Customer Reviews

National Geographic Traveler: Sydney

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I've perused them all--Lonely Planet, DK Eyewitness, Citypack, Fodor's, whatever--and I found this guide to be the best of the bunch. It combines all the best of each of those: great pictures, detailed color maps, historical tidbits, walking tours, and easy, color-coded organization. I imagine it would be appropriate for those planning both long or short visits to Sydney. It's packed with lots to see and do but well organized so that you're not overwhelmed by it if you're just taking a short trip and want just highlights. My second choice would be the Time Out Sydney, which as usual, offers tons of shopping & cool tips & out of the way info. As a frequent traveller and consequently, owner of a plethora of guidebooks, I found this one refreshingly awesome. Just wish that they had a bigger range of destinations in their offering....

The travel guide "The National Geographic Traveler: Sydney" by Evan McHugh is a helpful and visually appealing travel guide. On the side next to the description of each place, there is a list of times when places are open, organized and color coded maps, and contact information if you have more questions that need to be answered. The travel guide is user friendly. For the amount of information and description given, the guide is still easy to follow. The information is well rounded and for a wide range audience.

The writing of the travel guide is informative and descriptive. McHugh offers researched facts along with well thought out opinions to the reader. Throughout the guide, there are parts labeled "Not To Be Missed" list, which, according to research and probably other people surveyed as well as the author, are the favorites to the public. There are maps that recommend walks or drives, depending on what you enjoy most, around places like a walk from Hyde Park to Circular Quay. Throughout the map there are numbered labels of places that you could possibly see, for example, number 7 is the Sydney Opera House. Next to the map shows the "Not To Be Missed" lists, consists of Anzac War Memorial, St. Mary's Cathedral, and Sydney Hospital. Since Australia speaks a form of English, the travel guide was easily found in English and easily read. The language and the way the text was written was smooth and explained in depth the author's points. The reader was really included and considered throughout the guide.

Evan McHugh knew people would want to learn about and explore other parts of the world. Since he was a native to Australia, he decided to inform people about the wonderful place in which he lives. Also, his credibility rises and the urge for readers to listen to him was greater because he actually lives there. He wanted to make sure that the readers had all the information that would help decrease their stress and anxiety when planning and exploring through Australia. His opinion about Australia was slightly swayed towards living there and enjoying Australia because he lived there and he wanted people to visit and see for themselves that it was truly a fantastic place to be. He was trying to persuade foreigners that Australia is the place to go through all the incredibly shot pictures shown throughout the guide and through his use of words. He informed the reader of the history of the country and basic information like where Sydney is located, the population, the language spoken and made sure to cover information that people should know about Australia before stepping foot on the territory. McHugh persuaded his audience through words and visual aids.

The audience that McHugh attracts ranges from older teenagers to adults and families. Whether you want to go to the aquarium for children and families, to Mardi Gras event which is more for the young adult to adults, to museums for the more informative part of the trip, there is information for all. The guide is user friendly for all ages. The guide references a map on the previous pages from the description of each place, the street each place is on, the phone number and website, the scale of how much money it is ($ = not expensive, $$$$ = really expensive), what stop you are suppose to get off from public transportation, and other information. For buildings that have more than one level, it shows you all the levels and what a drawn out map would look like of each level and explains what is on each level. The Powerhouse Museum shows levels 2-5 and says which level contains what and it's color coded and explained on the next page of more information about each attraction on each level. No matter what generation you are from, there is something for everyone. However, the guide is meant for the adult generation because they are used to reading for information unlike the younger generations who enjoy using technology to research information such as the Internet. The guide is built for easy and relaxing research, which is organized and explained in depth. Pictures depict Australia throughout the book so people will get a better idea of Australia and know if it's the place for them by picturing themselves in the photographs. The audience is geared towards older teenagers to adults.

The guide is easy to read and simple to understand. Navigating through the book is straightforward because everything is labeled and organized well with symbols. There are maps, which are color coded and labeled. In the beginning (inside cover, on the flap) of the travel guide, there is a small map of Sydney. It is color coded by the different areas in Sydney. These places are the chapters throughout the book and on the first page of each chapter there is a map of the area and a little explanation about the place. The first chapter is about the history and culture of Sydney. The rest of the chapters consist of the Circular Quay and east, the Rocks, Sydney Harbour, City center and south, Darling Harbour, Eastern Suburbs, Indigenous Sydney, Excursions, and farther afield. If you lift the flap there is a map with roads and everything around Sydney. Then the travel guide begins. At the end of the guide there is a section called "Travelwise." It contains a bunch of useful information that you might need on the trip. There is information about planning the trip to Australia such as insurance, when to go, the climate, and some formalities. There is information about how to get to Sydney and airlines and airports. Once you actually get there, there is information about renting cars, if you're using Avis or Budget, and the telephone numbers. There are rules of the driving and drunk driving laws. Also, using public transporation such as the bus, ferry, cityrail, and taxi is listed. The information is very helpful and should definitely be followed and used while in or going to Australia.

This travel guide is well put together and thought out. It's descriptive and informative. The guide is organized and simple to navigate through. The language is easy to read and is very persuasive and fact based. McHugh wanted to grab the audience and pull them into a new place with all the information they'll need. The audience varies, but it's geared to young teenagers to adults who enjoy reading and researching about places through books. The content is filled with information and if there needs to be more information researched, there are websites and phone numbers, which can be done once arrived at the wonderful place known as Australia.

A good addition when preparing to visit Sydney. The edition received is new as advertised but is 1999, not advertised. Hopefully, not too much has changed!!!!