Review by Barb & Ron Kroll

Travel Guide Book Title:

Sydney Encounter
(Lonely Planet) ISBN 978-1740598392

Theme:

Lonely Planet's Sydney Encounter is a sightseeing guide that helps visitors find attractions, restaurants, entertainment, beaches, hotels and shopping in Australia's oldest and largest city.

Sample Items:

The Sydney Walking Tours section features trails to Aboriginal rock carvings, lookouts, beaches, markets and parks. Each trail description includes the route and a map with a legend identifying the distance, duration, start and end points.

Notable Elements:

Sydney Encounter helps visitors explore eight must-see highlights in Sydney:

1. Sydney Opera House - architecture, performances and Sunday market
2. Sydney Harbour Bridge - walk, rollerblade or drive across, climb over and sail under
3. Sydney Harbour - sailing, ferry, walking trails, picnic spots and waterside parks
4. Kings Cross - Art Deco buildings, strip joints, tourist shops, restaurants and bars
5. Sydney Beaches - where to surf, swim, sun and find family and topless beaches
6. The Rocks - theaters, markets and historical sites
7. Royal Botanic Gardens - free guided walks and summer concerts
8. Art Gallery of NSW - permanent collections, special events and kids' programs

For easy reference, money conversion rates, banking, useful telephone numbers, Sydney pub and restaurant hours are on the inside front cover. An excellent fold-out map, with CityRail routes, helps visitors get around Sydney.

Tone / Style:

Palm-sized and well organized, Sydney Encounter codes each section with color to make it easy to use.

Sidebars provide information on Harbour Bridge statistics, best weekend markets, best galleries for indigenous art, best local pubs, best surfing beaches and bus routes from Circular Quay. In the Neighbourhoods section, Worth The Trip sidebars suggest Sydney attractions like the Sky Safari Cable Car and the nightly Roar & Snore family attraction at the Taronga Zoo.

The Directory contains practical information on attractions, shopping, restaurants, bars and theaters. Transportation advice includes SydneyPass information, useful bus routes, how to get to Bondi Beach, Paddington, other districts and the airport.

Snapshots specify websites and tips, like the best places to stay in Sydney on a budget and by the beach.

Visuals:

Colored maps and images of beaches, shops, nightlife and attractions illustrate the Sydney guidebook.

Contents:

• The author
• This is Sydney
• Highlights
• Sydney diary
• Itineraries
• Neighbourhoods
  • City Centre
  • The Rocks and Circular Quay
  • Chinatown and Darling Harbour
  • Inner West
  • Surry Hills
  • Kings Cross, Darlinghurst and Around
  • Paddington and Woollahra
  • Bondi, Bronte and Coogee
  • Manly
• Walking Tours
  • Bondi to Coogee Clifftop Trail
  • Manly Scenic Walkway
  • South Head Shuffle
• Snapshots
  • Accommodation
  • Gay and Lesbian Sydney
  • Health and Fitness
  • Sydney Cuisine
  • Drinking
  • Gallery Scene
  • Parks, Wildlife and the Great Outdoors
  • Shopping and Markets
  • Spectator Sports

Background
Directory
Index

Author:

Charles Rawlings-Way

Claim to fame:

Australian Charles Rawlings-Way lives in Melbourne and is a frequent visitor to Sydney.

 
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More things to see and do in Sydney:

Sydney Australia Stopover