The world is such a large place and when we set out on our adventures, we knew we wanted to take advantage of this once in a life opportunity to travel on our own timeline. After spending time in Latin America, we decided to prioritize destinations that were incredibly far and challenging to get to from the Americas, and Australia was an obvious place for us to start. (You can read more about why we chose to start this whole adventure in Argentina here.) And Sydney being one of largest cities in the country and internationally inclined, was a natural starting point.
Sydney, Australia is located on the beautiful and natural Sydney Harbour, which makes it an enticing destination for all types of travelers and vacationers. We love the balance between the internationally rich urban setting, the “small town” coastal beach neighborhoods, and the easy access to beautiful nature nearby. And all of this is supported by a strong network of public transportation and walking paths that make it easy to get around without having to learn to drive on the other side of the road. And seeing the iconic Sydney Harbour with the famous bridge and beautiful opera house is a memory that will stay with us forever.
Destination Overview
Sydney, Australia and the Blue Mountains
Sydney is not the capital of Australia; it is the capital of the state of New South Wales, one of the 6 states and two territories that make up Australia. The city is famous for its striking harbor views that include a glistening skyline, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the incredible Sydney Opera House. (The opera house, while mighty in architectural wonder, is quite small and, to some, underwhelming in expected size and scale.)
There is a rivalry between the cities of Sydney and Melbourne, the two biggest cities in the country, over which is the better city. From the description of locals, Melbourne is talked about for its cuisine, urban street art, and sports culture. Because of all this culture, the city is considered a very “livable” city, making it attractive for young professionals and expats.
Sydney is talked about for its beautiful nature and beaches. It balances a relaxed beach culture with being an international metropolitan hub. Sydney also has a much larger tourism industry. Because of the depth of the Sydney harbor, cruise ships are able to dock directly at the center of the city, increasing the number of tourists who visit the city.
Another highlight of Sydney is the Blue Mountains National Park, only 60 kilometers west of the city. It is a great escape into nature for a day trip or a nice weekend getaway in the charming small towns spread throughout the beautiful and dense forest. We decided to visit the Blue Mountains National Park with a tour group (we may have been avoiding driving on the other side of the road) and had the opportunity to hike through parts of the park, visit the highlights of the region, and experience the quaint small town culture of this part of the country.
Where to Read More
The Best Starting Itinerary for Visiting Sydney, Australia
A sample itinerary for visiting Sydney, Australia with ways to see the highlights and options for how to spend your time balancing the beach and urban environment.
Best Thing I Ate this Week
Australia takes pride in its pub culture
An important thing we noticed from our tours in Sydney, Australia is that the guides started every tour by acknowledging and paying their respects to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders peoples, which are referred to as the First Nations people. The aboriginal people of Australia are hundreds of different groups who have lived on Australian land for 65,000 years, making them the world’s oldest continuous living culture. Each of these groups have different lifestyles, beliefs, languages, cultures, etc. making them uniquely distinct.
Today in Sydney, Australia, their influence is not abundantly apparent. Instead, we found evidence of the heavy influence of British, Irish, and Scottish cultures. This is because nearly half of the population of Australia can trace its ancestry to England, Ireland, or Scotland due to the 100 years of the British penal system transporting nearly 200,000 convicts to penal colonies in Australia starting in 1788. These convicts were then put to work and ended up building the infrastructure and structures that they then lived in, which displaced and disregarded the original native communities. Even though Sydney is now an international city, it is the culture of the colonizers that continues to live on in the architecture, names, and culture.
One of the first things we were told by locals is that pubs are the best place to go to grab a schnitty or a parmi and wash it down with a frothy. It was a quick introduction into the fact that Australians use a lot of slang terms but the translation was that we could grab a chicken schnitzel or chicken parmesan with a cold beer on draught at a pub for a quality meal. The oldest neighborhood in the city and the place where Australian pub culture started is the Rocks, adjacent to the cruise dock and transportation hub of the city. Even though the Rocks neighborhood is touristy, walking around Sydney’s oldest neighborhood is a fun experience to admire the old architecture and views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge from up close.
While walking through the Rocks Market we passed by the Merchant Hotel which was packed with people enjoying lunch on the patio. (Many pubs in Australia have “Hotel” in their name because they had to have accommodations in order to serve alcohol.) We also saw on the sign that it was the oldest Irish Pub in Australia, so we thought it would be a great spot to try a parmi and frothy and take in the local culture. The live music was a great addition to the dining experience and the bartenders poured a perfect Guinness on draught. While the parmi was much larger than expected, it was delicious after a long day of walking and the chips (fries) were a nice complement for an overall delicious meal.
Travel Tip of the Week
Explore Sydney by foot and don’t forget a swimsuit
Sydney is an incredible city to walk around in, especially along the numerous coastal paths and trails that create a unique dynamic between the urban environment and beautiful nature that creates the coastline of the city. We were recommended to take advantage of popular walks such as Coogee Beach to Bondi Beach as well as Spit Bridge to Manly.
Locals told us not to forget our swimsuits so that we could go in the water at the beautiful beaches and sea pools along the way. During our visit, the temperature was not particularly hot, but we followed the advice just in case for both walks. On the Coogee to Bondi walk, there were very few people swimming in the ocean at the beaches, but when we came across our first sea pool at Bronte Beach, many locals were swimming laps. After working up a decent sweat on the walk, it was incredibly refreshing to jump in the water and enjoy the beautiful view of Bronte Beach as waves crashed into the rocks of the pool. During the final part of the walk to Bondi, we experienced a bonus as Sculpture by the Sea was going on, and we could enjoy the fascinating art installations along the pathway as the sun began to set.
Our second big coastal walk was from Spit Bridge to Manly and after the amazing experience on our walk between Coogee and Bondi, we brought our swimsuits once again. This walk ended up being more of a hike, specifically on the first part from Spit Bridge. It was a gorgeous walk and passed along secluded bay beaches that were stunning with only a few locals taking advantage of the crystal clear water. We thought about stopping but wanted to make it to the end of the hike while the sun was still up. After completing the hike in Manly, we saw that there was the Fairy Bower sea pool not too far from the end of the trail. We were able to arrive with some sun still left and only one other local wrapping up her swim. She told us to enjoy the pool to ourselves and that it was perfect for an end of day swim. The water temperature was a great way to cool down after a long hike, and it was a peaceful evening of no waves as the sun went down over Manly. This wonderful experience of taking in the beauty of Sydney from coastal walks was made even more unique with the ability to enjoy the water with some brisk swims along the way and we will always carry our swimsuits with us when in Sydney moving forward.
