From the sweeping white crescent of Bondi Beach to the unmistakable gleaming
sails of the Opera House, Sydney’s sights are justifiably world renowned.
But with a hugely multicultural population of over four million in a city
spanning more than 12,000 sq km, there is significantly more to Sydney than
these two iconic locations.
GETTING AROUND
The rail network is expansive and easy to navigate. Buses are also a good bet,
but take circuitous routes, so might be hard to get your head around when
you first arrive. Drivers are mostly friendly, though, and will be able to
advise you if you do get lost.
It can be frustrating going solely by train and bus if you are not located in
the centre, so taxis are a good alternative. They are very reasonable, so
it’s not necessary to rent a car unless you are planning to make a few
forays out of town. For car hire, visit avis.com.au or easycar. com.
Bicycles can be hired all over town, but Sydney is hilly, so choose a bike
with plenty of gears, pack some water and have eyes in the back of your
head: Sydney motorists take pride in their reputation as manic drivers. Centennial
Park Cycles will deliver a bike to many locations within Sydney.
THE CITY AT A GLANCE
City centre
Vibe: Home to a great density of souvenir shops filled with
faux-Aboriginal boomerangs and cuddly kangaroos. Fortunately, a new wave of
bars and nightspots has breathed fresh life into the area and with it have
returned Sydney’s notoriously fickle nocturnal revellers.
Typical resident: Clad in business suit and sporting the latest UK hair
fad, the city centre resident works and plays in town through the week, but
at the weekend heads out of town to dispose of his or her enormous
disposable income.
Best bits: Circular Quay for its breathtaking vista: Harbour Bridge on
one side and the Opera House on the other. During the Sydney Festival, the
central district will come alive with outdoor theatrical and artistic
events. Brian Wilson will take to the stage of the Domain (a big central
park, see page 4), and the festival will open with Dance Around the
Fountain, a 1930s and 1940s party at which you can tango, jive, salsa, lindy
hop and waltz beside the Archibald Fountain in Hyde Park. Cafés and
restaurants open their windows to the streets and public places are taken
over by Sydney’s party people.
Avoid: Miss out the kebab shops near the quay in favour of
sophisticated restaurants on West and East Circular Quay.
Walking tour: From Circular Quay head past the Opera House, through the
Royal Botanic Gardens. Wander around the Art Gallery of New South Wales
before heading down to Woolloomooloo for drinks. When you’re done, follow
your nose to Harry’s Café de Wheels for an obligatory pie floater.
The West
Vibe: While the inner-west, roughly from the University of Sydney to
Strathfield, consists of quiet leafy streets and small urban centres, the
west is more difficult to capture. Various ethnic groups can be found here,
but even these areas are in no way homogenous. Large populations of Sri
Lankan, South Indian and Korean people live in Strathfield and Homebush,
Lebanese and Vietnamese in Bankstown and Indonesian in Kingsford. With these
communities come great restaurants and diverse cultural events.
Typical resident: Old, young, rich, poor, left, right, English,
Portuguese, Australian – typical resident? In the west there is no such
thing.
Best bits: King Street in Newtown has great clothes, cafés and a lively
gay community. Glebe Point Road, right next to the University, has charming
bars and good local shopping, plus a popular street market at the weekend.
Leichhardt is the home of coffee and pasta, the city’s own Very Little
Italy.
Avoid: Steer clear of peak hour traffic congestion on Parramatta Road
and take the scenic suburban routes.
Walking tour: Catch the train to Newtown and head down King Street on a
bar crawl. Students and young professionals fill the bars along this street,
also home to a bunch of hip, late-night burger joints – the city’s most
recent food fad.
The East
Vibe: The Eastern suburbs are where you live if you have lots of money,
or where you visit for Sydney postcard perfection. This part of Sydney has a
sort of Los Angelino cool.
Typical resident: Hip designers in the latest jeans, crispest shirts
and perfect quiffs; toned and tanned surf dudes and beach babes; and people
surgically enhanced with inflatables.
Best bits: The beaches – ah, those beaches. From Coogee to Bondi, you
can find all the surf action you want, or for a quieter dip, head to Parsley
Bay or Double Bay for bathing without rips and swells. Darlinghurst, Surry
Hills and Paddington are home to the upwardly mobile. Effortlessly trendy.
Avoid: Protect yourself from sunburn. Australians have learnt to be sun
smart and so should you. The sun is far stronger than in the UK and will
burn you to a cancerous crisp. Really.
Walking tour: Go south around the rocks from Bondi Beach for a stunning
clifftop walk to Coogee. Alternatively, go to South Head for fish and chips
at Doyles Restaurant down by the beach, then head up the cliff for a view of
Sydney Harbour in one direction and out to infinity in the other. Simply
stunning.
The North
Vibe: The word “posh” doesn’t really have much currency in Australia
but if it did, you would apply it here. The north shore is an alternative
business centre complete with high-rises. Palatial houses and house-like
palaces dot the foreshore from the Harbour Bridge to the North Head.
National park gives way to unspoilt beaches as you push further up along the
coast.
Typical resident: Sharp-suited investment bankers, sharp-witted
politicians and monied heirs, plus the country’s conservative Prime
Minister, John Howard, who has comfortably held his seat as MP here since
1974.
Best bits: One of the world’s great zoos, Taronga, is located on the
edge of the harbour, where giraffes survey a most magnificent view. Military
Road in Mosman is the place to walk your poodle and have great coffee.
Ferries from north to south are one of the most pleasurable ways to spend a
sunny day in Sydney.
Avoid: The main street chain bars in favour of the pubs of Kirribilli
and Blue’s Point. While good bars and eateries are to be found on the North
Shore, there are some less appealing options that resemble a Walkabout bar
during the apocalypse. Also, do not drink Foster’s beer, here or anywhere:
Australians shun it.
Walking tour: Take the Spit Bridge to Manly Walk, if you’re feeling
energetic. For a more leisurely but no less spectacular stroll, start at
Balmoral Beach, head up to Clifton Gardens and then down to Taronga Zoo.
26 BEST PLACES TO EAT
Nancy Durrant has the secrets of great eating whatever your budget from three
of Sydney's top chefs
Bill Granger, Bill’s
I don’t often go out for breakfast but if I did I’d go to Bill’s! It’s very
relaxed. I also like Fratelli Paradiso in Potts Point (12-16 Challis
Avenue; 02 9357 1744), a little Italian restaurant that sells patisserie in
the morning.
For lunch, I like Icebergs for a blowout. It overlooks North Bondi –
the view over the water is amazing (1 Notts Avenue; 02 9365 9000). For dim
sum there’s East Ocean in Haymarket (421-429 Sussex Street; 02
9212 4198), a great hangover cure.
Dinner would be fish and chips on Bronte beach, or any of Sydney’s
beaches. It’s beautiful, with the kids running around and watching the last
of the surfers.
For atmosphere I like Sean’s Panaroma, a really funky beach house
(270 Campbell Parade, Bondi; 02 9365 4924). Longrain Thai in Surry
Hills (85 Commonwealth Street; 02 9280 2888) is a great warehouse space,
good for a night out. They have communal tables and a DJ.
For kids, any of the city’s Chinese restaurants. Bistro Moncur in
Woollahra (Woollahra Hotel, 116 Queen Street; 02 9327 9713) is expensive but
it’s smart, local, does a great steak and they’re good with kids.
Bill Granger’s new book, Holiday, is out now, published by Murdoch Books
Luke Mangan, Glass Brasserie
A good place for breakfast is Zinc Bar (77 Macleay Street, Potts Point;
02 9358 6777). It’s a beautiful area. The food is simple, there’s a good
buzz and it’s not overpriced.
China Doll on Cowper Wharf in Woolloomooloo is fantastic on a beautiful
day, overlooking the water (02 9380 6744). Good modern Australian food with
an Asian influence. Buon Ricordo is a great Italian on Boundary
Street in Paddington (02 9360 6729), for lunch or dinner, or there is Est
at the Establishment in George Street, The Rocks (02 9240 3010). The chef is
Peter Doyle; I love his style of cooking. There are lots of great places in
Chinatown. Golden Century is good (393-399 Sussex Street, Surry
Hills; 02 9212 3901). They have big tanks full of fish and crabs. You can’t
get much fresher than that.
Fratelli Fresh in Waterloo is a good place for tourists, in the warehouse
market. Upstairs they have this great café which is cheap and cheerful
called Sopra (02 9699 3174).
Sean’s Panaroma is great for Sunday lunch. The food is
beautifully cooked – simple, not screwed around with, and there’s a great
atmosphere.
Neil Perry, Rockpool
One of my favourite restaurants, with a really great lunch and a fantastic
view, would be Icebergs, or maybe Café Sopra. That’s my
favourite place to eat lunch and you couldn't get any more budget.
I suggest people come to Rockpool for a blowout dinner. (107 George
Street, The Rocks; 029252 1888). For budgeting, I really love a place called Fishface
(132 Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst; 02 9332 4803). They have as good
seafood as we do. All the same fishermen. The other place that’s pretty cool
is Bodega, which is a little Spanish tapas bar. It’s in Commonwealth
Street in Surry Hills (02 9212 7766). If you want to do Asian, Billy Kwong
in Crown Street does really good food (02 9332 3300). Kylie Kwong is the
chef. She worked with me for eight years. She’s a great cook. If you want
fantastic value Thai, there’s a place down in the Rocks called Sailor’s
Thai (106 George Street; 02 9251 2466). It’s really authentic.
Also recommended
Cheap & cheerful
Alimentari A proper Italian deli, with cheeses, salamis, lots of
shouting and fantastic coffee. 4 William Street, Paddington (02 9358 1141)
Bather’s Pavilion An idyllic breakfast spot right on the beach –
surf, morning sun, friendly staff. 4 The Esplanade, Balmoral Beach (02 9969
5050)
Bill & Toni’s Super-cheap Italian with classic, hearty dishes
such as spaghetti bolognese. 72-74 Stanley Street, Darlinghurst (02 9360
4702)
Café Ella Fabulous homemade bagels are a speciality – ricotta and
jam is a favourite filling. Excellent coffee and roast beef rolls. 366
Abercrombie Street, Redfern (02 9319 6163)
Café Giulia Former butcher’s shop with lovely original tiling.
Friendly staff and hip kids everywhere. 92 Abercrombie Street, Redfern (02
9698 4424)
Seabay Chinese Dumpling Dirt cheap Chinese with great dumplings (fresh
pumpkin and pork especially yummy). The lamb and shallot stir fry is
fantastic. 372 Pitt Street, Central (02 9267 4855)
High class
Altitude Go at night for a view to rival any modern Asian city from
floor-to-ceiling windows on the 36th floor. Good food, discreet service.
Huge wine glasses. Shangrila Hotel, 176 Cumberland Street, The Rocks (02
9250 6123)
Becasse Young chef Justin North is pushing the boundaries of modern
Australian food. 204 Clarence Street, The Rocks (02 9283 3440)
Tetsuya’s Japanese, with a French influence; one of the world’s
best restaurants. Don’t eat much before you go or you risk ruining one of
the greatest food experiences of your life. 529 Kent Street, Central (02
9267 2900)
Universal The Queen of World Cuisine Christine Manfield’s return to the
scene after seven years. The steamed spanner crab pancake with spiced
coconut crab soup is out of this world. Republic 2 Courtyard, Palmer Street,
Darlinghurst (02 9331 0709)
19 BEST BARS
Period pubs, drinking dens and hip hangouts - when it comes to bars,
Sydney's got it all
Aperitif Slightly Moroccanish, warmly lit cocktail and wine bar with a
good selection of European wines and friendly, attentive bar staff. Desserts
are to die for. 7 Kellet Street, Kings Cross (02 9357 4729)
The Argyle A vast new multilevel venue in an old bond store, the Argyle
boasts five different bars and a cobblestoned courtyard. Great service, good
food, very martini, very Sydney. 12-18 Argyle Street, The Rocks (02 9247
5500)
Bayswater Brasserie A time-honoured Kings Cross classic that’s been
going for 25 years. Effortlessly cool and comfortable, even on a Friday
night, and a properly mixed crowd – a great bar for grown-ups. 32 Bayswater
Road, Kings Cross (02 9357 2177)
The Bentley Bar A seriously smart wine list has made this place a real
wine industry hangout, and those boys know what they like. Totally
unpretentious and with great, reasonably priced food. 320 Crown Street,
Surry Hills (02 9332 2344)
Bubble Lounge Dark, low beams, fantastic view of the harbour and 30
kinds of champagne. The music’s loud but the crowd is a pretty relaxed
bunch. Shop 18, Opera Quays, East Circular Quay (02 9251 0311)
The Corner Bar One of very few bars in North Sydney not decorated in
plasma screens or full of suits braying about money. Cosy too. Cnr Walker
and Mount Streets, North Sydney (02 9955 9097)
The Courthouse The lovely beer garden plays host to a real mix of
punters, from hippies to yuppies, goths to football fans, musicians to mums,
students to bankers. The burgers are great. 202 Australia Street, Newtown
(02 9519 8273)
The Cricketers Arms Full of hip kids and cool squares, music-types,
djs, designers. Good beer garden. A sign over the bar reads “Remember,
you’re not too cool to say please.” 106 Fitzroy Street, Surry Hills (02 9331
3301)
De Nom Ridiculous Versailles-inspired interior with, no question, the
most spectacular toilets in the city. Super-swanky – some would say the ‘s’
is superfluous. 231 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst (0430 067373)
Favela Deeply flash, full of intimidatingly beautiful people, expensive
and, weirdly, immensely enjoyable. A restaurant, bar and club in one, about
as unlike a favela as you can imagine. 1 Kellett Way, Kings Cross (02 9357
1640)
Hollywood Hotel Old-style pub, run by former starlet Doris, now easily
in her seventies but still there in her silky trackwear. Charming bar-staff
cater to artists, designers, architects, accountants and random drunks. 2
Foster Street, Surry Hills (02 9281 2765)
The Hopetoun Hotel The best bar in Sydney for live music. If you want
to be there when the next big thing play their first gig, this is the place.
416 Bourke Street, Surry Hills (02 9361 5257)
Judgement Bar Open for very late and possibly destructive drinking,
always full at the wrong end of the night. Meet your one true love – and
pretend not to know them the next day. Courthouse Hotel, cnr Oxford &
Bourke Streets, Darlinghurst (02 9360 4831)
Kells Kitchen Calm, chic bar with a restaurant and cocktail bar. And
what marvellous cocktails they are – though look out for the chilli in the
Meet Me in Marrakech. A bit bright. 229 Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst (02
8354 4400)
The Lincoln Formerly a strip club, now a haven of Art Deco styling,
smiling staff, yummy food and cocktails that can make you happy to be alive.
Smart but serene. 36 Bayswater Road, Kings Cross (02 9331 2311)
Rambutan Extremely glam Thai restaurant, described as “Europe meets
Miami”, with a drinking den downstairs for super-cocktails. Try head
mixologist Jason Crawley’s signature Lavender Lollipop Martini. 96 Oxford
Street, Darlinghurst (02 9360 7772)
The Shakespeare Hotel A Sydney classic. You can get the best fish and
chips in the city from Mohr Fish across the road and eat them at the pub
with a local Barons beer. 200 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills (02 9319 6883)
Vini A very tiny hole-in-the-wall place just down the road from News
Ltd headquarters. The wine list comprises Italian and Australian versions of
Italian styles, and the bar is a bolted-on shipping container. 118
Devonshire Street, Surry Hills (02 9698 5131)
Will & Toby’s Glam 1920s decor and a gay/straight crowd that
mixes comfortably together. The Supper Club room on the bar's first level is
the most beautiful and is open late for cabaret and jazz. Nice. 134 Oxford
Street, Darlinghurst (02 9331 7073)
12 BEST ART SPACES
Sydney has a host of world-class galleries and museums to complement the
festival's exhibitions and events
The two visual arts projects commissioned for this year’s Festival are
fabulously divergent - from futuristic high-technology to delightfully
clunky, Heath Robinsonesque invention.
The iCinema Centre for Interactive Cinema Research at the University of New
South Wales is showing the T-Visionarium – a fully interactive,
360-degree maelstrom of 3D images from TV shows, projected from several
angles on to a curved, 11ft-high wall which can be manipulated by the viewer
with a remote control. It uses a database of around 20,000 video clips and
as you choose an image, it searches itself for other, similar images to suit
your taste, surrounding your choice with other tempting options. It might
well be the future of television. Right now, it provokes interesting
questions about the audio-visual bombardment we put up with every day.
At the other end of the scale is the American artist Tim Hawkinson’s
exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art (02 9245 2458), just a
short walk across the harbour from the Opera House. Over the past decade,
Hawkinson has become known for his spindly, handmade and thoroughly
eccentric contraptions made from everyday materials such as cardboard,
string and latex. From a flying bat made of Radio Shack bags and twist ties
to a model of a child on whose freakishly long tongue sit five tweeting
birds, Hawkinson’s work is funny and engaging, and touches on themes
including the human body, the passing of time and his own artistic process.
You get the impression that if he hadn’t been an artist, he’d be one of
those men who occasionally emerges from his garden shed in a cloud of smoke,
grinning and shouting: “Nearly got it going that time, darling! Do we have
any more elastic bands?”
This is the first time that Hawkinson has been exhibited in Australia, and he
will be visiting Sydney to attend the opening events and give a public
lecture on his work, which promises to be fascinating and possibly a bit
bonkers.
For Festival-goers keen to investigate further, Sydney has a thriving art
scene to explore.
The Art Gallery of New South Wales (02 9225 1700) should be the first
stop on any art-lover’s tour of the city. Australia’s second oldest state
gallery, this imposing sandstone building on the edge of the Botanic Gardens
is located right next to the prominent Festival venue the Domain, where
Brian Wilson’s First Night gig and other open-air Festival concerts will
take place.
The gallery was established in 1874 as a contemporary art gallery to showcase
the work of local colonial artists. As a result, the older collections are
not particularly strong, but it boasts one of the best modern British
painting collections in the world, as well as some really excellent
Australian art. Its contemporary Aboriginal art displays are particularly
worth seeing, as an antidote to the dozens of tourist galleries dotted
around the city.
For its summer exhibition, opening on November 3, 2007, the gallery is staging
the first retrospective since his death of work by Sidney Nolan,
arguably Australia’s best-known artist. Around 135 works, including some of
his most important landscapes and the famous Ned Kelly paintings, make up
the show.
Veering off the tourist track, there’s a wealth of small contemporary
commercial galleries that are worth exploring. At the top end of the scale, Roslyn
Oxley9 Gallery (02 9331 1919, www.roslynoxley9.com.au)
in Paddington represents such luminaries as Dale Frank, Isaac Julien and
Hernan Bas (their summer exhibition will be a group show) and has just
extended its already impressive exhibition space, while Vasili Kaliman of Kaliman
Gallery (02 9357 2273, www.kalimangallery.com),
also in Paddington, shows early to mid-career Australian artists whose work
tends towards the thoughtful rather than the sensational – similarly Darren
Knight (02 9699 5353, www.darrenknightgallery.com)
in Waterloo. Damien Minton (02 9699 7551, www.damienmintongallery.com.au)
in Redfern shows interesting artists who “engage with the Australian
cultural landscape”.
For emerging artists, try two artist-run spaces in Chippendale: Peloton
(02 9690 2601, www.peloton.net.au
www.mop.org.au) and MOP Projects (02 9699 3955). Peloton, which
is connected to the Sydney College of the Arts, inhabits two shop spaces –
19 and 25 – and in January will be presenting a group show of Sydney and
Melbourne artists and a solo show by Louise Palmer, a New Zealand
artist who makes landscapes out of sugar, salt and chalk powder. MOP, run by
friendly curators Ron and George Adams, has just moved from its original,
slightly scuzzy warehouse home in Redfern to a light new single-floor space
and specialises in cutting-edge experimental art, often inviting artists to
guest-curate their shows. Their summer exhibition will showcase work by the
sculptor Agatha Gothe-Snape and painter Stephen Hodge. The
Danks Street complex in Waterloo houses several galleries, the most
interesting of which is Gallery Barry Keldoulis (02 8399 1240. www.gbk.com.au),
a super-hip gallery showing fresh and witty work from a relatively small
stable of artists.
In Surry Hills, near to the Belvoir Street Theatre, another key Festival
venue, the massive Ray Hughes Gallery (02 9699 2716 www.rayhughesgallery.com)
is an institution on the Sydney scene, largely due to the generally agreed
eccentricity of Hughes himself. His stable includes many Chinese, Australian
and New Zealand artists, as well as some from West Africa. Near by, Firstdraft
(02 9698 3665, www.firstdraftgallery.com)
is a long-established nonprofit gallery with a constantly changing team of
young curators and directors that shows recent art-school graduates.
Occasionally hit-and-miss, but always fresh and interesting.
T–Visionarium, iCinema Centre, University of New South Wales, Paddington, (www.icinema.unsw.edu.au),
Jan 6-13; Tim Hawkinson, MCA, 140 George Street, The Rocks, (www.mca.com.au),
Dec 15-Mar 9
Galleries It’s a good idea to check first, as many will close over at
least some of the Sydney summer.
18 BEST SHOPS
Informality and a free approach to traditon characterise Sydney's cutting-edge
style shops
Women
Akira Unique, Japanese-inspired pieces from one of Australia’s
highest-profile designers, Akira Isogawa. He is known for his innovative and
experimental use of textiles. 12a Queen Street, Woollahra (www.akira.com.au
02 9361 5221)
Collette Dinnigan One of Australia’s top designers, known for her use
of to-die-for fabrics and sumptuous embellishment on simple, dynamic shapes.
Astronomically expensive, but (you’re) worth it. 33 William Street,
Paddington (www.collettedinnigan.com
02 9360 6691)
Ginger & Smart Sisters Alex and Genevieve run this up-and-coming
label, making classy contemporary clothes with a slightly geisha aesthetic.
27 William Street, Paddington (www.gingerandsmart.com
02 9380 9966)
The Graduate Store The place to go for limited-edition pieces by
fashion graduates. Can be a bit of a lottery on fit, but the designs are
always unique. Shop 103, The Strand, 412 George Street, Central Business
District (02 9233 4413)
Sami & Sita Contemporary dresses, often with a vintage influence,
in yummy fabrics and colours. They make very few of each, which makes it
perfect for wedding gear. 36 William Street, Paddington (www.samiandsita.com
02 9331 1953)
Men
Belinda Menswear Imported designer menswear labels such as Martin
Margiela, Hussein Chalayan, Ann Demeulemeester and Miu Miu. 29 William
Street, Paddington (www.belinda.com.au
02 9380 8873)
Calibre Australian label known for slick suits, yummy knits and
understated styling. For men who know where the creases go but don’t mind a
bit of rumpling. See website for stores in addition to 139 Elizabeth Street,
Central Business District (www.calibreclothing.com.au
02 9267 9321)
Ksubi Super-trendy casualwear label. A slight tendency towards
pretentiousness doesn’t take away from their absolutely killer jeans. 16
Glelmore Road, Paddington (02 9361 6291); 82 Gould Street, Bondi (www.ksubi.com
02 9300 8233)
Vintage
Grandma Takes a Trip Some really lovely pieces from the 1950s to the
1980s can be found in this store, many imported from the UK. 263 Crown
Street, Surry Hills (www.grandmatakesatrip.com.au
02 9356 3322)
Melvin & Doyle Designer vintage plus their own label, M&D,
Notion of Legacy and Azzollini swimwear. A treasure trove of stuff no one
else will have. 59 William Street, Paddington (www.melvinanddoyle.com
02 9361 4023)
Mint Not just vintage but also tons of great contemporary labels such
as Nudie Jeans, Nicholas X Morley and Valerie Tolosa . Shop 8, 9-15 Central
Avenue, Manly (www.mintshop.com.au
02 9976 6468)
Minty Meets Munt Shambolic store with friendly staff and new clothes by
local designers mixed with battered trilbies and skinny T-shirts. 275 Crown
Street, Surry Hills (www.mintymeetsmunt.com)
Pelle Vintage designer footwear, accessories and jewellery, all in
strictly mint condition. What you buy here, you’ll love for ever. 90 William
Street, Paddington (www.pelleshoes.com.au
02 9331 8100)
Bits & pieces
Bulb Perfumes, lingerie, handbags, Italian knitwear, candles – things
that make life beautiful. 10 Transvaal Avenue, Double Bay (www.bulblifestyle.com
02 9328 5900)
Dinosaur Designs All the stock is made from coloured resin. Jewellery,
vases, salad servers, anything. Inexpensive, tempting as sweeties and
perfect for gifts. 339 Oxford Street, Paddington (www.dinosaurdesigns.com.au
02 9361 3776)
Ici et là Adorable little interiors shop with rustic signs, French
provincial-style accessories and delicious stripy fabrics. 588 Bourke
Street, Surry Hills (www.icietla.com.au
02 9699 4266)
Parterre All sorts of lovely stuff for the home and garden, including
lampshades covered in guinea-fowl feathers or echidna spines and fabulously
hefty ceramics. 33 Ocean Street, Woollahra (www.parterre.com.au
02 9363 5874)
Robert Burton Very uncluttered store, selling colourful Dibbern
crockery and other cute homewares, such as soft wool rugs and weirdly
covetable vegetable peelers. 10 Queen Street, Woollahra (02 9332 2944)
For a day’s private, bespoke tour of Sydney, on shopping, history or anything
else you can think of, contact Jane Strang at A Sydney Day, www.asydneyday.com.au
10 FAMILY IDEAS
From zoos to funfairs to child-exhausting tours, Sydney has loads for all
the family to do
Beaches and rock pools
More than 30 patrolled beaches sit on Sydney’s doorstep. Kids can learn to
surf at Bondi or Manly, or snorkel in one of the rock pools. There are ocean
poolsat Clovelly, Bronte and Coogee and shark-netted swimming spots in
Balmoral. (www.visitnsw.com)
Bonza bike tours
The city’s only guided bicycle tour company. Kit yourself and the kids out
with the latest mountain bikes and safety gear and mhead off on half and
full-day tours of Sydney, including Classic, Highlights, Opera House and
Olympic Park packages. Tours depart from Sydney Opera House car park.(www.bonzabiketours.com;
02 9331 1127)
Federation cliff walk
This 3km walk from Dover Heights to Vaucluse includes Diamond Bay, with
20-million-year-old sandstone cliffs previously inaccessible to the public.(www.waverley.nsw.gov.au)
Let’s go surfing
A friendly and professional surf school based at Bondi Beach. Dedicated,
qualified staff teach everyone from absolute beginners upwards. 128 Ramsgate
Avenue, North Bondi, Nsw 2026 (www.letsgosurfing.com.au;
02 9365 1800)
Luna park
That very rare thing: an amusement park with free entry, and situated right
below the Harbour Bridge. There’s a choice of 17 rides from the Wild Mouse
to the Big Top, costume characters, circus troupes and live music. 1 Olympic
Drive, Milsons Point 2061 (www.lunaparksydney.com.au;
02 9033 7676)
Powerhouse Museum
Interactive museum with a vast collection of treasures, oddities and
innovations from Australia and around the world. Temporary exhibitions complement
an eclectic range of permanent displays on contemporary fashion, decorative
arts and popular culture, Australian social history, or the latest
innovations in science, design and technology. 500 Harris Street Ultimo, NSW
1238 (www.powerhousemuseum.com;
02 9217 0111)
Quarantine Station sleepover ghost tour
This day at the Quarantine Station at Manly starts with a heritage tour and
tales of travellers who were quarantined until as recently as 1984. Then a
BBQ dinner is followed by a ghost tour by lantern light. December and
January. North Head Scenic Drive, North Head, Manly, NSW 2095 (www.qstation.com.au;
02 9399 3931)
Tribal Warrior
Discover the stories of Australia’s indigenous people with this Aboriginal
harbour cruise. Built in 1899, the Tribal Warrior is one of Australia’s
oldest working wooden vessels. Learn about the Eora, Gadigal, Guringai and
Wangal people, the Aboriginal names of Sydney’s most famous landmarks and
see a traditional welcome dance. Departs from Eastern Pontoon, Circular
Quay, The Rocks (www.tribalwarrior.org;
02 9699 3491 )
Taronga Zoo
Five new elephants, a fabulous koala enclosure, kangaroos (obviously) and a
massive orangutan - plus geiraffes. the education centre holds regular "roar
and snore" sleepovers, unforgetable for kids. Bradley's Head Road,
Mosman (www.zoo.gov.au; 02 9969 2777)
Wildlife World/Sydney Aquarium
These adjacent attractions have been built with large coach parties in mind.
The aquarium boasts impressive glass tunnels, where sharks and rays swim
above you, while Wildlife World is a great place to learn about indigenous
wildlife and have your picture taken with koalas. Aquarium Pier, Darling
Harbour (www.sydneywildlifeworld.com.au; 02 9333 9288; www.sydneyaquarium.com.au;
02 8251 7800)
5 TRIP TIPS
Blue Mountains National Park
This Unesco World Heritage-listed area, 90 minutes west of Sydney, is home to
400 species of birds, reptiles and mammals. Walking, mountain biking,
abseiling and bungee-jumping are readily available. (www.bluemts.com.au)
Hawkesbury river
Weirdly, this vast river seems busier than the land that surrounds it.
Cruisers, watersports and houseboats abound, while the farms and hamlets in
the valley, which is 80 per cent national park or reserve, almost seem to be
asleep, despite still producing a large share of New South Wales’s fruit and
vegetable crop.
On land you can tour local nurseries, specialists devoted to crepe myrtle or
roses, and sample amazing passion fruit, nectarines, apples, plums, figs and
pears fresh from the tree at Enniskillen Orchard. Popular activities on the
river are houseboat hire, the Crab ’n’ Oyster cruise, or a tour with
Australia’s last riverboat postman.
Lake Macquarie
This is the largest coastal saltwater lake in Australia, four times the size
of Sydney Harbour, to the north of which it lies, and can be reached in just
90 minutes. Explore via boat, jet ski, canoe or yacht. Walkers are spoilt
for choice on the lakeside at the Greenpoint Reserve and the Wangi Wangi
Flora and Fauna Reserve, while those who like to potter rather than stride
will find plenty to occupy them in the village of Warners Bay, with its
galleries, restaurants and foreshore cycle route – or any of the other
90-odd villages ranged around the area. Toronto and Morisset have a scenic
mountain backdrop, while Belmont and Swansea are nestled smugly (as well as
snugly) between the lake and the beaches.
Port Stephens
Up the north coast from the city lies this port, with a bay more than twice
the size of Sydney Harbour and 26 beautiful beaches, plus masses of
spectacular marine life. About 150 bottle-nosed dolphins live in the bay and
diving is a big draw. You can also go horse riding, visit the koala colony
at Tilligerry Peninsula, play golf on one of 18 courses, fish, go on a 4WD
tour through the wilderness of Stockton Sands... you get the picture. The
fresh seafood is fabulous, even if you don’t manage to catch it yourself.
Wollongong
Once known for its steel works, this little town in the Illawarra coastal
region has been reinvented as a weekend escape, boasting the largest
Buddhist temple in the southern hemisphere, Nan Tien, which is about as far
from a steel works as you can get. Arguably more fun is the Five Islands
Brewery. There are numerous local art galleries and the town’s Keria,
Corrimal and Crown streets are a mass of little restaurants and cafés.
Around and about, the nearby former mining village of Mount Kembla is of
historic interest, while there are lots of bays to explore, some busy with
watersports.
MORE INFORMATION
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