Sydney

Australia

On my trip to Sydney, Australia I traveled in August which is Winter in Australia. I dressed in layers, as it was cool in the mornings, warm during the day and cool at night. My trip was nine days. There was at least one full day of rain but mostly a few days had a little rain throughout the day, but nothing to keep me from enjoying myself.

Getting Around Sydney

I traveled to Sydney with a friend from my church. She was celebrating a birthday so this was a treat for her as well. As soon as we arrived at the airport we purchased an Opal Card which can be purchased from any retailer displaying a sign. The Opal card can be used on the light rail, bus and some harbor transports. We each put $20 USD on our individual cards and added funds throughout our trip. We took an Uber to Randwick where we stayed. After we checked into our Airbnb we took the bus to Circular Quay. This area is on the harbor and is a tourist spot where the Opera House is and The Rocks and many, many other sites. It is the main hub for ferries, tourist boats, trains and busses. If you are using any form of public transportation, they all eventually meet here. We also took advantage of the travel apps for Sydney. I tried TripView and NextThere and I can always count on Citymapper. You can check out more of what works for you in your IOS or Android apps.

The Sydney Opera House

We headed straight to the Opera House on our first day. All I could do was stare with a big smile on my face. Later we took a guided tour of the Opera House. I highly recommend it. The Opera House area is on Bennigal Point, a sacred site of the Gadigal people. It is a busy area and you can get to the Botanical Gardens and art galleries from this area also. You can also see the famous Sydney Harbor Bridge. We returned to this area because the bus, ferries, and trains all meet close by. Every day or night something was going on here, there are restaurants galore and often there is entertainment outside of the Opera House. More eating areas and the Visitor’s center are below the Opera House.

Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens

The Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens are a hub of activity that includes open spaces, gardens, several exhibit buildings and  galleries. Be sure to study the map to make sure you dont miss anything. I started at the Opera House and followed a long walk bordered by the Sydney Harbor and discovered the open spaces of the Royal Gardens. It’s too big to do in one day so choose your experience during your stay. I enjoyed the Art Gallery of NSW, the science exhibits through out the garden, the pond and the Palm House.  My favorite parts of the garden were the big flowered areas that had paths through them so you could walk close to the flowers.

The Rocks

The Rocks is a suburb of Sydney that is loaded with great food, weekend markets, shoppimg, events and much more. It’s a short walk from the Opera House and Cicular Quay and the Sydney Bridge.  I enjoyed going through the street markets, stopping in all of the eccletic stores and visiting the Museum of Contemporary Art. You wont find a mall here but you will get a nice experience and have a great day. I enjoyed the sincere welcome that each stores gave me as I popped in and out of the deliciious smells and sights.

Randwick

Randwick is the neighborhood where I stayed when I visited Sydney. The Airbnb apartment where I stayed was about 5 miles from Sydney and had easy access to public transporation, which I took everyday into the main areas of Sydney. It was a very nice place with shops and restaurants and grocery stores with 15 minutes walk. I especially liked eating breakfast at X74. You can also see my Tripadviser Review. They were right at my transportation stop and opened early. I also liked Randwick because it was less than a 20 minutes walk to Coogee Beach and the Coogee Pavillion which was very nice and served pretty good food.

Coogee Beach and Coastal Walkway

From my Randwick Airbnb I could walk to the Coastal Hike that begins at Coogee Beach near the Pavillion Restaurant. I was drawn in and just kept walking. Every turn is a new scene and they were all beautiful. On this hike, you will be going through different towns but the trail stays near the coast giving you great views of coves, cliffs, and beaches. This particular hike had some winding paths and stairways but it was not difficult terrain. Sometimes it was a dirt path and sometimes it was a paved or smooth rock trail. I recommend wearing shoes that have good tread to handle different surfaces. On this particular portion of the trail, I went from Coogee Beach to Bronte Beach, which was about a one hour walk.

The Blue Mountains

I really enjoyed the Blue Mountains. We took the train from Central Station straight to the Katoomba Station, which is a short distance from the Blue Mountains Entrance. From the Katoomba Train Station, you can catch public bus route 686 or the free Explorer bus. Both take you directly to the Scenic World Top Station. Please be aware that fares are lower on Sundays so there are a lot of people. If your schedule permits, try visiting on a different day. From the Scenic Top Station, you can choose to buy a ticket for the  Scenic Railway or Scenic Skyway. Both are amazing. Our goal was to get down to the trails in Jamison Valley by hiking down the Furber Steps Trail, It was not easy but we did it. The scenery was beautiful.  We were pretty tired and rode the Railway back up to the top. When you get to the top you can pay for your one-way ticket.

Sydney Harbor

There is so much to see in Sydney Harbor and it is best seen by boat. You can use the ferry or you can purchase a Harbor package to tour the Harbor. We did both and spent two days on the harbor. We visited the Taronga Zoo and all the stops along the way to other destinations. My favorite stop was Manly which we visited twice. It was relaxed and it has events and festivals. even in the winter. The reason I went to Manly was because I asked an Australian where he liked to vacation and he said he enjoyed Manly and I should visit, so off I went to investigate. I was not dissapointed.  To find the right fit for ex[;oring the harbor, I recommend talking to the information booth or differnt vendors at the Circular Quay, ask questions, exp;ore the possibilities and then go have some fun!

Shopping Sydney

There is no lack of shopping in Sydney. From Quaint shops to the mall experience, its all there.  My favorites were the individual and unique shops at the Rocks and the Queen Victoria Building. The QVB is a bit pricey but I loved the small shops where you could get unique styles of clothing. If you love photography, like me, then the Queen Victoria Building will give you lots of architecture, curves and arches to photograph on every level. I settled on buying gifts at the Palace Tea Room. The tea cannisters were gift-ready,easy to pack in my carry on and the tea was something my family was sure to enjoy. I also visited shopping that was similar to my home in California, the Westfield Sydney and the Galeries.