Worth getting out of bed for
Highlights the best Sydney has to offer, from art and culture to fun-packed activities; we've even found the most inspiring place to enjoy the views from.
- Viewpoint
- Take a walk through Sydney’s Botanical Gardens overlooking the Opera House and Harbour Bridge or get up close and personal at the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Pylon Lookout. The ‘coathanger’ was built in 1924 and was once the world’s largest single-span bridge linking the north and south shores.
- Arts and culture
- The Art Gallery of New South Wales (www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au) is the major gallery, but there are great exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art (www.mca.com.au), and smaller galleries around the city host up-and-coming artists. The Powerhouse Museum (www.powerhousemuseum.com) hosts extravagant shows that focus design, technology and Australian history. Call us philistines, but we loved the recent retrospective of Kylie’s costumes. To find out more about interesting arts and culture events, consult Friday’s Sydney Morning Herald.
- Something for nothing
- The Bondi to Bronte walk is an easy walk around the headlands and a beautiful way to see the beaches from a different perspective. From the 2–19 November the headlands come alive with Sculpture by the sea, a free outdoor exhibition of contemporary sculpture.
- Shopping
- Oxford Street is the main drag through Darlinghurst and Paddington; the Darlinghurst end is renowned for its nightlife and gay bars. Towards Paddington it becomes increasingly chic and you’ll find the best of the fashion boutiques, art-house cinemas, hip eateries and cool bars. Glenmore hosts the biggest designer boutiques such as Tsubi, Alannah Hill, Kirrily Johnston and Scanlan & Theodore. Queen St Woollahra is like an old-fashioned English high street lined with delis and antique shops. Crown Street is great for vintage shopping. Campbell Parade in Bondi has a lot of surf and bikini stores.
- Daytripper
- The Hunter Valley is the main wine growing region in NSW, just two hours north of Sydney. The Tower Lodge (see our recommended hotels) is situated in Pokolbin, in the heart of the Hunter Valley, Australia's oldest commercial wine-producing area with many different wineries. Pokolbin offers a wide range of tourist activities from antiques and souvenirs to restaurants and hot-air ballooning. The Blue Mountains is a spectacular wilderness with breathtaking walks through the beautiful hinterlands. A highlight of these walks is the unique natural rock formation “The Three Sisters”. Afterwards, head back to the village for a colonial style English cuppa.
- Best beach
- The infamous Bondi Beach may not be the prettiest of Sydney’s beaches but it is definitely the one to be seen on. Tamarama Beach – otherwise known as glamourama – is also one of the hippest beaches to take the sun. Palm Beach (where Home & Away is filmed), an hour from the city, is well worth the drive too.
- And...
- With a dangerously thin ozone layer, the sun is Sydney’s biggest natural hazard. Be sure to follow the slip, slop, slap rule. And it's a great place to ditch that smoking habit: it's banned in all inside areas.
Diary
26 January Australia Day sees Sydney Harbour jam-packed with sailboats. The first Saturday of March is the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, one of the city’s most colourful events (www.mardigras.org.au). 25 April ANZAC Day memorial is the cheeriest commemoration, but it's when gambling restrictions are lifted and you'll see lots of people betting on the pavements as they play two-up. 2–8 May Fashion Week is a highlight in a city obsessed with looking good, and fashionable clothes. 4–11 November Melbourne Cup sees horse races take places all over Sydney, too. 26 December Sydney Harbour thrives again on Boxing Day for the start of The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. A trip to Sydney isn't complete without a Harbour yacht experience.
