The Sydney Visitor Centre, 106 George St., The Rocks (tel. 1800 067 676 in Australia, or 02/9255 1788; www.sydneyvisitorcentre.com), is a good place to pick up maps, brochures, YHA cards, and general tourist information about Sydney as well as towns in New South Wales; it also has two floors of displays on The Rocks. The office is open daily from 9am to 6pm. There's another visitor center in Darling Harbour (33 Wheat St.). It's open from 10am to 6pm daily.

Also in The Rocks is the National Parks & Wildlife Centre, in Cadmans Cottage, 110 George St. (tel. 02/9247 5033). This place has lots of national park information and runs boat tours to some of the islands in Sydney Harbour. Elsewhere, there's a City Host information kiosk, located at Martin Place (between Elizabeth and Castlereagh sts.). It's open daily from 9am to 5pm. There's also a Visitor Centre at the International Terminal. If you want to inquire about destinations and holidays in Sydney or the rest of New South Wales, call Tourism New South Wales?s help line (tel. 13 20 77 in Australia).

Electronic information on cinema, theater, exhibitions, and other events is available through Talking Guides (tel. 13 16 20 in Australia). You'll need a code number for each topic, which you can find on page 3 of the A-K section of the Sydney Yellow Pages. The service costs the same as a local call.

A good website is CitySearch Sydney (www.sydney.citysearch.com.au), for events, entertainment, dining, and shopping.

Tourist Refund Scheme--Visitors to Australia are entitled to claim any Goods and Services Tax (GST) on purchases over A$300 (US$240) per store. The GST component is 10% of the sale price. Do this at the refund booth located past Customs. After doing the paperwork -- you need to have the goods and receipt with you, not in your checked luggage -- you will receive your refund by check on the spot. You can convert this to cash at any foreign exchange booth at Sydney Airport.