Cities have MySpace pages now? Who knew? Turns out that Sydney has got its own MySpace haunt because they want to persuade young Americans to head Down Under to boost the Aussie economy rather than helping out their own. Well, that's just our interpretation.

Now that US citizens aged 18 to 30 can get a working holiday visa for Australia, Sydney reckons it's got the goods to attract people: Surf and sand, plenty of jobs, good nightlife and decent places to study if you're so inclined.

Sydney--at least its MySpace version--doesn't have too many friends yet, and it has even fewer comments on its forum questions. But don't let that be an indication of whether this city is actually friend-worthy. Just because we think Melbourne's better doesn't mean you can't add Sydney as a friend: Melbourne isn't even cool enough to have a MySpace page yet.

Related Stories:
· MySpace Sydney [Official Site]
· Wanna Work and Play Down Under? [Jaunted]
· Melbourne IS Better Than Sydney [Jaunted] ]]> amandak 2008-11-20T09:00:16-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/15/54026/794

Sydney strikes another blow in the ongoing battle of Melbourne vs. Sydney, with the pending announcement of the Island Hopping Festival for October 2009.

In a rare move, five of the tiny national park islands around Sydney Harbour will be opened up to the public with various activities based on each. For example, Fort Denison will probably have a French-themed mobile restaurant; on Clark Island, there'll be an Aboriginal-related celebration.

This Island Hopping will be held at the same time as the events like Sculpture by the Sea and the International Food Fair so it will be a great time to be in Sydney. Pity the Ferris wheel will be long gone, or we could've enjoyed a great view at the same time.

Related Stories:
· Festival Goes Island Hopping on the Harbour [SMH]
· Ferris Wheel Travel: Now Sydney Wants One Too [Jaunted]
· Melbourne IS Better Than Sydney [Jaunted]

[Photo: meaden]]]> amandak 2008-10-15T09:30:45-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/3/4734/33881

Sydney's Harbour Bridge has been carrying people across the water since 1932 but it's only a decade since the Sydney Bridge Climb allowed brave tourists to stand on top of the city's world famous icon.

To celebrate the ten year anniversary of climbing the bridge, the Bridge Climb people organized a bunch of people to climb with their flags to break the world record for "number of flags flown from a bridge" (damn, we really wanted to break that one ourselves).

Apparently the new world record is 137: A neat number that represents the number of different nationalities of the tourists who've successfully scaled the bridge so far. How very intellectual, Sydney.

Related Stories:
· Aussie Icon Sets New World Record [news.com.au]
· Touching Rivets in Sydney Harbour [Jaunted]
· Sydney Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: buck82]
]]> amandak 2008-10-03T09:30:38-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/11/61923/9232

Australian coastal paradise Byron Bay is not only home to Australia's sexiest beach: It's also home to clever sharks that are trying to tow humans out into shark-infested ocean.

Okay, it's not quite like that, but this week a surfer really did get taken for a ride by a shark at Byron Bay. Surf shop owner John Morgan was out on the water when a shark came by and got tangled in his leg rope, towing him at speed for 170 feet before suddenly getting free of the rope and taking off.

It's a happy ending story since Morgan came back all in one piece, but that shark will probably blog about its experience and suddenly sharks across the world will be towing surfers away for dinner. Don't say we didn't warn you.

Related Stories:
· Shark Tows Surfer [Ananova]
· Killer Beaches 2008: Australia's Latest Shark Attack [Jaunted]
· My Beach is Sexier Than Yours [Jaunted]

[Photo: pberry]]]> amandak 2008-09-11T09:00:26-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/7/14/74334/4821

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/2008/6/25/4575/90961

The east coast town of Wollongong in Australia used to be good for not much more than a tricky spelling question at a pub quiz night. But the Wollongong tourist board is busy telling the world that the city is worth a trip when you're next visiting Sydney.

In their exact words, if you want to "mix a Sydney stopover with a stunning coastal drive and regional tourism experience" then Wollongong is the right place to go. They've created a 140 km, signposted scenic drive down the coast which has been named the Grand Pacific Drive which certainly does sound pretty, well, grand.

The route crosses the slightly scary Sea Cliff Bridge, and the Illawarra tree-top walk is also close by. Just right for a short-but-grand escape from bustling Sydney.

Related Stories:
· Wollongong Tourism [Official Site]
· Signs To Lure Overseas Visitors [South Coast Register]
· New South Wales Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: iansand]]]> amandak 2008-06-25T09:30:05-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/4/11/54115/9665

Last year, the champion wife carriers in that ever-more-famous event in Finland, the World Wife Carrying Championships, came out of Estonia, again. But if the wife carriers from the opposite end of the world--Australia--have anything to do with it this year, they'll be looking to knock the Estonians out of top place.

Tomorrow is the Australian Wife Carrying Titles, the national contest to decide who can go to Finland. If you're traveling through New South Wales, and end up near Singleton, a couple of hours north of Sydney, then do drop by to watch the wife carriers in action.

Apparently, most of the successful Aussie wife carriers will be using the Estonian carrying technique. It has the wife's legs over her husband's shoulders and her body hanging down his back--not very flattering, but effective. Finland's World Wife Carrying Championships will be held on July 5 this year so book your tickets to the host town of Sonkajärvi now.

Related Stories:
· Wife Carrying Makes Its Mark in Australia [news.com.au]
· All Worship the Estonian Wife Carriers [Jaunted]
· Wife Carrying Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: ecyrd]]]> amandak 2008-04-11T09:11:29-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/