Canberra to Sydney: What you need to know about the Taylor Swift concert

According to Google, it takes three hours and seven minutes to get from the centre of Canberra to Olympic Park. Which is, funnily enough, eight minutes shorter than the time Taylor Swift will be on stage for.

Does this mean you should leave three hours and seven minutes before the gates open? Only if you want to risk bad blood between you and your travel companions. There will be traffic. It is going to take longer than the Google-predicted time.

So if you are not planning to go the day before, at least leave the capital in the morning. You can take your time, stop for lunch along the way, and if for some reason you do get there with time to spare, you're going to want time to line up for merch or grab a drink at one of the surrounding bars and eateries.

Well, obviously you're going to want to listen to Taylor Swift, right? And for those who want to get their vocal chords ready for the main event, there is an Eras Tour Setlist playlist on Spotify - minus the surprise songs, of course.

For those of you who just want some Taylor Swift-adjacent content, a podcast might be the way to go.

Shameless has done a five-part series on the rise and fall and rise again of Swift - which is more than long enough for the drive to Sydney.

Sentimental Garbage has also done two episodes on Swift's latest album, Midnights, going through the album one song at a time, analysing it as if it was a break-up album.

And for those who are looking for some tips for their Eras Tour experience, the Taylor Swift-inspired podcast, Ready For It, is the place to go.

The transport method of choice for Accor Stadium is public transport, with both trains and buses stopping a short walk from the venue.

There will be additional trains and buses running to Olympic Park for the shows and concert tickets already include public transport, so you just need to hop on the Tay Tay Express (aka the bus or train of your choice) and show your concert ticket to staff.

Need help planning your route from your accommodation to the stadium? transportnsw.info/taylor-swift-eras-tour is your best friend.

If you do still plan on taking your Getaway Car for the concert, then pre-booking your parking may be the way to go. For those heading to the Friday and Saturday concerts - you are out of luck, as parking is all booked for those days.

There are some parks still available for the Sunday and Monday shows, but if high demand isn't a good reason to book in advance, note that you cannot book parking on the same day as the event. Head to sydneyolympicpark.nsw.gov.au/parking for more information.

You have never waited in a merch line like an Eras Tour merch line. The two stalls outside of Accor Stadium - on the corner of Olympic Boulevard and Dawn Fraser Ave in Olympic Park - opened on Wednesday and have already seen thousands of fans line up.

For show days, they will open from noon until after the concert, but you can bet that fans will be lining up early to try and get through before gates open at 4.30pm.

Fans wanting a tour keepsake will be forking out $120 for an Eras Tour hoodie, $65 for a T-shirt and $40 for a water bottle or poster.

Believe it or not, there is still accommodation available in Sydney this weekend. Sure, it may be more than you want to pay but it's not impossible to get a place to stay for the night.

When choosing a place, however, it's worth looking for a place based on public transport rather than relying on Uber for the event. Aside from the traffic you will be battling with, you will also probably have to deal with surcharges.

Friday and Saturday are not looking great, weather-wise.

Friday will have a top of 36 at Olympic Park, with a possibly severe thunderstorm likely in the afternoon and evening, with damaging winds and large hail, and possibly heavy falls in the afternoon and evening.

It's looking slightly better on Saturday with a max of 23, and a high chance of showers and a chance of a thunderstorm in the morning.

How will this affect the show? Well according to the Frontier website: "The show will play rain or shine. The only exception would be severe weather which could impact the safety of artists and patrons. Please follow venue screens and staff instructions in these circumstances."

Swifties with tickets on Sunday and Monday have a little more luck. Sunday has a top of 27 and only a 10 per cent chance of rain, while Monday has a top of 28, and a slight chance of a shower, most likely later in the day.

It might be an idea for Swifties to pack a poncho and sunscreen when attending the concert this weekend.

Tickets are held within the Ticketek app and the barcodes will be unlocked at least 48 hours prior to your show date - if they haven't already. Once this happens you should be able to share tickets with the other members of your group for entry.

Add the ticket to your Apple or Google wallet - so you don't have to worry about internet issues, and make sure your phone's brightness is up, so that it can be scanned.

And make sure your phone is charged - no one wants a dead battery when it comes time to enter the venue.

Gates open at 4.30pm and the show starts 6.20pm when Sabrina Carpenter takes the stage.

While there is no set time for Taylor Swift to take the stage, the show finishes by 11.15pm which means it will be between 7.30pm and 8pm that the superstar will take to the stage.

Box Offices at Accor Stadium will open from 12pm on show days. These are located at gates A/B and gates J/K.