DK Travel : Sydney : Places of interest

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Sydney Cricket Ground

Stationed at Victoria Barracks in 1851, the British Army were told to take their bats and balls and entertain themselves on the empty land south of the barracks. Ever since, this site has been the spiritual home for millions of cricket-mad Sydneysiders. In January 1928, fans saw Sir Donald Bradman’s first-class cricket debut and, in January 2004, Australian test captain Steve Waugh took his final bow here. It has also hosted concerts by the Rolling Stones, Madonna and others, as well as the occasional Australian Rules football match.

Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Fish Market

The largest market of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, this complex in Pyrmont is home to the fishing fleet, wholesale and retail fish markets, delicatessens, oyster bars, sushi and sashimi bars, cafés, restaurants, and even a bakery. You can enjoy some of the most exquisitely cooked seafood, or just slum it with equally delectable fish and chips. The Fish Market contains the Sydney Seafood School, where some of Australia’s biggest-name chefs run classes such as filetting and specialist ethnic cuisines.

Waterfront cafés at the Sydney Fish Market
Sydney Jewish Museum

Following WWII almost 30,000 Holocaust survivors migrated to Australia, many of them settling in Sydney. This museum explores Australian Jewish history and presents recordings of survivors, audio-visual displays and photographs. The ground floor deals with Jewish life following white settlement, and the upper levels focus on the Holocaust, whose survivors act as guides.
Sydney Park

The entrance to Sydney Park is marked by four giant chimneys once used for the huge kilns of the Sydney brickworks. Clever park landscaping incorporated parts of the brickworks, so that you walk over a courtyard paved with hand-moulded bricks. The grassy slopes of the park make it a favourite with local dog-walkers and offer a wonderful view of the city from the hills. It is a welcome wide open space, rare in Sydney.
Sydney Tower

On a clear day, this 305-m (1,000-ft) icon offers gorgeous 360-degree views over the Sydney region, from the Heads (see North Head, South Head) to Botany Bay to the North Shore and the Blue Mountains. The turret has revolving restaurants, a coffee shop and an observation deck. Above this is a 162,000-litre (35,500-gallon) water tank that acts as a stabilizer on windy days. The tower’s latest attraction is Skywalk, an exciting 75-minute guided walk around the roof offering an incredible panoramic view of Sydney.

View of the harbour from Sydney Tower
Sydney University

Australia’s first university was founded in 1850. Many of the buildings on the large campus are of little architectural merit, but the Main Quadrangle building makes the university well worth a visit. Designed to mimic the hallowed halls of Oxford and Cambridge, its ornate Victorian Gothic façade is adorned with gargoyles and pinnacles. The Nicholson Museum of antiquities is housed in one wing, and the Macleay Museum is also close by (see Macleay Museum).
Sze Yup Buddhist Chinese Temple

Sydney saw its first influx of Chinese immigrants soon after the discovery of gold in the 1850s. The city’s Chinese community, the largest in Australia, built this temple on the site of a former market garden in 1898. It is named after a district in the Chinese province of Kwongtung. The traditional red and green temple was restored in 1978 and the archway added in 1982. The bones of the deceased were once kept here before their return to China for burial. Visitors are welcome, but do remember that this is an active place of worship and not a tourist attraction.

Sze Yup Buddhist Chinese Temple
The Corso

This lively pedestrian avenue runs from The Esplanade to Manly Beach. The Manly Deli is a good place to stock up for a picnic lunch.
The Gap

Perhaps Sydney’s most infamous headland, this bluff, overlooking the ocean and the wave-lashed rocks far below, has seen more than its fair share of suicides. South of The Gap is the rusting anchor of the Dunbar (see Dunbar Sinks) and further south again is Jacob’s Ladder: the sole survivor of the 1857 Dunbar tragedy was hauled to safety up this cleft in the rocks. Further south again is the signal station that has been monitoring shipping in and out of Sydney Harbour since 1848.
The McElhone Stairs

These stone stairs link Woolloomooloo Bay with Potts Point and The Cross. Near the bottom of the stairs on Cowper Wharf Road is Harry’s Café de Wheels, a pie cart that’s been a Sydney late-night institution for over 50 years. Its walls are festooned with photos of famous patrons, mostly politicians and pop stars, tucking into meat pies. Nearby is the Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf (see Harbourside Mansions & Penthouses), which houses upmarket bars and restaurants.