RFI: Sydney area

Hello -

My wife and I will be touring in the Kimberley in September, 1997
and are considering a very brief layover (1-2 days) in Sydney.
Can anyone "out there" help me with the follwoing questions:

1.  What are the hours of the Sydney Botanical Gardens?
    Is it very birdy?

2.  What is a good bookstore where we can buy some books on
    natural history of the various regions of Australia, like
    the Cape York Peninsula and the South West corner of Australia
    (to research future trips to Australia!) ?

    What are the typical business hours for stores in Sydney?

3.  Are there any other birdy areas around/in Sydney accessible
    by public transportation?  (Does Sydney have a subway system
    and/or a good public bus sytem?)

4.  Do you know of any pelagic day trips from Sydney we can arrange
    while there (or beforehand from the USA) ?



Thanks very much!

--
Hugh Rodgers

AG Communication Systems
Phone:  (602) 581-4058
email: