One of my favourite cities, in a beautiful natural setting with lots going on. Though with a population larger than the whole of New Zealand (three times the size of Auckland) it’s a little busy. I try and visit at least once a year, here are some of my picks…
Running around Sydney
Hard to beat starting the day by running through the Royal Botanic Gardens, around the Sydney Opera House, across The Rocks and over the Harbour Bridge to the North Shore and back. One of the few advantages of jet lag is being able to do this before you’d usually wake back at home.
Harbour Bridge Pylon Tower
Home to probably the best photographable views of the city (can’t take cameras on the actual bridge walk) and a fascinating history of the construction of the bridge.
Hyde Park Barracks
Slice of historic Sydney, dating back to the 1810s, in a beautifully restored building, complete with the best collection of hammocks I’ve seen.
Art Gallery of NSW
Possibly my favourite art gallery in Australia, housed in a classical building that reminds me of Tate Britain. It’s home to a diverse selection, including some great Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud paintings, and an excellent Asian art collection.
Coastal walks
Sydney is spoilt for choice when it comes to stunning cliff tops walks, something that no New Zealand city can compete with. Many of them start with a ferry trip around harbour, hard to beat on a good day. Both Manly to North Head and Watsons Bay to The Gap will take you to the head of the harbour, while Bondi to Coogee is home to a sculpture walk each October, along with thousands of people, bit of a shock compared to sculpture walks in New Zealand.
Blue Mountains
Couple of hours by train and a world away from Sydney city into thick mountainous forest. Heading out to Echo Point, down Giant Stairway past Three Sisters and back up by Scenic World is a rewarding few hours tramping, or whatever Aussie’s call it…
Great photos, thanks for sharing.