From: Jeff Pages
Subject: Barefootin' around Sydney Australia
Date: 03 Nov 96 22:58:18 EST

Sydney is a fairly barefoot-friendly place. It has a barefoot-conducive 
climate for at least half the year (year-round for the more cold tolerant
like myself) and a surfing and beachgoing tradition that helps negate much of 
the irrational social stigma associated with bare feet. 

Transport

The rail network is quite tolerant of bare feet. I have been commuting
barefoot by rail on and off for the last 25 years and have never been hassled
by staff or other passengers (plenty of odd glances though, particularly in
winter). In warmer weather I often see other barefoot passengers during my 
travels.

The same applies to the government-run buses that operate extensively in the
eastern and northern suburbs. Indeed, some years ago an Urban Transit
Authority TV ad featured a barefooted teenager alighting from one of their 
buses. Other parts of Sydney are serviced by private bus companies of which I 
have had very little contact, but I would assume that the much same comments 
would apply to them.

Sydney harbour and other nearby waterways have a range of ferry services on 
which bare feet are commonplace.

Driving barefoot is also the norm amongst younger people. Most of my friends
who normally wear shoes outdoors drive unshod.

Eateries

Restaurants are probably the biggest problem for barefooters in Sydney.
Cafe-style places are generally ok, as are most roadhouses. Licenced clubs,
which often have excellent low-cost dining facilities, unfortunately all
have varying degrees of dress codes which invariably preclude bare feet.
Many allow sandals during the day and early evening, while others are very
strict requiring long socks with shorts and shirts with collars. Restaurant
chains like Sizzler and Pizza Hut also tend to have dress rules that require
footware. Suburbs and towns right on the coast are generally more tolerant 
than those further inland.

Hiking

Geologically, Sydney is in a broad valley surrounded on three sides by
sandstone plateaus. There are many national parks and nature reserves in and
around Sydney. All of the parks have extensive networks of walking tracks, 
most of which are quite pleasant for barefoot walking.

Autumn, winter and spring are the best times for walking. In summer it can be 
very hot and/or humid and nasties like leeches, tics and snakes are more 
prevalent (as are pests like flies and mosquitos).

There is a track called the Great North Walk that goes from the heart of
Sydney to the heart of Newcastle through bushland along almost all of its
250km extent. There is rail access at quite a few points along this walk
and segments of it make great one-day hikes. It would be a fun challenge
to do the entire track in bare feet - I wonder if anyone has yet?

Universities

Sydney University, which is where I studied and taught for around ten years,
is fairly relaxed about footware for students and, to a lesser extent, staff.
Based on the class numbers that I experienced, probably about two percent of 
the student population attend barefoot in the warmer weather. This 
information is a bit dated as I've been away from academia for about 8 years
but things probably haven't changed too much.

Summing Up

Enjoying a barefoot holiday in Sydney shouldn't be too arduous. Bring
footware if you intend dining out, but otherwise there shoudn't be too
many hassles. There is still a bit of anti-barefoot sentiment particularly
amongst the more elderly, so it pays to be a bit wary to avoid 
unpleasantries.

If any DSS members are planning a visit to Sydney, please drop me an e-mail 
and I'd be more than happy to join you on a bit of barefoot rambling.

Jeff Pages