traveldk.com

Sydney’s architectural icon and world-renowned performing arts venue enjoys the most spectacular setting of any cultural institution in the world. It is the city’s most popular tourist attraction.

This enormous and beautiful structure was an economic and engineering triumph. It reshaped Sydney’s landscape and lifted the city’s spirits during the dark days of the Great Depression.

From its pristine beaches to its working dock-lands, this deep-water port at the heart of this maritime city is the world’s finest.

Governor Phillip and the First Fleet arrived here in 1788 to lay the foundations for Australia’s white settlement. Now it’s an engaging historic precinct and a lively transport hub.

This lovely green belt east of the city centre incorporates the Botanic Gardens and the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and has been one of Sydney’s best-loved public spaces for almost 200 years.

Boasting one of the country’s most extensive collections of Australian and international art, this striking building in The Domain is not to be missed.

Chinatown’s authentic bustle and flavour is the perfect counterpoint to the ritzy Darling Harbour precinct. An extension of the city centre, Darling Harbour offers numerous museums, bars, cafés and tourist attractions.

Kooky. Challenging. Hands-on. And plenty of fun. Powerhouse’s eclectic and sometimes eccentric science and design collection appeals to children and adults alike.

The zoo’s collection of Australian and exotic animals, not to mention its gorgeous setting overlooking the harbour, makes it a must-see destination for visitors.

Sydney’s swimmers, surfers and sybarites all love Australia’s most iconic beach. Don’t leave the city without spending some time here, body surfing, walking along the clifftops or working on your tan.

From the Darlinghurst Court House (see Darlinghurst Court House & Old Darlinghurst Gaol) follow Oxford Street as far as the imposing sandstone walls of Victoria Barracks. Turn left into Glenmore Road, which has a cluster of small but classy boutiques. Gipps Street leads to Liverpool Street, which is a winding road of elegant double-storey terraces reminiscent of some of London’s wealthier Victorian districts. Hogarth Galleries , is down Walker Lane. Rejoin Glenmore Road and follow this winding and busy thoroughfare to Five Ways, a quaint little intersection with several good cafés, including Gusto.

After coffee and a snack, head up Broughton Street to the narrow laneway and steps on your left. At the bottom of the lane turn right and walk down to steep Cascade Street. Turn right and walk uphill past Windsor Street’s incredibly narrow terraces to Paddington Street. Follow this elegant fig tree-lined avenue up to Jersey Road, passing Tim Olsen Gallery and several of Sydney’s premier addresses en route. Turn right into Jersey Road, then into narrow Caledonia Street, which leads back to McGarvie Street where several eccentric balconies overhang the narrow pavement. Turn into Underwood Street and you’ll find the Grand National Hotel and the London Tavern, both happy to serve you a well-earned drink. The latter is on William Street, which also has several boutiques.

These World Heritage-listed mountains are named for their constant bluish haze, the result of evaporating eucalyptus oil. The lovely mountains offer numerous bushwalks and plenty of natural attractions, including the Three Sisters, the Jenolan Caves and Wentworth Falls. When the explorers Gregory Blaxland, William Lawson and WC Wentworth (see Wentworth, Blaxland & Lawson), crossed the 1,100-m (3,600-ft) range in 1813, they opened up the continent’s grassland interior to white settlement. The main township of Katoomba (see Visit Katoomba) is about 107 km (56 miles) west of Sydney.

A lovely bay that features shallow crystal waters, wind-sculpted sandstone cliffs, the magical Fairy Bower rockpool and protected Shelly Beach.

Just north of Watsons Bay is Camp Cove, where Governor Phillip spent the night after decamping from Botany Bay (see First Fleet Arives & Captain Cook's Landing Place) and entered Port Jackson for the first time. A track leads from the kiosk at the northern end of this protected beach over to tiny male-nudist Lady Bay Beach, which is overlooked by the HMAS Watson Naval Base. At the end of the track is South Head’s Hornby Lighthouse and several old gun emplacements (see South Head). This windswept headland offers spectacular views out to sea, across to Manly and the North Harbour.

Every Saturday from 10am– 4pm, the grounds of Glebe Public School are used by market stalls selling new and second-hand clothes, records and bric-a-brac. A great source for flares, leather jackets and sunglasses, Glebe Market offers great bargains.

Kirribilli is Australia’s most densely populated suburb. But it is better known for two residences that occupy its tip: Admiralty House (1843) and neighbouring Kirribilli House (1855). The former was the residence of the Commander of the British Royal Navy, and is now the Sydney residence of the Governor General, the Queen’s representative in Australia. The latter is the official Sydney residence of the Australian Prime Minister. The Gothic Kirribilli House has one of the best views in Australia.

This peninsula was so named because Governor Phillip felt the Aborigines he met here in 1788 were “manly”. In 1853, businessman Henry Smith purchased 121 ha (300 acres) on the formerly remote peninsula, and set about creating a seaside pleasure resort similar to Brighton in England. Today, Manly is a very popular and lively destination. Home to lovely beaches, it also features attractions such as Oceanworld and October’s Manly Jazz Festival (see Manly International Jazz Festival). Catch the enjoyable harbour ferry ride from Circular Quay and make a full day of it (see Manly Beach).

Detail on New Brighton Hotel

Backed by a reserve lined with Norfolk Island pines and a busy esplanade, this ocean beach (see Manly) is a Sydney favourite. There are rock baths at the northern end.

The ferry wharf houses boutiques and cafés, the Visitor Information Centre (see Manly), Manly Boat and Kayak Hire, Oceanworld and the Manly Art Gallery and Museum.

A 10-km (6-mile) walk, one of Sydney’s best, traces North Harbour’s shoreline from Manly to the Spit Bridge. The walk passes by coastal heathlands, flat sandy beaches and sub-tropical rainforest. Highlights on the way include pretty Forty Baskets Beach, rugged Dobroyd Head, the 1911 Grotto Point Lighthouse, Clontarf Beach, and Aboriginal shell middens east of the Spit Bridge. The NPWS (see The Islands) offers a useful map of the route, available at the NPWS and Manly Visitor Information Centres.

Walking along Manly Beach

The entrance to the northern arm of the harbour is marked by Middle Head and Dobroyd Head. Just north of Chinaman’s Beach is the Spit Bridge, which can be raised to allow boats to pass beneath. Castlecrag, northwest of the Spit Bridge, was home for a period to Walter Burley Griffin (1876–1937), the US architect who designed Australia’s capital, Canberra. Much of Middle Harbour’s shoreline is parkland, and the calm waters are perfect for kayaking. To the north is Garigal National Park.

Mosman Bay was named after Archibald Mosman, who established a whaling business nearby in 1830. The suburb is best known for Taronga Park Zoo and Bradleys Head (see Bradleys Head). Lieutenant William Bradley arrived with the First Fleet and later served in the Napoleonic Wars, before he was found guilty of fraud and exiled to France in 1814. Clifton Gardens and Middle Head, a former military reserve, are popular destinations in Mosman. Balmoral has three pleasant beaches, including the tiny Chinaman’s Beach.

This stretch of stunning ocean beaches runs from Manly to Barrenjoey Head. Palm Beach is a haven for Sydney millionaires, as well as being the outdoor location for the popular TV soap opera Home and Away . The Barrenjoey Lighthouse overlooks Broken Bay, the Central Coast and the Hawkesbury River. Behind Palm Beach lies lovely Pittwater.

Snakes. Crocodiles. Sharks. Whatever terrifies you, you’ll find it here. There are several live shows, and your pass allows you multiple entries until closing.

Oxford Street is Sydney’s most fashion-conscious shopping strip. Although it runs all the way from Hyde Park to Bondi Junction, the prime shopping drag is on the north side of the road between Barcom Avenue and Queen Street, which runs down to Woollahra. Surry Hills’ Crown Street is less conspicuous and polished than its northern rival, but it’s gaining a reputation as a good spot to source homewares, designer and retro furniture and fashion items. It has some great cafés, ethnic restaurants and grocers, pubs and factory outlets, and its grunginess is the perfect antidote to Oxford Street’s fashionista frenzy.

This just might be Sydney’s best loved weekend market. It’s held every Saturday in the pleasant, shaded grounds of Paddington Village’s St. John’s Uniting Church. Ever since 1973, this al fresco bazaar has been a great place to shop for jewellery, crafts, fashion, pottery, soaps, second-hand clothing and the like. It’s always had a New Age bent, so you’re also likely to find someone who can massage those travel-weary shoulders, read your tarot cards or fine-tune your chakras.

Rushcutters Bay, now the mooring of choice for some of Sydney’s finest yachts and the home of the Cruising Yacht Club, was the site of one of the settlers’ first run-ins with the local Eora people, on 30 May 1788. The Eora speared two convicts, who were collecting rushes for roof thatching after having stolen a fishing canoe. Today, this pleasant park contains tennis courts, a quaint picket-fenced cricket ground and stadium, lovely Moreton Bay fig trees and a pleasant kiosk and café. The park is much loved by both locals and their poodles.

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

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.

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

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.

Australia’s most famous beach is a perfect crescent of sand with good surfing spots at either end, and usually calm enough for a swim in the middle. Being so close to the city, it won’t take too long to get your toes wet.

If you walk between the cliffs that separate Bronte and Clovelly, you’ll pass through Waverley Cemetery, where Aussie poet Henry Lawson (see Henry Lawson (1867–1922)) rests. Due to its backwater, Clovelly’s waters are very calm, making it wonderful for laps and snorkelling.

Tiny, with incredible views over the Pacific. Ocean rock pool.

On the peninsula’s ocean side, this popular long beach is the homeground of many of Australia’s ironmen and women, and the site of surf lifesaving championships. The esplanade is good for jogging and rollerblading, and goes all the way round to lovely, sheltered Shelly Beach.

The Eastern Suburbs’ most serious surf beach has big waves and a wide stretch of sand. When you’re done with the water, walk round the coast to see a series of rockpools brimming with sealife. Maroubra offers good facilities such as a shaded playground, changing rooms and a kiosk.

The most popular landmark of the Blue Mountains is this spectacular rock formation, which derives its name from an Aboriginal Dreamtime legend. The story relates that the leader of the Katoomba people, concerned for the safety of his three beautiful daughters, turned them into stone to protect them from enemies but died before being able to reverse his spell. The Three Sisters stand at the entrance to the long climb into Jamison Valley.