Things to do in Sydney, Australia

October 3, 2012 · 9 comments

Sydney is a bustling city with plenty of things to do. I lived there for 3 months back in 2010 so got to experience a fair amount of what the city has too offer. Here’s a few ideas from my own experiences.

Visit the Botanic Gardens and Take a Photo of the Sydney Opera House

Sydney Harbour bridge and opera house

Sydney Harbour at night

The Botanic Gardens offer probably the most iconic view of the Opera House. Mostly because the backdrop is the famous harbour bridge. Of course once you’re there, it’s worth a walk around as Sydney’s Botanic Gardens have a beautiful and wide selection and makes a good get away from the usual city sprawl.

 

 Visit the Royal National Park

Waterfall

Waterfall in Royal National Park

The Royal National Park is full of spectacular views. I won’t go into too much detail as I’ve already written a post about it. But to summarise it is a one hour drive south of Sydney and you can go either on your own at your own leisure (I believe parking is free) or with a tour group who will have knowledge of the best places to go in the time you have allocated there. There isn’t any traditional accommodation nearby so be sure to book it as a trip with a travel company or hire a car.

 

Sydney Olympic Park

Sydney Olympic Torch holder

Once a torch holder, now a charming fountain

We might just be coming from the great London 2012 Olympics, but lets not forget the year 2000 Olympic games were held in Sydney and they were quite spectacular too. The Olympic park is very much in use and you will most likely find some event on if you turn up, you can always watch the skateboarding there too at the active park. The large arena is host to concerts these days too. It’s another place worthy of its own post which I done way back and covers the other attractions at this site in more detail. It’s accessible via train or car and there is lots of paid parking and a few free spots if you go out of peak time (i.e. when a big show is on).

 

National Maritime Museum

Sydney Maritime museum

Inside the Maritime museum

The National Maritime museum is around the Darling Harbour area (also worth a look as it contains many other attractions including multi ethnic restaurants, an IMAX theatre and boat trip options) and as you may expect had a lot of boats related to the history of Australia in the water. Being a big island (well continent), you can imagine there is a fair amount of sea, from when the British landed in Australia and it’s not as boring as you may think!

 

Chinese Friendship Garden

Sydney Friendship garden

Chinese Friendship garden

The Chinese Friendship garden was a gift from China in 1988, Sydney’s bicentennial celebration. It was designed by Sydney’s sister city and is certainly authentic being very easy to lose yourself inside. While you can lose yourself, you can’t get lost as it is small but still easy to find in the Darling Harbour area and worth a quick walk through.

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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }

Seattle Dredge October 4, 2012 at 1:35 AM

Wish I had visited the gardens! Nice list :]
Seattle Dredge´s latest blogpost – Sunrise, Sunset : A Maui Photo Essay

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AdventureRob October 9, 2012 at 1:48 PM

Go for the view, stay for a picnic!

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Peter October 6, 2012 at 4:31 AM

Opera house is one of the famous attractions of Sydney. I had visited there once. Will try to explore remaining attractions soon as I get a chance. Thanks for sharing this informative post.
Peter´s latest blogpost – Explore Land of Delightful Places UK

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AdventureRob October 9, 2012 at 1:48 PM

You’re welcome.

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Neil October 25, 2012 at 12:33 PM

Sydney is a pleasant city to take a visit to. I have heard many a times about the Waterfall in Royal National Park. Liked reading the article, thanks for the sharing.

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Jessica November 6, 2012 at 1:15 AM

I think I should visit all the beautiful places in Sydney…Thanks a lot for sharing the article I learn a lot..

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Katie November 28, 2012 at 9:25 PM

Loved Sydney. I want to go back and hope to do so in the near future.
Katie´s latest blogpost – How to Do Disney World on a Budget and Still Experience Everything

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AdventureRob December 3, 2012 at 5:48 AM

The more I look back on Sydney, the more I seemed to miss, I’d love a trip back there too.

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Gianni May 1, 2013 at 9:59 AM

Sydney is such a beautiful place to visit! Never been to the botanic gardens though. I keep on hearing from people telling me they are a ‘must see’.

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