Home
About Hotel
Conference Program
Fees & Booking
Print Site
 
 
 
  Exploring Athens and Tourist Information
 

Getting to the hotel

Most people will arrive by air at Sydney’s main airport – Kingsford Smith International. http://www.sydneyairport.com.au/Sacl/. With most methods of transport, it is about 30 minutes distance from the Hotel.

The Four Seasons hotel is located in the Circular Quay area/harbour front area of the city. There are various travel options.

Perhaps the most economic and practical is the Rail Link from the airport, which stops at Circular Quay. There are escalators/lifts there; and the hotel is about 200m walk (slightly up hill) across Alfred Square.  http://www.airportlink.com.au/ One journey costs about $16 AUD. If you arrive at either Terminal 1 or 2 follow the Rail Link signs.

Shuttle buses (for hotels) are available and cost about the same, but you may have to wait for a connection and drag your bag some distance to a loading area (and of course wait for other people to be taken to their hotels). There is a desk in the Arrivals Hall to book a shuttle bus.

Taxis can cost up to $50AUD to the CBD (Central Business District).

The Four Seasons Hotel also offers a private pre-booked limousine collection service. Details are presented on the hotel booking form. The cost is $110AUD

Hotel location map: http://www.fourseasons.com/sydney/hotel_fact_sheet/  


About Athens

Sydney is the largest and most populous city in Australia (about 4.5 million people) and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. Inhabitants of Sydney are called Sydneysiders, comprising a cosmopolitan and international population of people from numerous places around the world.
Sydney has a reputation as an international centre for commerce, arts, fashion, culture, entertainment, music, education and tourism, Sydney has hosted major international sporting events, including the 1938 British Empire Games, the 2000 Summer Olympics, and the final match of the 2003 Rugby World Cup.
More historically, indications show aboriginals may have inhabited Australia for more than 116,000 to 176,000 years and they had arrived by watercraft. However, conventional belief is that they arrived between 40,000 and 50,000 years ago. Australia has always been separated by at least 60 kilometres of water since the glacial maximum of 140,000 years ago - yet smoke from bushfires could have easily alerted those living north of the continent of its existence.
The west and north coast of Australia had been visited quite frequently by Europeans in the 17th century. The east coast was first charted by Europeans, in 1770, by the well known Pacific explorer, Captain James Cook. On April 29, 1770, on Possession Island, he claimed the whole east coast for King George III and called it New South Wales. The British did nothing about their new acquisition till after a number of years, when at the urgings of Joseph Banks (the botanist with the Cook expedition), decided to establish a colony in this far flung corner of the earth.
The history of Australia began when The First Fleet, commissioned by Thomas Townshend, Baron Sydney, set sail for Botany Bay on May 13, 1787. Led by Captain Arthur Phillip, the fleet comprised a range of vessels and arrived on the NSW coast on the 3rd of January, 1788. They arrived at Botany Bay on the 18th of January, where upon anchoring, it was discovered there was no fresh water locally available. When the rest of the fleet arrived early on the 19th, much to Phillip’s surprise, it was decided to go further north, to Port Jackson (now known as Sydney Harbour). There, they were to find a lush, pristine forest in a cove fed by a stream (now called the Tank Stream). This is where they decided to settle. Captain Arthur Phillip was later to name the cove they landed as Sydney Cove, in honour of Thomas Townshend, Baron Sydney (1733-1800), the minister responsible for the Colony, with later usage dropping the word ’Cove’.

 

Sydney history timeline:

  • 50,000BC - 15,000BC - various aboriginal sites around the Sydney region.
  • 1770 - Captain Cook arrives at Botany Bay.
  • 1778 - Penal Colony of New South Wales established by the arrival of the first fleet.
  • 1808 - The infamous Rum Rebellion overthrows the then Governor, William Bligh.
  • 1840 - Due to pressure from the citizens of Sydney, England stops transport of prisoners.
  • 1842 - Sydney becomes a City.
  • 1852 - Gold discovered! Massive influx of people from all over the world seeking their fortune.
  • 1888 - Town Hall opened.
  • 1901 - Australia becomes a Commonwealth.
  • 1932 - Sydney Harbour Bridge is completed and opened.
  • 1973 - The Sydney Opera House opens its doors.
  • 2000 - The Sydney Olympic Games held.
  • 2011 – World Link for Law conference held

Landmarks 

  • Sydney Opera House
  • Sydney Harbour Bridge
  • Bondi Beach
  • The Rocks area
  • Darling Harbour
  • The Sydney Tower
  • Taronga Zoo
  • Mrs Macquarie’s Chair

 

Further afield:

  • The Blue Mountains
  • Hunter Valley (vineyards)


Getting around

Most things are within walking distance of the hotel, but there is a transport network within and outside the CBD (Central Business District)

 

Trains: (same service as from the airport) and these run closest to the hotel from Circular Quay Station, compared to the other methods of transport below: General map: http://www.cityrail.info/stations/network_map  Each short ride is about $4AUD

There is also a light rail ‘tram’ service that crosses different aspects of the city and a mono-rail service:

 

Light rail: http://www.metrotransport.com.au/network/overview/lightrail

Mono- rail: http://www.metrotransport.com.au/index.php/monorail/monorail-home.html

Public transport, general Site
http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/aboutsydney/parkingandtransport/publictransport.asp

General map:
http://www.cityrail.info/stations/network_map

Taxi : http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/aboutsydney/documents/ParkingAndTransport/PublicTransport/TaxiRanks.pdf - secure and general authorised taxi cab ranks in the city.

 

 

Useful web sites

Google city map: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=restaurants+near+castlereagh+st,+sydney&fb=1&gl=uk&hq=restaurants&hnear=Castlereagh+St,+Sydney+NSW+2000,+Australia&ei=t3w9TKTYIpPw0wSsqNHLDg&sa=X&oi=local_group&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CC4QtgMwAA

Frommers Sydney city guide: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/sydney/
Transport guides: http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/aboutsydney/parkingandtransport/publictransport.asp ; http://www.cityrail.info/stations/network_map
Hotel: http://www.fourseasons.com/sydney
General City Guide: http://www.sydney.com.au/info.htm
Restaurants: http://www.urbanspoon.com/n/70/7003/New-South-Wales/CBD-restaurants  
Tours/excursions: http://www.viator.com/Sydney/d357-ttd

(World Link for Law makes no recommendation, assurance or warranties about any of these websites, companies or tours therein.).

General Tourist Information

  • Visas: are required for most visitors but are generally inexpensive and easy to obtain (and only electronic) particularly for EU and North American visitors. There are two types of short term Visas: ETA (Visitor) (Subclass 676) – Tourist – or eVisitors (Subclass 651) for Tourism and business purposes -  free to most EU and US visitors (available ‘on-line’ for most); there is a small administration charge – about $20AUD. These are an electronically stored authority for short-term visits to Australia of up to 3 months. For more initial information go to: http://www.immi.gov.au/visawizard/

However, delegates are responsible for checking their own personal situations and possible requirements. If any assistance is required e.g. invitation letters, please contact Tony Firth.

  • Weather: Sydney weather in November (Spring time) – 23C daytime/15C nigh time
  • Time zone: + 11hrs UTC
  • Telephone: ++ 61 2 ; 61 (Australia); 2 (Sydney); then the local number
  • Currency: Australian dollars and cents. Notes: $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100 bills. Coins: 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, $1 and $2. Average conversions (May 2011): 1 AUD = 0.734640 EUR; 1 AUD = 1.08599 USD ; 1 AUD = 0.653285 GBP  
  • Credit/Debit Cards and ATMs: There is an ATM in the hotel lobby to the left of the Reservations desk – it charges approximately $2AUD per transaction; opposite the hotel on George Street there is another “St George” ATM.
  • Banking hours: Generally 9.30am-4pm Monday to Thursday, and 9.30am-5pm Friday.
  • Business Hours: Business hoursare generally 9.00am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday
  • Electricity: 240v; use the Type I electrical plug that has two flat, oblique blades that form an inverted V, and a grounding blade, although the latter vertical blade is not essential: http://electricaloutlet.org/type-i
  • Water: in Sydney, the tap water is drinkable, but you may prefer bottled water.
  • Emergencies: for all emergency services dial: 000
  • Language: English
  • Shopping experiences: are located in a nearby ‘mall’ to the left of hotel (a small collection of designer stores).To the right along George Street and beyond (all within walking distance) are the more general stores on George St; and to the left Pitt Street, onto St Martin’s Place and King St (turning left towards further main department stores near to the Sydney Tower). There is a convenience store behind the hotel (Harrington Street); and in front in Alfred Square, where there is also a pharmacy – by the train line entrance.
  • Alternative breakfast and free internet options: There are alternative breakfast options at Jacksons restaurant (directly opposite the hotel) – about $15AUD and also in Alfred Square (to the right) there is a Starbucks, which also provides free internet access to customers.
  • Shopping Hours: Generally 9.00am to 5.00pm (to 9pm on Thursday; to 4pm Saturday); closed on Sundays except in tourist areas
  • Units of measure: metric.
  • Phone directory assistance: 1223 (Sydney area), 1223 (Australia), 1225 (International).