Sydney Bus Ride

  Sydney, 3rd December 2007

In retrospect, we should have taken the Sydney Open-Top Bus Ride before the Harbour Cruise, because there was a discount available on the cruise on production of your bus ticket … but not vice-versa.

The timing wouldn’t have been a problem; we could have boarded at the railway station, ‘hopped off’ at Circular Quay, taken the cruise then ‘hopped on’ a subsequent bus to continue the tour.

The buses are run by City Sightseeing, a British-based company (and, what could be more British than a red, double-decker bus?) who run open-top bus tours in many major cities around the world.

A word of warning, though … Sydney isn’t used to double-decker buses, and low-hanging branches can be a hazard.

The commentary is given by a well-known (it says here!) actor, and is pretty comprehensive, although I can’t help wondering if every suburb of Sydney was once a red-light district? But, you can sit back and enjoy the ride; even a traffic jam isn’t much of a problem … you get a longer ride, and more time to take your photographs or video.

Two tours are available; your ticket is valid for both, as many times as you like within the period of validity of the ticket. They are the City Tour and the Bondi Tour. This last goes out to the famed Bondi Beach, where it stays for half an hour. And, to tell the truth, I wondered what all the fuss was about.

It’s a pleasant enough place, but I’ve seen beaches that are every bit as good elsewhere. Maybe I should have come when surf is up?

And, the photograph? Well, I have a confession to make … it was a pure fluke, and I couldn’t do it again if I tried for the rest of my life. But, it is rather good, isn’t it.

(Check out www.city-sightseeing.com to see if they have a tour in a city near you. And, don’t throw your ticket away. You can use it to get a discount on your next City Sightseeing tour)