DK Travel : Sydney : Places of interest

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Imax Theatre

The eight-storey-high screen and 15,000 watt digital surround sound system will have your kids pinned to their seats, or jumping out of them, as the case may be. This Darling Harbour icon with the distinctive black-and-yellow chequerboard façade presents 2D and IMAX 3D films. State-of-the-art electronic headsets with infrared sensors have replaced the quaint 1950s cardboard glasses that parents might recall from their youth.
Indian

Many of Sydney’s Indian community choose to eat at the authentic restaurants in Surry Hills, several of which are packed into a small section of Cleveland Street between Crown and Bourke Streets. Have a South Indian flavoured thali or masala dosa at the vegetarian restaurant Maya, and then sample some of the traditional sweets. The neighbouring shops sell Indian ingredients, spices, incense, and Bollywood movies.
Italian

Leichhardt’s thriving strip boasts a wonderful range of Italian food. The main section of Norton Street, running from its corner on Parramatta Road, is packed with cafés, bars and restaurants. Try the great pasta and gelato in the cheap and cheerful surroundings of Bar Italia.
Italian Forum

This kitsch development evokes reminiscences of Italy, and has a sundial and a statue of Dante based on a similar one in Verona. On the mezzanine level, you’ll find boutiques selling imported and local Italian fashion. Descending the stairs finds the piazza, surrounded by cafés and restaurants that offer wonderful, sunny positions for languid lunches. On the piazza level, Leichhardt Library contains a local history section with many photos of Norton Street, the surrounding areas and the people who once lived there.

Restaurant at the Italian Forum
Japanese

A large Japanese community resides in the lower North Shore, and many good restaurants line Neutral Bay’s Military Road. Tsukasa is the pick of them, but all offer authentic food, super-fresh sushi and good prices. To marvel at the unusual foods and amazing packaging of Japanese groceries, visit Anegawa Enterprises Pty Ltd.
Jubilee, Bicentennial & Federal Parks

These three contiguous parks overlooking Rozelle Bay offer fantastic views of the city and the working harbour. A pathway follows the north shoreline overlooking the container terminal on the other side of Rozelle Bay. To the west, just over the footbridge, is a great children’s playground. And to the south is the old railway viaduct which threads its way past the historic grandstand in Jubilee Park. The small Pope Paul VI Reserve has one of the best views in Sydney, looking across Blackwattle Bay to the Anzac and Sydney Harbour Bridges.
Juniper Hall

Robert Cooper (1776–1857) was one of Sydney’s more successful emancipists and a self-confessed smuggler. Originally sent down for receiving stolen goods, he made a small fortune as Sydney’s first distiller, specializing in gin flavoured with juniper berries: hence the name of this residence. Diagonally opposite the Town Hall, it was built in 1824 to house his 28 children from three marriages. The house was threatened with demolition for several years, but finally spared in the 1980s and restored by the National Trust. It is closed to the public, but you can view it from Oxford Street.
Kids at the House

This excellent program at the Sydney Opera House introduces children to the world of performance art. The Babies and Family proms acquaint kids aged two to nine with musical forms, often through interactive performances. Older children can enjoy Australian and international theatre at venues such as The Studio.
Kids’ Deck

The National Maritime Museum runs Kids’ Deck, a programme of events for children aged 2 to 10. With events often linked to current exhibitions, kids might build their own harbourscapes or dress up as naval officers. There are also regular activity sessions, storytimes for preschoolers on Mondays and Mini Mariners sessions on Thursdays.
King Street

Originally known as Cooks River Road, King Street has been an important thoroughfare since the days of European settlement, when it linked Sydney Town with farms in the Cooks River Basin. Newtown once belonged to a few rich men, but by the late 1800s it had become a thriving township. By then King Street looked much as it does today, bustling and lined with shops. Many stately homes on the streets off King Street have been restored, but most of the houses began as poor workers’ cottages. Migrants arrived in the 1960s and ’70s, along with rockers, goths and punks, and Newtown is still peopled by an eclectic mix. Above the grungy street level, you’ll see that the upper façades of many shopfronts have retained Victorian plasterwork detail.