HOW I GET AROUND SYDNEY

I did not know what to expect when it came to public transportation. I purposely booked an apartment that was walking distance (about 25 minutes) to campus and to the beach. To my surprise, transport around New South Wales is very easy. There are several bus stops less than a minute away from my apartment that take me around town, to the beach, university, the shops, the city and wherever else I need to go. Public transport includes the bus, the light rail, the train, and the ferry. Sometimes you can get where you need to go by taking one form of transportation and other times you have to take a combination of transport. For example, this week I visited Manly Beach which is located on the other side of the harbor. I had to take a bus to the train station, the train to the city, walk to the ferry, and take a ferry across the harbor. To pay for transportation you need either a credit card or an Opal card. An Opal card is a smartcard ticketing system used to pay for travel on public transport. You can purchase an Opal Card online or at most supermarkets. There is an Opal app where you can track your trips and top off your card if needed. Frequent users are rewarded by getting half-off fare after eight trips completed in a week. On every bus and near the train, light rail, and ferry, there is a card reader that you use to scan either your credit card or Opal card before you board and when you get off. By doing this, the machine is able to calculate the amount of fare due based on the distance traveled.