Marisawright Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 36 minutes ago, InnerVoice said: The Sydney bridge climb has to be one of the most over-rated and expensive attractions in Australia, but some people just have to do it - and I admit to have been one of them. My advice would be unless you feel your life will somehow be incomplete, then save your money. And don't bother unless the weather is spot on. I have to admit, I was the same. I enjoyed it, but was disappointed with the view. I imagined it would be spectacular, but actually the top of the bridge isn't very high. There are countless tall buildings around the city centre, plus the Sydney Tower, which are much higher with far more impressive views. As you say, it's being able to say you've done it that's the reward. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 2 hours ago, InnerVoice said: On reflection it probably was a bit harsh. I've visited Newcastle a few times over the last 30 years and seen the gradual gentrification steal away the character of a place, but if you've never been there before then you'd think it was pretty nice. The median price for a 3-bedroom property is currently around $1.5 million, so unless you're moving there with a bucket-load of cash, you're going to need to be on a decent whack. There can't be too many jobs in Newcastle commanding those kind of salaries, but that's becoming the problem Australia-wide in the more desirable regional areas. My son lives in Eatons Hill, north side of Brisbane, very spacious 4 bed 2 bathroom, large rumpus room, open’sh kitchen living dining room, large covered outdoor area, double garage, large block, no pool, price probably still under 1 million. Just to give 1 example for Brisbane 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausvisitor Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 4 hours ago, Marisawright said: I have to admit, I was the same. I enjoyed it, but was disappointed with the view. I imagined it would be spectacular, but actually the top of the bridge isn't very high. There are countless tall buildings around the city centre, plus the Sydney Tower, which are much higher with far more impressive views. As you say, it's being able to say you've done it that's the reward. The climb is good for the experience, in terms of a view it's probably one of the worst in Sydney, because when you are on the bridge you can't see the bridge My office is on the top floors (44-47) of the newly built second AMP building, I doubt there is a better Sydney view from anywhere else in the city Love taronga, can spend days there never gets boring And you are right a median house price of 1.5m seems cheap now after 2 years getting used to the AUS prices 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FirstWorldProblems Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 5 hours ago, pinkpom said: For those who NEED to live in Sydney due to jobs/family support/just damn familiarity it gets a bit depressing and samey, tbh. Yep. I’m afraid I have to agree 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon the Hat Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 (edited) 1 hour ago, Ausvisitor said: The climb is good for the experience, in terms of a view it's probably one of the worst in Sydney, because when you are on the bridge you can't see the bridge My office is on the top floors (44-47) of the newly built second AMP building, I doubt there is a better Sydney view from anywhere else in the city Love taronga, can spend days there never gets boring And you are right a median house price of 1.5m seems cheap now after 2 years getting used to the AUS prices My old employer was on level 41 of the Gateway building so I am familiar with the amazing views from up there. Lovely area to potter about as well when on a business trip; Opera bar; wander round the botanic gardens; grab a beer or three around the Rocks (The Glenmore ; Fortune of War, The Orient); Market on the weekend. Hyde Park for the Anzac memorial; QVB; Darling Harbour; Barangaroo; Hop on the Ferry to anywhere! I love Manly (where I stay now visiting our office in French's Forest) for the morning walk to Shelly Beach for a coffee; Also Watson's Bay for a beer at the hotel and walk up to South Head. Ah Sydney. Not been for a few months now! Always glad to come home to Perth though! If I could afford to live anywhere around these places I would like a shot. I never will unless I win the Lotto. Edited January 5 by Jon the Hat 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 (edited) 1 hour ago, Jon the Hat said: My old employer was on level 41 of the Gateway building so I am familiar with the amazing views from up there. Lovely area to potter about as well when on a business trip; Opera bar; wander round the botanic gardens; grab a beer or three around the Rocks (The Glenmore ; Fortune of War, The Orient); Market on the weekend. Hyde Park for the Anzac memorial; QVB; Darling Harbour; Barangaroo; Hop on the Ferry to anywhere! I love Manly (where I stay now visiting our office in French's Forest) for the morning walk to Shelly Beach for a coffee; Also Watson's Bay for a beer at the hotel and walk up to South Head. Ah Sydney. Not been for a few months now! Always glad to come home to Perth though! If I could afford to live anywhere around these places I would like a shot. I never will unless I win the Lotto. Hickson House cocktail bar and has the only distillery in the Rocks, well worth a visit and gin tasting Edited January 5 by ramot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InnerVoice Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 3 hours ago, FirstWorldProblems said: Yep. I’m afraid I have to agree That doesn't sound encouraging given that you've only just returned from Sydney, and you're planning to move there in a couple of years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FirstWorldProblems Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 16 minutes ago, InnerVoice said: That doesn't sound encouraging given that you've only just returned from Sydney, and you're planning to move there in a couple of years. Nope. But it’s not necessarily a Sydney thing. I think I’d struggle with the same things in London. I’m not a big city person but I will give it a genuine good effort. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDougster Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 Based on your plans, Taronga is a poor option that will take a lot more time than Australia Zoo where you can marvel at Forest: the tallest giraffe in the world! Taronga was great when I went 25yrs ago but much less so last year. If you're researching where you might live, a trip up and down the river from New Farm in Brisbane would be better than spending time on the water in Sydney. You could use that saved time going to Whale/Palm Beach and the lighthouse, on your way North, as suggested. If you're not going to consider living in Sunshine then ignore Caloundra, go to Noosa, go directly to Noosa: Sunshine Beach, do not collect $200! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheery Thistle Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 8 hours ago, FirstWorldProblems said: Nope. But it’s not necessarily a Sydney thing. I think I’d struggle with the same things in London. I’m not a big city person but I will give it a genuine good effort. I think it’s just a ‘life’ thing to be honest!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheery Thistle Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 Thanks to everyone for your advice and opinions - never short of those on this forum lol. Thinking of maybe just ditching Newcastle altogether - I remember a while back looking at houses and seeing that a million basically buys a wooden shack and thinking ‘nah’. The daylight savings appeals though! So that gives us a few more days to play with. Happy to skip Taronga - it was more for the 10 year old than us and Australia Zoo was on the list anyway. But I’m afraid the bridge climb is staying - it’s bucket list lol. It’s a bit like the Eiffel Tower. Is it overrated? Yes. Overpriced? Yes. Have I still done it 8 times? Also yes!! Definitive decisions need to be made this weekend as I need to get things booked as I have other trips to focus on too. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InnerVoice Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 4 hours ago, Cheery Thistle said: But I’m afraid the bridge climb is staying - it’s bucket list lol. It’s a bit like the Eiffel Tower. Is it overrated? Yes. Overpriced? Yes. Have I still done it 8 times? Also yes!! Definitive decisions need to be made this weekend as I need to get things booked as I have other trips to focus on too. Eiffel Tower 'overrated and overpriced'? Sorry, but I cannot compute! If you've been up it 8 times then I appreciate the novelty has worn thin but you can't ignore its status as a cultural icon, or engineering marvel for that matter. Ask anyone to name something French and they'll say the Eiffel Tower, or a French bloke on a bicycle with a stripy jumper and a string of onions around his neck. As for overpriced, it's 28€ to go to the top or 21.50€ if you don't mind doing the stairs to the 2nd floor, which I've always found much quicker than waiting in the queue for the lift. Compare to $917 for two adults and a child to do the bridge climb, that seems like excellent value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BendigoBoy Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 9 minutes ago, InnerVoice said: Eiffel Tower 'overrated and overpriced'? Sorry, but I cannot compute! If you've been up it 8 times then I appreciate the novelty has worn thin but you can't ignore its status as a cultural icon, or engineering marvel for that matter. Ask anyone to name something French and they'll say the Eiffel Tower, or a French bloke on a bicycle with a stripy jumper and a string of onions around his neck. As for overpriced, it's 28€ to go to the top or 21.50€ if you don't mind doing the stairs to the 2nd floor, which I've always found much quicker than waiting in the queue for the lift. Compare to $917 for two adults and a child to do the bridge climb, that seems like excellent value. Dunno. Kinda computes with me. If the lady wife was nagging in my ear all day on a trip to Paris and I knew she had terrible acrophobia, I'd probably have gone up the thing eight times just for the peace and quiet... (probably all in the same freaking day, as well) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheery Thistle Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 2 minutes ago, InnerVoice said: Eiffel Tower 'overrated and overpriced'? Sorry, but I cannot compute! If you've been up it 8 times then I appreciate the novelty has worn thin but you can't ignore its status as a cultural icon, or engineering marvel for that matter. Ask anyone to name something French and they'll say the Eiffel Tower, or a French bloke on a bicycle with a stripy jumper and a string of onions around his neck. As for overpriced, it's 28€ to go to the top or 21.50€ if you don't mind doing the stairs to the 2nd floor, which I've always found much quicker than waiting in the queue for the lift. Compare to $917 for two adults and a child to do the bridge climb, that seems like excellent value. It’s the same for Sydney and the harbour bridge and opera house - they are synonymous! I don’t think you can really compare the price for the bridge climb and going up the tower. They are totally different . I think we paid about €75 for the 3 of us to go up in April 2022. Waited in a queue for over an hour in interesting weather. Then the whole thing is over pretty quickly. I think it’s quite expensive for what it is, especially if you have a couple of kids. But I think it’s a must-do at least once. I’ve done it so many times because I used to lead annual senior school Paris trips. Have done the climb on foot a few times (to cut waiting times) but wouldn’t do it with the 10 year old. I prefer the Tour Montparnasse. Not as iconic but has better views - you get to actually see the Eiffel Tower lit up from there if you go at night. To be honest if I went back to Paris I wouldn’t do the Eiffel Tower again unless I was with someone who hadn’t done it. Re: Bridge climb - my $, my bucket list, I’m not asking you to pay!! 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BendigoBoy Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 1 minute ago, Cheery Thistle said: It’s the same for Sydney and the harbour bridge and opera house - they are synonymous! I don’t think you can really compare the price for the bridge climb and going up the tower. They are totally different . I think we paid about €75 for the 3 of us to go up in April 2022. Waited in a queue for over an hour in interesting weather. Then the whole thing is over pretty quickly. I think it’s quite expensive for what it is, especially if you have a couple of kids. But I think it’s a must-do at least once. I’ve done it so many times because I used to lead annual senior school Paris trips. Have done the climb on foot a few times (to cut waiting times) but wouldn’t do it with the 10 year old. I prefer the Tour Montparnasse. Not as iconic but has better views - you get to actually see the Eiffel Tower lit up from there if you go at night. To be honest if I went back to Paris I wouldn’t do the Eiffel Tower again unless I was with someone who hadn’t done it. Re: Bridge climb - my $, my bucket list, I’m not asking you to pay!! To be honest, I was tempted to go and do the Harbour Bridge climb until I actually walked along the bridge itself in the quiet hours around 5am in January back in 2018. That was a tip top view in itself: and then the lizard brain kicked in and said I hadn't had to pay for that, that's good, that'll do. It's probably even nicer from the top - I'm just too tight to spend and find out now. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheery Thistle Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 One of my pics from Tour Montparnasse April 2022. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 8 hours ago, DrDougster said: Based on your plans, Taronga is a poor option that will take a lot more time than Australia Zoo where you can marvel at Forest: the tallest giraffe in the world! Taronga was great when I went 25yrs ago but much less so last year. If you're researching where you might live, a trip up and down the river from New Farm in Brisbane would be better than spending time on the water in Sydney. You could use that saved time going to Whale/Palm Beach and the lighthouse, on your way North, as suggested. If you're not going to consider living in Sunshine then ignore Caloundra, go to Noosa, go directly to Noosa: Sunshine Beach, do not collect $200! As a local, we rather laugh about the snobby appeal of Noosa and the extra price of housing. There has been so much organised for school children locally here to have fun over the Christmas holidays and most of it free, which is why the Buderim, Mooloolaba area of the Sunshine Coast is so popular with families. Sadly the work opportunities are not so good. Cherry Thistle I wish you all the best for your trip and hope it helps to make your decisions clearer, but importantly have fun and enjoy it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheery Thistle Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 1 minute ago, BendigoBoy said: To be honest, I was tempted to go and do the Harbour Bridge climb until I actually walked along the bridge itself in the quiet hours around 5am in January back in 2018. That was a tip top view in itself: and then the lizard brain kicked in and said I hadn't had to pay for that, that's good, that'll do. It's probably even nicer from the top - I'm just too tight to spend and find out now. It’s not really the view, it’s the experience. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 6 minutes ago, Cheery Thistle said: It’s the same for Sydney and the harbour bridge and opera house - they are synonymous! I don’t think you can really compare the price for the bridge climb and going up the tower. They are totally different . I think we paid about €75 for the 3 of us to go up in April 2022. Waited in a queue for over an hour in interesting weather. Then the whole thing is over pretty quickly. I think it’s quite expensive for what it is, especially if you have a couple of kids. But I think it’s a must-do at least once. I’ve done it so many times because I used to lead annual senior school Paris trips. Have done the climb on foot a few times (to cut waiting times) but wouldn’t do it with the 10 year old. I prefer the Tour Montparnasse. Not as iconic but has better views - you get to actually see the Eiffel Tower lit up from there if you go at night. To be honest if I went back to Paris I wouldn’t do the Eiffel Tower again unless I was with someone who hadn’t done it. Re: Bridge climb - my $, my bucket list, I’m not asking you to pay!! Go for it 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheery Thistle Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 1 minute ago, ramot said: As a local, we rather laugh about the snobby appeal of Noosa and the extra price of housing. There has been so much organised for school children locally here to have fun over the Christmas holidays and most of it free, which is why the Buderim, Mooloolaba area of the Sunshine Coast is so popular with families. Sadly the work opportunities are not so good. Cherry Thistle I wish you all the best for your trip and hope it helps to make your decisions clearer, but importantly have fun and enjoy it. Thank you, will do! I am quite good at fun actually, it’s one of my strengths! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheery Thistle Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 2 minutes ago, ramot said: Go for it We will. After all, I don’t want to end up an old lady not able to do it and wish that I had when I could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 1 minute ago, Cheery Thistle said: We will. After all, I don’t want to end up an old lady not able to do it and wish that I had when I could. That advice was from an old lady! Who hasn’t many regrets from a life well lived, apart from probably never seeing the Northern lights now.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InnerVoice Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 3 minutes ago, ramot said: That advice was from an old lady! Who hasn’t many regrets from a life well lived, apart from probably never seeing the Northern lights now.. Have you seen the Southern lights? They are visible from Tassie on occasions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 9 minutes ago, InnerVoice said: Have you seen the Southern lights? They are visible from Tassie on occasions. Not yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulya Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 14 hours ago, FirstWorldProblems said: Nope. But it’s not necessarily a Sydney thing. I think I’d struggle with the same things in London. I’m not a big city person but I will give it a genuine good effort. So why move to a big city? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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