Australia: Sydney's Best at Bargain Prices

The best of hope for a real Australian food experience is simple: make a friend. A casual conversation in a pub could easily become an invite to the backyard barbecue that has been a weekend fixture longer than anyone can remember. And these days, a "barbie" is just as likely to include marinated octopus, butterflied leg of lamb or a tagine of shrimp as yesteryear's fare of charred sausage served in a slice of bread with a copious squirt of ketchup. An etiquette tip: never turn up to a barbie without something, anything, to throw on the grill and some form of libation.

A man snap photos with the Sydney Harbor Bridge in the background while riding on a harbor ferry in...

A man snap photos with the Sydney Harbor Bridge in the background while riding on a harbor ferry in Sydney, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009. Though a charter cruise can cost thousands, instead, why not take one of the ferries that shuffle workers to and from downtown each day? (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

(AP)

ACCOMMODATION: Like most modern cities these days, Sydney is dotted with hostel and backpacker-style accommodation throughout its tourist districts, from downtown to sandy Bondi, leafy Glebe and the red-light district of Kings Cross. For addresses and prices, try: http://www.yha.com.au. For something different, try the growing number of Internet sites such as http://www.wotif.com and http://www.needitnow.com.au that offer deals on late-notice hotel bookings. For some real local flavor, http://sydney.gumtree.com.au lists short-term rentals of Sydneysiders' apartments and houses.

PARKS: From downtown, you can walk through the Botanic Gardens to Mrs. Macquarie's Chair, a historic site on a small peninsula shaded by huge Moreton Bay fig trees that is a prime picnic spot for locals and visitors alike, with killer views of the harbor and its main attractions. Stroll to the nearby Art Gallery of New South Wales, where the free-entry permanent collection includes works such as the style-defining Aboriginal dot paintings of Emily Kame Kngwarreye and Brett Whitely's emotionally troubled modernism.

Continue your park tour through the Domain and some of Sydney's most historic buildings to leafy, fountain-strewn Hyde Park. A walk through the Rocks district would almost complete a microcosmic tour of Sydney's early years as a British penal colony, though these days the city's first suburb is a look-don't-touch zone for the budget traveler. Nearby, Darling Harbor offers a more modern take on Sydney — a buzzing waterfront chock-a-block with bars, restaurants, an Imax cinema, and trinket stores. If you really must have that stuffed koala toy, here is probably the place to buy it.

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