Sydney

Recently, I went on another long weekend trip-this time to Sydney. Sydney is Australia’s largest city and is full of fun things to do and see. Some of the most famous Australian landmarks, such as the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge were among the many places that I got to visit. We started our trip on ANZAC Day, which is the 25th of April, and we returned on Sunday the 29th. To my surprise, our flight was only one hour from the Gold Coast, which was much less than what I was expecting.

We made it!

View from the top!

Thursday was our first official day in the city, and we wanted to make the most out of our time there as we only had three full days. So we decided to start the trip off with an amazing view from the top- the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge! It was an incredible climb to the top of the largest steel bridge in the world and we couldn’t have chosen a better day to do it! The weather was around 25 degrees Celsius which is about 75 degrees Fahrenheit and there was almost no wind. Our tour guide was great and the three hour climb went by so quickly! We had an amazing time and what a view of the city! It was a great way to kick off our trip. After climbing the bridge we decided to grab lunch and continue to explore the city. I quickly found out that Sydney was built around two Harbours- Darling Harbour, and the Sydney Harbour. This meant that unlike Melbourne, the streets were not on a grid, which made finding our way a bit more challenging. Luckily, we had a great guide book from our hostel which directed us on the right path. There also seemed to be distinct districts within the city. I noticed that Darling Harbour was one area, there is also the Central Business District, Chinatown, an area called The Rocks, and Circular Quay (pronounced “key”) where all of the ferries depart from the Harbour.

View of the Bridge from the Boardwalk

"The Rocks"

Australia's most famous landmarks :)

Our next stop was the Opera House located on Bennelong Point within Sydney Harbour. The Opera House was designed by German architect Jorn Utzon. The design came about from an international competition back in 1957, and as the winner, Jorn’s design for the Opera House was chosen to be built. His design incorporated curves in the roof to look like boat sails, which is not only perfect visually for the location on the water, but it is also beneficial for the acoustics within the building. The Sydney Opera House has hundreds of shows each year and is one of the busiest preforming arts centers in the world.  It was beautiful and surreal to be standing in front of such a well-known landmark, looking at the Opera House with the Bridge in the background was so amazing and I almost could not believe that I was there. Before I had visited, I did not realize that the white roof “sails” were actually composed of thousands of small geometric tiles, which up-close, created a much more unique texture to the building that I was not expecting. The tiles were especially illuminated on the second day from the overcast of the clouds and reflection of the water. Even though we did not get to see a show it was still interesting to take a peek inside of such an important Australian landmark. 

Another highlight of the trip was visiting the Chinese Friendship Garden located in the southern end of Darling Harbour next to Chinatown.  Admission was only three dollars for concessions (Aussie term for students) and the visit was well worth it. There was a wedding taking place while we were visiting but we were still able to see the majority of the garden which was filled with beautiful flowers, ponds, coy fish, and traditional Chinese sculptures and buildings. The Garden was a gift to Sydney from China initiated by the local Chinese community to share their rich cultural heritage and celebrate Australia's 1988 Bicentenary. It is supposed to represent a close bond of friendship and cooperation between the sister cities of Sydney and Guangzhou, China.

Friday evening we decided to get dressed up and treat ourselves to a night out in Darling Harbour. The best way that I can describe Darling Harbour is by comparing it to Downtown Disney, (minus Mickey Mouse) where everything is located outside around the water. It is a popular tourist spot and there are many attractions including the Sydney Aquarium, Cockle Wharf, an Imax Theatre, the Sydney Casino, Hard Rock Café, and the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre. The backdrop of the city skyline lit up the Harbour and illuminated all of the shops and restaurants on the water. We chose to dine at Waterside Grill, a restaurant right on the water where I finally got to order barbecue ribs and mashed potatoes which I have been craving since I left America. After dinner we had dessert a chocolate shop and enjoyed the beautiful weather outside as we walked home across the Harbour’s pedestrian friendly bridge which allowed us to enjoy the view and take some great pictures of the entire Harbour.

 

City @ Night

Darling Harbour

View from Bridge of Darling Harbour

City Skyline

On another day we purchased a bus fare to ride over to Bondi Beach, about a thirty minute trip from the CBD and our hostel. Once we arrived in Bondi, I could quickly see why it is one of Australia’s most famous beaches. We went on the “Coastal Walk” from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach, where we enjoyed amazing views of the coastline, local surfers, plants, flowers, and birds. Along the way we saw Bronte Beach as well as Tamarama Beach- the trip was about 3km or 1.85 miles each way and took us about three hours, mostly because we stopped for so many pictures. In my opinion, this walk was one of the best things out of the entire trip, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who has a chance. Before arriving in Sydney I had not heard of the coastal walks at all, but I think they might be a hidden gem worth exploring.  

Coastal Walk

Amazing coastline and beaches along the walk

On Saturday we visited the Royal Botanic Gardens, one of the three major public gardens within Sydney. There were many historic buildings and interesting plants and animals in the garden, and we took a thirty minute train ride around to see it all. The garden was established in 1816, and is the oldest scientific institution in Australia. We saw “grey flying foxes” which are fruit bats that live in (and actually have been eating and destroying) the trees.  We also saw the Sydney Tropical Centre with the Pyramid Glasshouse, the Sensory Fountain in the Herb Garden which begins to flow as you approach, and a tree which was transplanted from a garden that William Shakespeare used to sit under. On the train ride we were able to get pictures one of the most famous views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House together.

View of the Bridge and Opera House from the Garden

Sunset on the Ferry

From there we took a ferry ride from Circular Quay to Manly Beach. Manly Beach was the most family friendly destination that I have so far seen in Australia. Upon arrival we made a quick detour into Max Brenner, which is a chocolate café and treated ourselves to an afternoon snack. We went on another coastal walk which was a great way to enjoy the once again perfect weather and views of the beach. On our way back to Sydney, we took the same ferry, but this time we were able to get a view of the Harbour during sunset. There aren’t words enough to describe how amazing it was, what an incredible way to end our trip.  Enjoy the photos and thanks for reading!

Paddy's Market- open every Wednesday and Friday!

Shops at night

The Queen Victoria Building

More shopping :)