Lilly's Highlights & Recommendations # 17 (Sydney, Australia)

Sydney has been really undersold to me. I have met very few people,
including Australians, who sing its praises. But I think they are
being modest. It is a brilliant city, easily competing with other
world class cities and not just because of the obvious sand and sea.
It has a wide variety of things going for it, only a few of which can
fit in my Top 5.

1. Sydney Harbour Bridge climb - this was the practically the first
thing we did in Sydney and is a great way to get a bird's eye view of
the enormous city and orientate yourself in relation to the many
suburbs. The climb itself is mildly terrifying if you don't like
heights but once up on the arch the views and the sense of freedom and
space make you forget about that (being latched on the whole time also
helps!) It is a bit pricey and takes a long time (3 hr 15mins from
start to finish) but is totally worth it. The structure of the bridge
is attractive too both from near and far.

2. Markets - Sydney has millions of different markets. I only had time
to sample three, but I enjoyed them all. First up was Bondi Beach
market (Sun) which had a great collection of stalls selling jewelery,
hats, clothes and bags largely handmade by local designers. I bought
far too much!

Second was the Fish Market, where I headed for a sushi breakfast but
ended up sampling the best oysters I'd ever tasted, some giant prawns
and some fresh sliced sashimi. All from Australia of course and with a
sunny harbourside area to eat it all. Yummy!

Paddy's Market is a more generic market selling cheap touristy stuff
and cheapish clothes, jewellery etc. Decent fruit market though and
worth a wander if you have time.

3. Botanical gardens - by no means the most beautiful botanical
gardens in the world but an amazing experience for the first time
visitor to Australia as you are confronted by plants you have never
seen before looking like something out of Alice's Adventures in
Wonderland as well as *giant* spiders, hundreds of fruit bats,
cockatoos and other birds which I don't know the names of. It is quite
normal to come across all of these things when wandering about the
city, which was quite a shock to me and really made me feel like I was
in Australia. The formal garden has a pleasantly English feel as does
the lovely 19th C government house in the grounds.

4. Surry Hills/Darlinghurst - the sort of area I didn't expect to find
in Sydney, which I thought would be entirely full of beach bums
shopping at Quiksilver. There is nothing wrong with that of course,
but I wasn't expecting this area full of quirky shops and cafes which
feels more New York than Sydney. The cafe 4 ate 5 on Crown St was
great. Incidentally, it is interesting to note that Sydney is much
more like a North American city than an English one despite its
history; because it is so young I guess.

The Darlinghurst area which neighbours on Surry Hills contains the
ridiculously long Oxford St which has some amazing mainstream shops,
which we didn't have time to sample enough of unfortunately!

5. Museums - another misconception about Australia is that is has no
culture, but Sydney has a great selection of museums even if a lot of
the content is European. The Museum of Contemporary Art, which was
rubbished by Paul, actually had a very interesting video installation
on and the Art Gallery of NSW had a great exhibition of Japanese
woodcuts (Hymn to Beauty). It also had a decent standing collection
and a very impressive Higher School (A level?) exhibition on with some
really good stuff (some of which was better than the 'professional'
stuff, some of which wasn't!).

We also checked out the Australian museum (loved the Wildlife
Photographer of the Year exhibition but could just have easily have
seen it at the Natural History Museum in London) and the Rocks
Discovery Museum (nicely laid out but a bit dull). Finally, we also
visited the Powerhouse Museum, which is a weird mix of design,
invention and science museum. Had a great history of design section
and a fun 80s exhibition. A very well laid out museum. We didn't even
have time to make it to the Sydney museum....

I deliberately haven't mentioned the beaches as they are such a well
known feature of Australia, but the number and proximity of them to
the city centre is pretty impressive. I would love to have beaches
like that on my doorstep or even on the other end of the Manly ferry
which is a pleasant ride giving great views of the harbour. We only
visited Bondi and Manly and I would say Bondi was better because of
the surrounding area more than anything and the crazy waves! If you
don't like sea swimming there are also a range of outdoor pools
available. We only sampled the Andrew 'Boy' Charlton pool but it was
great - in a picturesque setting near Mrs. Macquarie's point with
orderly lane swimming and is a great spot to catch the sun.

Other things that are worth a mention:

Sydney Opera House - very attractive from the outside, like the Royal
Festival Hall from the inside. Try and catch a show from a very
eclectic programme. We saw Amanda Palmer which was a great show and
was the Sydney debut for an anti-Vegemite song which split the
audience in half. Well, you do either love it or hate it!

Tigers - you really need to see a picture to appreciate the cool tiger
sculptures at Circular Quay, so I will post one after this blog (best
iPhone quality!)

The Rocks - a district in central Sydney with a density of very well
preserved 19th C buildings which now house shops, pubs and
restaurants. Very nicely done and a lovely area for a stroll and a
drink at a heritage pub.

Cafe de Wheels - food is expensive in Sydney but my favourite meal
(after the fish feast!) was actually the cheapest. The Cafe de Wheels
van (the original is in the Woolloomooloo district) has been serving
pies and hot dogs since 1945 and still has a retro look. I had the Hot
Dog de Wheels with no less than 7 toppings (mash, mushy peas, chilli,
cheese, onions and chilli sauce)!! Great drinking food!

Blue mountains - left until last as not strictly in Sydney but a
worthwhile local day out. Take in Leura and Katoomba towns and enjoy
the views from the many viewpoints on the road. Don't bother with the
expensive Scenic World, the best thing about it being the Scenic
railway. Also, beware tolls on the way back in if you take a car
rather than a tour.

Having said all of that there is still a lot of things left that I
want to do in Sydney, so I look forward to the return leg when we fly
out of Australia from there.

Melbourne has a lot to live up to, but I do know several Aussies who
love the place (Hi Lisa, Siona and Suz!) so I'm very hopeful...