Australia Eleven - Sydney Sights

Sydney is an awesome city! I love it, and could totally see myself living there. It's small enough to be able to walk around and not feel overwhelmed, and has a really nice open feel to it because of the amazing harbour location.

There's so much to see in Sydney, the same as any other major city in the world so here are my must-visit places from our recent trip:

1. Queen Victoria Building (QVB)
Built in 1898 as a monument to Queen Victoria, this amazing building was originally constructed as a concert hall. It went through many changes of use from city library, to council offices before being restored in 1984. Now it houses many boutique shops and tearooms and is a lovely place to walk through, admiring the splendid architecture and original features.

2. Circular Quay
This area is the hub of Sydney Harbour, where all the ferries go from to Manly, Darling Harbour etc. You can walk right around the foreshore from the Opera House round to the Harbour Bridge taking in the views!

You can then of course visit both of these iconic attractions- choosing whether to scale the Harbour Bridge Climb, or take in a guided tour or show at the Opera House. We didn't have time for either of these options this time, but took plenty of photos just walking round. There are several cafes and restaurants to stop and have a drink or bite to eat too.

Sydney Opera House

This masterpiece of modern architecture has become famous across the world as a symbol of both Sydney and the Australian nation. It is also a world-class performing arts venue and hosts many concerts and shows each year.

The design was created by Jorn Utzon in 1957, as the winning entry in a competition for a national opera house. It's geometric shape is based on complex sections of a sphere, whilst the symbolic "sails" come from Utzon's background in shipbuilding.

The Harbour Bridge

Sydney Harbour Bridge has connected the CBD with the North Shore since it opened in 1932, and is the worlds largest steel arch bridge. It is one of the most recognisable symbols of Australia and always plays a pivotal role in New Years Eve celebrations, as well as during the Sydney Olympics.

The "Father of the Bridge" is considered to be Dr. JJC Bradfield, although the detailed plans were created by consultant engineer Ralph Freeman.

It is now possible to take the 3-hour climb to the summit, 134metres above Sydney Harbour, and take in the views of the amazing Sydney skyline.

Opera House and Harbour Bridge taken from the Botanic Gardens

Sydney Skyline from the Botanic Gardens

3. Darling Harbour
Darling Harbour is a lively waterside precinct; one of Sydney's largest dining, shopping and entertainment areas. There are many cafes, bars and restaurants as well as the Harbourside Shopping Centre.

The Sydney Aquarium, National Maritime Museum, and Sydney Wildlife World are also located here, as well as the world's largest IMAX theatre. It is definitely one of the more touristy areas of Sydney but is a fun area to explore, especially if it's raining - lots of indoor things to do! We went to the Aquarium this time which was cool- I loved the shark walk-through tunnel, and the coral reef area. It was however full of kids due to it being the school holidays, not so great!

As an added bonus whilst we were there they had fireworks on every Saturday in Darling Harbour which were pretty spectacular!

4. Sydney Royal Botanical Gardens

The Botanic Gardens are located just around the harbour from the Opera House and are a great place to sit and take in the amazing harbour views. This oasis of 30 hectares stretches from the harbour to the eastern CBD, and the skyscrapers jutting out above the trees look quite bizarre. Whilst within the more dense areas of the Botanic Gardens you really don't feel like you're in a city. They are calm and relaxing with many different areas to explore including a rare and threatened plants garden, rose garden, herb garden, palm house, a fernery, an oriental garden and tropical plant centre.

A path runs around the lower part of the gardens along the harbour and was always packed with joggers- I would love to run around there, so beautiful!

There are several cafes and restaurants located in the Botanic Gardens too so you can stop and enjoy some lunch in this amazing setting.

The Domain is the area that surrounds the Botanic Gardens, so whilst the gates to the Botanic Gardens close at around 6pm most evenings, you can still walk around the Domain and down to the harbours edge to get that shot of the sunset over the Opera House and Harbour Bridge!

5. The Rocks
The Rocks is the oldest part of Sydney where Australia's first European settlers built their camp in 1788. It then grew into a vibrant port community and has a colourful history filled with sailors, rough gangs and gritty street life. Many of the buildings survive to this day and now the renovated warehouses, homes and dens of iniquity are filled with fine restaurants, boutique shops and art galleries.

The area has a great atmosphere and sense of history and I loved it! I think one of the things I would miss about England if I lived in Oz would be the history, so this was like a little bit of home with an Australian twist 🙂 The little streets and old architecture were great, and it was fun to explore such a hidden gem away from the towering skyscrapers of the inner city.

The Rocks Markets are held here every weekend from 10am-5pm with a Foodies Market on Fridays, which I would have loved to go to as well! We browsed the stalls and watched a really amazing guy creating works of art with spray cans. There was a wide selection of arts and crafts, jewellery, clothing, souvenirs, books etc.- a great way to spend a lazy Sunday.

There are some lovely places to eat in the Rocks too which I'll mention in my next post!

6. Manly Beach
There are many beaches close to Sydney, but Manly is definitely one of the best and is situated only seven miles north-east of Sydney on the lower Northern Beaches. It was named by Captain Arthur Phillip after his encounter with the native Aboriginal people of the Kay-ye-my clan who lived here, who he thought looked "confident and manly". Very original!

We caught a ferry here from Circular Quay which was really easy and relatively quick too. The ferries even have Wi-Fi on them!

Manly was busy when we arrived so we just walked along the main street to the beach and chilled on the sand for a while. There are volleyball nets all along the beach which were packed with various different games going on.

There are several walks around the Manly coastline as well as the opportunity for many water-activities. We took a walk around to Shelly Beach, about 15minutes from the southern end of Manly Beach so a bit longer if you walk from the top. It was a lovely walk and we finished up with fish and chips on the promenade- a seaside must!

There is a lot more to do in Manly than we could fit into one relatively relaxed day. With over 8million ferry visitors every year, it's easy to see why it's one of Sydney's most popular seaside destinations providing a great escape from the city.

7. Sydney Tower Eye
The Sydney Tower sits atop the Sydney Tower Centrepoint Shopping Centre (and is sometimes called the Westfield Tower) in the middle of the city. It was opened to the public in 1981 and it's striking design has made it capable of withstanding earthquakes and extreme wind conditions, despite being 309m tall!

The golden turret contains two levels of restaurants, a coffee lounge and an observation deck (among other things). The Sydney Tower Eye is the name of the attraction at the top which enables visitors to take a lift up the 300-odd metres and take in the spectacular panoramic view of the city, from the Blue Mountains to the Harbour Bridge, from the Pacific Ocean to Kings Cross.

Touchscreens tell you what you're looking at, and high-powered binoculars mean you can have a closer look- it was a great experience and totally worth the money. Mark and I got up there for just before sunset and stayed until the city lights were all you could see- beautiful!

There is also a glass viewing platform outside if you fancy taking your adventure one step further! Skywalk is a 45minute guided walk around the outside of the golden turret, but like the Harbour Bridge no cameras are allowed.

So that's what we got up to in Sydney! A truly awesome city 🙂

Beki x