Australia // Sydney - The Baxter Inn

Some folks call her a runaway
A failure in the race
But she knows where her ticket takes her
She will find her place in the sun - T. Chapman

I am not actually a whisky drinker, but after this post I think I'll try to gain some knowledge about that. At least because I know a few whisky lovers who told me it is something worth a try.

If we think well... history is plenty of famous whisky drinkers, such as Bill Murray, Frank Sinatra, the baseball legend Babe Ruth, Margaret Tatcher, Humphrey Bogart, Winston Churchill, Walter Scott, Mark Twain.... I could go on like this for several lines... I guess.

Today I want to tell you about a very nice place I was once in Sydney: The Baxter Inn.

You wouldn't know this place was here unless someone told you about it. At the time it was my friend Nicolas, now it's my turn to inform you about its existence.

The entrance was already a nice adventure... you know it looks like one of those weird places you are not supposed to enter unless you are in search of some troubles... well something like that :)

You go down this alley off Clarence street, through a tatty door with no sign at all, walk down some narrow stairs and through an old cellar... you really think you have got to the wrong place but after opening an old door.. you will feel like Alice in Wonderland. I felt in this way.

Alice: How long is forever? 
White Rabbit: Sometimes, just one second.

You enter another world. Crazy.

The first thing I noticed was the wall full of bottles of whisky. The menu board starts at the very top of the ceiling and it sneaks down under the counter and it goes even further.

The second thing were the well-coiffed bartender, simply magic.. they were definitely belonging to another time...though from today (see their "pants"). They look like they have just stepped out of the Great Gatsby movie.

The atmosphere was amazing, people everywhere, top shelf music.... in a perfect prohibition-era style.

If you go to Sydney, please have a look to this place.

You will find it here > Basement 152-156
Clarence Street, Sydney 2000

It's all for now. A big big hug :)
[ed. remember the healing power of hugs / if everything looks hard, go and hug ;) - oh... well... soon after the covid-19]


“He smiled understandingly-much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced--or seemed to face--the whole eternal world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey.”

- F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Australia // 7-Eleven - my home (sometimes) at nights

----- mY StOrY -----

“Every life is in many days, day after day. We walk through ourselves, meeting robbers, ghosts, giants, old men, young men, wives, widows, brothers-in-love, but always meeting ourselves.”
― James Joyce, Ulysses

One of the things I abosolutely love is the feeling of being anonymous in a city I've never been before.

Walking around, looking whatever and not caring about speding time in observing.

It's been almost 5 years since I came back.. but who knows why.... you really never come back from a journey or...if you do... you are not the same person anymore.

Yeh... I know... a commonplace :) but damn true!!

I have actually to thank a person for that...I have never written about him and I don't even think that I'll start now to write about this person... but everyone has an epiphany in one's life and my breakup was exactly that... I usually like to define it a moment of impact... but this time I prefer to bother Joyce and to steal his words..."epiphany".

“I wanted real adventures to happen to myself. But real
adventures, I reflected, do not happen to people who remain at home: they must be sought abroad.” 
― James Joyce, Dubliners

Well... in my "wanderings", I often ended up in one of those convenience stores... sometimes it was because I was waiting for friends, some other times to take a 1-dollar-capuccino (of course... in its beautiful taking aways cup) and some other times to rest a little bit after a shift or before starting a new one.

I remember there was a standing chair just close to the windows in one of those at the corner between Elizabeth St. and Liverpool St. (in Sydney -- btw, is it still there?) and while sipping my capuccino... I was spending my time in observing people running everywhere... I loved that. That was my first 7-Eleven "meeting".

---------------------------------------------

Out of curiosity I made some research and I have just learned that it is a Japanese-American international chain of convenience stores founded in 1927 as Tote' m Stores.

In 1946, it changed its name into "7-Eleven", for the opening times from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm, seven days per week. The first convenience store was born after a Southland Ice Co employee in Dallas started selling milk, eggs and bread from an ice dock.

Today (June 2019), the chain has grown to about 68,000 stores in 17 countries (more than McDonald's just to have an idea). Customers can grab drinks, snacks and everyday products on the go. Its main core is to meet the market needs. It has actually become a real case study. 7-Eleven is a very good example of how a brand needs to and benefit from adapting to a local market.

What does it mean "to adapt to a local market"?

For example, customers in Taiwan can service their bicycles or photocopy at a local 7-Eleven, in Hong Kong they can pay their phone and utility bills, and in the US they can pick-up their online Amazon shopping there.

The first 7-Eleven in Australia opened on August 24, 1977, in the Melbourne suburb of Oakleigh, Victoria. One of the main traits of the Australian stores opened in suburban areas was that to operate as petrol stations.

Actually, in 2010, 7-Eleven bought Mobil's remaining Australian petrol stations, converting them to 7-Eleven outlets, resulting in a huge success.

Well...there are other things to tell about its history and its development, but it'll be for another time... now I'm getting a bit tired :)

Just a note:

Each year on November 7, 7-Eleven promotes "7-Eleven Day" by giving away a free Slurpee to customers. - so please... do not forget to get yours!!

A man who swears to do something which it is not in his power to do is not accounted a sane man. ― James Joyce, Stephen Hero 

Australia // Somehow I found myself collecting cups...

"Life happens, Coffee helps"

--- mY sTory ---

That's it... I can't even remember how happened, but it did happen (it was in Sydney btw). 


Here in Italy there is not much that culture - unfortunately. I mean...I love hanging out at cafes, smelling the perfume of fresh coffee beans and spending hours admiring people in their "traffic". But...

at the same time.. 

...I even like running from one part to the other of the city holding a cup ...one of the greatest satisfactions in life (at least for me).

I remember that in one of my several jobs there, I have also worked as a cashier at a coffee shop. And once...a guy said "Oh.. s*** the bus is here, it doesn't matter for the coffee .. I ll take another time" (it was already paid, almost done) and... I just ran straight away outside from the bar and I handed the taking away cup while he was taking the ticket on the bus and I will never forget his words "YOU MADE MY DAY"... I was so happy to hear that cos... it is exactly what happens to me when I have coffee in the morning...


"Oh Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars..."


But let's go back to the cups...
For sure they were pretty cool, full of colors and nice indie fonts....yeah...I know... I follow the crowds...but honestly... I like being in the system ;) I always think that it is the way you live it that makes it all another stuff. I guess I got about 80 empty and dirty taking aways cups, hidden (for the joy of my flatmates) a bit everywhere...When it was time to travel back home I had two choices:

EITHER - to bring all of them with me 
OR....
- to take funny pictures and leave them there... (not at the beach of course ;)

Joanna was there with me (miss you!) and she supported me :)

"I have always depended on the kindness of strangers"

Europeans do not normally know that an Australian coffee culture really exists. And as an Italian... I was just saying...no way...we know how to make real coffee... but... I was wrong!


I myself was a bit skeptical when I was told the various tecniques and coffees there. I thougt that they just had an Americano, while as you can see from this chart, you can get quite confused. I think... If I remember well, it's all a matter of coffee amount and froth consistency (??).. please Lance (the barista at the coffee shop where I used to work) correct me if I am not expressing myself in the proper way...

So I have learned that there are: double shot, latte, flat white (my fav), mocha, long black, mugaccino (a capuccino served in a mug - nice word) and that there are lot of types of milk you can choose for your beautiful take away cup (soy, skim, almond, rice, whole...). 

The hardest part of all this was to understand what the hell an aussie was saying to write it down on the cup and ending always with "cheers" (for this read my other post: "Let stalk strine, the Aussie slang - part I").

For today... I guess I am done... tired.. but next time I will have a couple of words on the most popular coffees brand there (Campos, Aromas, Allpress, Vittoria etc.)



And remember... that "Nobody puts Baby in a corner" lol ;)

Chapter 3, part 1 - Randwick and my first flat

That's how a regular table looks like in Australia
ROFL

It's that time of my life I feel like leaving again... no worries I won't do that. First I need to try something else.

Anyway... before trying that something else, I will write my chapter about my flat research in Sydney.

I was lucky honestly, I changed only three times and in all the three flats I was really happy.

1st flat - Randwick
2nd flat - Kingsford
3rd flat - Coogee

They are all located in the Eastern Suburbs. I don't know if it's the best area in Sydney, but I loved it.

And this was my first room in Sydney. I guess that in that apartment it was where I cooked most. Maybe 4/5 times in 3 months...I was a real shame.. really unable to use a kitchen...

Let's start with the first one: Randwick.

Randwick is for me... actually... just a street, that is Belmore rd. If I think about it, what pops into my mind are:

Coles
Liquorland (lol)
Cotton on
Prince of Wales Hospital (yeh... I tried that as well cos of a cut to my thumb)
and last but not least my Coffee Crazy.... a name... a guarantee...

I have just seen that it has now turned into Vigor Espresso.... lovely coffee shop but really made of lovely CRAZY people. At least when I was there (Ciao Claire, Lance and Sydney).


I miss them sometimes as I miss my adventure there...

Even my first flatmates were great and still are: Rob, Max and Justin. Three amazing guys ...they are now well spread across the world ... I hope to meet you again... maybe on a plane ;) Who knows...


2 Years ago the average price for a single room per week was of about 200,00 $ / 250,00 $, which was pretty good... I do not know now... if you have any udpdate about it, feel free to add your comments below...


A quick post just to keep the dream real!

I love you all...

VaL

The answer my friend is blowing in the Gumtree!

Ciao a tutti, amici miei!
(Hallo to everyone, my friends!)

Well, it's one of those rainy days in Milano and it's time to set my mind off for another trip. Australia is so far but one of my friend I met during my East coast travel (Julia) is going to come to Milan for the New Year's Eve and it will be fun to share some nice memories together.

That's why I feel the urge to add one more chapter to my story. And having a look back to some pictures I took there I found the paper of a fortune cookie I had once at the Fox Studios @ Moore Park. It was saying:

"You are kind hearted, hospitable, cheerful and well liked"

It's something I always wish for myself.

There is even a nice story about the time I was @ the Fox Studios, but that is another lucky story I will tell you on another day :)

As a city traveller I like to share what I've lernt while travelling and so far I've not talked about the most important thing, that is what you need in that crazy jungle ... that is money.

If money is important to all of us, you cannot even imagine the importance in Sydney. According to some surveys Sydney was in the first 10 most expensive cities in the world in 2014 (which was the year I was there). However it looks like the situation has changed for this year due to a weaker Australian dollar ... not good.

But let's go back to money.

How can you find that? Easy... by working.

There are different web-sites. The most popular for the travellers community is Gumtree.

Gumtree is an interesting tool not only to look for a job but also if you need a room to rent or to buy things at a good price. It's def the bible for everything.

This website was born from the minds of two entrepreneurs (Simon Crookall and Michael Pennington), who had the idea to set up a classified ads website for Aussies, Kiwies and South Africans arriving in the City.

---- mY sToRY ----

It was ... WeDnEsDaY, 18th JuNe 2014

During my first week there I was 24/7 on Gumtree. After only five days I managed to have my first place and job. GREAT!

I remember it was really hard to find a decent room for a good price. I was so sad that for 200 bucks I was only able to find a bed in a sunroom or in a tent in the living room. Can you believe that?

But in the end I got to Randwick (Eastern Suburbs) where I met three awesome guys (Robert, Max and Justin). It's a pity I didn't take a picture with them all... because they are really great! I miss you guys..

Some friends of mine at my birthday party - 9th June 2015

That evening... I still remember... we had a nice cup of coffee together and I understood from the very first moment it was THAT my place.

And I met these nice people thanks to Gumtree.

And thanks to it I started my adventure.

                                                   

Australia // Food & Drink and the strange case of the BYO

"There are many points in life when we cannot see what awaits us around the corner, and it is precisely at such times, when our path forward is unclear, that we must bravely keep our nerve, resolutely putting one foot before the other as we march blindly into the dark" 

Ciao a tutti,

Back in Milano after an 18-day-trip along the East Coast. Simply perfect! Breathed every single moment, tasted every single street, swum every single sea and surfed a wave every 10 ;)

Once arrived in Sydney last September I realized very quickly I forgot almost everything of my year there and I felt a bit upset. How was it possible? Everything already gone?

Actually, it wasn't.





Everything was there... I just needed to feel home again.

For instance... at the Coles (ed. an Australian supermarket chain) I felt as strange to see the liquor section outside the supermarket. I was in front of a reality I perfectly knew - I mean I know that alcohol is sold outside the supermarket - but I was not used to it any longer.

You might not know that .... but in Australia if you want a bottle of wine or a 6-pack of beer, you don't find it in the aisles of the supermarket, but at the shop next-door because according to the Australian laws every liquor shop requires a special license and that's even the reason why some bars or restaurants do not sell alcohol.

Some of them are called BYO, or Bring Your Own, that means that people can bring their own wine or beer to enjoy with their meal since they do not have a licence for that. Usually a small corkage fee is applied - around 5 / 10 AUD - either per bottle or per head.

BYO was first introduced in 1965. This was pretty cool because many small restaurants were able to open without having to pay thousands of dollars for a liquor license. Dining out suddenly became affordable. In particular for travellers lol. And that's was my case (Yellow Tail n°1 - btw we have that brand in Milan as well).

Me @ Pyrmont Bridge - Sydney, 28th April 2015

My first work place, a pizza shop, was a BYO. Its name was Gladiatori, unfortunately it has changed owner, but trust me that was for me the best pizza I have ever eaten. All ingredients coming from Italy... I can honestly say that I didn't miss Italian food there.

The shop was located in Pyrmont, a residential area of Sydney, very close the CBD. I still remember the long walks from Market St. to get there across the Pyrmont bridge. If I close my eyes it's still all there...

I am at home.

"The person who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd.
The person who walks alone is likely to find himself in places no one has ever been before." - A. Einstein

Tax File Number - otherwise known as TFN

Bondi Beach - waiting for the perfect wave

In exactly one week I'll be leaving to Sydney again :) Trying to arrange a kind of planning to visit the most of the East Coast in 18 days. I guess I'll try to keep you posted on the way.

However I still need to accomplish my first task, that is supporting those who are starting their gap years in Australia, so after the steps I have already pointed out:

- Bank Account
- Sim card
- Health Insurance -- Medicare

now it's the turn of the TFN. What's the TFN?

It was the ...3rd July 2014 (ThUrSdAy) - The TFN

TFN stays for Tax File Number which is your personal reference number in the tax and super systems.

Before finding a job there (and well this reminds me I have to talk about how to find a job in Australia, it'll be on my next post), you need to apply for a TFN.

It's necessary to declare your income and pay taxes in regards to them (as you do in your Home country) and once you leave the Country you can claim your taxes back... which I have not done yet... my fault...

I'll try now to get informed and I'll let you know as soon as possible. I'll do next week once in Sydney. (Cool to say that)

To apply for it, it's really easy... please click here and you will find all the instructions, step by step. Hard to miss it :)

It's all for today. Share the love!
Val

d2R

Chapter 2, part 2 - Newtown and its vintage touch (#vintage #vinnies #thelentilasanything)

Good evening, Everybody!

"With the sunshine in my pocket" or maybe "with the moonshine", I'm writing (as promised) my second chapter on Newtown and its vintage loving soul.

Newtown's vintage clothing and retro furniture scene began when vintage was still called second hand and most people were just thinking of second hand as a way to save money.

Now it is not like that anymore. Vintage is urban, posh and alternative and that's Newtown as well.

Newtown suburb

This lively suburb is located to the south-west of Sydney and easy to reach by bus.

A good place to start your 'retro' journey is to head down to South King Street. A large street full of old stuff everywhere, weird things and ... dust... heaps of dust 😊

Among all the various show windows, there is a chain called "Vinnies" which you will meet almost everywhere in Sydney and I guess all around Australia as well.

I would like to talk briefly about what is behind this chain.

One of the paricular shops on South King Street

It was found by the Vincent de Paul Society, a lay Catholic organisation that works to shape a more just society and tries to offer a "hand up" to people in need.


You can donate your old clothes (but still in good conditions) or buy at these shops knowing that you are helping someone.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Me in "Flashdance-mood" @ Vinnies

One of the vintage shops in Newtown

I bought several good things there and sometimes I had even great fun in trying different styles through times. If you have theme parties or special events you can really find what suits you at a very good deal.

"When you give up your dreams, you die." 

Another interesting stop there is at the Lentil as anything. From outside it looks like a regular bar but it will save your belly if you do not have money.

It's a unique not for profit community organisation, at whose core is "the pay as you feel" philsophy, where customers give what they feel the food is worth.


So basically you can eat as much as you want even for 1 $, though this organisation is made to help the community.

So if you feel like supporting them and you can, please pay 50 $/dish LoL.

It's all for today. I wish you a lovely night and follow your dreams!



How to get there: from Central station --> buses 423 // 308, metro T3 direction Bankstown Line

Medicare

16th June 2014 (MoNdAy) -  ThE MeDiCaRe

Picture taken on 9 August '14, somewhere in Sydney

G'day, mates!! Remember that:

"Nothing is impossible the word itself says I'm possible" 

Today I'll go back to those famous first steps to take once you arrive in Australia. So here we are.


Checklist:

1. a bank account (see my previous post)

2. sim card (see my previous post)
3. health insurance

Every time we travel we need both a travel and health insurance. In Australia the medical system relies on the so-called Medicare.



It provides access to medical and hospital services for all Australian residents and certain categories of visitors to Australia, coming from New Zealand, the UK, the Republic of Ireland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, ITALY, Belgium, Malta, Slovenia and Norway.

The agreements between Australia and those Countries allow:

- Australian residents to get help with the cost of essential medical treatment when visiting these countries 

- residents of  these countries can get some essential medical treatments while visiting Australia.

What you need to do as Italian citizen is to go to the ASL (a kind of Local Health Authority of your town) and ask for the"Accordo di reciprocità tra l'Italia e l'Australia in materia di assistenza sanitaria" (Reciprocal Health Care Agreements).

---- VERY VERY IMPORTANT ----

This agreement lasts for the first six months, after that you need to purchase a private insurance. The supplementary insurance of the months left on your visa has to  be purchased in advance when you are still in your homecountry.

Picture taken on 26 September '14 - CBD, Sydney

In December I discovered that it was much more expensive to buy one there, so I decided to think positive and I was sure I didn't need one :)

But PLS do not do that!

So to sum up, what you have to do is:

- going to the ASL office of your hometown and request the Reciprocal Health Care Agreements

- purchase the remaining six-month insurance

- once in Australia go to FAMILY CARE DPTM, they are almost everywhere in Sydney. I went on 16 June to the Town Hall Arcade (464-480 Kent St.). I've just found the note on my agenda.

There you need:
- your passport and a valid visa
- identification card showing you are enrolled in your country's national health scheme (tessera sanitaria italiana)

If your Medicare application is approved, you will receive an Australian reciprocal health care card in the mail in two weeks' time :)

Follow this link to find your closest medicare in Sydney.

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place" - G.B. Shaw (Amaysim, Telstra & Co.)

China - Italy - Australia

Gb ergo sum.


Second thing in a foreign country is a SiM cArD. It's really important to discover which mobile plan suits you most. For me it was Amaysim. My first flatmate Robert suggested me this company and I was pretty happy with that.

My plan was of 45 dollars/month but I 've just had a quick look on their web page and I have seen they have a kind of  "no worries" mobile plan with 5GB and unlimited talk & texts for 39.90 dollars/month.

Basically, the best deals are usually from smaller mobile companies which use the big telco companies networks (Amaysim and Yatango Mobile use for instance the Optus Network). The best deal depends on your calls, texting, data use and how long you want your credit to last.

We can split the users according three types:

- heavy
- medium
- light

Getting ready for work @Gladiatori

For heavy users the Amaysim Mobile Unlimited ist the best pick, that is 5GB and unlimited talk & texts for 39.90 dollars/month.

For medium users there is unlimited calls & texts + 1Gb Mobile data for 24.90 dollars/month always of Amaysim and

for light users the best offer is from Telstra with 200 dollars calls & 200Mb Data for 12.50 dollars/month.


When I started with Amaysim, the activation was really quick. Everything can be easily requested online and once done you receive the sim card by post. You get the bill monthly and it goes directly away from your bank account. That's why the first step is to open one (see my previous post).

Once again it's all for today :) I wish to all of you a good night and sweet dreams :)

"How beautiful the world would be if there were a procedure for moving through labyrinths" - U. Eco

Chapter 2, part 1 - Newtown (#Gawaa #SteertArt)

---- First draft, 15th May '15 ----


Today we are in another verly lively suburb of Sydney, Newtown.

ARTISTIC

VINTAGE

RECYCLING

GRAFFITI

URBAN

STREET

ART

MULTICULTURAL

VIBE

UNKNOWN

INSTALLATIONS

ALTERNATIVE

These are just few of the words that pop into my mind while thinking of Newtown.

Actually, I discovered this area quite at the end of my stay in Sydney (it was in May), accidently from a bus. It was so full of lights, people, sounds, traffic and I had simply realized...

I didn't know all that :) 

I went back a week after to explore the place and take some notes for my journal. So here I am :)

"ThAnk YoU tO the South WeSt GoBi deSEerT wINd aNd itS bLuE Sky, My BiRThPlaCe", #Gawaa

Newtown - Sydney, #toomanythingstodonotenoughtime, Gawaa

This poster, "too many things to do, not enough time", belongs to the so-called Goddard Street Gallery, which is a sort of open-air art gallery.

It has been realized by a Mongolian ARTIST, Gawaa, who moved to Brisbane and then to Sydney a while ago.

His work is mainly based on experience as a Mongolian living in Western Society and he creates that by RECYCLING materials he gets from the STREETS.

This is not the only artist active in the area and unfortunately I was not able to collect info for all the GRAFFITI I saw there, but I've recently found a very interesting page on facebook which gives a clearer picture of the suburb.


"Good shoes take you good places"

Just a few steps later on the main street I met a "shoes pole". It's a massive INSTALLATION completely covered by shoes, which for me was really impressive.

UNKNOWN artist, at least to me. If any of you knows something more about it, just please let me know. I'd really appreciate that.

Newtown will surprise you from every point of view. It's a mix of everything ALTERNATIVE you can imagine. It's the home and hangout of a huge population of students, artists, musicians, backpackers, local and foreign, giving the area a MULTICULTURAL taste.

I'll come back soon with another chapter, aware of the fact it will not be enough for NEWTOWN :)

Good VIBES to all of you :)
VaL

Newtown - Sydney, Goddard Street Gallery

Newtown - Sydney

Newtown - Sydney

"The rhythm of their day is entirely different; I am foreign." (The first steps in a foreign city)

13th June 2014 (fRiDaY) - tHe ArRiVaL

Goji Berries

First day in Sydney, the amazing city. 

Landed very early in the morning
It was about 7am
Picked up by a friend of mine (Dima, who hosted me for my first week there)
Rich breakfast with him
Hearing for the first time talking about goji berries (??)
Looking through the windows of my friend's flat in Zetland
Buying my first MyBus Ticket (see my previous post)
Catching the bus to get to Central Station and an endless series of meaningful moments.

"Life's all about moments of impact and how they change our lives forever"


ThE mOmEnT I oPeNeD mY bAnK aCcOuNt

"When you believe you can." - Commonwealth Bank of Australia

So we arrived in Central Station and I entered the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Yellow and gray logo, it looked a bit sad as company colours, but I was told it was good. And the Commonwealth Bank actually was a good pick. The part I liked more was that I could "play" a bit with my accounts and set goals of savings and getting somehow "rewarded".

What do I mean by "getting rewarded"? Simply it means that you own a saving account which allows you to move money in and out of your linked CommBank transaction account and at the same time you receive interests calculated daily and paid monthly. So basically you don't have any fee to pay but you receive some extra money every month. Let's say about 20 $/month.

For more details as usual I link you to the following page.

I guess that another useful piece of information you may need is to know how much money to bring with you for the beginning and the expenses you have to face on regular basis.

I arrived there with $4500 (about 3000 €), enough to live for a couple of months. And here below you find a list of expenses:

Pic taken on my first day in Australia
Opera House, 13th June '14

That scarf on the picture got damaged a few
months later in the zip of my bag... sad story ;)

- 230 $/week -- room rental
- 40 $/week -- public transportation
- 50 $/month -- mobile
- 30 $/week -- shopping food

Total per week is about $ 350.

Than it depends on how much you can afford and of course you can find cheaper options or better deals.

That was mine.

If you need more details about expenses in Sydney, just leave a comment and I'll do my best to help you.

See you later :)
VaL

Opal Card -- I love it!

One of the first things you need to have as soon as you arrive in a city is definitely a public transportation card.

Sydney is very espensive and public transportation represents one of the biggest expenses you'll need to face during your first days there. It might be helpful to have already from the beginning a few tips which allows you to save a bit of money.

For instance ... you will need to travel to visit the flats for renting a room, looking for a job, making trials and that will take a few weeks during which you will not be working and your money will be very fast to disappear.

So here you are...
You have different kinds of passes according to how frequently you need to travel around.

- MyBus ticket (1, 2 or 3 - it depends on the sections)
- TravelTen (1, 2 or 3 as above)
- Opal Card

The MyBus 1, 2 or 3 Single tickets are valid for one trip only. You cannot purchase a return MyBus ticket. To work out which MyBus ticket you need, first determine the distance you intend to travel, measured in sections and to have an idea on how to calculate the sections, have a look here.

MyBus 1, 2 or 3 TravelTen tickets are valid for 10 trips and offers a substantial savings on the cost of 10 single tickets.

My favourite one is the Opal Card. It's the electronic ticketing system which was launched in Sydney a while ago, but only in September 2011 appeared under the new name of 'Opal'. It is an easy, convenient and fast way of travelling on all transport modes - trains, buses, ferries and light rail - in Sydney, Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Hunter, Illawarra and Southern Highlands.

Just a small curiosity about its name. It has been chosen from a selection of 665 names (I would like to know which were the other names in the list) and Opal was chosen because it's easy to be remembered and moreover because it's Australia's national gemstone. Personally I think it's a good choice.

By the way... the most interesting aspect of this card is that after the 8th paid journey from Monday to Sunday, you can enjoy free travel for the rest of the week. I think that's all for now about the Opal Card, but if you need more (we all need more ;) ), here the link to the website.

This is my awesome Opal Card - you can get it for free, but you need to top it up.