Skating - Sydney - Australia                                                                                                                            Return

It is hard to imagine any place better than Australia for rollerblading. And Sydney is very good. Sidewalks are generally big enough and in good enough condition for skating. In fact we very seldom skated on the roads in the city. In the suburbs, like chatswood, we skated on the roads, sidewalks, parking lots, everywhere. Rollerblading across the Harbour Bridge is lots of fun. Also good locations Hyde Park, and the best park probably would have to be Centennial Park near Fox Studios. Centennial Park has very nice pathways for skating, and large flat areas for practicing. Near Centennial Park is also (IMHO) the worlds best skating shop. http://www.totalskate.com.au/miva/merchant.mv at 36 Oxfords St in Woollahra. I love these guys. It is not a large shop, but the guys who work there are the best, and very willing to spend time helping you understand what is best for you. I have purchased both my pair of skates there, and skates for several of my friends as well. Months after purchase they still helped us (at no charge) to show us how to rotate wheels and other aspects of skate care. Unlike other shops that sell and service skates these guys know their stuff and will take the time to help out us amateurs. My only suggestion is they need to carry a bit more rugged brand of knee/elbow/wrist pads, but then they stock for skating in the Sydney area, not skating in Bombay, Hanoi or Manila – where you need as much protection as you can get.

Good skate trips we have done (see Map) were from the CBD across the harbour bridge to Chatswood. Willis Park in Chatswood is good (See videos) Another good trip was from The Rocks to Centennial Park (with a stop at Total Skate of course) and then back. And all the parks are good for practice, except the Royal Botanic Gardens – where if spotted they chase you out. Why I do not know.

We have skated across the harbour bridge quite a few times. The challenge is to climb up the stairs with your skates on (See tips). But skating the bridge in day, evening and at night are all great. If you walk on the bridge path besure to take a camera!!

Dolls point has a nice skate path, right next to the beach. It is really nice.

General Information

My favourite Skate Shop: 

Total Skate

36 Oxford St – Wollahra  +61-2-9380-6356

http://www.totalskate.com.au/miva/merchant.mv

And in MHO, my own personal humble opinion, the worlds worst skate shop is.

Salomon Action Sports & Travel

Level 3 Westfield Shopping Town Chatswood

When it comes to skating equipment, it is MHO they do not know what they are talking about. I bought eight wheels there from them, they all broke into pieces just after a little use. What I got from them when I returned them was an argument. After lots of pressure the best they would do is return them to Salomon for a “review”, which of  course was "normal wear and tear" Wheels crumbling and cracking is Normal?. Anyway in my opinion their advice is bad, their equipment faulty, and they do not stand behind their products. Go to totalskate.

Great Australian Web Resource

http://www.rollerblading.com.au/ 

http://www.it3.com.au/skate/city.cfm

 

Category

Category Description

Graph

Explanation

Road Surface

Describes road surface conditions

In the city we stayed on the sidewalks, as they are very good and very wide, no need or reason (rats!!!) to use the roads very much. The road surfaces here we did use, like in Chatswood, that we experienced were pretty good. Obviously you have to keep focused and alert for the odd crack or hole, but overall some of the best in Asia.

Road Conditions

Is there enough room for skating on the road? Are intersections crossable?

The roads were pretty busy, but we never had a problem skating. In the City we stuck to the sidewalks most of the time. Roads we did have to use were wide enough for the most part so we could share with cars. Traffic always was friendly towards us. Traffic can be HEAVY so we had to keep our eyes, and ears, open.

Traffic Conditions

Describes level and condition of traffic. Is the traffic heavy, fast or erratic.

Traffic was HEAVY, so we had to keep our eyes, and ears, open. But everyone was friendly and unlike the USA no cars tried to frighten us or make as to hit us. The roads were often busy, but we never had a problem with cars when skating.

Driver Attitudes

Describes how drivers react to and treat skaters

 

We were polite skaters in Sydney, (as always) and everyone was friendly and unlike the USA  and no cars tried to frighten us or make as to hit us. The roads were often busy, but we never had a problem skating.

Danger Level

Describes overall danger of skating in this location. Everyplace is dangerous to street skate. Street skating means crumbling roads, bad drivers (or worse), air pollution and even nature. But some places are more dangerous than others

 

We never had a problem.. Most of the main roads are in good condition, but there are still a few cracks and rough areas around.

Criminal Factor

How serious is crime in this location.

 

Have not seen anything, have not heard anything, overall very friendly people.

Cool Factor

Is this a cool place to skate.

Good. Lots of places to skate, sometimes you can even see other skaters.

We skated once from CBD across the Sydney harbour bridge and then out to Chatswood. That was fun (lots of hills though) it tooks us a few hours. We have skated the Sydney harbour bridge quite a few times, that is fun. We have skated lots of times from Circular Quay to Paddington. There is the Catherdal to the east of Hyde park that is great for practicing. Hyde park itself if fun to practice.

Fun Factor

Is this a fun place to skate.

 

Yes, skating through Sydney is lots of fun. Everyone, even the police were very nice to us.

Sidewalks

Are there sidewalks, and if there are what are they like? Often having sidewalks can be worse than not having them. With a bad sidewalk drivers may assume you should be using it - no matter how dangerous it is to use, and react very badly when they see you on the road instead of the sidewalk.

 

Excellent sidewalks all over downtown. We were able to use these as much as the road. Well done Sydney!!!

Misc

Any other conditions or issues that were found while skating here

 

 

Summary

A summarization of the skating experience at this location.

This is a great place, fun city, cool places to skate to and through. I love it here. I have skated here several times and I can not wait to go back!!

Desire to Return - Overall Rating

The bottom line. Is the place good enough that we want to return here to skate it more. With all the above taken into consideration how much are we looking forward return and skate this location further.

 

Return? As soon as I have a chance!! The city is fun, the people are great, the traffic friendly and fun. Great places to see and skate.

Country Information

Photo Gallery

Disclaimer

                                                                                 

 Country Information

 

Services

Airport Tax

Airport tax is AUD30 + Noise Levy AUD3.40, collected during ticket issuance.

Business Hours

Shops are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays, and 8.30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturdays. Some shops close 9 p.m. on Thursdays. Tourist shops may be open on Sundays. Banks are generally open 9:30 a.m. to 4p.m., Monday to Thursday, and 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday. Some banks extend hours and open on Saturday mornings.

Clothing

The usual business attire would be a suit and a tie for men. For women, a dress or a smart suit is the norm

Currency

AUD (Australian Dollars)

Custom Rules and Regulations

Passengers aged 18 or above are entitled to the following duty-free quota:Tobacco Products: 250 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco (for passengers at the age of 18 and over)

Alcoholic Beverages: 1.125 litres of wine or spirits.

Importation of any food item is prohibited. All items of food must be disposed of in the bins provided at the Arrival Hall, or declared to Customs for inspection.

Entry Requirements

All travelers, except Australian passport holders, must have a visa to enter Australia. Visas can be obtained through selected travel agents and the Electronic Travel Authority in the United States and Singapore. If applying in person, be prepared for a queue at your local Australian High Commission or Consulate.

Health Risks

Although Australia lies in the tropics, tropical diseases such as malaria and yellow fever are unheard of. Diseases caused by unsanitary conditions such as cholera and typhoid are virtually unknown. It is generally safe to eat at local restaurants as the health department is very strict. Tap water is safe to drink.

Hotel list

Sydney Hotel Map Melbourne Hotel Map Perth Map

Language

English, Aboriginal

Local Climate

Sydney is situated on latitude 34 S and has an average mean temperature ranging from 72 F (22 C) in January to 54 F (12 C) in July.

Name of Airport

Kingsford Smith Airport. It is located in Mascot near Botany Bay, about 10 km southwest of the Central Business District and Sydney Harbour. Allow 30 minutes if you're traveling to the City or Kings Cross by taxi, and 1 hour if traveling by bus.

Phone adaptors

Power adaptors

Tipping

Three-star to five-star hotels, as well as most restaurants welcome tips. Hand over A$1-A$2 to porters per luggage, 10-15 percent of your restaurant bill to service staff in restaurants. For cab drivers, simply round up the fare to the nearest dollar.

Useful Links

Australian Customs Service
Sydney Airport
Tourism New South Wales
Australian Links

Useful Numbers

Police, fire and ambulance: 000
Sydney Airport Information Line: +02 9667-9111
VISA Lost Card Hotline: 1-800-125-440

Voltage

220V

 

 

 


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