Sydney, Australia

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Welcome to Down Under. Having lived in Sydney for around two years from 2017 onwards, I’ve explored nearly every corner of the city center and its surrounding areas, becoming familiar with the best non-touristy spots for shopping, relaxing, dining… However, the focus of this article shifts to a different subject.

Something about Sydney no one tells you.

A tour guide typically repeats the same information that everyone already knows. However, if you’ve never been to Sydney before, this article will offer you some unique insights about the city that you likely haven’t encountered elsewhere. Having moved to Sydney in 2017, I gradually discovered those little things that surprised me. It became apparent that I wasn’t the only one feeling astonished by these discoveries.

Weather In Sydney.

Before coming to Australia, I assumed the climate was consistently hot year-round, across the entire country. However, upon arriving in Sydney in December, I quickly learned otherwise. As many already know, Australia’s seasons are opposite to those in the Northern Hemisphere – “upside down”. December marks the Australian summer, but instead of scorching heat, I was greeted with heavy rain for the first few days. This pattern continued throughout my two years in Sydney, with rain being a common occurrence.

Sydney’s weather is unpredictable, with thunderstorms and heavy rain happening year-round. Carrying an umbrella and wearing weatherproof clothing becomes essential. Be prepared for colder days, particularly during the winter months. The temperature can fluctuate dramatically throughout the day, from hot to cold, and standing in the shade versus sunlight can create a noticeable temperature contrast. The Australian sunlight is intense, with the ozone hole contributing to its strength. There are some days where it is getting extremely windy. Then it can be challenging to walk in a straight line.

The rapid weather changes in Sydney can take a toll on newcomers, often resulting in illness. Despite not having been sick for years, I fell ill within my second week in Sydney. It’s a reminder to always be prepared for the unexpected when it comes to Sydney’s weather.

Getting around In Sydney...

By Walk.

It is often better to walk to your destination than using public transportation. Especially within the CBD (Central Business District) area in Sydney. There may be a five to ten minutes difference, but you can save the money for the bus or train. Depending on what time you travel, a ticket fare is approx. AUS $ 9,- around trip. On each Sunday, however, you can use public transportation for only, AUS $ 2.60 the whole day. By the way, if you want to take the bus, make sure to give a signal to the bus driver by lifting up your hand that you want to take a ride. It is not enough to stand at the bus stop.

Navigation.

In this context, Google Maps sometimes doesn’t navigate correctly and will send you a slightly wrong way, then recalculate, and recalculate again and you will be confused. It happens, if not all the time, but still occasionally that you will wonder what is going on. The reason might be due to the huge contraction zones that are happening in Sydney nowadays. Yes, Sydney is enormous under construction. The city recently completed their project Light Rail. On December, 2019 the first light rail opened in CBD.

Crossing Streets.

Once you live in Sydney, you will get familiar how the traffic lights work, how they switch from green to red. It feels quite long to wait for a green light and once it’s green, it switches over to red light quickly. Because of that, many locals will cross the streets with red light, but mostly because they know the traffic, the roads and how the conjunction work. If you are a tourist and new to the city, you should never copy that behavior. It can be dangerous besides the point that this is illegal and you can get charged a fine up to AU $2,200. Tip: Keep in mind to press the button of the traffic light. Otherwise the light won’t change to green.

Car Driver.

Let’s talk about the car drivers in Sydney. It is a topic that no tourist guide will talk about, but you certainly will experience that the car drivers in Sydney are impatient and their driving is aggressive – not only towards other vehicles, but towards pedestrians. Car drivers won’t wait for you to cross the street. No, you have to wait and let the car go since the drivers don’t seem to slow down. Be careful to cross streets. Car drivers rush and I always felt they most likely would drive me over if I didn’t stop, even though you actually had the right to go first.

Summary.

Australia is a great country, full of adventure. It would take me a book to document all the experiences I’ve had. The land of kangaroos, the upside-down land, the wildlife – Australia is a chapter in my life that has opened my eyes and enriched me personally.