Downshifting into the holiday, here’s a bit of pure transit tourism.
Transit is often a source of frustration in Sydney, but no city I’ve encountered offers better transit options for getting into the natural world. Sydney is ringed on all sides by spectacular national parks. Most are served by the electrified outer-suburban train lines, which run usually every 30-60 minutes and deliver you to small stations right at a trailhead. It’s remarkably easy to go for a long day of hiking, or even to launch a backpacking trip, without a car. One of the longest day hikes I’ve ever done was 26 km along the coast of the Royal National Park just south of the city. Using a train+ferry at one end of the hike and the train at the other, the whole trip was possible, and even pleasant, on transit. Continue Reading →