Between mid May and early August they travel north to give birth and mate at this time of year they tend to swim at 4-5 knots (5-9km/h) and will have frequent down times. They may pass close by the boats to check us out as they swim, but will tend to keep moving north. They can be very lively, especially the large pods of males as they jockey for dominance in anticipation of the mating season.

Late August – December: The whales are voyaging south, Mothers with their newborns and males after the mating season. They have a propensity to spend more time on surface and swim slower (so that the calf can keep up!) although rarely you will see some long down times. This part of the season is best for Muggings were the whales would come up close to the boat and investigate us!

Other Whale Species

June – November: Other whales species will sporadically appear, here are some you might be able to see off Sydney.

The Blue whale

The biggest animal on the planet, you may see one or two per season. They can be difficult to watch with long down times and erratic directions!

Southern Right whale

The second most common visitor to the sea around Sydney, they often swim into the harbour or bays along the coast searching for a secure place to mate and give birth

Pilot whales and False Killer whales

Frequently seen in large pods these mammals are prone to beaching.

Dolphins

Both Tursiops truncatus (bottlenose or ‘flipper’ type) and common pacific dolphins live in our coastal waters.

Loads of condoms have been distributed for free as a response to the increasing numbers of Sydney backpackers seeking diagnosis and treatment for new infections, especially Chlamydia.

In keeping with recent research, backpackers were more likely to report drinking alcohol in excessive amounts and then not using condoms while having sex, thereby increasing the risk of them contracting an STI.

The rising number of heterosexual backpackers with new sexually transmitted infections has now become a major concern to them health officials in Sydney. According to them from amongst those who suffer from an STI some also have HIV infections that they have acquired in other countries on the way to Australia.

The basic safe sex messages sent by them has fallen on deaf ears, have caused some alarm with the authorities.

It is very important that backpackers should always carry condoms with them because research shows, countries that are popular with backpackers, have higher rates of HIV and STIs than Australia.

Sydney health authorities and councils have now teamed up with the NSW Backpackers Operators Association to promote better sexual health practices among young international travellers.

This is why, making an effort to stop STIs from spreading some more, them folks at the Sydney health authorities and councils have taken the necessary steps to distributing free condoms for backpackers, at places where backpackers are accommodated.

Through strategically placed advertisements in Sydney backpacker magazines, the authorities are looking to educate the young international travellers on the negative effects of getting contaminated with the incurable disease.     

Figures presented at the Australasian sexual health congress in September showed number of people who have contaminated chlamydia are rising rapidly in major cities, and that five per cent of people under 25 are now believed to have the disease.

The gigantic reef covering an area larger than 300 000 square kilometres is scattered with beautiful islands and idyllic coral cays. The Great Barreir Reef system consists of more than 3000 reefs, some are as big as 10,000 hectares whilest there are also others that are as small as 1 hectare.

Numerious Human activites in the Reef areas has led to increased pollutants causing irrepable damage in some areas of this spectacular creation of nature. Protecting the Reef is the responsibility of the Marine Park Authority. In 2003, the previous Australian Government and Queensland Governments, in partnership with a wide range of industry and community groups, developed the Reef Water Quality Protection Reef Plan as a combined effort to protect the Reef.

The coral

Coral of diferent shapes and sizes make up the various reefs and cays; these form the basis for the great variety of sea and animal life in the Reef. Coral reefs are formed by individual coral polyps, these are tiny live creatures which join together to form colonies. Each polyp lives inside a shell of aragonite, a type of calcium carbonate which is the hard shell we recognise as coral. The polyps join together to create forests of coloured coral in interesting fan, antler, brain and plate shapes.

Ideal coral habitat is shallow warm water where there is a lot of water movement, plenty of light, where the water is salty and low in nutrients. Many different types of corals need different conditions to flourish, some grow extreamly slow taking hundreds of years whilest some grow much faster. The colours of coral are created by algae. Only live coral is coloured. Dead coral is white.  

In the past and even in moredrn times, many ships were destroyed when they slammed on to these coral reefs. These include Captain James Cook’s ship Endeavour. One of the most famous wrecks is that of the HMS Pandora, which foundered in 1791. There are 30 shipwreck sites known in the marine park.   

The habitat

The Great Barrier Reef area is blessed with an abundance of wildlife, including dugong and green turtles, varieties of dolphins and whales, more than 1500 species of fish, 4000 types of mollusc and more than 200 species of bird life.

Tourism

There are more than 2 million tourists visiting The Great Barrier Reef every year, they bring in excess of $AU2 billion in tourism dollars, making tourism a major earner for the north-eastern Australian economy.  There are more than 500 commercial vessels taking tourists through nearly all the Park.

You can travel to The Great Barrier Reef from Sydney either by plane, train, bus or by renting a car.    

Games:

The majority of Sydney residents seem to be fascinated with chess. This looks obvious because If you go for a stroll in downtown Sydney, especially around the Hyde Park area, you would see many people playing chess on normal size chess boards that are placed on park benches or on the ground, while some have chosen to play their game on the giant sized Chess board that is painted on concrete.

During lunchtime, there is a sudden population surge in this area because many folks gather here to play a game of chess with a colleague, while enjoying their lunch in one of the many trendy cafés that are located in the area. If you are lover of the game, then get your self to Hyde Park, may be you too can join in since it seems anyone can join in.

Drinks and Food

As a foreigner, when talking of Aussie cuisine, to me it seems Aussie pies are the best-known examples. These are hand-held savoury pastries that are being made using different types of meat, carrots, English peas, potatoes, and possibly other vegetables. Aussie pies are similar to American potpie but can be hand held. Mind the filling, as it could be hot

Dress

It seems many Australian men prefer wearing white shirts and black suites for work. It is somewhat true with women as well, but unlike men they often wear red shoes or pink ribbon with their black attire. However, you will also see plenty of them renegades that are dressed in what they think as comfortable casual cloths.

Tipping

Tipping is not practiced, very rarely if ever, would be much appreciated if you give a tip, but that will only make it look obvious that you are a visitor to the city. May be you can save the change to pay for the ever increasingly expensive hotels or to have another pint of beer.

History

Captain Cook discovered the Sydney area in 1788. He landed in Botany Bay at a spot called la perouse, and proclaimed Australia as a British colony. However, it was the Dutch who discovered the area 200 years before them Brits did, but they were too slow to stake their claim! There is a statue of Captain Cook in Hyde Park. You can visit Botany Bay if you want to see some early convict history.

The historical Fort Dennison (an island), where they jailed the convicts is now a restaurant. They kept them convicts here as prisoners because the shark infested waters around it made it impossible for them convicts to getaway by swimming ashore. 

Australia Day, Sydney

On the 26^th of January each year Australians celebrate Australia day. On this day in 1788, Captain Arthur Phillip became Governor of the Colony of New South Wales. A multitude of events are held all over Sydney on the 26 January, celebrating the anniversary of the beginning of British settlement. If you want to learn more about the Australia day visit the Australia day website at www.australiaday.gov.au

ANZAC Day

On ANZAC Day Australians commemorate all them brave Australian soldiers who fought for Australia in the two world wars, and those who are fighting to protect the nation even today. The beautiful monument built on their behalf is in Hyde Park, you can pay respect any time of the year, but it will be in April that the monument will see most of its offerings of remembrance.

A search for Sydney backpacker accommodation on any search engine will reveal a plethora of Sydney backpacker accommodation providers claiming they offer the cheapest accommodation in Sydney. However, to get the best deal in town you first need to do some serious research of your own.

After finding as many cheap accommodation providers in Sydney as you think is enough, you then need to compare the rates and facilities displayed by different, ‘providers of cheapest accommodation in Sydney’. Doing this will make it possible for you to find out the actual cheapest accommodation provider in Sydney as well as the Sydney budget accommodation provider offering the best value for your money. 

Your research will make you realize that some budget accommodation providers in Sydney may have Slightly higher rates than the cheapest accommodation providers, but when looking at the facilities they have and the kind of service they promise to their clients for the rates quoted, you can easily judge for your self as to whom should you choose between the two, whether it is the one having the cheapest backpacker accommodation rates in town or the one who is offering the best value for money budget accommodation deal in town.

Kings cross hostels, are often chosen by Sydney cheap accommodation seeking backpackers, because staying in a conveniently situated Kings cross hostel will help them save money otherwise spent on transportation. If you need to know more about Kings cross hostels, you can easily do so on the Internet