This weekend, the first-ever Australian Pokémon GO Safari hit Sydney. I spent Saturday morning exploring the city, checking out Pokéstops, taking on Gym Battles and meeting other local trainers on the hunt.
I haven’t played Pokémon GO for years. The last time I played, I was living in Melbourne — so many new Pokémon to fill my Pokédex now. Booting it up again, it was very cool to see the latest Pokémon and learn all the new features in the game — it’s changed a lot, but for the better.
My wife Marian and I decided to hit the pavement to see what all the fuss is about.
What is the Pokémon GO Safari?
Pokémon GO City Safari are virtual events hosted by Niantic, the developers of the game, to encourage players to get out and about and catch some rare and exciting Pokémon. They’ve been popping up around the globe and now it was Sydney’s turn.
It isn’t a free event, tickets go for about $19. That may sound odd for a virtual event, but it’s hours of fun and totally worth it. Our journey began at the Sydney International Convention Centre. The Pokémon GO team had a booth set up to check in and arm ourselves with a Pikachu visor (sun safe and fashionable!).
The event featured special PokéStops around Sydney, from the ICC then into the city centre, out to Barangaroo and even over the Harbour Bridge in Manly.
PokéStops throughout these regions had virtual Stamps to collect, and each stamp summoned one of the event-specific Eevees with safari hats.
There were also increased spawn rates for Mudbray, the donkey Pokémon. Mudbray is a City Safari exclusive Pokémon — this was a must-catch! There were also plenty of Unown and Komala — because it’s not an Australian Safari without a Koala Pokémon.
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Hitting The Tall Grass
My wife and I set off from the ICC, heading into Darling Harbour and crossing into the city. I was continually surprised by how many people we saw donning Pikachu visors; many had multiple phones, charge cables twining into Pokémon backpacks. The crowd was as diverse as ever, from young kids to elderly folks hitting the streets — so great to see.
Over the course of a morning, we walked just shy of 3km, before stopping for lunch. Then, a further 3.65km to finish off the event and collect all of our stamps. Suffice to say, Pokémon GO is still great for getting your steps in.
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The Virtual Life
It’s a feature that’s been part of Pokémon GO since launch, but the tool I found most joy in was the Augmented Reality camera. Walking around the city, I kept finding interesting spots to summon my Pokémon and take a photo.
It’s a funny feeling to stop and wait for a seemingly empty spot of ground to clear of people, because I wanted a good photo of my invisible koala.
Check out some of our photos below:
Safari Completed
This was the first Pokémon GO Safari to hit Australia. But from the crowds of people drawn to it, I’d be surprised if it was the last. Everywhere we walked, we saw people with their phones out, catching Pokémon. The gyms along the route were constantly changing hands, and throngs gathered on corners to join raids.
The Sydney event ran across the weekend of the 13th of December. If, like me, you haven’t checked into Pokémon GO in a while, give it another look — you might find a great reason to get out and explore. Look out for the next one!
The writer’s entry to the Pokémon GO City Safari was supplied for the purpose of this article.
