Hi Guys, How are you today? I hope you guys all in good condition, healthy and happy. For anyone who feels sad and sick, please be strong, hang in there, and it sure will be passed. So in this post, I will tel you my experience visit Sydney Tower in Sydney Australia.
Sydney Tower
Sydney Tower is located in the Westfield Shopping Centre, at the corner of Pitt Street and Market Street in the heart of Sydney’s CBD. Go up to Level 5, you will find food court there and just follow the signs that will bring you to the entrance. If You want to go there, you can use train and stop at St James station, find Exit B Elizabeth Street and you can head west to Market Street around 3 minutes walk you can arrive at Westfield Sydney. You can check another transport option here.
Please check the website to get update opening hours, especially because of covid-19 outbreak, maybe they can suddenly close or change the operational hours.
We can see Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House Harbour Bridge from Sydney TowerDarling HarbourQueen Victoria BuildingAnzac Memorial and Sydney City ViewSt Mary Cathedral
There are some photos that I took when I was at Sydney Tower, You can Discover 360-degree views of the beautiful Sydney from indoor Observation Deck that located 250 meters above the city streets. You can find a lot of Sydney landmark from above, the city side and the ocean side.
There are a mailbox up there, the highest working mailbox in southern hemisphere, I really regret I didn’t sent any post card from this mailbox. I think it will be special if I can sent a post card from here to my sisters and my friends or even to myself and got the post card after I back to Indonesia. Hmmm, but regret is always come late. Hehehehe
If you want to visit Sydey Tower, and go to their observation deck to see sydney from above, we need to buy the ticket first. You can buy the ticket online from their website, and because of this covid-19 pandemic, they only sell the ticket online. You can check here . They also sell combo ticket, than we can choose from Sydney Tower, Madame Tussauds, Wild Life, and Sea Life, we can buy combo ticket for single attraction, 2 attractions, 3 or 4 attractions. Of course it will be cheaper if we bought combo ticket. For me, I bought combo for 2 attraction, Sydney Tower + Sea Life. I don’t really interest with Madame Tussauds, I have visited Thailand Madame Tussauds and I choose Taronga Zoo then Wild Life, so that’s why I bought combo ticket for 2 attractions.
For me it is exciting to see Sydney from above, and for first timer like me ang my father I think the experience is worth. But If I go back to Sydney again, I think Sydney Tower will never become one of my itinerary anymore, I think it is enough to visit it once. But If I must go there again, my first thing to do is buy the post card and sent it from their mailbox, and I think it will be great if we visit it during sunset and maybe try their rotating restaurant. Hehehe
Hi Guys, How are you today? Quarantine mode? When I write this post, I already stay at home for 1.5 months and keep counting. I hope you guys all in good condition, healthy and happy. For anyone who feels sad and sick, please be strong, hang in there, and it sure will be passed. So in this post, I will tel you my experience visit St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney, Australia.
St Mary’s Cathedral stands on the site of the first Catholic Chapel in Australia. Constructed in local sandstone, the Gothic Revival style of its architecture is reminiscent of the great medieval cathedrals of Europe. The Cathedral is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of Immaculate Mother of God, Help of Christians.
St Mary’s Cathedral
How to get here
You can check here, in their official website, and choose which one you prefer. But in this posting I will tell you how I got there. I commuted with train and got of at St James station and find Exit Macquarie Street. After you exit from station you will find Hyde Park. Just walked across the park and you will find Hugh Gothic Church, that is St Mary’s Cathedral.
St Mary’s Cathedral from Hyde Park
Hyde Park
Okay before I tell you about St Mary, I will tell you about Hyde Park First. Hyde Park is huge park that located in the central business district of Sydney. What I like from Sydney is despite it’s so Metropolitan City with mostly skyscrapers building, but there is a lot of park in Sydney City Centre, and every park I went is so huge, beautiful, full of trees and a lot of place to us to sit down and relax while reading a book, picnic, or meet with friends.
Hyde Park
I visited Australia when Jacaranda season, and Hyde Park have 1 Jacaranda Tree, standing alone there with purple flower in the middle of green forest, If you visit Hyde Park and find blooming Jacaranda, it is a must photo spot i think, I don’t know why they only plant 1 , it will be more beautiful if there are several Jacaranda there, when they blooming together I think it will be so purple and beautiful. From Hyde park we also can see Sydney Tower, Sydney Tower is Sydney’s tallest structure and from above we can see whole Sydney city.
Jacaranda
Hyde Park from Sydney Tower, we can see purple jacaranda
Jacaranda
Sydney Tower from Hyde Park
St Mary’s Cathedral
So, my first impression of St Mary is “Am I in Australia or Europe right now?” It’s so huge Church and the architecture remind me of Europe, mostly cathedral in Europe is in Gothic style and St Mary uses that style too.
St Mary’s Cathedral from Sydney Tower
This Church is still operating as place of worship so there is mass and another religion activity inside. So as visitor, we need to pay attention with that. Please remember to treat the place with respect whilst you are here. Mobile phones should not be used whilst you are in the Cathedral. Gentlemen’s hats should be removed and no food or beverages are to be taken in or consumed on the Cathedral grounds. You should always talk in hushed tones so as to not disturb parishioners and worshipers.
When I entered this church, inside is so beautiful, the detail of this building is so glamorous but solemn, the lighting and every detail of the interior is so elegant. They also use Stained glass, and for me that’s beautiful. They also have pipe organ, i can not imagined how beautiful the mass with choir that accompanied with that organ.
Interior
Interior – Stained Glass
They allow photos to be taken inside the Cathedral however not during liturgical celebrations and Masses and please do not use flash. For clothes, it is a church of course it need to be modestly, no short skirts, shorts or bare feet and please cover your shoulders. Hats should be removed before entering the Cathedral.
Interior – Altar
There is no entrance fee to the Cathedral. It is FREE and it open to public, no matter what the religion. St Mary’s Cathedral is open every day of the week from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm. But maybe in Christmas or another event, it will be change and due the Covid-19 The cathedral is closed until further notice. So before you go there better you check it in their official website or their instagram first.
Exterior
Hyde Park and St Mary’s Cathedral is one of must visit place if you travel to Sydney. It’s FREE but you can get a lot of new experience there. It is easy to reach, because they both located in the central of Sydney City, and the access is easy , you can ride train or bus to go there. So, do not forget to visit it when you go to Sydney.
Hi Guys, How are you today? I hope you guys all in good condition, healthy and happy. For anyone that feels sick today or sad, I hope reading my blog can raise your mood. OK, Here we go, In this post, I will tell you about my experience traveling to Wollongong , New South Wales, Australia. The main attraction that we want to visit is Nan Tien Temple. I went to Australia with my Dad, and Big Sis and I definitely 100% sure that my dad will love to see this temple with chinese architecture.
Nan Tien Temple
Luckily, that day my brother in law, Big Sis’s husband is free, so he drove us there, and that’s great because we can stop to another attraction before going to Nan Tien Temple. FYI, this trip is consisted of 4 people (Me, My Dad, Big Sis, and Her Husband) and this trip took place in Oct 2018 (sorry for very late post) before Covid-19.
Stanwell Tops
Stanwell Tops
So, Our Fisrt stop is Stanwell Tops. Stanwell Tops is known for its beautiful coastal, escarpment and cliff views. The hills that rise sharply from the coast to the escarpment with strong air currents make Stanwell Tops a prime spot for hang gliding and paragliding as well as the perfect spot to take a photo and admire the views of the ocean, the escarpment and the Sea Cliff Bridge. The view so amazing up there but so windy. When I went there, the weather is so good, the sun shines bright but because it’s still autumn, the wind is still cold, but I like this kind of weather.
Windy Stanwell Tops
Sea CLiff Bridge
Second Stop is Sea Cliff Bridge, it’s not far from Stanwell Tops. It’s only another 10 minutes drive down the hill before you arrive at the bridge. There is parking along the side of the road both before and after. From the photo below, you can see some pillar that rise from the sea and support the road, this sea cliff bridge make we can enjoy so breathtaking view while drive, you also can park your car in the side way and walk this bridge to enjoy the view, don’t forget to take a lot of photo.
Sea Cliff Bridge
Wollongong Head Lighthouse
Our Third Stop is Wollongong Head Lighthouse. This lighthouse also known as Flagstaff Hill Lighthouse or Flagstaff Point Light, is an active lighthouse. In this area you can see 2 lighthouse, the modern one and the historical one. This Flagstaff hill Lighthouse is the historical one , this lighthouse was first lit o 23 July 1937 and has been inactive since 1974. But In 2000 to 2002, a complete restoration returned the lighthouse and its lighting equipment to its original configuration, and the light was relit in connection with an international lighthouse conference in Sydney. That’s why now Wollongong is the only point on the eastern coast of Australia which has two lighthouses.
Wollongong Head Lighthouse
Cannon – Wollongong Head Lighthouse
Parking Area – Wollongong Lighthouse
Nan Tien Temple
Ok, here we Go, our Last stop and the main reason we went to Wollongong Nan Tien Temple. Nan Tien temple is the largest Buddhist Temple in the Southern Hemisphere. It was founded by and constructed under the auspices of the Mahayana Buddhist organization known as Fo Guang Shan, and completed in 1995. In the entrance there is a restaurant that provide vegetarian food, we having lunch there, and the food is good. But if you enter the temple you can find cafetaria that sells vegetarian food with cheaper price and buffet style. In this Nan Tien complex, you can find pagoda, and a lot off cute little monk statue. We got so blue sky here and the natural light is so good for taking photo. We went here in the end of autumn so you can see the trees is already back to green, but if you go here in the middle of autumn you will get yellow and green leaves instead. That will be so beautiful. There is a lotus pond in Nan Tien temple area, Its quite beautiful, if you arrive early you can see the lotus blooming, but we arrived too late so, the lotus back to bud mode
My Dad pose with the buildingCute little monk statue
The best way to travel to Nan Tien temple is by car, it will be faster than another option. But if you don’t have a car or can not rent a car, the best way to travel to NanTien Temple from Sydney is by Train. We can rode a train from Sydney to Unanderra Station (2 hours), and continue to walk 24 min (approx 2.1 km).
FYI, all of the tourist attraction that I mention above is free, but far from Sydney, so transportation fee might be expensive, but if you want to change the city mode to more nature mood , you can choose this day trip to Wollongong , enjoy the view and calmness in Nan Tien temple. So, that is our story, hope you enjoy it.
Well, kali ini Lil Sis akan straight to the point aja. Lil Sis bakalan cerita pengalaman Lil Sis berkunjung ke Taronga Zoo di Sydney Australia. Namanya ke Australia, pasti pengen liat Kanguru sama Koala dong. Jadi Zoo atau kebun binatang tuh pasti kudu wajib dikunjungi, apalagi bagi first timer ya, kalo udah berkali kali mah, mungkin bosen juga kalo ke zoo terus. Hehehehe. Jadi awalnya Lil Sis bimbang nih mau mengunjungi Wild Life Sydney Zoo yang terletak di kota, tepatnya di kawasan Darling Harbour, which is lebih gampang aja dituju, atau mau ke Taronga Zoo yang lebih jauh tapi lebih besar dan lebih beragam binatang binatangnya. Akhirnya berhubung hari itu juga nggak ada rencana ke tempat lain, jadi Lil Sis memutuskan ke Taronga Zoo aja, biar lebih puas juga bisa lihat binatang binatang lebih banyak.
View From Taronga Zoo (Zoo with the best view)
PRICE
So, to make my life easier, I buy the ticket from their website. It’s cheaper than buy it on site. Untuk Dewasa harganya 42,3 AUD dan untuk Anak-Anak(4-15 tahun) harganya 24,3 AUD. Ada diskon 10% jika kita beli melalui website taronga zoo nya, dan diskon 20% kalo beli tiket paket family juga. Kalian bisa cek detailnya di websitenya ya. Jangan lupa juga cek website website promo lain sih, siapa tau bisa dapet harga yang lebih murah lagi. Dan tiketnya ini tuh sudah include Sky Safari Cable Car, kalo kalian ke Taronga Zoo nya naik Ferry, karena habis turun dari Ferry itu, langsung disitu ada Cable Car nya, jadi bisa langsung cus naik cable car buat ke gate taronga zoo nya. Kalo mau jalan atau naik bus sih bisa, cuma lumayan juga kan bisa menikmati pemandangan dari atas. As I say before, Taronga Zoo is the Zoo with the best view. Tiketnya itu juga sudah include semua atraksi yang ada di Zoo ya, jadi kalian bisa nonton pertunjukan apa saja di taronga Zoo.
Opening Hour
Taronga Zoo is open daily, except Christmas Day. So kalian bisa arrange kedatengan kalian kapan aja. Opening hour nya October – March = 9:30 to 17:00, kalo April – September = 9:30 to 16:30 Taronga Zoo is open daily.
How To get There
So, Gimana caranya ke sana. Lil Sis bakalan cerita cara Lil Sis ke sana ya. Jadi Lil Sis naik Ferry ke taronga Zoo, dari Circular Quay. Jadi kali bisa naik MRT or Bu pokoknya tujuannya ke Circular Quay, habis itu bisa langsung menuju dermaga dan menunggu Ferry yang tujuannya ke Taronga Zoo. Di Dermaga nya ini juga ada kok yang jualan tiket Taronga Zoo, jadi bisa beli di situ juga. Kapalnya ini akan muncul setiap 30 menit sekali, kalian bisa install TripView Lite di smartphone kalian buat ngecek tuh berapa lama lagi bakalan depart kapalnya, jadi kalo mau jajan dulu atau ke toilet dulu kalian bisa atur waktu lah. nanti aku bakalan bikin pstingan khusus buat bahas TripView Lite ya. Perjalanan dari Circular Quy ke Taronga Zoo itu kurang lebih 12 menit. Sehabis sampe langsung aja menuju ke arah cable car, dan naik deh sampe gate Taronga Zoonya, tunjukin tiketnya terus bisa masuk deh. Untuk cara cara lain ke Taronga Zoo kalian bisa cek di sini ya
Attraction
PENTING!!! Sebelum kalian masuk ke Taronga Zoo nya, ada baiknya kalian ambil dulu maps dan liatin ada atraksi apa aja dan jam berapa, dan choose atraksi apa yang pengen kalian tonton. Aku pengen banget nonton atraksi Elang gitu, tapi kelewatan karena awalnya nggak tau itu jam berapa. Dari maps nya itu juga kalian mau lihat binatang apa gitu lebih gampang, tau harus ke mana. Cuma kalo kalian mau liat semua, kalian tinggal ikutin jalan aja sih, di sepanjang jalan itu ada bulet bulet gitu di aspalnya, jadi follow bulet2 nya itu aja, kalian pasti akan diajak muterin kompleks taronga zoo yang luas abis ini, buat ngeliatin semua binatang binatang yang mereka punya. Aku awalnya nggak ngerti, jadinya sempet kayak tersesat gitu, untung lama lama pinter jadi ngerti akhirnya.
Well, aku bakalan bahas atraksi yang berkesan bagi aku aja ya. Jadi mungkin aku nggak bakalan bahas semua binatang atau acara yang ada di Taronga Zoo ini. Oke pertama aku menemukan Komodo di sana, belum kesampain ke Labuan bajo liat Komodo di Indonesia, malah liat Komodo di Australia. Terus tentu aja habis itu liat koala, tapi sayang banget koalanya lagi tidur, ya kalian pasti tau kan kalo Koala itu tukang tidur, dan aku kurang beruntung jadi nggak dateng pas dia lagi bangun. Hehehe. Aku paling suka di taronga Zoo ini ada Kanguru trail gitu , jadi kita bener bener bisa jalan di kandangnya kanguru, dan deket bangeet sama kanguru nya, Ada keepernya kok, jadi aman asal kalian juga nggak provokasi kangguru nya ya. Terus bisa liat hewan eksotis kayak Gajah dan Jerapah juga, oh ya ada harimau juga loh, harimaunya harimau Sumatera, even kalo mau liat ada pertunjukan kecil gitu, jadi kayak kita mesti naik pesawat dulu ceritanya ke sumatera, terus turun turun sampe di kampung di sumatera, dekorasinya Indonesia banget terus baru deh ketemu sama harimau nya. Idenya nice banget ini ya,, walaupun perjalanan pura pura naik pesawatnya rada gak jelas. hehehehe. Habis itu aku juga paling menikmati waktu nonton pertunjukan Seal. Pinter pinter banget Sealnya. gagal nont pertunjukan burung jadi nonton yang seal aja. Tapi ini ngantrinya panajang banget, 30 menit sebelum mulai ada baiknya kalian udah nunggu di depan TKP sih biar bisa dapet tempat pewe.
Sleeping Koala(s)
KomodoGorilaGajah
Harimau Sumatera
Pertunjuakn SealKangaroo
EAT
So, what we eat there. Di taronga Zoo ini ada beberapa tempat makan sih, tapi mostly jualnya fish and chip aja, dengan harga yang pastinya lebih mahal karena tempat wisata. Tapi dia nggak melarang pengunjung bawa makan dari luar kok, jadi untuk menghemat kalian bisa banget bawa makanan dari luar. Kayak aku, aku beli subway di wharf(dermaga) dan bawa ke dalam, Pas laper tinggal cari kursi di bawah pohon rindang , terus makan deh. Selain makanan berat macam fish and chip gitu, ada yang jualan cemilan juga sih kayak eskrim gitu. Untuk makanan gampang tapi pilihannya dikit kalo di dalem, jadi better bawa dari luar sih. kalian bisa beli rice box or anything buat dimakan di dalam.
Taronga ZOO
Jadi itulah sekilas mengenai taronga Zoo yang sempet aku kunjungi. Sayangnya waktu aku ke sana banyak sekali yang lagi dipugar gitu, jadi ada beberapa kandang yang nggak ada binatangnya atau dipindahin ke tempat lain, jadi agak berbeda sama yang ada di Maps deh. Tips aku buat yang mau ke sana, please pake alas kaki/sepatu yang enak dipake buat banyak jalan, karena memang penuh dengan jalan kaki ini zoo nya. Kalo aku bakalan balik lagi atau nggak ke sini, mungkin nggak, ke zoo berkali kali buat apa ya kan. Tapi kalo lagi dateng dan bawa orang yang baru pertama kali ke sydney I will suggest the to go there, karena ngeliatin Koala sama Kanguru dari deket kapan lagi kan. hehehe.
Hai Guys, Di postingan kali ini Lil Sis mau sharing ketika Lil Sis ngurusin Visa buat pergi ke Australia. Kalo kalian follow instagram aku @sisters8991 , kalian pasti tau kalau Lil Sis tahun Lalu bulan October – November gitu pergi ke Australia bulan liburan dan mengunjungi Big Sis di Sydney. Nah, di postingan kali ini aku bakalan cerita aku ngurusin Visa aku dan Papa ku lewat Dwidaya Travel. Yes, Aku nggak ngurusin sendiri kayak dulu pas ngurusin Visa Korea Selatan (kalian bisa baca di sini pengalamanku urus sendiri Visa Korea), kali ini aku lewt Dwidaya Travel buat urus Visa ku alasannya simple sih aku nggak mau repot bolak balik ke kedutaan. Kalo dulu pas urus Visa Korea ada temennya Miss Pepz, kalo ini aku pergi sama Papa ku, so I must urus semua sendiri. Memang lebih mahal, cuma potensi dapet Visa nya sih kata orang lebih besar dan nggak repot bolak balik buat anter dokumen dan ambil dokumennya. Jadi itu dia alasannya ya Guys. Buat kalian yang mau urus sendiri sebenernya persyaratan nya sama kok, cuma beda 1 dokumen aja, dokumen kayak surat kuasa gitu loh nunjuk dwidaya yang ngurusin. jadi harusnya postingan aku ini juga bisalah membantu temen-temen yang mau urus sendiri visa Australia nya.
Oke pertamanya, karena aku emang udah mutusin buat minta bantuan Dwidaya, so aku pergi ke kantor nya Dwidaya. Kantor dwidya ini bisa dibilang tersebar di mana mana, Di daerah ku sendiri Jakarta Barat, kayaknya hampir ada di semua Mall ternama deh, di Mall Puri Indah, Lippo Mall Puri, Di Taman Anggrek, di Mall Central Park, semua ada kantor cabang dwidaya nya. Kalo kalian mau cek ada dimana lagi kalian bisa langsung cek ke sini. Sebenernya bisa nggak usah pergi sih, dari website dwidaya nya sendiri itu tuh ada informasinya kita perlu persiapan apa isi dokumen apa, kalian bisa ke sini. Tapi berhubung tiap weekend aku pasti pergi ke salah satu mall yang aku sebutin di atas, so apa salahnya mampir sebentar buat langsung tanya ke staff Dwidaya. Aku pilih Dwidaya yang ada di Lippo Mall Puri. lokasinya di lantai LG agak dipojokan gitu deket food court Food Garden. Kalo bingung tanya security nya aja ya.
LG Floor Unit LG-105 B Jl. Puri Indah Raya Blok U1, Puri Indah CBD, Jakarta Barat Phone: 62-21 2911 1218 Fax: 62-21 2911 1217 Email: dwilmpuri@dwidayatravel.com Continue reading →
Hi Guys, Udah lama banget Lil Sis nggak ngepost apa apa di blog ini. Tiap minggu udah planning mau nulis, tapi selalu gagl eksekusinya. Oktober 2018 lalu itu Lil Sis sebenernya berkunjung ke Sydney Australia, kalo temen temen ada yang follow IG nya Sister Stories pasti pada tau, wkwkwkw. @sister8991 , buruan difollow ya. Makasih.
Well Back to story, jadi lil sis tuh pengen ngepost perjalanan Lil Sis ke Australia dari ngajuin Visa sampe day to day nya di Sydney tuh Lil Sis ngapain. Jadi postingannya pasti bakalan panjang ya. Dan mungkin gara gara itu jadi rasa malesnya timbul. Hehehehe, karena tau nggak bakalan bisa menyelesaikan tulisannya dengan cepat. Jadi akhirnya Lil Sis pun memutuskan buat sharing tempat-tempat yang Lil Sis kunjungi aja, jadi Lil Sis nggak akan cerita detail per hari Lil Sis ngapain.
Nah, tempat pertama yang mau Lil Sis cerita adalah Chinese Garden of friendship. Sesuai namanya ini adalah taman yang bernuance Cina, jadi dekorasinya itu cina banget, bangunannya, terus pohon-pohonnya semuanya bernuansa Cina. Taman ini sendiri dibuka ke publik officially 17 Januari 1988 sebagai bagian dari perayaan pertemanan/hubungan baik antara Cina dan Australia dan Sydney sendiri itu punya Chinese sister city yaitu Guangzhou.
Hello, It’s been a long time since I wrote here. I have been married last October and now I lived in Sydney with my husband. My husband is Indonesian and was born in Indonesia, but he moved to Sydney when he was kid. He grew up here and now he is working here also. It’s hard for me to leave my life in Indonesia but this is the way that I choose so I will fight for it and hopefully in the end, I will enjoy my life here also. 🙂
Before this, I have already visited Sydney few times but I never write about that and now, still jobless here, I will try to share my experience here. When the first time I came here, I fell in love with the sky. The sky is so blue and bright, similar like in my hometown, Bangka and I love it. So much. You cannot see sky like this in Jakarta.
I can see a lot of trees also, and river/lake or beach beside the busy road. It’s so nice. The traffic here sometimes can be packed also but it’s still bearable compared to Jakarta. And because of the council regulation and small population also I think, houses here can still have a front garden and a backyard. The wide backyard where you can have a swimming pool or barbecue with your friends (I don’t have a swimming pool but many people have one here). Of course, there are a lot of apartments also, especially in the CBD (city business district) for those who want to live close to their university or office or those who want to live in a small convenient place or those who still cannot afford house.
Sister's Stories 