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ika's posts with tag: australia gift
|  | Hari ini, hari terakhir di Brisbane, sejak 29 Okt s/d 2 Nop 2007. Selain itu, juga menutup perjalanan kita di Australia(27 Okt s/d 3Nop 2007). Hari terakhir, kita pengen tahu kayak apa sih yang namanya Gold Coast??? Karena tempat penginapan kami, Palace Backpacker Brisbane ada di dekat pusat kota, tidaklah sulit kita menuju Gold Coast, apalagi Central Stationnya tinggal nyebrang aja. So, jadilah kita ke Gold Coast pake kereta api. Terus turun di stasiun Nerang, ambil bis menuju Gold Coast.
Ini, sedikit cerita mengenai Gold Coast……
Gold Coast is a city and local government area in the southeast corner of Queensland, Australia. It is the second most populous city in the state and the sixth most populous city in the country. Gold Coast City is renowned for its sunny subtropical climate, popular surfing beaches, expansive waterway and canal systems, a skyline dominated by high-rise apartment buildings, active nightlife and wide variety of tourist attractions.
Captain James Cook became the first European to note the region when he sailed along the coast on May 16, 1770 in the HM Bark Endeavour. This exploration was however focussed on areas south of Gold Coast region in the northern rivers of New South Wales.
Captain Matthew Flinders, an explorer charting the continent north from the colony of New South Wales, sailed past in 1802. The region remained uninhabited by Europeans until 1823 when explorer John Oxley landed at Mermaid Beach, which was named after his boat, a cutter named Mermaid.
The hinterland's red cedar supply attracted large numbers of people to the area in the mid 1800s. The western suburb of Nerang was surveyed and established as a base for the industry. Later in 1875, Southport was surveyed and established and quickly grew a reputation as a secluded holiday destination for the upper class Brisbane residents.
In 1925, tourism to the area grew rapidly when Jim Cavill established the Surfers Paradise Hotel, which transformed to Circle on Cavill neighbouring with Towers of Chevron Renaissance shopping mall and resort apartment complex. The population grew steadily to support the tourism industry and by the 1940s, real estate speculators and journalists were referring to the area as the "Gold Coast." The true origin of the name is still debatable. The name "Gold Coast" was officially proclaimed in 1958 when the South Coast Town Council was renamed "Gold Coast Town Council.
During the 1970s, real-estate developers gained a dominant role in local politics, and high-rises began to dominate the area now known as Surfers Paradise and later in 1981 the airport was established. In 1994 the Gold Coast City Council and the Shire of Albert amalgamated to create new city boundaries under the administration of the City of Gold Coast Council.
Beaches
The city consists of 57 kilometres of coastline with some of the most popular surf breaks in Australia including, South Stradbroke Island, The Spit, Main Beach, Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach, Mermaid Beach, Nobby Beach, Miami, Burleigh Beach, Burleigh Heads, Tallebudgera Beach, Palm Beach, Curruminbin Beach, Tugun, Bilinga, Kirra, Coolangatta, Greenmount, Rainbow Bay, Snapper Rocks and Froggies Beach. Duranbah beach is one of the world's best known surfing beaches and is often thought of as being part of Gold Coast City, but is actually just across the New South Wales state border in Tweed Shire
There are also beaches along many of the Gold Coast's 860km of navigable tidal waterways. Popular inland beaches include Southport, Budds Beach, Marine Stadium, Currumbin Alley, Tallebudgera Estuary, Jacobs Well, Jabiru Island, Paradise Point, Harley Park Labrador, Santa Barbara, Boykambil and Evandale Lake.
Note, taken from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Coast,_Queensland
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Dari penginapan Palace Backpackers Brisbane, letak Botanic Garden hanya beberapa menit saja dengan jalan kaki. The Brisbane City Botanic Gardens is located at Gardens Point on the south-east of the peninsula of the Brisbane River that contains the central business district of the city of Brisbane. The gardens area has frontages on both Alice Street and George Street, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The Brisbane City Botanic Gardens were established in 1855 and consists of approximately 20 hectares. The roughly triangular park is bordered by the Brisbane River on one side, and the grounds of Parliament House and the Queensland University of Technology's Gardens Point campus on another. Brisbane City Botanic Gardens has a special collection of cycads, palms, figs and bamboo. The Brisbane City Botanic Gardens were once called "Queens Park", and the 1905 Curator's cottege is now the City Gardens Cafe. Some of the ancient trees planted in the Gardens were the first of their species to be planted in Australia. The Botanic Gardens includes Brisbane's most mature gardens, with many rare and unusual botanic species. Due to the proximity to the river, the Botanic Gardens have been flooded eight times between 1870 - 1974. With many plants being washed away, the Brisbane City Council established a new botanic gardens at Mount Coot-tha. The gardens are accessible by Alice St, the Goodwill Bridge and Brisbane City Council's ferries and CityCats at the Gardens Point and Eagle St wharves. The river frontage features a mangrove boardwalk. Along with being a botanic gardens, the gardens also have many other functions. Many office workers from the nearby business district use the gardens for reading and laying on grass in lunchtimes. It is a popular venue for weddings. A wedding can be seen nearly every weekend. At the rear of the gardens is Brisbane River Stage, in which many council concerts take place, as well as the annual Lord Mayor's Christmas Carols every Christmas. There are also guided walks, self-guided walks, picnic areas and a restaurant on the grounds of the botanic gardens. Note,taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisbane_City_Botanic_Gardens
| | Brisbane Visitor Information Centre
Sebagai tempat untuk mengguide wisatawan yang datang ke Brisbane. Lengkap dari bagaimana transportasi dari airport ke ke Brisbane, mapnya(peta), atraksinya dll.
Information
Opening hours: Monday to Thursday 9am to 5.30pm; Friday 9am to 7pm; Saturday 9am to 5pm; Sunday 9.30am to 4.30pm; and public holidays 9am to 4.30pm
Address: Corner Albert and Queen streets Brisbane QLD
Website: http://www.ourbrisbane.com/
Customs House, Brisbane
Customs House, one of Brisbane's heritage icons, is located on the river in the CBD. Customs House is a cultural, educational and heritage facility of the University of Queensland
Customs House is one of Brisbane’s premier restaurant and function venues. Behind the grand Corinthian columns you will find exquisite boardrooms, a stunning ballroom, seminar rooms and a Licensed Restaurant.
Information:
The Customs House on the banks of the river opened in 1889 and operated as such until 1988. The heritage-listed building has since been restored and now serves as a multipurpose building for educational and cultural activities. Guided tours are available. See website for details.
Address:
399 Queen Street Brisbane QLD
Website:
http://www.customshouse.com.au/
About QUT (Queensland University of Technology)
QUT provides a career-oriented education which helps graduates find employment in their chosen career, in an environment which uses the latest technology to make learning stimulating and enjoyable. In this section you will find information for students, staff and visitors about the resources of the University, its facilities and processes
Website:
http://www.qut.edu.au/about/
Parliament House, Queensland
Information:
Built in 1868, Parliament House is still home to Queensland’s State Parliament. Guided tours are available.
Address: Corner of George and Alice Streets
Brisbane QLD
Website:
http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/
ANZAC Square War Memorial, Brisbane
Information:
ANZAC Square’s War Memorial includes the Shrine of Remembrance, with its Eternal Flame. Visitors can learn more about the square through touch-tell systems. The World War II Shrine of Memories is located in the pedestrian tunnel beside the square.
Address:
Adelaide Street Brisbane QLD
Website:
http://www.rslqld.org/
Brisbane City Hall
Information:
The heritage listed City Hall (1920-30) is open to the public for free. For a small charge visitors can take the lift to the top of the 92 metre high Clock Tower, travelling between the clock workings on the way up.
Address:King George Square Brisbane QLD
Website:
http://www.ourbrisbane.com/
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| | The Moreton Bay area was explored by John Oxley as the site of a potential penal settlement in 1823. On this trip Oxley named the Brisbane River in honour of the New South Wales Governor, Sir Thomas Brisbane
The original Moreton Bay convict station was established at Redcliffe in September 1824 but this site was abandoned a few months after its original settlement in favoured of the better-watered Brisbane site, 20 kilometres up the Brisbane River
Brisbane operated as a penal colony from 1825 until its official closure in 1839, during which time free settlers were not permitted within an 80 kilometre radius of the site
In 1831 the Moreton Bay settlement was comprised of 1066 convicts and 175 soldiers, however little remains of Brisbane's convict era today. The Commissariat Stores, believed to be Brisbane's first stone structure, were constructed as a two storey building in 1828-29. The top brick storey was added in 1913. The building is now home to the Royal Historical Society of Queensland
The only other convict-built structure remaining in Brisbane today is the old windmill (1828) in Wickham Terrace. Built under the command of Captain Patrick Logan the mill was constructed to grind maize. Wind power was soon replaced by a treadmill where convicts were forced to work as punishment. The windmill became a signal station in 1861 and was later an observatory, fire lookout and television transmission tower.
The Moreton Bay district was officially opened up for free settlement in 1842, after surveys of the land had been carried out over the preceding three years. Settlers initially established the three separate townships of North Brisbane, South Brisbane and Kangaroo Point during the 1840s. Growth during that decade, however, was slow and suffered from a lack of funds from the administration in Sydney.
Queensland's first newspaper, the Moreton Bay Courier, was first published in 1846. It subsequently became the Brisbane Courier and, from 1933, the Courier Mail.
Brisbane underwent economic and building booms in the 1860s and 1880s, and these periods of expansion left behind a legacy of substantial structures
The Classical Revival-style old Government House was built between 1860 and 1862. The porphyry and sandstone building was used as the Governor's residence until 1910, during which time the upper verandah (1873), billiard room (1899) and southwest balcony (1906) were added. It became the original University of Queensland building in 1910 and is now home to the National Trust of Queensland
An 1864 fire destroyed many of the early buildings in the Brisbane city area
The French Renaissance-style Parliament House was designed by Charles Tiffin who won 200 guineas as the victor of an Australia-wide competition to design the building. Parliament House opened in 1868, though construction of the building was not completed until 1889.
Construction of the Treasury Building, which extends across an entire city block, began in 1884 and building continued in stages until its completion in 1922.
The Customs House, constructed between 1886 and 1889, features Corinthian columns at its entrance as well as a prominent copper dome. It operated until 1988 when the gradual move of port activities closer to the river mouth resulted in its closure.
Brisbane became a city in 1902.
The first section of the Gothic Revival-style St John's Anglican Cathedral was consecrated in 1910, nine years after the foundation stone was laid. The Cathedral has been built in three stages with the second stage finished in 1968 and the final west end of the church due for completion in 2006
Note:
http://www.heritageaustralia.com.au/search.php?state=QLD®ion=23&view=1094#3224
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29 Okt 2007 (hari terakhir di Sydney) 
Jam sudah menunjukkan pukul 10 kurang 5 menit ditanganku, cepat2 kukatakan kesuami,” Yos....udah siap semuanya....tinggal bawain koper dan turun kebawah.” Suami menganggukan kepala, tanda dia juga seide dengan ku... Kemudian aku dan suami menuruni anak tangga sambil menenteng koper, menuju meja resepsionis Assylum Hostel. Suami masuk ruang resepsionis seraya menyerahkan anak kunci kamar yang telah kita pakai..sambil berkata,” oke kami check out... ” Si Resepsionis bilang,” Kamu telat 1 jam dari jadwal check out yang telah ditetapkan”. .......terheran-heran, suami berkata,”Bukankah kamu bilang jam 10 peraturan disini untuk check out” kata suamiku lagi. ”Iya, tapi ini khan udah jam 11,”kata resepsionisnya lagi, sambil jari telunjuknya menunjuk jam dinding yang ada didekatnya. ”He,......harusnya khan jam 10,”Kenapa kok bisa lebih cepet,”tanya suami. ”Memang mulai hari ini, di Sydney, dimajukan 1 jam dari hari kemaren”, kata resepsionis. ”Walah kok bisa, padahal harusnya Jepang, Brisbane dan Sydney, jamnya sama. Sekarang jam 10, bukannya lintangnya sama?” protes suami lagi. ”Iya, memang, tapi Sydney yang mengubah waktu....yang dimulainya musim panas. Dan ini memang sering membingungkan orang asing yang berlibur disini.” katanya lagi. ”Trus, gimana nih, apa nambah biaya satu hari....maklum telat check out 1 jam,”tanya suamiku. ”Ooo...ndak apa2 soalnya kamu enggak tahu,” katanya. ”Tapi mengenai kendaraan jemputan yang kebandara, yang rencananya dijemput jam 11 kurang 10 menit, sudah terlambat,” kata dia. ”O, ndak apa2.....pake aja jemputan berikutnya,” kata suamiku. ”Tapi, harus nunggu sebentar, ndak apa2....”, kata resepsionis. ”Ndak apa2.....,”kata suamiku. Ya,...untung aja pesawat ke Brisbane baru berangkat jam 4 sore...Walah kalo mepet antara check out dengan waktu ke Brisbanenya, tentunya tambah ruwet namanya jadwal.....Malah suami mau ada conference di Brisbane besoknya.....Alhamdulillah, Allah ngasih kelancaran perjalanan mengingat ketatnya jadwal yang dibuat kita
 28 Oct 2007(second day in AUS)
Di Sydney, sepulang dari Sydney Tower dan OZ Treek, kita tertarik dengan taman yang berdekatan dari Sydney Tower. Ya, ….Hyde Park…Park yang lumayan luas dan bisa dipakai tempat bersantai melepas kelelahan, mengingat banyak pohon hijau yang rindang yang ditengah-tengahnya ada air mancur. Kemudian kita membuka bento(bekal) yang dibawa dari penginapan…Ya, mie yang setia menemani…Kulahap mie secara perlahan-lahan, sambil mata melihat sekeliling. Kulihat beberapa burung hinggap dirumput sambil makan remahan2 makanan yang dtinggalkan pengunjung. Tak lama, keindahan terusik…kudengar beberapa orang yang lalu lalang di park, menepuk pipi, mengangkat kerah baju mereka…sebagian orang melakukan gerakan menghalau disekitar bibir dan pipi…..Eh, ….ternyata beberapa lalat hinggap diorang tersebut. Ternyata enggak cuman satu orang aja yang dihinggapi lalat….melainkan beberapa orang. Menyebalkan karena lalat terus mengikuti mereka….. Satu orang dihinggapi lebih dari 5 lalat….walah-walah di Indonesia, tempat yang dikerubuti lalat, paleng kalo enggak pasar tradisional ato tempat yang dekat dengan pembuangan sampah….Ternyata di Sydney, park juga banyak lalat…kitapun waktu jalan, tidak luput dari kerubungan lalat….Enggak cuman di Hayde Park, waktu kita mau check in qantas tuk ke Brisbane, petugas yang membantu check in via mesin juga dikerubuti lalat dibibirnya. Padahal pintu airport yang dindingnya dari kaca, kecil kemungkinan lalat bisa masuk. Weleh-weleh ternyata Sydney banyak juga lalatnya.....
27 Oct 2007 Ketika mendarat di airport Sydney, aku sudah mulai doki-doki, membayangkan di barang bawaanku terselip si ”Abon”. Padahal diatas pesawat menuju Sydney, kru Garuda sudah mengingat penumpang bahwa barang yang dibawa harus dideclare semua. Kalo ragu2, apakah barang yang dibawa, boleh atau tidak masuk ke Australia, sebaiknya dideclare aja, begitu kata petugas Garuda. Setelah lolos dari petugas imigrasi Australia yang memeriksa pasport dan visa, perasaan deg2anku belum juga pulih....Apalagi, ketika sedang mengambil bagasiku, kulihat dari kejauhan deretan panjang menuju pintu keluar yang dijaga beberapa petugas berbaju seragam sebelum ke pintu luar. Untuk mengurangi kecemasanku, kuminta suami untuk mengecek kenapa mau keluar aja sampai ngantri panjang. Sedangkan aku mencari bagasi yang belum kudapatkan. Taklama, setelah 5 menit, suami datang dan mengatakan kalo dia ditegur ama petugas tersebut. Maklum mungkin kelihatan kalo suami mengamati antrian yang panjang tersebut dari dekat dan lagi tanpa membawa paspor (karena lupa dititipkan ke aku yang mau ambil bagasi). Jadilah makanan empuk....... Pertama ditanyain mengenai mana paspornya, kata petugas ....mau ke toilet sekalipun....jangan sampe lepas tuh paspornya... Suamiku cuman nyengir aja dan ngacir balik ketempat aku dimana aku ngambil bagasi. Karena enggak puas, ternyata petugas menanyakan lagi mana paspor suami yang waktu itu dibawa aku dan menanyakan bermacam-macam pertanyaan. Mulai dari mana, kerjaanmu disini (Australia) ngapain.....wis pokoke bla-bla...... Entah karena tidak puas dengan jawaban kami, setelah diintrogasi petugas muda, datang seorang petugas yang lebih senior dengan mengajukan pertanyaan yang sama. Jadi sebel.....apalagi..suami mengatakan kalo ternyata antrian panjang keluar itu disebabkan petugas memeriksa barang bawaan satu persatu. Entah itu orang Australia ato enggak..... Setelah lolos dari introgasi petugas senior, kita mulai ngikut antri untuk dicek barang bawaannya...Eh...belum ada 5 menit, petugas senior yang tadi mengintrogasi menyuruh kami keluar dari antrian, untuk diperiksa barang bawaannya. Wah....padahal yang nungguin untuk diperiksa didepan kami banyak lho....Jadi tambah deg2an aja mengingat ada si Abon itu.....Tapi suami bilang kalo si Abon itu bikinan pabrik mungkin oke....paleng kalo ndak boleh, ya petugasnya nyuruh buang disampah....Aku tetap aja was2, kalo cuman nyuruh dibuang ke sampah sih oke2 aja, tapi kalo didenda..... Bener aja si petugas memeriksa barang bawaan kita satu-persatu termasuk dompet dan tas pinggang yang berisi tanda pengenal.....Sebelumnya petugas itu menanyakan lagi dari mana (karena melihat face wajah melayu....) setelah kita menjawab dari Jepang....Trus nanyain kenapa kita orang Indonesia, tinggal di Jepang... ...sambil mengecek beberapa kartu tanda pengenal suami yang ditaruh di tas pinggang satu persatu. Mulai dari tanda pengenal mahasiswa dari Utsunomiya University-Japan....dan tiba2 dia tertegun melihat logo maskapi penerbangan Indonesia....Kamu kerja di Garuda....katanya....Suamiku menjawab kalo di Indonesia, dia bekerja di anak perusahaan Garuda....dan dia sekarang tugas belajar di Jepang. Setelah menyelesaikan tugas belajarnya, dia akan kembali ke anak perusahaan Garuda... Oooo...begitu katanya. Setelah puas melihat tanda pengenal, mulailah petugas menggeledah barang bawaan....Diletakkan semua barangku yang diambil dari koper ke atas meja...mulai dari Indomie, baju...termasuk baju dalam...walah....sampai malu...semua diletakkan diatas meja...Wah, aku mulai bernapas lega ...tetapi tiba2 ketika akan mengembalikan lagi barang2 yang diatas meja dan mengangkat tas ransel warna merah yang kempes didalam kopor...Petugas mengernyitkan dahi....kok ada yang nonjol didalam ransel merah....Wah...wah...aku berdoa semoga enggak ketahuan tuh barang yang menonjol....soale itu tuh Abon...Abon 2 bungkus yang kubawa ke AUS yang sebelumnya kuirit2 kalo dimakan di Jepang karena enaknya. Terpaksa petugas membuka tas ransel merah tadi.. ”Ini apa??” tanya petugas. ”Abon...”,kata suamiku. ”Abon apa?? Beef??....,”tanya petugas. ”Beef”, kata suami. ” Ndak boleh!!” kata petugas ”Lho, bukankah ini sudah matang dan lagi ini khan made in pabrik,” kata suamiku... ”Ndak bisa....”,katanya seraya menyingkirkan abon dari dalam tas. Kemudian petugas tersebut menghampiri petugas lain yang kemungkinan kepala petugas tersebut. Lalu kepala petugas tersebut bertanya, ”Baru pertama kali datang ke AUS?” ”Iya”, jawab suami. ”Barang seperti ini tidak boleh masuk, walaupun sudah dimasak”, katanya lagi. ”Oke, kamu kumaafkan karena baru pertama kali ke AUS,”kata kepala petugas. Ya..ya...karena kita dimaklumi mungkin belum tahu barang apa aja yang tidak boleh masuk ke AUS. Sebel juga kita...tapi mau gimana lagi....Tapi kita berdua heran, kenapa ya kita bawa abon 2 bungkus, yang ketahuan ama petugas cuman satu....He...he...lucky kali..padahal tas ransel merah itu udah dirogohin ama petugasnya... Setelah oke semua, kulirik meja yang bersebelahan denganku...dua orang bule ngotot ama petugas yang memeriksa barang bawaan mereka yang besar dan dibungkus rapat oleh karton yang dibawa dari Bali....Ehmmm....kami berpikir mungkin orang yang diperiksa juga dari Australia...Weleh...weleh orang Australia juga diperiksa tho... Note: Doki-doki-dag-dig-dug
| | Second day in Sydney-Australia, 28 Okt 2007
Hyde Park is a large park in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Hyde Park is on the eastern side of the Sydney central business district. It is the southernmost of a chain of parkland that extends north to the shore of Sydney Harbour (Port Jackson). It takes the form of an approximate rectangle, being squared at the southern end and rounded at the northern end, bordered on the west by Elizabeth Street, on the east by College Street, on the north by St James Road and Prince Albert Road and on the south by Liverpool Street.
Around the park's boundaries lie the Supreme Court of New South Wales, St. James Church, Hyde Park Barracks and Sydney Hospital to the north, St Mary's Cathedral and the Australian Museum to the east, the Downing Centre to the south, the David Jones Limited flagship store and the Sydney central business district to the west. It is bisected through the middle by the east-west running Park Street
Hyde Park was named after the original Hyde Park in London. It has been used as a recreation area since 1792. The park began its life as the city's first racecourse and was later used as a cricket ground.
The park is pock marked with sewer lids, many of which lead down to Busby's Bore, the first large scale attempt at a water source system after the backing up of Tank Stream, the Sydney colony's primary water source. Busby's Bore was built between 1827 and 1837 using convict labour and supplied fresh water from Lachlan Swamps, (which later became known as Centennial Park) to the city.
Note, taken from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyde_Park,_Sydney
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| | Second day in Australia, (28 Okt 2007)
Darling Harbour is a locality of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia with a large recreational, pedestrian precinct. It is situated at Sydney central business district. The locality extends northwards from Chinatown, along both sides of Cockle Bay to King Street Wharf on the east, and to the suburb of Pyrmont on the west. Cockle Bay is just one of the waterways that makes up Darling Harbour, which opens north into the much larger Port Jackson.
The precinct and its immediate surroundings are administered independently of the local government area of the City of Sydney, by a New South Wales state government statutory authority, the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority
The Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre at Darling Harbour was a key meeting venue of APEC Australia 2007 in September, 2007 at which time the political leaders of the 21 member states of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation met.
Darling Harbour is named after Lieutenant-General Ralph Darling, who was Governor of New South Wales from 1825 to 1831. It was originally part of the commercial port of Sydney, including the Darling Harbour Railway Goods Yard. During the Great Depression, the eastern part of Darling Harbour became known as The Hungry Mile, a reference to the waterside workers searching for jobs along the wharves. By the mid-to-late 1980s it had become largely derelict and was redeveloped as a pedestrian and tourist precinct as an initiative of then New South Wales Minister for Public Works, Laurie Brereton.
Note, taken from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darling_Harbour
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| | Second day in Australia ( 28 Okt 2007)
Dari Assylum Hostel, kita bisa berjalan kaki menuju Sydney Tower dan OZ Treek yang ada di pusat kota Sydney. Sebelum sampai ke Sydney Tower, kita bisa pergi ke Australia Museum dan Hyde Park yang tidak jauh dari Sydney Tower.
Setelah menuju Sydney Tower, kita bisa pergi juga ke Darling Harbour dan Museum Maritim, karena memang letaknya yang berdekatan
Sydney Tower (also known as the AMP Tower, AMP Centrepoint Tower, Centrepoint Tower or just Centrepoint) is Sydney's tallest free-standing structure, and the second tallest in Australia (with the Q1 building on the Gold Coast being the tallest). It is also the third tallest observation tower in the Southern Hemisphere (after Auckland, New Zealand's Sky Tower) and Melbourne, Australia's Eureka Tower; though Sydney Tower's main observation deck is almost 50 metres higher than that of Auckland's Sky Tower. The Sydney Tower is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers.
Sydney Tower (also known as the AMP Tower, AMP Centrepoint Tower, Centrepoint Tower or just Centrepoint) is Sydney's tallest free-standing structure, and the second tallest in Australia (with the Q1 building on the Gold Coast being the tallest). It is also the third tallest observation tower in the Southern Hemisphere (after Auckland, New Zealand's Sky Tower) and Melbourne, Australia's Eureka Tower; though Sydney Tower's main observation deck is almost 50 metres higher than that of Auckland's Sky Tower. The Sydney Tower is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers.
The tower stands 305 metres[1] above the Sydney CBD, being located at 100 Market Street, between Pitt and Castlereagh Streets. It is accessible from the Pitt Street Mall, and sits upon Centrepoint (to which the tower is often referred), an office building and shopping centre. The tower is open to the public, and is one of the most prominent tourist attractions in the city, being visible from a number of vantage points throughout town and from adjoining suburbs.
There are three main sections of the tower open to public access. One is the observation deck at 250 metres above ground level with a fully-enclosed viewing platform featuring 360 degree views of the city and surrounds. This floor also features a small gift shop, a readout displaying data on the conditions of the tower (wind speed, direction and sway amplitude). The Sydney Tower Skywalk platform at 268 metres above ground level has an open-air viewing platform only accessible as part of planned and booked tours。
There are also revolving restaurants, one à la carte and one buffet. The buffet restaurant was recently (2006) renovated. It seats 220 people, and serves 185,000 customers annually, of which 50,000 are international visitors, mostly from Asia.
Note: Sydney Tower Story, taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Tower
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Letak Assylum Hostel ada di belakang Holiday Inn di King Cross Street. Lumayan tinggal di Sydney pake hostel atau backpacker inn, murah dan bersih. Lebih enaknya, memilih kamar pribadi yang hanya diisi 2 ato 3 orang. Maklum di Assylum hostel juga menyediakan kamar untuk lebih dari 2 orang seperti asrama. Fasilitas kamar mandi, selain ada shower, juga ada bath tub di lantai paling bawah. Lantai paling bawah juga diisi ruang internet dan dapur. Kita bisa menggunakan internet sepuas hati, begitu juga dengan fasilitas dapurnya. Di dapur tersedia bumbu, kecap manis ABC, beras, kopi, dan teh yang bisa digunakan sepuasnya. Disediakan juga makan pagi, yang biasa disuguhi dengan sereal. Dari Assylum Hostel, kita bisa jalan kaki ke Sydney Opera House, Royal Botanic Garden, dan Woolloomooloo Wharf kurang lebih 20 menit. Selain itu kita juga bisa pergi Sydney Tower dan Darling Harbour dengan berjalan kaki juga dg waktu sama namun lain arah. Note: Sydney Assylum hotel dapat dilihat di http://www.cairns.net.au/~hostel/undercon.htm
| | Dari Asylum hotel backpacker ke Sydney Opera House bisa ditempuh dengan jalan kaki kurang lebih 20 menit. Sebelum ke Opera House, kita bisa melihat pemandangan dari daratan yang menjorok ke laut, yang mana diisi dengan berbagai macam restoran yang dikenal dengan Woolloomooloo Wharf. Selain itu kita juga akan melewati Sydney Royal Botanic Garden, yang didalamnya ada Bottle tree palm.
Kalo punya waktu yang cukup, kita juga bisa jalan-jalan ke Mrs Macquarie”s point(http://www.upfromaustralia.com/specsydfromm.html).
Tempat yang bagus untuk melihat Sydney Opera House dan Harbour Bridge dari kejauhan
The Sydney Opera House is located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007.[1] Designed by Jørn Utzon, a Danish architect, and Ove Arup & Partners, the Sydney Opera House is one of the most world's most distinctive 20th century buildings, and one of the most famous performing arts venues in the world. It is situated on Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour, close to the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge. The building and its surroundings are one of the best known icons of Australia.
As well as many touring theatre, ballet, and musical productions, the Opera House is the home of Opera Australia, the Sydney Theatre Company and the Sydney Symphony. It is administered by the Opera House Trust, under the New South Wales Ministry of the Arts.
Planning for the Sydney Opera House began in the late 1940s when Eugene Goossens, the Director of the NSW State Conservatorium of Music, lobbied for a suitable venue for large theatrical productions. At the time, the normal venue for such productions was the Sydney Town Hall, but this venue was not considered large enough. By 1954, Goossens succeeded in gaining the support of NSW Premier Joseph Cahill, who called for designs for a dedicated opera house. It was also Goossens who insisted that Bennelong Point be the site for the Opera House. Cahill had wanted it to be on or near the Wynyard Railway Station, located in the north-western Sydney CBD.[citation needed]
The competition was launched by Cahill on 13 September 1955 and received a total of 233 entries from 32 countries. The criteria specified a large hall seating 3000 and a small hall for 1200 people, each to be designed for different uses including full-scale operas, orchestral and choral concerts, mass meetings, lectures, ballet performances and other presentations.[2] The basic design announced in 1957 was the one submitted by Jørn Utzon, a Danish architect. Utzon arrived in Sydney in 1957 to help supervise the project.
The Sydney Opera House is an expressionist modern design, with a series of large precast concrete 'shells', each taken from a hemisphere of the same radius, forming the roofs of the structure. The Opera House covers 1.8 hectares (4.5 acres) of land. It is 183 metres (605 feet) long and about 120 metres (388 feet) wide at its widest point. It is supported on 580 concrete piers sunk up to 25 metres below sea level. Its power supply is equivalent for a town of 25,000 people. The power is distributed by 645 kilometres of electrical cable.[citation needed]
The roofs of the House are covered with 1.056 million glossy white and matte cream Swedish-made tiles,[citation needed] though from a distance the tiles look only white. Despite their self-cleaning nature, they are still subject to periodic maintenance and replacement.[citation needed]
Note:
Sydney Opera House, taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Opera_House
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27 Oct 2007 (first day in Australia) 
Introducing Sydney Although Aboriginal people have inhabited the Sydney region for many thousand of years, the city has a relatively short modern history- albeit a strange and fascinating one, based on the bizarre idea of sending 18th century British criminal halfway across the world. Captain COOK In April 1770, the great English sailor and navigator James Cook landed at Botany Bay, in modern Sydney’s southern suburbs. He later claimed the entire east coast of Australia for Britain, under the name of “New South Wales”. Cook, however, sailed right past Sydney Harbour, little knowing that this would be the site of a future colony. The first Fleet Sydney was founded on 26 January 1788, when the eleven ships of the First Fleet, bearing 1400 people-convicts, soldiers and handful of other settlers-arrived from England to establish a remote new colony. The Rocks The city’s oldest ‘village’, so-named because of its rocky shoreline, was founded when the first convict tents were erected here in 1788. This is now one of Sydney’s most popular precincts. Aboriginal Sydney Indigenous people of three main language groups-Dharug, Kuringai and Dharawal- lived in the Sydney area for at least 40.000 years before James Cook discovered the east coast of the continent. There are dozens of ancient Aboriginal art sites around the metropolitan area, including those at Bondi Beach Golf Course and in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, but the Australian Museum is the best place to gain a brief insight into this fascinating culture. Flora and Fauna Australia’s unique animals and plants are well represented in Sydney. Admire native flora in the Royal Botanic Gardens, and visit Toranga Zoo or Featherdale Wildlife Park |
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