Structure / Landmark Names:
Abattoir (slaughterhouse)
Abbey
Academy (+ alchemist, arcane, artificer’s, bards, healers, mages, military, naval, royal, science)
Ale House (tavern)
Alley
Altar (deity, element, power, environment, luck, magic, old one, outsider, sacrificial, spirit, etc)
Amphitheater
Aquarium
Aqueduct
Archives
Archway
Arena (+ gladiatorial, music, performance, racing, sports)
Asylum
Auction House
Aviary
Bakery
Bank
Bar
Barn
Barracks
Bathhouse
Battle Ground
Bazaar
Black Market, Underground Market
Board (+ message, quest)
Boom Chain - harbor chain or river chain used to block boats. Operated from a chain tower
Breakwater
Brewery
Bridge (Covered Bridge, Draw Bridge, Living Root Bridge, Rope Bridge, Sky Bridge)
Brothel, House of Ill Repute
Bungalow
Burial Mound
Cabin
Cache (+ pirates, rebel, smugglers, thieves)
Caer / Cair (stronghold)
Cairn
Canal
Cantina
Caravan (wagons)(+ merchant, military, nomads, pilgrims, prison, refugee, settlers, slavers)
Caravanserai (inn / outfitter for caravans)
Casino, Gambling Hall
Castle
Catacombs
Cathedral
Causeway
Cellar (+ root, storm, wine)
Cemetery
Chain Tower - tower used to raise or lower a boom chain (harbor or river chain)
Chapel
Chateau
Church
Circle of Stones
Circle of Wagons
Circus
Cistern
Citadel
City
Cliff Dwellings
Coach House
Coffeehouse
College (+ alchemist, arcane, bards, healers, mages, naval, of artificers, of science, royal)
Colosseum
Conservatory (greenhouse)
Convent, Nunnery
Corral (cattle, horse, livestock)
Cottage
Courthouse
Covered Walkway
Croft (rented farmhouse & land)
Crypt, Mausoleum, Sepulcher, Tomb
Dam
Den (+ assassins, drug, gambling, hookah, opium, smugglers, thieves)
Dig Site (fossils, minerals, ruins)
Dike
Dock (boat, ship, airship)
Dockyard
Dojo, Sparring Hall, Training Hall
Dome
Drug (+ den, lounge, parlor)
Dugout, Pit-House
Dungeon, Jail, Prison
Embassy (+ country, race, realm, world)
Estate
Executioners Block
Fairgrounds
Farm (animal, crop, dairy, share croppers)
Ferry
Fighting Pit
Flotilla (+ town, village, city)
Forge
Fort, Fortress (+ coastal, island, mountain, sea / wooden, stone, metal)
Fortifications (cheval de frise, moat, palisade, towers, trench, wall, wooden stakes)
Fountain
Freehold
Gallows, Gibbet
Gambling (+ den, hall, lounge, parlor), Casino
Garden, Gardens (+ crop*, flower, hanging, herb, mushroom, rock, rooftop, sculpture, zen)
Garrison
Gate, Gates
Gate House
Giant (+ construct, golem, idol, mecha, statue)
Gibbet, Gallows
Granary
Grange - farmhouse & outbuildings
Grave (+ fresh, marker, mass, open, site, stone, vacated, yard)
Grave Yard
Grounds (+ burial, fair, parade, sacred, tourney, training)
Guard House
Guard Post
Guild, Guild Hall, Guild House
Hall (+ city, gambling, guild, mead, meeting, music, opera, town, training)
Hanging Tree, Hangmans Tree
Harbor
Hatchery (animal, beast, monster)
Hedge Maze
Henge
Hideout
Hold
Home
Homestead
Hookah (+ bar, den, lounge, parlor)
Horreum (warehouse)
Hostel (bed & breakfast)
House (+ bath, boat, coach, coffee, farm, guard, guest, guild, long, manor, opera, ritual, safe, smoke, sod, summer, tea, theater, turf, winter)
House of Ill Repute, Brothel
Hovel
Hut, Huts (adobe, cloth, earthen, grass, hide, ice, mud, snow, stone, straw, wood)
Idol
Inn
Jail, Dungeon, Prison
Keep
Labyrinth
Library (+ arcane, great, royal)
Lift (wench & platform)
Lighthouse
Lock, Locks (waterway)
Lodge (+ hunting, masons, medicine, porters, safari, secret society*, sweat, wardens)
Lyceum - hall for public lectures
Machinery (from bygone age or civilization / size – cart, building, town)
Magical Construct (energy construct, giant levitating crystal, moving sculpture, rune stones, sigil stones)
Manor
Marker
Marker Stone (border stone, boundary stone)
Market, Market Place, Market Square
Market Stall, Street Stall
Massage Parlor
Mausoleum, Crypt, Sepulcher, Tomb
Mead Hall
Memorial
Messenger Pigeon Loft
Mews (row or courtyard of stables and carriage houses with living quarters above them)
Midden (+ heap, mound, pile)
Mill
Minaret
Mine, Mines (coal, crystal [normal, magic], gem stone [normal, magic], guano, metal [normal, magic], mineral [normal, magic], salt, substance)
Mission (place for missionary work)
Moat (+ dry, lava, mud, quicksand, spiked, tar, water)
Monastery
Monolith
Monument
Mosque
Mound (+ burial, ceremonial, midden, shell, temple)
Museum
Music Hall
Nunnery, Convent
Obelisk
Observatory
Opera Hall / Opera House
Opium Den
Orchard
Orphanage
Outfitters
Outpost
Paddock
Palace
Palisade
Parade Grounds, Training Grounds
Park
Parlor, Parlour (drug, massage, tattoo)
Pen, Pens (+ animal, monster, slave)
Pier
Pillar, Pillars
Pit (+ dwelling, fighting, monster, prison, slave)
Plantation
Plazza
Port
Portal
Prison, Dungeon, Jail
Pub
Public Square
Pueblo
Pyramid
Pyre (+ funeral)
Quarry (crystal, magic crystal, metal, mineral, stone, substance)
Ranch (animal, monster)
Redoubt (temporary fortification)
Reflecting Pool, Reflection Pool
Road, Roads (cobblestone, dirt, paved / + abandoned, cross, main, rural)
Root Cellar
Ruin, Ruins
Rune Stone
Sally Port (secure, controlled entry way to a fortification or prison)
Sanctuary
Sauna
Sawmill
Scaffolding
School
Sculpture (+ large, giant, garden, scale city model)
Sea Gate
Sea Wall
Sepulcher, Crypt, Mausoleum, Tomb
Sewer, Sewers
Shack
Shanty Town
Shelter
Ship Graveyard
Shipwreck
Shipyard, Shipyards
Shop
Shrine (deity, druidic, element, power, environment, guardian, luck, magic, old one, outsider, spirit, etc)
Siege Tower
Sign
Sign Post
Site (+ building, camp, construction, dig, excavation, grave, ritual)
Slaughter House
Slums
Smithy
Sparring Hall, Dojo, Training Hall
Square (+ market, public, town)
Stables
Stair
Statue (Idol, large, giant, guardian, monument)
Steading (farmstead, homestead)
Stockade
Stockyard
Store
Storehouse, Warehouse
Street
Street Vendors, Market Stall, Street Stall ( alcove, booth, cart, stall, stand, tent)
Stronghold
Sun Dial
Sunken (city, ruins, ship, temple)
Supply Post
Symbol (coat of arms, emblem, flag, ritual circle, rune, seal, sigil, symbol, ward)
Taphouse (inn / tavern with liquor on tap)
Tavern
Tea House
Temple
Tent City (+ merchant, military, nomads, pilgrims, refugee, settlers, squatters)
Theater House
Tomb, Crypt, Mausoleum, Sepulcher
Totem Pole
Tourney Field / Tournament Field
Tower (+ bell, chain, clock, guard, peel, siege, signal, watch, wizard)
Town
Trade Route
Trading Post
Training Grounds, Parade Grounds
Training Hall, Dojo, Sparring Hall
Tree House
Tree Town
Trench (+ spiked)
Tunnel
University (+ alchemist, arcane, artificer’s, bards, healers, mages, naval, of science, royal)
Vault
Villa (large country house / estate)
Village
Vineyard
Wall (+ barrier, breached, city, earthen, great, inner, outer, sea, stone, town)
Warehouse, Storehouse
Watch Tower
Water Mill
Well (+ artesian, covered, dry, house, of magic, water)
Well House
Wharf
Windmill
Winery
Work Camp
Workshop
Yurt (round tent covered in skins or felt, used by nomads)
Ziggurat
Zoo (mundane, rare, exotic, magical, alien - creatures)
Structure Mods: (structure type + mod)
Architectural Influence - Arabic, Asian, European, Germanic, Mexican, Turkish, Fantasy Culture, etc
Aware - animated / sentient / genius loci / benevolent / hostile / mischievous
Built Over - ancient ruins, battle ground, cave system, grave site, magical nexus, mines, portal, prison, temple, tomb, well of magic
Dimensional Anomaly - structure appears in a fixed location. appears & disappears at certain time or during certain events
Ghostly / Out of phase - structure can be seen but is intangible
Magic - absorbing, amplified magic, anti-magic, cursed, divine, infernal, magically (sealed, warded), recharge mana, reduced magic, wild magic
State - ½ buried, abandoned, barricaded, burned, collapsed, condemned, cursed, desecrated, flooded, for sale, haunted, hidden, infested, leaning, overgrown, ransacked, recently excavated, ruined, sacred, sunken, under construction
Unusual Feature - clockwork, front for “x”, hidden by illusion, levitating, mobile, on stilts, shape shifting door
Unusual Material - crystal, earth, ice, living plants, metal, monster (bone, carapace, hide, scale, shell), pykrete (ice + cotten), resin, shaped stone
Wandering - structure occasionally moves to a new location / locomotion - deconstructs & rebuilds at new location, levitating, sliding, teleportation, walking
Districts:
Administration - ?
Business - market, merchant, “x” industry, trade, trader
Entertainment - arena, opera, poet, theater
Leadership - council, palace, senate
Location - canal, (n, s, e, w) gate, harbor, hill, plateau, under town, waterside
Magic - ?
Military - garrison, soldier
New vs Old - old town
Religion - temple
Social Status - royal, noble, upper class, lower class, slums / platinum, gold, silver, iron, copper / diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald, jade
What it’s known for - fish, of bells, spice
Guilds: adventurers, alchemist, artisans, assassins, bankers, bards, bounty hunters, caravan trade, couriers, courtesans, craftsman, demon hunters, explorers, fighters, mage, mage hunters, masons, merchants, mercenary, miners, monster hunters, monster trainers, peace keepers, relic hunters, thieves, thief hunters, tinkerers, trade, treasure hunters, warriors, witch hunters, wizards
Offices: archivist, barrister, city hall, constable, courier, guards, guild (type), harbor master, information broker, magistrate, money changer, money lender, port authority, public records, scribe, sheriff, town hall, transportation (dirigible / magic flying ship / magic portal / stagecoach / teleportation / train), wardens
Shops: alchemist, animal trainer, apothecary, armorer, artificer, baker, barber, blacksmith, boatwright, book store, bowyer, butcher, candle maker, candy, carpenter, cheesemonger, clothier, cobbler, cooper, curio, druggist, dyer, enchanter, fishmonger, fletcher, fortune teller, general store, glass blower, greengrocer, hat, healer, herbalist, incense, jeweler, leather worker, lock smith, magic shop, mapmaker, mask, mercer (textiles), metal smith (gold, silver, copper, pewter), miller, oil merchant, oracle, outfitters, paper maker, pawn, perfume, pet shop, pharmacist, potter, rope maker, rug shop, sailwright, seer, shipwright, spice, stone mason, sundries, tailor, talismonger, tanner, tattoo parlor, tea shop, thatcher, tinkerer, travel office, wainwright (cartwright), weaver, ward maker, weapon smith, wig maker
Useful Links:
City Building:
d100 Architectural Styles
d100 City Streets, Squares and other City Areas
d100 Inn Oddities
d100 Market Stalls
d100 Things for which a region is famous
d100 Town / City Landmarks
d100 Towns & Cities with backstories
Town Names
d100 Towns & Villages
d100 Town Exports
Bones of the Tarrasque - random small town generator
Collaborative Gamer - System for creating towns
Lets Build a City
Medieval Civilization Generator
Medieval Demographics
Pirate location name generator
Single City Campaign
Strategy Games City Generator
Super Quick Guide for City Building
Text Based Town Description Generator
Why a city is famous
Guilds
World Building Partial Names
World Building Flow Chart
NPCs:
Medieval Occupations
List of fantasy Occupations
List of NPC Motivations
List of Negative Personality Traits
List of Positive Personality Traits
List of NPC Desires
List of NPC Fears
List of NPC Quirks
List of NPC Secrets
Negatherium - NPC Generator
NPC Generator
This is your life - NPC Generator
Map Makers / Generators:
Arkenforge - Maps & Tools
AutoREALM - Map Maker
BattlemapForge - Map Maker
Black Scrolls - Modular Map Tiles
Cze & Peku - Map Artist
Dave's Mapper - Map Generator
Dungeonfog - Map Maker
DumgeonMapster - Map Parts
Dungeonographer - Map Maker
Dyson Logos - Free Maps
Kanka - World Building Tools - Free
Kassoon - House Generator
Map Hammer - Map Tiles
Northern Cartography - Free Maps
Photoshop - Battle Map Tutorial
Pyromancers - Dungeon Painter Studio
RPG Inferno Tools - topdown simple map creator
RPG Land Maps - 3D topdown maps of Villages, Towns, and Cities
VTT Wiki - Mapping Making Software
Watabou - Medieval Fantasy City Map Generator
Watabou - Medieval Fantasy City Map Generator 2
3D Terrain Stores:
3D Printable Terrain
Corvus Games Terrain
Imperial Terrain
Infinite Dimensions Games
OTP Terrain & Miniatures
Printable Scenery
RPG Tools / Random Generators:
Donjon - RPG Tools / Random Generators
Dungeon Masters Vault - RPG Tools / Random Generators
Oh My GameMaster - towns, shops, NPCs, traps
Wizardawn - NPC, Shop, Inventory Generator
List of Map Tools & Generators
Battle Maps:
Battlemaps
Ancient Arena
Ancient Bridge
Ancient Dungeon
Anglers Wharf
Bandit Hideout
Breakwater Docks
Bridge Border Crossing
Bridge Checkpoint
Caravan Camp
Castle Donan
City Canal
City Tavern
Colossus Port
Cottage
Derion Graveyard
Desert Oasis
Desert Street Alley
Dungeon Living Quarters
Dwarf Lands
Farming Village
Forester's House
Forest Shack
Fort Construction
Fortified Settlement
Garden Temple
Goldleaf Abby
Grand Port
Great Library
Green Bastion
Island Fortress
Jodak's Mill
Jungle Camp
Justice Square
Lonely Outpost
Marble Quarry
Monster Festival
Mountain Cottage
Mountain Monastery
Mountain Temple
Orangestead Farm
Ozymandias
Pirate Tavern
Roadside Village
Rocky Harbor
Royal Museum
Ruins of the abyss
Sacred Grove
Sanguine Inn at night
Seaside Bastion
Serene Lakeside
Sewers
Shrine of the Sanguine
Sky Bridge
Taxidermy Parlour
Temple above the clouds
The Cabin
The Fighting Pit
Titan Rigger Map
Travellers Guild Hall
Underdark Trading Outpost
Village Graveyard
Village Street
Witch's Cottage
City / Town Maps:
Anchorage Isle
City of Mul'Domar
City of Twyrif
Coastal Town
Cursed Village
Port Abadon
Port Town
Sulari Capital
Swamp of Bullwugs
Town of Jarlang
Town of Tharg
Other:
Cities with backstories
Culture Generator
List of Environments & Geological Formations
tartarianarchitecture - architecture pics
Living Root Bridges
Edit - last edit 02/12/2021

Australia - Travel and Itinerary Wiki

Backstory - I'm a US expat and travel hacker living in Sydney with my wife. We've been here for 6 months and seen a lot of the same questions about the area get posted almost daily. I'll do my best to concisely run through a number of topics here, whether it be about getting here or what to do, in the hopes this makes future questions a little more tactical.

NOTE: PLEASE PROVIDE FEEDBACK IF YOU WANT TO CONTRIBUTE!

Update 1 - Added booking windows and intra-region travel info.

Getting Here

Cash

Great deals to be had lately in economy. Prices have consistently dropped $800 or so from mainland USA on full service carriers. These sales are pretty frequent. If you have Chase Sapphire Reserve card a $800 cash ticket is just over 53,000 Ultimate Rewards points with FULL points earn on the ticket itself. That's a great deal if you don't care about sitting up front. Business class is significantly more expensive. This is one of the most sought after premium class routes on the planet and with that prices tend to stay high and award availability low.

From the East Coast of the US

I highly recommend AA to DFW and Qantas DFW-SYD. The route is served by a comfortable A380 (good economy, dated 2-2-2 J though) and loads are typically intentionally kept low heading East to maximize cargo capacity. That means you can realistically expect a empty middle seat if you plan well. On the eastbound side it's still possible but less likely. Also, if you fly on low days you may score an upgrade for $1,000 - $1,200 USD per person, per way, via Qantas' bid for upgrade program. Really the major benefit here is connections going further into the US - minimizing travel time on either side of that long leg is incredibly more valuable and comfortable.

From the West Coast of the US

Any carrier works here, chose based on your preference. Every domestic carrier serves the route (UA/AA/DL) and most are newer aircraft (sans Delta's aging 777s). You can also find good deals via Fiji as well as via Auckland on Air New Zealand. I personally don't like breaking up the trip any more than necessary so I don't like those options.

Points

Oh boy, this is a good one. Generally the rule of thumb is simply this, PLAN AHEAD IF YOU WANT TO FLY UP FRONT! The only exception to this is Virgin Australia who sometimes releases J space < 2 weeks of travel. That's absolutely rolling the dice though. Economy wise you can typically find space on at least one carrier so that's less of a topic, and as above, with cash prices being so low it can often be less worthwhile to book the award itself. Up front you really have a few options.  
US Carriers  

Carrier	Booking Window	Comments
United	338	Good J hard product, meh soft product. Awards open up here and there but typically it's very limited to last minute redemption. Price-wise, they're not the cheapest, but not the most expensive.
AA	331	probably the best hard produce from the group. Same meh soft product (they're US carriers after all). Pricing is also okay, but availability is next to none.
Delta	331	bad products, hard and soft. The seats are old, the service is older. Price is highest BUT you will often find saver-level seats on Virgin Australia (a partner) < 2 weeks out.

  Australian Carriers  

Carrier	Booking Window	Comments
Qantas	353	meh J product (2-2-2). Good/Great F. Service is also good, very polished. Availability in spurts, but okay price via AA.
Virgin Australia	330	best seat (the Business) and I'm a sucker for a bird with a bar. Conversely, terrible availability unless you're looking within 2 weeks or right at the window.

  Asian Carriers (generally better availability)  

Carrier	Booking Window	Comments
Korean	360?	my personal favorite. Great airline, great US service, and a transfer partner of Chase. And most importantly, they tend to be quite generous with their availability.
Cathay	360	old favorite in the points world. Not the cheapest option but if you have the points then you'll often find availability through HKG when you book at the window. Great seat, classic service, and AMAZING lounges in HKG.
JAL	330	like ANA, in light of recently US carrier devaluations these guys have become a viable option through Tokyo. Some recommend their 777 SkySuite as the best J product out there.
SQ	355	Suites are always a favorite but lately it's pretty impossible to not pull your hair out before actually confirming that route. J availability tends to show up here and there. Recently devauled though so use tool to find best option based on points available.
ANA	356	mentioned in JAL topic, just a solid all around option if you have the points.

  Award Tools Look, I know a lot of carriers were mentioned above and you're probably going well, that's all great, but how do I ultimately choose one given the fact that I have a trip 1+ year out and a few options? That's where the below sites come in handy. They will tell decipher award charts and help you distill down the airlines that you can realistically fly given the points that you have.

• AwardAce
• AwardHacker
• RewardStock

Once In The Region

Intra-Region Travel

• Staying in the South/South East (SYD/BNE/MEL/PEetc.) - Avios, Avios, Avios! SYD-MEL, for example, is 4,500 Avios one way on Qantas. This is an amazing sweet spot.
• Cross Country Travel - This is tough. Economy prices aren't terribly high, but the business class product on these flights is top notch. Virgin flies "The Business" A330 and Qantas flies an equivalent A330 through the continent and they really cater to those premium travelers. I still haven't come up with the best way of doing this with points though local frequent flyers swear by the points upgrade to get up front.
• Across the Ditch (To/From NZ) - My recommendation is Air New Zealand. I recently booked this and spent 25k Krisflyer (Singapore) for a RT flight on Air New Zealand. I definitely consider that tremendous value, though discount carriers operate these routes and you can find deals (I would consider $300 round trip in economy to be a good deal).

Sydney-Specific

Rule of thumb, if you have 5+ days in the region than I suggest going outside of Sydney. It's a cool city, but there is SO much more to see. Scroll down for details, but while in Sydney here are a few suggestions:

• Taronga Zoo – One of my favourites. A great place to see all the local animals that the US doesn’t have. This is a FANTASTIC first day activity and will help you fight jet lag!
• Bondi to Cogee Walk – A beautiful self-guided walk down the coast. It’s just a walking path but it's a must do.
• Harbour Bridge Climb – Climb atop Sydney’s most famous bridge to see the city like nowhere else. Younger people love it, older people tend to avoid it. I haven't done it and don't plan to.
• Sydney Opera House – The most famous landmark in Sydney. We could see a show or just do a tour. Up to you.
• Manly Ferry/Beach – Manly beach is amazing and the surrounding area is filled with bars and restaurants. This would take up the majority of a day. The ferry there and back is a mini sightseeing tour in and of itself.
• Sydney Bus Tours - Highly recommended as it takes you all over the city and even out to Bondi. Hop on/Hop off style so you can wander if you like a stop.
• Sydney Boat Tours – Just like the bus tours, the boat tours allow you to get off at stops and explore. A great way to maneuver around the water and hit the main points of interest. Could be a good way to see Manly, too. Do NOT do a dinner cruise, the food is bad and it's just a waste of time.
• The Rocks – Located right in the harbour, the Rocks is an area with numerous restaurants, a famous market and Australia’s oldest pubs.
• Darling Harbour – Like the Rocks, DH is another touristy area on the water that has a ton of restaurants and bars. Also has a Ferris wheel, an enormous fish market with tons of fresh seafood, and a casino.
• Sydney Seaplanes – Name says it all. I absolutely LOVED the "Sydney Secrets" tour.
• Featherdale Wildlife Park – Never been here but it comes highly recommended. Basically it is an animal park where all of the animals are loose and you can interact with them. All of the Australian animals will be there. It is a little bit of a drive but definitely doable.
• Blue Mountains – A national park that has a bunch of beautiful views and is much different from the water you get all around the city. They have a similar bus tour to all the attractions which lets you hop on/off at will. A train will take us directly up there if you’d like to go.
• Hunter Valley – Australia is known for its wine and HV is the closest region to the city.

Places to Stay

• Park Hyatt Syndey - go to place for best of the best stays. On Cirqular Quay with views of Opera House.
• Westin Sydney - downtown, good location (10 min walk from quay), nice hotel.
• Hilton Sydney - downtown, same as Westin.
• Intercontinental Double Bay - ritzy area of town, looks to be a nice hotel. I live nearby so I'm biased - it's a good spot but out of the hustle and bustle.
• Marriott - also downtown, 5 min from quay. Lobby recently redone, rooms are supposedly very nice, too.
• Four Points Sydney - closer to Chinatown but still downtown. 20 min qay to quay. I've heard it's nice.
• There are tons more, this is a whole topic in an of itself.

Regional

Are you outdoorsy?

• Queenstown, NZ (~3 hour flight) - The end all be all go-to place for being outdoors. If you like being outside/hiking/etc. this should absolutely be on your list See extreme activities section.
• Tasmania -
• Blue Mountains - see above.
• Royal National Park (~30 min from Sydney) - great national park with some beautiful hiking spots. Not huge, but easy to get to and is a good excursion.

Do you like food/drinks?

• Melbourne (pronounced Melbun) - Where to begin? Really the best way of thinking about Sydney vs. Melbourne, which is a HUGE rivalry by the way, is to put it simply as > Sydney has the sights whereas Melbourne has the culture.

Extreme activities?

• Cairnes (pronounced Cans) - the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. Backpacker town (if you want a nicer area near the GBR see Port Douglas) and full of bars and nightlife. If you're younger, want to hang out with some peers, and go diving, go here.
• Queenstown - the extreme sports capital of the world or something like that. Has it all - skiing, skydiving, bungee jumping, rafting, etc.

Animals

• Featherdale Wildlife Park - Near Sydney, see above section.
• Taronga Zoo - see Sydney section.
• Austrlaia Zoo - Up near Sunshine Coast, not familiar with it.

Cultural

• Melbourne - see food.
• Uluru - Where Ayers Rock is. Great for the "Outback" experience. Can fly (3 hrs) from Sydney, not/nothing else there though.

Beaches/Relaxation

• Lord Howe Island - limited access island. Super exclusive. Best value is booking out and using Qantas points to get there. 16k or so round trip for $1,000 flight.
• Hamilton Island - right off barrier reef's southern end. Beautiful islands with Whitsundays islands nearby.
• Port Douglas - the nicer way to get to the Great Barrier Reef (as opposed to touristy/backpacker Cairns).
• Bondi/Bronte/Coogee/etc. - Eastern beaches. All near Syndey. Bondi to Coogee walk will show you most of them.
• Northern Beaches (30 - 45 min car ride from city). More laid back beaches outside of the city. Slower paces, friendlier locals.

Example Itinerary

Assumes 10 days down under.

• Day 1 - Land in SYD, drop bags at hotel, change, and head straight to Zoo. DO NOT NAP. Try to stay awake until 7p or so. Good luck.
• Day 2 Sydney - Hop on/Hop off bus tour. Do Bondi to Coogee walk when you get to Bondi. Figure out what you like and don't like along the way.
• Day 3 Travel to Melbourne - Dinner downtown.
• Day 4 Melbourne - Coffee, walk around CBD, Great Ocean Road maybe?
• Day 5 Travel to Queenstown, NZ
• Day 6 Queenstown - Outside
• Day 7 Queenstown - Outside
• Day 8 Travel to Sydney
• Day 9 Sydney - Opera House tour. Ferry to Manly for lunch/afternoon.
• Day 10 Depart Sydney

Hi all, I posted about how the new Rogue could be good vs the "Reno" meta we saw last week. I'm here to announce that in the second wing Reno isn't quite dominating the meta. However, Spider Rogue is doing quite well up against this weeks ladder.
Deck & Proof Last Boss Proof #2 Statistics [Updated on 11/23 at rank 480]
I went through quite a few versions of the deck and ended up settling with this one because it's well rounded and can take on just about anything with good draws. I played other variations of Spider Rogue from Rank 5 to 3, and this version from 3 to Legend with a 65% win rate.
Substitutions Healbot - This is a good card if you are facing a lot of face hunter. I don't run it because the tempo loss in other matchups. Replace Loatheb or Sylvanas. Skulker - I wouldn't replace a fan for this because you need the draw and it's too slow, but if you need it as a 3rd aoe vs lots of paladins, shamans and zoo you can replace Loatheb or Sylvanas. Kezan - You can replace a shredder if you are facing a lot of secrets. Anubarak - This is pretty slow so I wouldn't run it, but if you expect to face 10 control warriors in a row then you can sub loatheb for this. Harrison - This card can be pretty good because this deck doesn't have too much draws. If you think you'll face weapons replace loatheb or Sylvanas with this. Cairne - Another card that's good vs control warrior, can replace Sylvanas if you aren't having much success with her. Sylvanas often gets killed without much value, so Cairne is a solid replacement. Sprint - You can replace Dr. Boom with a sprint. In some slower matchups you run out of gas and a turn 7 sprint can really help. You don't have preps so Dr. Boom is generally going to be better, but if you face a lot of Renolock, Control Warrior, or Priest it can be good.
How to use Raptor Usually, you want to Raptor your Eggs, but if your hand is bad or you are looking for answers use your raptor to draw with the loot hoarder or thalnos effect. Sometimes you need to copy draw to look for taunts vs aggro decks, or bgh vs handlock or secret pally for example. Raptor is also quite good to use with boom bots in some circumstances such as when your opponent is low on HP or you need board (turn 10 Dr. Boom + Raptor is disgusting). Sylvanas is also a good target sometimes especially vs Druid, Priest and Warrior. Sometimes you need to drop it on turn 3 for tempo, especially vs a deck that plays shredders or if you are behind on board.
Matchups Note: Abusive and Raptor shouldn't always be kept if it says so below. It depends on your hand and the matchup, use your best judgement. Don't keep duplicates of a card in mulligans, it is almost never correct.
Druid [BAD] - Creeper, Backstab, SI7, Raptor, Abusive, Hoarder, Thalnos (With Backstab Only), Fan (vs Aggro) Druid can be a very tough matchup for Spider Rogue. They have silences for your deathrattles, insane burst and board clear with combo, and swipe kills your Drakes or Nerubians and creeper spawns effectively. Basically, you want to mulligan for cards that allow you to deal with a turn 2 Aspirant. Creeper + Abusive, Backstab with a Dagger or Thalnos or Creeper are your best ways to deal with it. If you have coin always keep creeper and abusive so you can coin out creeper and turn 2 abusive to kill the Aspirant. Egg is a bit too slow vs Druid and usually gets silenced so I don't keep it. Aggro Druid is a little easier because you can usually deal with the early aggression but if you don't transition into taunting up and don't have BGH for fel reaver you usually lose.
Paladin [GOOD] - Creeper, Egg, Backstab, SI7, Raptor, Abusive, Hoarder, Fan This matchup is pretty great, they can't really deal with all your deathrattles and cheap removals. I usually save an abusive and BGH to kill Tirion if possible. Sometimes they curve out perfectly and there's not much you can do about it but on average you are favored. Just try to clear their board while playing around conc and setting up strong deathrattles to argus up. Secret Pally is especially easy because their secrets get very little value vs your small minions and you can usually get a BGH off on a challenger or Dr. Boom for a huge tempo swing.
Mage [GOOD] - Creeper, Egg, Raptor, Backstab, SI7, Hoarder, Loatheb (vs Freeze), Abusive (vs Tempo) In my experience it's usually freeze mage but there's a few tempo mages out there too. The way you win vs freeze mage is to set up your deathrattles and play loatheb at the critical moment to deny either burn to your face or ice block + freeze when setting up lethal. Backstab their scientists or hold onto backstab evisc to clear a doomsayer if your board isn't resilient to it. Deny their draws as much as possible by using evisc or thalnos + backstab on acolytes. They usually can't deal with your board and will just try to go face which can be a problem if they got their draws. Tempo mage is pretty simple if they dont casino you too hard because you have small minions to trigger mirror entity with and can usually trade up well with abusives or just keep their board clear with removals. Flamewakers aren't too scary because of your deathrattles but you usually want to save an evisc for one because it's possible for them to run away with the game.
Priest [GOOD] - Creeper, Egg, Raptor, Drake, Shredder, Evisc, Backstab, SI7, Hoarder, Abusive (w/ a 2 drop) This matchup depends on how quickly you can gain a board advantage in the early game. If you have a low drop keep drakes and shredders. Your rattles keep the priest from clearing your board usually, so the biggest threat is letting the priest take the board. You want to remove most of the time because a Velens, espsecially on a taunt can basically be GG. Also Cabal can ruin your day so try to play around it a bit. Don't be greedy and you can win this matchup because Rogue easily outtempos priest.
Rogue [DECENT] - Creeper, Egg, Raptor, Drake, Shredder, Backstab, SI7, Hoarder, Loatheb The mirror is obviously pretty draw dependent especially vs deathrattles. Try to kill their deathrattles when you can do so without falling behind much to deny raptor. Oil rogue is a slightly harder matchup because they have more draw, burst, and sap. Try to play around their burst/aoe and use argus and loatheb effectively to win.
Shaman [GOOD] - Creeper, Egg, Raptor, Thalnos, Fan, Evisc, Backstab, SI7, Hoarder, Abusive Shaman is usually an easy matchup. You want to try to keep your cheap removals and especially thalnos and fan to clear their board on turn 5. Never let the shaman on the board and once you set up your deathrattles lightning storm won't do anything. Earth shock can be annoying so sometimes you want to save combos like Egg + Raptor for turn 5 so you get at least one deathrattle.
Warlock [DECENT] - Creeper, Egg, Raptor, Thalnos, Fan, Evisc, Backstab, SI7, Hoarder, Abusive, BGH (vs handlock) Zoo is pretty easy, especially the new "Reynad Zoo" with reliquary seekers. Basically you want to VERY aggressively remove their board and use fan on their 1/1's. They should never be allowed to fill their board, and you should also use your minions sparingly to play around Sea Giant, unless you have BGH. This matchup is similar to old school Rogue vs Zoo but I feel it's even stronger for Rogue now because you have early minions and argus' in addition to the cheap removals to stay ahead on board. I actually never faced a handlock but I'd imagine it's a decent matchup because their aoe is less effective vs deathrattles, just make sure to play around moltens until you can burst them in a single turn. Renolock and dreadsteedlock can be pretty challenging because they can outlast you and run you out of cards, owl our deathrattles, and heal a ton. They usually have a lot of time to tap into answers. It's usually a very close game though so it's by no means unwinnable, I just had a hard time but may have misplayed because of inexperience vs those decks.
Hunter [BAD] - Creeper, Egg, Backstab, SI7, Abusive, Hoarder, Fan, Argus This matchup is pretty rough for you usually. Face hunter can just rush you down and you don't have saps for midrange hunters big minions. The main way to win this is with argus, so you want to keep it in your mulligan if you already have some 2 drops! You have to sometimes just race them and pray they don't draw the damage. Don't overcommit to the board or you'll get UTH'd. You usually want to set up a decent taunted board then drop loatheb and another minion so they can't get a good UTH turn off or double KC your face and then you can win.
Warrior [GOOD] - Creeper (w/ Abusive), Egg, Raptor, Drake, Shredder, Thalnos (w/ Backstab), SI7, Hoarder, Sylvanas I had a really easy time (12-1) vs both control and patron warrior with this deck. Control warrior (especially the new versions with Bash) can't effectively deal with your board of deathrattles. Brawl is especially weak vs this deck but you usually want to use loatheb when closing out the game to deny even the chance of brawl letting them come back. Creeper can get punished by acolyte, armorsmith with a weapon or deathsbite/whirlwind, but you can use it with abusive to clear those minions. Sylvanas is amazing in this matchup if they do ever get ahead since most warriors aren't running owl. Patron is harder, but usually they end up using their cards inefficiently and can't get off a big patron board. You want to save thalnos, backstab, evisc and fan for patron turns. Sometimes you can even get off the Drake + Thalnos Fan to clear a full board of patrons you just have to think ahead.