central Station (Coach Terminal; 9am-4pm)
Circular Quay (Wharf 6; 8am-9.30pm)
Kings Cross (cnr Springfield Ave & Darlinghurst Rd; 8am-midnight)
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