Suggestions for Things to Do or See in Sydney. please :)

Hi there,

I did try to search for this info, but (yes, I'm a sad sack :twitcy:!) didn't manage to find anything, so please be kind...

Friends are going to spend some of their honeymoon in Sydney, this April and I was wondering whether anyone had any suggestions for things to do or see that might not be mooted in the usual tourist guides.

And that's it really :smile: .

Thank you,

LC still in sunny Adelaide, still loving it, still hoping Australia Day will one day move from the 26th January :wubclub:.

What sort of thing do they like? And will they have a car?

I could suggest lots of things. Like, in the Blue Mountains everyone goes to Katoomba & the 3 sisters, if they're walkers then I'd say go to Wentworth Falls instead (or first) and walk the National Pass

If they like live sport, there's an Autumn carnival of racing at Randwick, or catch one of the NRL Sydney derbies (there are many)

Live music? Check out what's on at the opera house (it's not one venue, it's a really good arts centre), or one of the bars/live music venues around New town

Wine? There are autumn events in the Hunter (but our wine isn't a patch on your SA stuff)

Hidden corners of the city? Try the Spit to Manly walk followed by drinks/dinner in Manly and the ferry back to the city. Or Wendy Whiteley's secret garden.....etc

Thank you so much!

They won't be there long, and will be using public transport, Uber to get around. They want to see touristy things, but would be stoked to discover less known, hidden gems.

I think they'll like the sound of the Spit to Manly walk, followed by a ferry ride. I had heard the ferry is a fun way to see Sydney.

I don't know, we've only been for a couple of quick visits and I think we were just overwhelmed by it all!

Thanks again,

:wubclub: LC

Coogee to Bondi Beach coast walk is great and easily accessible by bus both ends. Stop for brunch in Bronte on the way

OK, if it's by public transport:

Spit-Manly Walk (although this is going the other way, info is all there):

http://www.manly.nsw.gov.au/DownloadDocument.ashx?DocumentID=5734

Don't miss a stroll around Manly Corso, the pedestrian mall that joins the harbour to the ocean, and a well earned beer and feed in one of the many bars and restaurants along there, facing the ocean, or around the wharf. Going from the Spit is the best way to do this walk as that way you get to finish at Manly and have the ferry ride back to town etc. Tons of buses going over the Spit, most leave from Wynyard in town. Use this map and follow the numbers on the Transport for New South Wales website:

http://www.sydneybuses.info/routes/15326_STA_region_web_map_north_20161207.pdf

The City of Sydney council flog their concept of the "city of villages" which is pushing it a bit, but there's a wealth of hidden gems around the inner city neighbourhoods. There's stacks of info starting here:

http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/explore/places-to-go

And there are historical walking tours of some of the districts which are pretty good:

http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/learn/sydneys-history/urban-history/history-walks

Everywhere in the CoS area is walkable from the city centre, pretty much. Favourite neighbourhoods of mine would include Surry Hills (art/design workshops, once-gritty back streets now gentrified, more excellent pubs and bars than you can shake a stick at), Newtown (urban hipsterville, lots of live music) and Woolloomooloo/Kings Cross/Darlinghurst (eclectic mix of quiet streets, loud entertainment strips, shops of all sorts and some tiny ethnic enclaves still surviving - eg Little Italy around Stanley St)

The Rocks (the oldest area just west of Circular Quay) is a must visit and whilst the main area (around Argyle Place/George St) is very well-travelled, it's still good - and just up the hill there are some very well hidden spots. The Lord Nelson, Hero of Waterloo and Fortune of War pubs all claim to be Australia's oldest, but personally I prefer the Australian Heritage Hotel tucked away on on Cumberland St. Also in the Rocks, Sydney Observatory is a lovely small free museum - great building in a magnificent situation, an oasis of calm away from the noise of the city. Just down from the Rocks on Walsh Bay (facing North Sydney) side there are a coupe of bars/restaurants on the finger wharves that are out of the way a bit but have views to die for

Use ferries for getting around as the view's always good and they go to some interesting places. Apart from Manly the trip to Watson's Bay is good and at the wharf there you have Doyle's seafood restaurant (OK but exxy) and the Watsons Bay hotel, it's in a fantastic situation. There's an easy shortish walk from here as well around the lovely Camp Cove and up to South Head and back past the infamous Gap

There are some hidden beaches even on Sydney Harbour that hardly anyone ever uses because they're out of the way. A clutch around Strickland House in Vaucluse (you can get there by bus), like Milk Beach where I've never seen anyone else, from here there's a great heritage boardwalk route round to Nielsen Park which is busier (but still pretty quiet) and there's a lovely old cafe there.

My daughter running across Milk Beach to her uncle a couple of years back

At the cafe in Nielsen Park

Museums, apart from the Observatory I really like the Museum of Sydney, it's about the right size, the Powerhouse in Darling Harbour, Brett Whiteley studio in Surry Hills, and a trawl around the Art Gallery of NSW and the MCA to see what I've previously missed. But then I'm married to an artist so I have grown to love that sort of thing.

Without private transport then I would only bother with one out-of-town thing, if that, and for me that would have to be the Blue Mountains, easily reachable by train. And I still think Wentworth Falls & National Pass is worth the effort, down the Charles Darwin walk from the station to the falls themselves and thence the National Pass. But it is about an 8-10k round trip and pretty rugged, so a good 3 hours

At the top of Wentworth Falls.....don't look over the edge! (not joking, people killed here most years)

On the National Pass

Are they in to Home and Away as that is filmed North of Sydney, i can't remember the name but I'm sure @northshorepom will be as helpful as ever in helping me remember. There is also a small marina before there which we liked where people have lifts up to their houses because they are so steep. We love the harbour and usually stay at Star Casino as it's a short walk to the harbour and has a number of eateries, bars and the theatre on site.

Home and Away is filmed at Palm Beach at the far end of the Northern Beaches. By PT it's a fairly lengthy journey, maybe 1.5 hours by bus I think. It is beautiful up there, a couple of great restaurants, and you can go on boat trips or hire boats from the yards on the Pittwater side.

If they're made of money then they can cut the journey down by doing it from Rose Bay in a seaplane.... It's partly a tourist service but also for the seriously rich to nip between their eastern suburbs mansions and Palmy beach houses....

'Summer Bay' from Barrenjoey lighthouse

Home and Away is filmed at Palm Beach at the far end of the Northern Beaches. By PT it's a fairly lengthy journey, maybe 1.5 hours by bus I think. It is beautiful up there, a couple of great restaurants, and you can go on boat trips or hire boats from the yards on the Pittwater side.

 

If they're made of money then they can cut the journey down by doing it from Rose Bay in a seaplane.... It's partly a tourist service but also for the seriously rich to nip between their eastern suburbs mansions and Palmy beach houses....

 

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'Summer Bay' from Barrenjoey lighthouse

Thank you, I always forget the name. My mum came with me and she isn't a Home and Away fan and wasn't happy at being dragged along but I think she enjoyed it more than anyone. She loved the scenery.

So many places still I haven't explored yet....

Thank you so much 'nsp' for your nice post....

I am already a fan of yours Lol

I SO miss the 'like' button :frown:!

Thank you all so much. I really appreciate all the effort, and even if they don't take some of these up, I think we will :wubclub:. I reckon Northshorepom has written a full travel itinerary lol! Brilliant, thank you so so much.

To my shame, I've just noticed the 'similar thread' thing at the bottom of the page, and oh my, there really was info already here. I'm such an Internet doofus.

I'll go see if I can help someone else on PiO, but I doubt I can.

Thanks again,

LC

There's loads of places. As Northshorepom said.

We live here and are never short of things to do (the main problem is getting time off work to do them... $$$)

National Park to the south, Bundeena. Walk around any coastal areas, all very nice.

The rocks ^^ (as said before here).

The Botanical Gardens.

Eastern suburbs walks (Bondi to Coogee etc)

Walk Up Barrenjoey Lighthouse if you head up to Palm beach.

Lane Cove National Park.

Manly North head Sanctuary - http://www.harbourtrust.gov.au/visit/north-head-sanctuary-manly

Cockatoo Island - http://www.sydney.com/things-to-do/nature-and-parks/sydney-harbour-islands

There's a slight bias towards the North side as we live there and haven't done as much on the south of the harbour, but the coast on both sides is lovely.

All about the harbour, jump on the ferry. Trains and buses and ferries are all connected, so you can pretty much get anywhere with an Opal card.

Bowral is an interesting little town, very smart and has a cricket museum to Don Bradman, if anyone is a big cricket fan. Bit of a hike though, about two hours by train, mostly through suburbs.

Thank you all so much :wubclub:.

https://www.theurbanlist.com/sydney/a-list/6-awesome-day-trips-to-take-around-sydney?utm_content=buffer8502b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

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On 26/01/2017 at 18:16, Lazy Cow said:

Hi there,

 

I did try to search for this info, but (yes, I'm a sad sack :twitcy:!) didn't manage to find anything, so please be kind...

Friends are going to spend some of their honeymoon in Sydney, this April and I was wondering whether anyone had any suggestions for things to do or see that might not be mooted in the usual tourist guides.

And that's it really :smile: .

Thank you,

LC still in sunny Adelaide, still loving it, still hoping Australia Day will one day move from the 26th January :wubclub:.    

For those who did not know - Arthur Phillip  Aussies First Governor  sent on  three of his fastest ships  in his "First Fleet" to make landfall and find fresh water and a safe anchorage.  The  first ship landed in what  was known as Botany Bay on 18th January - when Phillips arrived and they  reported not finding a decent water supply they left for what we know to day as Circular Quay/Port Jackson and arrive d on..... 26th January...