CIDADES – SYDNEY – INGLES
Sydney is one of the most famous destinations when it comes to studying in Australia. It is because of the weather, the combination of the bustle of a big city with the beauties of the coast, a heated economy and home to people from all over the world.
Want to know more about the capital of New South Wales? Check out our Sydney guide below!
Demography
Sydney is Australia’s largest city, concentrating on a population of over 5 million people. According to the country’s census, it is extremely diverse, bringing together a large number of ethnic and cultural groups. The top five ancestries for people in the region are Australian, English, Irish, Scottish and Chinese. The top five languages spoken (in addition to English) are Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Greek.
Climate
The seasons in Sydney are well defined. With the Mediterranean style climate, summer (December to February) has an average temperature of 26ºC and average humidity of 65 percent, and winter (June to August) has an average of 16ºC. The most intense rainy season happens between March and June.
Timezone
Standard Time is 10 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+10).
Daylight Saving Time is observed in New South Wales, where the time is shifted forward by 1 hour, resulting in an 11-hour difference ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+11).
After the Summer months, the time is shifted back by 1 hour resulting in the normal Standard Time.
Minimum wage
Australia’s current minimum wage is AUD 19.49 (information updated June 2019).
Labor Market (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wu3rnvgiBpM)
The job market in Sydney is quite varied and offers opportunities in many areas. The most common positions for students who are newcomers to the country and who do not yet have developed English are waiter, barista, janitor, deliveryman, construction worker, among others. It is important to remember that international students should not only be limited to these areas but try activities in the area they used to work in their home countries or a new occupation. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16WNZ4oPGaU&t= ).
Cost of living (http://goodday.education/fique-engine- within-australia/)
Sydney has a slightly higher cost of living, but it is also the champion of job offers and good opportunities. The rent for a shared room ranges from AUD 150 to AUD 220 per week. And the price of a private room ranges from AUD 220 to AUD 450 per week. The average weekly spend on the market, considering someone who cooks and eats at home, is AUD 70 per week.
Public transportation
In Sydney and the metropolitan region, an international student enrolled in English (ELICOS), Vocational Course (VET) or higher course may use the Adult Opal Card only, which calculates the fare according to the type of transport and traveled distance.
The Opal Card can be recharged online, via the application, on specific machines at train stations or in authorized establishments such as 7Eleven.
Using this card, the user will never pay more than $ 15.80 per day, $ 63.20 per week or $ 2.70 on Sundays. When using the Opal card on eight trips within one week (Monday to Sunday), the passenger will be charged half price for the rest of the trips. Off-peak travel also has different fares. (https://transportnsw.info/tickets-opal/opal/fares-payments/adult-fares)
The beaches of Sydney
In all, the city concentrates 100 beaches. You can visit them all, but if you want to focus on the main ones, follow our selection:
Bondi Beach: The city’s most popular beach also houses the most photographed pool in the world!
Coogee Beach: The ideal place to start the coastal walk to Bondi Beach along a path with stunning sea views.
Manly Beach: Place where the first world surfing competition was held in 1964.
Palm Beach: Farther away, this beach is located in a prime neighborhood of the city and is the set of recordings of the long-running soap opera, Home & Away – it debuted in 1988 on Seven Network.
Bronte Beach: Very popular with students, this beach has a large grassy park with public barbecue grills and picnic tables.
Avalon Beach: A favorite destination for Sydney Sea Siders looking to embrace the lifestyle of surfers.
Cronulla Beach: Located in the south of Sydney, it is the only beach in the city that can be reached by train only.
Dee Why Beach: The area is home to many residential and business activities and therefore offers a variety of accommodation, dining, shopping and nightlife in northern Sydney.
Balmoral Beach: It is an ideal place for a quick swim, to eat fish & chips and to watch a breathtaking sunset. You can also bring your skates, dog, bike, board and soccer ball or just a picnic basket.
Other sights
Sydney Opera House: One of the busiest arts and performance centers in the world, the house hosts over 1600 performances a year, including ballet, opera, theater, dance, music, comedy, children’s shows, lectures and more.
Habour Bridge: Built-in 1932, this amazing engineering feat uses nearly 53,000 tons of steel to connect Sydney’s CBD with the northern suburbs. You can cross by car, bus, train, bike or even on foot!
Circular Quay: This is where ferries leave for the city’s main attractions, such as Manly Beach, Taronga Zoo, Luna Park, etc.
The Rocks: The city’s first neighborhood attracts visitors from everywhere with its stories about the damned, its cobbled streets, historic alleys, restaurants, shops, pubs and more.
Darling Harbour: For incredible entertainment, delicious beachfront dining and even contact with Australian wildlife, Darling Harbour is the perfect destination in the heart of Sydney.
Botanic Garden: With over 30 acres to be explored, this park brings together numerous species of plants and is the perfect place to picnic, read, listen to music or just relax with the view of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.
Queen Victoria Building: The Queen Victoria Building, now affectionately known as the QVB, was designed by George McRae and completed in 1898, replacing Sydney’s original markets. The elaborate Romanesque architecture was specially designed so that the government could hire many unemployed artisans. It is currently considered a luxury mall.
Chinatown: With all the characteristics of an Asian market, Chinatown and Haymarket offer an attractive mix of restaurants, shops, and bargain-filled markets. It’s the ideal place to buy Australian souvenirs for the whole family!
Hyde Park: Located in Sydney’s CBD, it is Australia’s oldest park. The site contains about 580 exotic trees, the ANZAC Memorial and several monuments.
Blue Mountains: A World Heritage Site (http://goodday.education/australia-concentra-19-patrimonios-mundiais-da-unesco/), the mountains are known for the natural blue haze created by vast, eucalyptus forests that release tiny oil droplets that mix with water vapor and sunlight.
Hunter Valley: In this region, you can take a tour of several wineries and taste award-winning wines, as well as enjoy cheese, olive oil, chocolates, and, for the more adventurous, take an incredible balloon ride.
Sydney Facts
People living in Sydney are colloquially known as “Sydneysider”;
Sydney is not the capital of Australia. The capital is Canberra;
Sydney’s most famous icon, the Sydney Opera House, was completed in 1973, taking 14 years and bringing together 10,000 construction workers, with a total final cost of AUD 102 million – more than 14 times the originally intended price;
The Sydney Tower is Sydney’s tallest building and Australia’s third tallest building;
Sydney was the site of the first British colony in Australia, created in 1788.