10 Things to do in Sydney, Australia

Hi everyone, welcome back. Last time I blogged about visiting two of the icons of Sydney - The Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. If you missed it, please click here - Icons of Sydney

Today I'm going to tell you about some more of the fabulous things you can do in Sydney. A mixture of old and new, Sydney is a vibrant and fascinating place to visit, with something to attract almost everyone. 

My list of 10 thing to do in Sydney is far from a full list of everything there is on offer. Check out Destinations Sydney to find out more. 

I mentioned in my last blog that Sydney has a great transport system - trains, buses, ferries, and we found this the easiest way to get around. Services run very regularly so if you miss your train you won't need to wait long for the next one. You can find out more here - Getting Around Sydney 
And the best way to access this transport is by purchasing an Opal Card which you just swipe as you get on and off transport. You can also catch a taxi, but with the busy traffic in central Sydney it is not really economical. 
Walking in Sydney is also a great way to get around the city centre and you see more that way.  



 You can also travel from the Airport to the city centre via the train at a fraction of the cost of an airport transfer.

Before you start it is a good idea to visit a Visitor Information Centre of which there are a few scattered around Sydney. Our closest was within walking distance of our hotel near Darling Harbour.  Armed with a map and pamphlets you are set to go. 

1 - The Sydney Tower Eye located on Level 5 of the Westfield Sydney at the corner of Pitt St and Market St in central Sydney is a great way to see Sydney 250 metres above street level from the 360 degree internal observation deck.  For those with a head for heights add on the optional 45 minute Skywalk experience on a glass floor viewing platform outside the tower. The Sydney Tower is open daily, but unfortunately for us the day we went up into the tower wasn't the best weather for viewing, but you might get an idea from these pics, or head over to their website for information, pics and a video in their gallery - Skywalk 

2 - Sydney Harbour Cruise - Back on ground level, or I should say water level, a great way to see some of Sydney's highlights is on a ferry trip around Sydney Harbour, or aboard a hop-on-hop-off cruise which stops at many of the major attractions around the Harbour, including taking you all the way to Manly.  

We did find it a little difficult to co-ordinate the stops to get the best value for our money and time on the hop-on-hop-off cruise, so we decided it might have been better to use the regular Ferry services to visit the places we wanted to go to, so please investigate what will give you the best value for your money. 

 

There are stops at Darling Harbour, Circular Quay, Luna Park, Fort Denison, Taronga Zoo, Garden Island, Shark Island, Watsons Bay and Manly. 

Cruising around the Harbour is a great way to spend a lazy afternoon.

Below here you can see some of the sites, and a few links, - from top left to right - 
Explore Sydney's history at Garden Island; Fort Denison; Kirribilli House - official residence of the Australian Prime Minister; Watsons Bay; harbour side residences; yachts at The Heads; Manly Beach; Sydney Harbour Bridge and view to the city from Garden Island.

 4 - Manly beaches
When the heat hits, one of the places to go is Manly, gateway to Sydney's northern beaches. Only 30 minutes by ferry from Circular Quay or 17 minutes by Fast Ferry, Manly should be added to anyone's Sydney visiting list. Beaches, walks, shopping, restaurants, and art and craft markets are just a few of the things on offer at Manly - Click on the link to see what's on - Manly Attractions 

And of course there is always Bondi Beach ....

5 - Sydney Cricket Ground
One of the things my son wanted to do in Sydney was to do a tour of the Sydney Cricket Ground. Tours run Monday to Saturday from 10am and take about 90 minutes. Please click on the link for more info. If cricket is your thing, I would certainly recommend this tour as it takes you behind the scenes as well as into the cricket stadium. You might even see a game in progress.

 The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) was established on the former 1852 Garrison Ground behind Victoria Barracks, Paddington, by the NSW Cricket Association. Between 1878 and 1909, a substantial building program produced seven spectator stands, a scoreboard and related facilities around the playing field. The ground has hosted athletics, baseball, tennis and cycling, but its major sports have always been cricket and, more recently, various codes of football. In 1988 the Sydney Football Stadium (now Allianz Stadium) was constructed adjacent, and SCG members' facilities expanded and upgraded. 

6 - Sea-Life Sydney Aquarium
We had very hot weather when we visited Sydney, so looking for places out of the heat was high on our priorities and so a visit to Sea-Life Sydney Aquarium was added to our agenda. Open 7 days a week the Aquarium is located on the city side of Darling Harbour. You can take the ferry to Darling Harbour, hop off the train at Town Hall or Wynyard station, or include the Aquarium in your Big Bus Sydney hop-on-hop-off tour. 

There is lots to see including dugongs, penguins, rays, sharks and lots of different fish species. I must say though that I felt rather sorry for these larges species, especially the dugong, swimming up and down in its tank. You can see it in the picture below.

7 - Also located in Darling Harbour is the Australian National Maritime Museum.
You could easily spend several hours here learning about Australia's maritime history, and touring the vessels - a replica of the Endeavour, the ship which brought Captain Cook to Australia in 1770, the destroyer HMAS Vampire, and submarine HMAS Onslow. 
As I walked around inside these vessels, I was in awe of the men and women who sailed and served on these vessels in such cramped conditions.

In the Maritime Museum itself you can delve more into Australia's maritime history through the changing exhibits. Please click here to find out what is on - ANMM-About Us

8 - Anzac Memorial
Make sure you also include a visit to the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park and spend a few minutes in silent remembrance of those who have served in conflicts. 

9 - Taronga Zoo
If you have kids in tow, then a visit to the Toronga Zoo, just a 12 minute ferry ride from Circular Quay is a must.  Open daily, but plan this for an all day visit. There is a Cafe on site, or bring your own snacks. The giraffes have their own view of Sydney Harbour!

What are you looking at?

10 - streets
And of course there are streets to wander, pubs and restaurants to savor, buildings to admire, parks to walk in, go Chinese in China Town, shops to shop, vibrant nightlife,  markets, museums and galleries to browse through. Sydney has a vibrant night life and pub scene, and there always seems to be people walking out and about the streets, so we felt quite safe, even in the evening. There is so much to see in Sydney, our one week visit went way too quickly.

Let's meet for coffee

Markets in The Rocks

China Town

Queen Victoria Building

Things to make you say...hmmmm....at the Museum of Contemporary Art

Vibrant night life

 And the Home and Away tour to Palm Beach "Summer Bay" for TV fans....

 For more info on Sydney, please click here - Visit Sydney

Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you have enjoyed this little tour of Sydney. 
I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 
 
I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!

   
All Seasons
Mosaic Monday 

Our World Tuesday

Pictorial Tuesday 

Through My Lens 

Image-in-ing
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global
Travel Photo Thursday 

The Lovin' Life Team over at Deep Fried Fruit
Little Things Thursday 

Sky Watch Friday

Life in Reflection

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