Blue Mountains

Located about 2.5 hours drive from Sydney, Blue Mountains is a popular sightseeing spot for tourist visiting Sydney. I personally find there’s nothing special in the Blue Mountains, even though most of my overseas friends consider this as a “must see” destination.













What to see in the Blue Mountains? I can only point to 3 things worth doing in Blue Mountains:
1. The Three Sisters
2. Scenic World
3. Jenolan Caves

The Three Sisters
Head to Echo Point in Katoomba to see these 3 stone pillars.
Note that parking in this area is not free.















Scenic World
They have 4 activities you can do here: railway, skyway, cableway, and walkway.
And the parking here is FREE.













Jenolan Caves
Located about 45 minutes drive from Katoomba, Jenolan Caves is not as commercialised as Katoomba area.















Katoomba local map:

What to see in Sydney

For this itinerary, I assume you have the Multi 1 ($40) for the transport around Sydney. The map for Multi 1 network can be downloaded from here. If you do have Multi 1, try to take the ferry as much as you can to get the most of your $40. A return ferry trip from Circular Quay to Manly is already $14 and it’s totally free with Multi 1.

Public Transport:
Train: Railcorp / City Rail
Bus: Sydney Bus
Ferry: Sydney Ferry
Trip planner


Queen Victoria Building (QVB)
Entry: Free
Nearest Transport: Town Hall train station























Suggestion:
1. Queen Victoria statue, located outside opposite the Town Hall.
2. Discounted home wares at Queen Victoria Basement
3. Cafés… tons of them!

Sydney Opera House
The most obvious symbol of Sydney and Australia
Entry: Free for the outer area
Nearest Transport:
1. Circular Quay train station
2. Circular Quay wharf for ferry
















Suggestion:
1. Take the Essential Tour ($30 / person) to go inside the Opera House
2. Watch one of the performing acts.


The Rocks
Entry: Free
Nearest Transport:
1. Circular Quay train station
2. Circular Quay wharf for ferry
















Suggestion:
1. Spare a few minutes (and maybe a few dollars) to watch the street performers, ranging from Aborigine music to fire or knife juggler
2. Scenic photo spot with the Opera House at the background
3. Weekend Market (Fri, Sat, and Sun) $5 for ½ liter beer at Lowenbrau during happy hour (4-6 pm everyday)


Harbour Bridge
Nearest Transport:
1. Circular Quay, Wynyard, & Milsons Point train station
2. Circular Quay wharf for ferry
















There’s 3 way to enjoy this magnificent steel construction:
1. $0 to walk across the bridge
2. $10 to climb the pylon (not to be mistaken with climbing the bridge itself)
3. $200 to climb to the top of the bridge

Note: It is very rewarding and unique to climb to the top of the bridge, but you are not allowed to bring or take any photo with your own. Now… to me, this is just BS.


Darling Harbour
Entry: Free
Nearest Transport:
1. Darling Harbour wharf
2. Pyrmont Bay wharf
3. Townhall Station
















Suggestion:
Take the ferry from Circular Quay (Darling Harbour service) to Darling Harbour and soak in the scenic view of the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, and Sydney’s sky line.

Other attraction within Darling Harbour:
1. Star City Casino
2. Sydney Aquarium
3. Wildlife World
4. King Street Wharf for waterfront dining
5. Harbourside Shopping mall

Transport from Sydney Airport

Some of my friends are coming to Sydney to visit me (or simply to crash into my living room, saving their lodging cost), so instead repeating the same information over and over again to each of them, I’m gonna make them read this entry instead.

First thing I normally explain is about the Australian immigration, which I have done in my previous entry.

One of my friends even asked me exact questions in the immigration card, as he was afraid to tick the wrong box. He argued that he might declare about bringing illicit drugs out of confusion. Right… maybe English was not his favorite language.

Second part is about Transport (from the Airport) and it's always the favorite subject for them to bombard me with their questions (Why? When? Where? How? How much? How long?)

Okayyy… Let’s start with the fact that Sydney airport is actually well connected to the Sydney city itself, and so much closer when it’s compared to Japan Narita airport to Tokyo.

Although the public transport is not as good or clean as Singapore, there are a few transportation options available: train, bus, taxi or rent a car. Check out the following link to get a better understanding of Sydney Airport.

Train
There’s an additional charge on top of the train fare itself. Check the total fare from the airport to your destination station from here.
















Bus
It is damn confusing to calculate the exact bus fare in Sydney. For the first timer in Sydney, I suggest to ditch the bus option all together. However, if you insist, you can purchase the ticket from the bus driver and pay on the spot for a single trip. Good luck.
















Taxi
The most convenient option but certainly NOT the cheapest, and also the “hospitality” of the driver when you mention that you don’t know the exact destination location.

Car Rental
If you know the way AND know a cheap place to park the car, then this option might be the solution for you. My favorite car rental so far is Budget Car Rental and Avis.























So let’s compare a single trip from Sydney Airport…
Say we take Town Hall station as the destination we want to go from Sydney Airport.

Cost Travel Time
Train $15.80 + 40 mnt
Bus + $ 7 + 60 mnt
Taxi + $ 50 + 30 mnt
Car Rental + $ 55 / day + 30 mnt

If you travel alone, train is a better option. However, if you travel in group, taxi cost / person might be the same cost with the train.

Australia Customs & Immigration

Australia probably has one of the strictest custom & quarantine regulations in the world. Everybody without exception will be checked once they arrived in Australian soil.

I found a “gift” on one of my package I sent from Singapore to Sydney:













First is the travel documents / visa. For some who hold certain countries passport, it could be as easy as apply visa online. For others, well… gonna takes more than just your time and money.
















After the travel documents, comes the quarantine section by AQIS. What you can not take into Australia? AQIS has provided the answer and brochure (PDF) for that.















Filling out “Incoming Passenger Card” can be quite an adventure for those who has no clue what the question is about. So help your self, download the PDF of Passenger Card and ask your friend or family to help you. Asking a stranger may not be a good idea to help you with this task.

And if you think Australian is not serious the immigration, for your convenience sake, they have made this whole customs & Immigration things into a TV series.

Australian PR Update (May 2010)

Australian Immigration has revised the Skilled Occupation List (“SOL”) on 17 May 2010. Check the immigration website for detailed changes.

The SOL will come to play from 1 July 2010, unless there’s new update from the immigration office. Click here for the updated SOL (PDF)

The changes indeed cloudy & gloomy for those with their occupation no longer in SOL.













As you may notice, the new SOL is shorter compared to the previous one, meaning there are lesser occupation is sought by the Australian Immigration.

If you are wondering why the Australian Government decided to change the SOL, give this PDF a read.

Australian PR

Not like Singapore which is quite easy for foreigners to find works, Australia is totally a different matter. In most job search website, it is always stated that you need to obtain a working permit before you could apply. So for most people, Australian Permanent Residency (PR) is the first step in finding a job or moving to Australia.














Australian PR is based on point testing system and depending on which type of PR you apply, the minimum PR points must be satisfied. Below are some information about Australian PR application, based on my personal experience.

1. Type of PR
2. Points calculation
3. Skill Assessment
4. List of documents
5. Lodging your application
6. After lodgment

1. Type of PR
The easiest way to find your most suitable visa (PR is part of visa), is by using Visa Wizard from Australian Immigration website. After a few questions, the web will come out with which visa is the most suitable for you, complete with links to web page to guide you through the lodgment

2. Point Calculation
If you do the Visa Wizard, in “Visa Basic” tab, there’s a link for you to calculate your mark. Basically, you are going to be tested against these criterias:

• Age
• English language ability
• Nominated skilled occupation
• Skills assessment
• Recent work experience or two (2) year study
• Location
• Health
• Character
• Australian Values Statement
• Specific work experience
• Australian work experience
• Australian qualifications
• Occupation in demand/job offer
• Community Language
• Regional Australia
• Partner skills

Now, don’t cheat your self by giving higher scores when you calculate your points, because in the end the system will determine the correct points.

Each visa category has different minimum pass point. If your points is not enough for the visa you want, but still higher then the pool mark, your application will be saved in “pool” as reserves. Check the pass point here.



















3. Skill Assessment
Probably the most important and the most time consuming to do before you can lodge your application. You need to get your education assessed by the Australian Assessing Authority to determine whether it’s equal with Australian level.

Each skill has different Assessing Authority, for example, Accountant / Auditor will be assessed by CPA Australia or Chartered Accountant Australia. The list of assessment bodies can be found here.



4. List of Documents
All documents must be in English (or accompanied by English translation) and certified true copy by authorized person (lawyer, Embassy, etc).

• Birth certificate
• Copy of passport
• IELTS Report Results
• Evidence of qualifications (degree certificate)
• Evidence of skills assessment Evidence of work experience (Testimonial letter / Work contract)
• Evidence of Designated Language Qualifications (for claiming community language point) Passport photo

5. Lodgment
You can lodge your application online through this link.













6. After lodgment
It’s recommended for you to check your application status frequently, as the immigration will ask you any additional documents or information through this website. To check your application status, you can follow this link.

DO NOT take your health check until you are asked to do so. You must download and complete the health check form from before visiting the appointed doctor/clinic.