Sydney/North Sydney
From Wikitravel
North Sydney is an important district of central Sydney, Australia, located immediately north of the landmark Sydney Harbour Bridge between the City and the North Shore districts and facing the central city skyline across Sydney Harbour. The area of North Sydney includes not only North Sydney itself, clustered at the top of the first rise of hills northward of the harbour foreshores, but also several, mainly harbourside suburbs located around the northern end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge (see below, Districts).
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Understand
North Sydney itself is Sydney's second largest commercial district after the City, and is home to telecommunications and information technology companies in particular. Its surrounding suburbs contain mainly low and medium density housing. Because the housing commands magnificent views of Sydney Harbour and have excellent transport links to the City, the area is largely home to young wealthy professionals and wealthy families.
Districts
The North Sydney area covers the following suburbs: Beauty Point, Clifton Gardens, Cremone, Crows Nest, Georges Heights, Kirribilli, Lavender Bay, Milsons Point, McMahons Point, Neutral Bay, North Sydney and Waverton. As such, these areas are governed on a local level by the North Sydney and (to the east) the Mosman city councils.
Get in
By train
Cityrail (http://cityrail.info) trains run regularly from the City and the North Shore. During the week these trains run every five or ten minutes, and run four times an hour on weekends. They are extremely crowded in peak hour but not at other times of the day or on weekends. The Milsons Point and North Sydney train stations are in the centre of the district.
By bus
Many State Transit (http://sydneybuses.info) bus routes service the entire district. Buses depart from Wynyard Station in the City and from North Sydney station.
By car
The area is five minutes drive north of the Sydney over the Harbour Bridge. From the north it is accessible via the Pacific Highway and the Waringah Freeway from the suburb of Chatswood. However, weekday parking is expensive, difficult to find, and time limited in the commercial areas, particularly in the suburb of North Sydney.
See
- Balls Head Two points to the west of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Balls Head is a large park and picnic area with extensive harbour views. It is five minutes walk from Waverton train station.
- Harbour views from parts of the district are spectacular, especially from the park at the southern end of Blues Point Road in McMahons point, the base of the Harbour Bridge at Milsons Point, and Balls Head Park.
- Fireworks Sydney Harbour has regular fireworks displays. The most impressive is the New Year display. Visitors hoping to watch the New Year fireworks from a North Sydney vantage point need to be prepared to arrive at around midday on New Year's Eve to claim a spot in one of the public parks. The area is frequently restricted access on New Year's Eve and visitors may not be allowed to bring alcohol into the area.
- Luna Park, 1 Olympic Drive, Milsons Point. ph 9922 6644 (information). An amusement park on the harbour's edge near Milsons Point station, the huge grinning face over the entrance is a Sydney icon. http://www.lunaparksydney.com/
- Taronga Zoo, Bradleys Head Road, Mosman. ph 02 9969 2777. email tz@zoo.nsw.gov.au. Taronga Zoo is Sydney's major zoo and houses both Australian and exotic animals. It has its own ferry service from Circular Quay in the city. The zoo is open from 9am to 5pm. Admission is $27 adults, $14 children 4-15 years, $19 concessions and free for children under 4 years. Family tickets (2 adults, 2 children) are $70. Be aware that if you catch the ferry from Circular Quay admission is included in the ferry price. http://www.zoo.nsw.gov.au/
Do
- The Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace 380 Military Road, Cremorne. ph 9908 4344. The Orpheum shows mainstream and art house films in beautiful refurbished theatres. http://www.orpheum.com.au/
- Walk around the foreshore from Kirribili to Lavender Bay along the Luna Park promenade.
Buy
The North Sydney area is notoriously quiet on weekends, and many shops will be closed entirely. However, the area has a number of shopping centres which serve the professional workers in the area, and thus stores stock a great deal of clothing as well as consumer goods.
Eat
- Blue Elephant, 36 Willoughby Road, Crows Nest. tel 02 9439 3468. The Blue Elephant is a Sri Lankan restaurant. It is unusally quiet for a Sydney restaurant, having made the rare decision to have carpets, and also has spatious seating arrangements. The food is excellent: try the mixed entrees. Entrees $10, mains $20-$40, banquets $35-$45. Live jazz on Fridays. Reservations are a good idea on weekends.
- Blu Ginger Indian Restaurant, 147 Blues Point Road, McMahons Point. ph 8904 1255. The food is excellent and the service friendly and informal. Blu Ginger's main courses cost about $15, and banquets start at $25.
- S & I Thai, 59 Ridge St, North Sydney. ph 9929 6696. This Thai restaurant's menu is more limited than many in Sydney, but makes up for it with large serves of tasty, spicy basic Thai dishes. Mains $12 - $22.
- Thai Riffic, 139 Blues Point Road, McMahons Point. ph 02 9929 6268. Thai Riffic is one of the best Thai restaurants in its price range in Sydney. It has a much higher standard of presentation than most Thai restaurants, and isn't afraid to mix up tradition a bit in favour of better looking food. But don't worry, they're also very flavoursome: not as chilli as some, but just as much lime juice and fish sauce as you'd expect. Best to go on slow evenings: it's a loud space.
Drink
The suburb of North Sydney is known as a playground for young Sydneysiders, in particular for teenagers and people in their early twenties. There are a number of nightclubs and pubs located within walking distance of North Sydney train station.
- The Commodore Hotel [1] (http://www.commodorehotel.com.au/), 206 Blues Point Road, McMahons Point. ph 02 9922 5098. fax 02 9964 0662. A pub frequented by young professionals, it is popular and noisy. Special deals include free beer until the first point scored during major football games.
- The Greenwood Hotel [2] (http://www.greenwoodhotel.com/), 36 Blue Street, North Sydney. ph 02 9964 9477. fax 02 9964 9429. email enquiry@greenwoodhotel.com. This large pub has four bars, and has music events every week including R&B, hip-hop, funky house and trance.
- The Oaks Hotel 118 Military Rd, Neutral Bay. ph 02 9953 5515. This relaxed and popular pub has a large interior and beer garden centered around a large oak. You can purchase raw meat to be barbequed, and there is also a pizza kitchen. Open 10am - 1:30am Thursday; noon - 1:30am Friday; and 10am - midnight Saturday to Wednesday.
Sleep
- Harbourview Hotel [3] (http://www.viewhotels.com.au/), 17 Blue Street, North Sydney. ph 8904 1255 or 1800 801 989 (Australia only, free call) for reservations. fax 9922 3689. A mid-range hotel, every room has an excellent to spectacular view of Sydney Harbour, one of the best afforded by the district. Rooms are neat but not luxurious. 2 minutes walk from North Sydney train station. Double rooms range from AU$150 to AU$250 per night, higher on New Year's Eve.
Contact
Phone
North Sydney is in the 02 area code. Callers from within New South Wales will not need to use the area code, but callers from the rest of Australia will need to prefix numbers with 02. International callers will need to prefix numbers with +61 2.
Mobile phone reception for all major Australian carriers (Telstra, Optus and Vodafone) is excellent throughout the area.
Internet
- Greenwood Plaza, Pacific Highway, North Sydney. The Greenwood Plaza, a shopping centre opposite North Sydney train station, has a number of Internet kiosks and a wireless network is accessible in parts of the centre. Open 9am - 5pm (Monday to Friday) and 9am - 4pm (Saturday). Closed Sunday.
- Kinkos, 53 Berry Street, North Sydney. ph 02 9460 3444. fax 02 9460 4222. email sydney3@kinkos.net.au. Kinkos provides PCs and Macs with office applications and Internet access, together with a range of printing services. Internet access is $6.50 per hour. Open all hours on weekdays (7:30am Monday to 10pm Friday), 10am - 5pm (Saturday) and 12pm - 7pm (Sunday).
Cope
Medical
The nearest hospitals with full emergency room services are Royal North Shore Hospital, in St Leonards on the North Shore and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Camperdown in the Inner West.
- Big Bear Pharmacy, Big Bear Shopping Centre, 116 Military Road, Neutral Bay. tel 02 9953 0609. Open 8:30am - 8pm Monday to Sunday.
- Big Bear Medical Centre, Big Bear Shopping Centre, 116 Military Road, Neutral Bay. tel 02 9953 5844 or 02 9410 3944 (after hours). fax 02 9953 0695. Open 8am - 8pm Monday to Thursday; 8am - 6pm Friday; 9am - 5pm Saturday; and 10am - 5pm Sunday. The center has general practictioners, physiotherapists, psychologists, dentists, gynaecologists and optometrists. This center does not bulk bill Australian citizens under the Medicare system, a consultation fee of $40 will be charged.
Supermarkets
- Coles Supermarket, Big Bear Shopping Centre, 116 Military Road, Neutral Bay. tel 02 9908 3099. Open 6am - midnight Monday to Sunday; closed some public holidays.
- IGA Xpress, Greenwood Plaza, Pacific Highway, North Sydney. tel 02 9957 6978. Open 9am - 6pm Monday to Friday; 9am - 5pm Saturday; closed Sunday and public holidays.
- Woolworths Supermarket, 10 Falcon Street, Crows Nest. tel 02 9439 7063. fax 02 9439 6720. Open 7:30am to midnight Monday to Friday; 7:30am to 10pm Saturday and Sunday; closed some public holidays.
External links
- Mosman City Council (http://www.mosman.nsw.gov.au/)
- North Sydney City Council (http://www.northsydney.nsw.gov.au/)
