Unwitting travelers landing in Sydney this week might find no room at the inn: It's World Youth Day and at least 215,000 young Catholics are already registered to be in Sydney for the week, with more arriving unannounced.

Pope Benedict XVI has already turned up and is apparently staying in a retreat where even a pet cat has been provided to suit him. Parades and events run from Tuesday to Sunday this week, with the pope-mobile getting an outing on Thursday when the Papal Motorcade runs through downtown Sydney.

A recent Travel + Leisure survey put the city at number four on its list of the most popular places for travelers, so all these young Catholics should enjoy themselves. The only people who are really annoyed are the owners of expensive hotels--one place that youth don't tend to book.

Related Stories:
· World Youth Day [Official Site]
· Tourists Love Sydney, Even If We Don't [ABC]
· Pilgrim Tourists Boost Youth Day Numbers [Herald Sun]
· Australia Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: RTSS]]]> amandak 2008-07-14T09:00:16-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/3/6/8014/72364

We feel like Sydney's tourist attractions have been getting more and more expensive in recent years, so we're quite pleased to see a decent discount deal coming out for the Sydney Wildlife World and the Sydney Aquarium. They've just joined forces to create a "Discovery Pass" which gives you a discount of around 20 percent if you head to both of them, as long as your visits are within three months of one another.

After considering shark sightings at the Aquarium, we're keen to get back there soon; the koalas at Sydney Wildlife World have such a massive cute factor they're pretty much irresistible.

The new deal means an adult pass for both places is now A$46.50 ($43), more than a $10 discount. That more than makes up for the unfavorable exchange rate for those traveling on US dollars. Come on, those Sydney sharks are waiting to smile at you.

Related Stories:
· Discovery Pass [Official Site]
· Safely Seeing Sharks in Sydney [Jaunted]
· Aquariums coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: andrew_mrt1976]]]> amandak 2008-03-06T09:00:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/2/29/1818/72230

We really should be placing bets on where the next Disneyland is going to spring up. Despite the problems in Hong Kong, there was that talk of a Disneyland development in Malaysia, and the latest rumors are about stalled discussions on some kind of Disney product hitting Sydney.

The state government of New South Wales in Australia has just revealed that they've been in discussions with the Walt Disney Company about redeveloping an area of Sydney known as White Bay, near the Anzac Bridge. That's pretty much all they're saying at the moment, although the Sydney Chamber of Commerce people figured a Disneyland would be a "wonderful opportunity for Sydney."

We're not at all sure Australia needs a Disneyland. It's already filled up with koalas, kangaroos and snakes, so there might be no space left for Mickey. And they'd probably want to fill the snack shops with all that weird Aussie food.

Related Stories:
· Disney Considered Plans for Sydney [SMH]
· Disneyland Drama Expands to Malaysia [Jaunted]
· We Love Us Some Aussie Cake [Jaunted]

[Photo: No Middle Name]]]> amandak 2008-02-29T09:30:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/2/27/4844/48995

Get 47 floors up above Sydney and you'll get a pretty spectacular view. Get 47 floors up in a revolving restaurant and the view improves even more. That's what has been going on for the last 40 years at the Summit Restaurant and its accompanying Orbit Lounge Bar.

In fact, on Friday, it'll be exactly 40 years since the restaurant started turning. We think its leap year opening date of February 29, 1968 must have been quite auspicious, and maybe that's one of the secrets to its success. The Summit Restaurant claims to have served some 3.5 million customers, and over its 40 years of operation, it's turned a distance equivalent to double the circumference of the earth.

Moving at one meter every minute, it takes 105 minutes for the restaurant to revolve through the full 360 degree view. If you decide to dine at the Summit in Sydney, we recommend that you eat slowly.

Related Stories:
· Summit Restaurant [Official Site]
· 100 More Reasons to Love Sydney [Jaunted]

[Photo: sachman75]]]> amandak 2008-02-27T09:15:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/2/13/231358/186

Zachary Levi must have been sitting on a plane last night when the WGA was voting on the strike. How else could the star of NBC's nerd-action comedy "Chuck" have been ready to shoot today in Sydney, Australia, along with costar Yvonne Strahovski? Or maybe he got hold of a pre-market time machine while working for the Nerd Herd.

"Chuck" ran out of episodes in January; it is expected to be renewed, but studio gossip had it that new episodes wouldn't be made until the fall. How are the networks deciding who gets to go to Australia and who--like our beloved Lee Pace and Anna Friel of "Pushing Daisies"--must stay home until after upfronts? We wish we knew. In any case, maybe Levi and Strahovski can have the New Zealand-bound Ashley Tisdale on for a cameo as Chuck's new, possibly evil trainee.

Related Stories:
· High School Musical Star Goes Kiwi [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Just Jared]]]> egw 2008-02-14T09:00:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/1/15/25636/2670

We're not recommending that you get really close to a shark, but a new ride at the Sydney Aquarium seems like a good way to try it without feeling too threatened. The Shark Explorer is a glass-bottomed boat which takes you on a journey over the surface of the Aquarium's Great Barrier Reef exhibition, with a perfect view of all the marine life below.

The ride costs an extra A$10 on your entrance cost, and only lasts ten minutes, but it's a lot cheaper than heading up to the Great Barrier Reef yourself. And with ten or so sharks swimming around underneath you, this is a good place to get close up to sharks that are around the same size as your boat. Just don't be tempted to jump in with them: They're probably not as friendly as other Australians.

Related Stories:
· Sydney Aquarium Opens New Reef Ride [Jamble]
· Sydney Aquarium [Official Site]
· Sharks coverage [Jaunted]
· Sydney Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Simont]]]> amandak 2008-01-18T11:15:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/12/17/174611/67

We've got a lot of love for Sydney--we even agreed when Condé Nast readers voted it the number one city in the world. The UK Times is showing even more love, with a recent feature on 100 different ways to check out Sydney, with but a few major tourist attractions on the list.

The wide-ranging guide touches on many different aspects of Australian culture: Eating tips involve Italian pizzerias, seafood by the beach and plenty of Chinese and Thai restaurants. To quench your thirst, there are tips like the Bubble Lounge champagne bar (30 different kinds stocked), flashy De Nom with allegedly the most spectacular bathrooms in the city and the Hopetoun Hotel, a bar with a reputation for great live music.

And finally, amidst worthwhile art galleries and some of the usual suspects for sightseeing, the Times also put together a great bunch of shopping suggestions where you can get original clothing from Australian designers, plus some vintage clothing shops. We love the sound of Grandma Takes a Trip, a store full of 1950s to 1980s clothing. Guess it takes longer for fashion to get all the way Down Under.

Related Stories:
· 100 Ways to Discover Sydney [UK Times]
· Grandma Takes a Trip [Official Site]
· Travel Stories in Sydney [Jaunted]
· Number One City: Sydney is Friendly [Jaunted]

[Photo: deepwarren]]]> amandak 2007-12-18T09:30:01-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/