I'm going to the Northern Territory in May to hunt water buffalo. On the way, my wife & I are stopping in Sidney for a couple days of sightseeing. When we get off the plane and go to our hotel for the 2-day stay, what are the requirements as to what is to be done with my rifle while in Sidney - can I simply take it to the hotel (with my gun permit), or will I be required to leave the rifle with some Australian authority during my stopover ? Please advise ..... thanks.

You can take your rifle to a hotel under your NT Permit but of course it is your responsibility while there. If you are concerned about security of the fiream you may be able to check it into a lock-up at a police station. Hope this helps...

Frank,
Your Northern Territory Police permit for international visitors firearms should allow you to take the firearm with you to the hotel in Sydney. Certain hotels MAY require you to place the firearm in their vault storage.

If you are only transiting thru to say, So. Africa, but spend a day or so in Sydney, you may leave the firearm with Australian customs and no import permit is required.

Your outfitter should be able to verify the above and give you more cautions that may apply.

Good hunting.

Geoff

Frank, good luck on your buff hunt. Are you hunting in arnhemland or doing a station hunt, and who are you hunting with?

I'm hunting with Simon Kyle-Little about 20 miles up the Walker River (that's where the camp is, & the hunting is close by I'm assuming). What is a station hunt ? I've been trying to convince my wife to go to Africa with me, but this is as close as I've been able to persuade her to get to the Dark Continent. That's why (a) I booked this hunt, and (b) I'm not too familiar with the territory. I think I'll enjoy the hunt, but primarily I just wanted her to go along, and she thought Australia would be a little less intimidating.

My wife and I were in Sydney, Caines and Darwin on our hunt last year. I left my rifle with the lock up at the hotels and never had a problem. The only person that wanted to see my permit was the security guard at the casino in Dawrin where we were staying.

Have a good trip!

there is a gun shop in the heart of sydney, Mick Smiths,
777 george st. 02 92110166. They will mind it there for you if need be.

Go to Circular Quay,jump on a Ferry and go to Manly for lunch on the beach(or indoors if you prefer).Makes for a great round trip-cheap harbour cruise.

Also a trip out to the famous Bondi Beach is a must,catch a train from the city.

Frank
I hope this helps with the geography.
If you’re hunting near the Walker River you’ll be hunting in Arnhem Land. It’s a large chunk of Aboriginal owned land in the north-eastern corner of the Northern Territory.
Entry by non Aboriginals is by way of permit issued by the (Aboriginal) Northern Land Council. Your outfitter will have taken care of the permit.

As the tourist brochures say Arnhem Land is “blessed with wild coastlines, deserted islands, rivers teeming with fish, lush rainforests, soaring escarpments and savanna woodland, Arnhem Land is one of the last great unspoiled areas of the worldâ€.
Australia does not have particularly high mountains so soaring may be a bit in the eye of the beholder.

'Station' is short for cattle station or pastoral holding, something you’d know as a ranch.
Northern Territory cattle stations are large, averaging about 1200 square miles. The largest, Brunette Downs Station, is some 4730 square miles in area.
There are no cattle stations in Arnhem Land.

Watch out for salt water crocs in the waterways - they can be huge.

Have a good one.

Regards
John

quote:

Originally posted by Easy_Rollins:
Go to Circular Quay,jump on a Ferry and go to Manly for lunch on the beach(or indoors if you prefer).Makes for a great round trip-cheap harbour cruise.

Also a trip out to the famous Bondi Beach is a must,catch a train from the city.

I'll second that advice. And if you are keen on Chinese food, the restaurants in Sydney's Chinatown are some of the best.

I have traveled to Sydney a fair bit, take advantage of it. I usually stay down at Coogee Beach outside Sydney. There is a Crown Plaza right on the beach. Out of the tourist areas, close to the airport and you can catch a bus to the Circular Quay (30 minutes bus ride) to see the sights. If you are energetic, you can walk along the sea all the way to Bondi. Also the Coogee Bay Hotel has a great patio/pub and after a few brews its a short walk back to the hotel. A few good resturants in the area as well.
I would also agree with BillintheWilds advice.

Have a good trip.

This chatter about Sydney sure brings the memories back. My youngest daughter spent her junior year at the university there and lived on Bondi. We had some great trips to visit, and to hunt.

pcs: If you have chance to get down there again try to spend some time in Tasmania. Beautiful.

If you want to do a quick and inexpensive tour of Sydney and the Eastern beaches jump on one of the busses that do the tour( the name escapes me).they leave every half an hour and do a 2 hour circuit taking in circular Quay, Watsons Bay, Bondi beach and Coogee beach before heading back to the city.The ticket allows you to get on and off as many times as you please and is a great way to see the sights.If you like seafood pay the Sydney fishmarkets a visit. If the weather is pleasant get off the bus at Watsons Bay, take a walk out to South Head ( an easy 45 minute stroll) and from there you will have a magnificent view right down the Harbour taking in the Opera House.
rob

I had a problem with the gun import system because I flew in to Sidney overnighted and went on to New Calidonia. When I came back they told me it was a one time use permit so it was now invalid and I'd have to leave my guns in lockup at the airport.

It took 2 days to sort out but in the long run the police recommended I could have not imported the guns on arrival and they would have held them in lock up until I came back to fly on to Darwin. So you might check into not taking them out of the airport in Sidney.

We only had one day in Sidney so did the popular area aroud the Harbor and China-town. (all walkable). Then took a water Taxi across the harbor at sunset to a very nice resturant out on the point near the light house. Awesome food, wine, and service. We were delivered right onto their private beach and though they had outside dining it was cool so we opted for inside with a great view. Used a road taxi back to town after the meal.

Mike O

Madabula,
You would have eaten at Doyles Watsons Bay. One of the best views you will find, but the food is better elsewhere.These guys don't have to work too hard as the scenery does it all for them.
rob

i am overnighting in Syd. on the way to New Cal. and spending 2 nights in Syd. on the way back. any recommendations on a hotel there in the $100- 150 US price range? i was thinking about a beach hotel outbound and city center/the rocks area on the return. thanks jerry

If staying in or near the city I usually stay at the Novotel at Darling Harbour. Lots of restaurants right below it too. If you want to visit the Casino it is just a short walk away too. If you book a room on the city side nice views of the city-scape at night.

quote:

Originally posted by madabula:
I had a problem with the gun import system because I flew in to Sidney overnighted and went on to New Calidonia. When I came back they told me it was a one time use permit so it was now invalid and I'd have to leave my guns in lockup at the airport.

It took 2 days to sort out but in the long run the police recommended I could have not imported the guns on arrival and they would have held them in lock up until I came back to fly on to Darwin. So you might check into not taking them out of the airport in Sidney.

We only had one day in Sidney so did the popular area aroud the Harbor and China-town. (all walkable). Then took a water Taxi across the harbor at sunset to a very nice resturant out on the point near the light house. Awesome food, wine, and service. We were delivered right onto their private beach and though they had outside dining it was cool so we opted for inside with a great view. Used a road taxi back to town after the meal.

Mike O

Hi Mike - you should have had multiple entry permits, which are now pretty easy to get.

You cant leave a gun in customs if you are going to need it elsewhere in Australia for two reasons - 1 - you would need to cross back over the International barrier to clear it through customs anyhow, which is not possible, and -2- they are in a different terminals to where you would likely fly north (to the NT) from anyhow.

Cheers
Matt

Greetings Matt:

It would be good for anyone to get the latest scoop since it seems to change quickly. An Australian Sky Martial had his gun "held up" the same day we did because of the then new rule and appearently the multiple entry were not yet thougth of.

Over all I think it is worth the hassle to bring ones own guns. When whe quit the door will close. God knows there's plenty of preasure to shut it anyway!!!

Best Regards

Mike O

Best Regards

As I am getting real close to my hunt in the Northern Territory, and making the last minute preparations (like rifle storage during my stop over in Sydney), I'm quickly learning how terrible the Australian gov't. gun laws STINK !!! Our Democrats & so-called liberals here in the good 'ol USA look like NRA officials compared to what I'm required to adhere to in the land down under. What a f***ing mess .....

I dont know what you mean Frank. Apart from a few pages of form filling it is all pretty straight forward.

Afterall it is FAR easier for you to bring a gun to Australia than for me to bring a gun to the USA!! .... What's the problem??

Matt G

quote:

Originally posted by Matt Graham:
Afterall it is FAR easier for you to bring a gun to Australia than for me to bring a gun to the USA!! .... What's the problem??

Very true.

And seemingly impossible to take a firearm temporarily through the USA if hunting in Canada. No matter what paperwork is applied for.

quote:

Originally posted by NitroX:


And seemingly impossible to take a firearm temporarily through the USA if hunting in Canada. No matter what paperwork is applied for.

Air New Zealand start non stop flights to Canada in Novemeber this year,what about Qantas???

You may be correct on bringing a firearm into the US; living here , I've never had to deal with that situation. However, after paying my $150. and obtaining my permit (telling the gov't. what my plans were, when I'd arrive, and when I'd leave), I was notified yesterday by my PH in Australia that I also needed another permit to take my rifle back home from Australia. He said this was something new, and that things were always changing over there. That is still being worked out & approved. Why do you need two permits - one to bring it in, and the other to leave with the gun ??? That's my complaint.

Second permit is a export permit,i got mine from Australian customs the day before i flew out.

Paying $150??? i only paid $25AUS

I found everyone at Qantas and Australian customs very helpful.

That's what I was charged by my PH ..... $150. If that's excessive, I'd like to know.

Frank

The export permit is not new. In fact it has been around for many years.

The fee is from the outfitter. Considering the time and paperwork it is probably not excessive.

As a comparison if I want to export a purchased rifle in the USA and get a firearms broker to organise the US export papers most charge from US$300 to US$800. And I believe I HAVE to use a US broker or licenced person.

But you probably could do the Aussie import and export paperwork yourself. All Aussies going overseas do it themselves, but it is easier when you are local, and the $150 saves you the phone calls and hopefully makes sure it was done right the first time.

I agree with the comment above, I have found customs and Qantas always polite and reasonably helpful.

I would assume the $150 DOES cover both the export and import forms of course, as both should be expected by the outfitter.

quote:

Originally posted by TOP_PREDATOR:

quote:

Originally posted by NitroX:


And seemingly impossible to take a firearm temporarily through the USA if hunting in Canada. No matter what paperwork is applied for.

Air New Zealand start non stop flights to Canada in Novemeber this year,what about Qantas???

No idea, but flying via Kiwiland may be the solution.

I'll pass your information on to someone that has been experiencing the problem recently.

quote:

Originally posted by Frank Beller:
You may be correct on bringing a firearm into the US; living here , I've never had to deal with that situation. However, after paying my $150. and obtaining my permit (telling the gov't. what my plans were, when I'd arrive, and when I'd leave), I was notified yesterday by my PH in Australia that I also needed another permit to take my rifle back home from Australia. He said this was something new, and that things were always changing over there. That is still being worked out & approved. Why do you need two permits - one to bring it in, and the other to leave with the gun ??? That's my complaint.

Hi Frank
Like NitroX said the $150 is pretty standard if your outfitter handles all the paperwork. The only 'export permit' that you will need should be a 'dangerous goods permit' that you just fill out before you leave the county. It's no big deal - it just tells the government that your guns left with you. When you get your NT permit they should put a blank one of these in with it, so you will have one with you when you come to Australia.

I guess your outfitter could have told you that...

I have not heard of any other 'new permit' and I am processing these forms every day for US and other clients, without problems...

Hope this helps
Matt