Tag Archives: sunscreen

5 tips for your arrival at Sydney Airport, Australia

You’re flying to Sydney. Here are 5 tips you should read. I love this Airport and stayed there for several hours on my first arrival in Australia.

1. Get a local sim card

sim cards
Telstra - sim card starter kit

for your mobile phone. Using a local sim card with an Australian phone number is in most cases cheaper than roaming with your carrier at home.

Both Vodafone and Yes!Optus have retail stores in the public area of the international terminal. Also, you can get sim cards for Telstra at the Australia Post Office in the departure hall of the international area.

Make sure your phone is unlocked and supports the right 3G frequency bands. Telstra uses mostly 850 Mhz, while Vodafone and Optus use a Mix of 2100/900 Mhz (and sometimes 850 Mhz, depending on the area).

Check your phone’s manual or ask your carrier at home for details.
Also check details of your Australian carrier of choice, the frequencies may changed.

2. Get sunscreen!

My travel agent recommended SPF 30 or SPF 50 depending on your skin. The o-zone layer in Australia is not as strong as it is in Europe or the USA. You can get sunscreen at the pharmacy stores at Sydney Airport.

Here’s a list of locations at Sydney Airport.

3. Free Internet kiosks

You need to check your emails or update your Facebook status?. Sydney Airport has internet kiosks in several locations at International Terminal (T1) and Domestic Terminal (T2).  Most offer a free internet session for a specific time period

The Sydney Airport website has a list of locations.

4. Get a free Sydney city guide book

Free Sydney City Guidebook
Free Sydney City Guidebook

Before heading to duty free shopping and the customs and immigration counters, make sure to grab a free Sydney city guide book. some of them also include coupons for several attractions.

The city guide books are available in several languages.

5. take the train

Most people I know stay in Sydney when they arrive in Australia at Sydney Airport. When you stay in the Central Business District, the train is often a better option for transport from/to the Airport.
It’s a direct connection, no traffic jams and it’s eco friendly.

There are train stations at the International and the domestic terminal. According to airportlink.com.au a ticket to the CBD costs $ 15.40 AUD

in Australia

Arrival at Sydney Airport, Vodafone, Essentials, Subway – part 2

Jan 14, 2011:

As you’ve already read in a previous post, my shuttle was not there (any longer). Of course I had the phone number of the shuttle service, but because of the expensive call rates in Australia with an European SIM card I shifted the call. Let’s buy an Australian SIM card!

Prepaid phones/SIM card at airport

Vodafone and Optus have both stores at the Sydney International Terminal International airport in the arrival hall.
I decided to go for Vodafone, although I know that they do not have the best network in Australia. I decided to choose the “Flexi Cap” prepaid offer. It has the advantage that I can use the credit flexibly. For $ 49 AUD I got the following features: $ 350 AUD credit for calls to Vodafone Australia network, 3 GB data volume, and $ 350 AUD for all other expenses (“Flexible Credit”). The credit expires after 30 days. The tariffs change frequently, now has the Flexi Cap offer more inclusive services. To activate a Vodafone Australia SIM you have to call the number and enter the code from the activation voucher. After the call, the activation can take “up to 2 hours,” as the employee in the Vodafone store said to me

So, at first late breakfast / lunch. What works the same everywhere in the world? E.g. ordering at Subway restaurants. Let’s go to the departure level! On the departure level, there is next to the check-in area a large variety of food stores and shops (including Australian Post Office).
The way was quickly found, first a few meters along an long hallway and then an escalator. I was standing in the departure hall. After a series of check-in desks is the beginning of the food court. My trained eye saw immediately a Hungry Jack and a Subway next to it.

Essentials for Australia

When you are in Australia, you should I buy some essentials, as soon as you arrive. E.g. Australian sun cream. For Australia, a sunscreen with SPF 30 or 50 is recommended, and I mean according the Australian standard. A European sun screen with SPF 30 protection in Australia is not sufficient. Furthermore, it’is also recommended to buy a hat that protects the head and neck from UV rays adequately.
Both can be purchased at the International Terminal departure level both shops are at the rear right corner . 😉
In addition to a pharmacy and some Clothes stores, there is also a branch of Australia Post. I already have a SIM card for my phone, but I want to go online with my netbook.
As my netbook also supports the network of the reliable Australian mobile operator Telstra , I bought at the Australia Post a Telstra sim starter kit. You get Starter kits at Telstra stores, supermarkets and at Australia Post for $ 2 AUD. The employee informed me that starter kits come with no credit and must be activated later. I replied that I will add funds to the account online by credit card.

Free Internet Terminals at Sydney Airport – International Terminal

In the arrival hall as well in departure Hall are free internet terminals from the mobile operator “Yes Optus”, which you can use without registration. … if they are working.
I went to the Arrival Hall, because I first saw a terminal there and wanted to activate my sim card. The Internet terminals are very rustic computer with an Ubuntu installation and auto login (for the IT geeks among you). After several minutes, the browser will run on the Internet terminal. Enter the address and let’s go? No way! Even after 2 minutes of loading time the site wasn’t visible. Then the computer restarted automatically. Apparently I was’nt the only one . My “neighbors” of the other Internet terminals already cursed inwardly. There were also internet terminals in the Departure Hall …
So back to the Departure Hall! Here I had finally found a working internet terminal. First I checked e-mails … (Note: already more than 85 unread e-mails arrived). The free internet terminals are a really good thing, in Europe frequently you have to pay a fee. disadvantages have the two terminals but: Due to a not so powerful hardware equipment reacts very slow the Internet. In addition, the computer automatically restarts after X minutes of non-use.

After some time, I tried again to call with my phone. I dialed the number of the shuttle company. It rang … So, the SIM card works well without the Internet activation, it just takes some time.