I’m a Sydney girl born and bred, and I love showing visitors this beautiful city I call home. Knowing how much Sydney has to offer, I find it challenging to view my hometown through the eyes of a visitor … to think about what I would see and do if I was only here for a day or two … but I reckon this is where I’d have to start!
Stay Medusa, Darlinghurst
In a city like Sydney, accommodation has to be about location. I love this boutique hotel in an early twentieth-century, tomato-red terrace house on leafy Darlinghurst Rd, strolling distance to virtually everywhere I want to eat, drink, browse and shop. Manager Luke Murdoch is an obliging wealth of local knowledge.
Eat Bennelong, Sydney Opera House
www.bennelong.com.au
So many buildings with fab views have average food. We’re blessed that Sydney’s most iconic building combines stunning views with some of our best food. My pick is a table in the upstairs Circle, with uninterrupted views of the Harbour Bridge and the delicious, casual ‘cured & cultured’ menu.
Do BridgeClimb, Sydney Harbour Bridge
www.bridgeclimb.com
This is one of the best things I’ve ever done in Sydney – for the views and the guide’s in-depth knowledge of Sydney and its history. And if you’re a bit nervous about the height … rest assured that the walkways are wide and you don’t even notice it once you’re up there (truly).
Walk Coastal Walks, Sydney
Sydney has an incredible amount of bushland woven through it, and coastal walking tracks that allow us to enjoy the Aussie bush without even leaving town. My two favourites are Manly to The Spit, followed by lunch at Chiosco; and Bondi to the historic cliff-top Waverley Cemetery, with a swim at Bronte’s Bogey Hole midway.
Travel By Water, Sydney Harbour
www.transportnsw.info
Sydney’s iconic green and cream ferries chug across the harbour to Taronga Zoo, Watsons Bay, Manly and world-heritage-listed Cockatoo Island. This is the Harbour City after all … so wherever you’re going, if you can get there by water, grab a ferry or a rivercat, or splash out on a water taxi.
