Wharf 8 Passenger Terminal, Sydney, New South Wales Australia

Sydney Harbour

Trip Day Thirty-one: Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Wharf 8 Passenger Terminal

Help In the Terminal

We found our bright red luggage very easy to spot among the hundreds of bags in the terminal. But we also found that the luggage carts were nearly all outside left by departing passengers. They seemed to have no system to bring them back in where they were needed.

This young woman found us a cart and helped us through Customs and Immigration and found us transportation to the hotel. And we were soon on our way.

We shared the minibus with some independent travelers on the way to the airport. One pair were on the way to western Australia from where they were going to fly to Singapore to catch a boat going to the US. So their transpacific crossing was to be both ways.

If you go: Here are some things you need to know.
You are required to have a VISA. Here's a link to visa information. The easiest way is to get an electronic VISAs on line before you go. They have a list of things that you may not bring into the country. Here's a link to a prohibited and restricted imports page. However, they do not list on this web page a prohibition of seeds. I had a lovely Hawaiian Kukui Nut necklace with other smaller seeds in rings between large kukui nuts confiscated by customs at the terminal. There was no mention of this restriction anywhere until it was time for disembarkation. Of course, I would have left the necklace at home had I known of the prohibition. We have a friend who found himself in a world of trouble with US Customs because he attempted to bring home some artwork containing coral. He eventually found himself on a list of suspected terrorists! It took years and a lot of misery before he could get that straightened out.

Next, we will do some sightseeing in Sydney.

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