Postcards From Here and There

Things to do in Sydney

Not necessarily a definitive list, just a few ideas from a recent 48 hours in the city.

Circular Quay. A good place to start as it is a major transport hub and therefore easy to get to. From here you have superb views of both the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. The area is always packed with tourists and there is a real buzz about it, there are buskers plying there trade to add to the experience. From here you can also book a harbour cruise or ferry journey.
Harbour Cruise. A good option is to pick up a cruise at Circular Quay but you can also get them from Darling Harbour. There are many different options depending on your interests, popular are the cruise to the zoo and Watsons Bay which gives great views of the harbour and the ferry to Manley.
Walking Tour of The Rocks. The area adjacent to Circular Quay is the the oldest area of the city and as a consequence has some of the oldest buildings in the city. You can either join a guided tour or just wander the area with a guide book to help.
Sydney Free Bus Tour. A three hour tour of Sydneys Eastern suburbs including Kings Cross, Potts Point, Watsons Bay and Bondi Beach. The tour leaves everyday at 10.30 from Hyde Park in the centre of the city and it is simply first come first served. It is very popular so do get there early. There is a charge of $18 to cover the running costs of the bus and this must be paid in cash. After this you can make a voluntary contribution to the driver/guide at the end of the tour is you so desire. More details can be found here
Chinese Gardens of Friendship. An oasis of calm close to Darling Harbour. The gardens have an entry fee of $6 which in my view is a bargain. They are so good I wrote a separate post about them here
Darling Harbour. There is so much going on here and much of the area is pedestrianised so it invites strolling around. There are plenty of cafes, bars and restaurants for when you just want to sit and watch the world go by. It is also home to the Sydney Aquarium and Maritime Museum. You can also catch ferries and harbour cruises from here. More details can be found here
Coastal Walk from Bondi to Coogee. Two for the price of one here as you can spend time in Bondi with its famous beach before embarking on the coastal walk. This really is an excellent way to spend a couple of hours and the views are stunning. You van read more about it here
The Art Gallery of New South Wales. Located on Art Gallery Road (easy to remember!). Superb collections of Australian art from the start of the nineteenth century and aboriginal art. Entry is free.

Charlie Melton has been making his own label wines in the Barossa since 1984 and now owns 20 hectares of vines. He began his wine making career ten years earlier and worked for Peter Lehmann who actually decided he should be called Charlie instead of his given name Graeme. His passion is for old vine wines and traditional varieties such as Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre (Mataro) and this comes through loud and clear in the wines he produces.

Rose of Virginia 2015

This is serious rosé wine. A great colour, deeper than many rosé wines, with aromas of raspberry, cinnamon and Turkish delight. The palate is dry, red and stone fruits. This aged style of rosé is characterful and very nice. Made mainly from Grenache it is a robust wine and excellent value for money.

La Belle Mere GSM 2015

Red/garnet in appearance. There is earthy spice and delicate red fruits. Wine is medium bodied and the finish is savoury and long. very nice entry level wine.

Father in Law Shiraz 2016

Youthful purple/red in appearance. Aromas of plum, strawberry and sweet tobacco. Smooth and full bodied with a generous kick of spicy pepper. Drink it now or keep, your choice.

Kirche Shiraz/Cabernet 2016

Generous black fruits with coffee and vanilla. Palate is full with rich fruit and cool eucalyptus and tobacco. Tannins add structure. A wine with real ageing potential.

Grains of Paradise Shiraz 2014

February rain led to a lighter vintage, as a consequence less oak was used in the vinification. Garnet in appearance. Aromas of red fruits and plum. Palate is savoury black and red fruit with hints of spice and a nice savoury finish.

Grains of Paradise Shiraz 2015

Great depth of colour – red/garnet. Ripe plummy fruit, white pepper and a savoury edge. Palate is rich, full and complex with a savoury sweet spice. A lovely finish.

Nine Popes GSM 2015

Aromas of red fruits, vanilla and a touch of dried herbs and white pepper. Palate is sweet red fruits, smokey and a big hit of spicy pepper on the finish. A series wine that needs some cellaring.m very good.

Bondi to Coogee

One of the great ways to get to know a city is to take a walking tour. They will usually guide you, pointing out, architecture, cultural and historical places of interest. They can give you the flavour of a city very quickly and provide you with a list of locations/areas that you may wish to explore in more detail at a later date. Walking tours have expanded to include food tours which take you to markets, bakeries, chocolatiers and cafes. It seems that there is a walking tour, either with a guide or self guided, to suit every need.

Sydney has lots of guided walking tours and a lot of them are free, Free Tours Sydney and I’m Free Tours are just two examples. Free Tours Sydney also has a three hour bus tour of the outer eastern suburbs including Watsons Bay and Bondi but you do have to pay $18 per person to help cover the bus running costs (details here) .It still makes it a much cheaper option many other bus tours.

The self guided walking tour from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach is unusual in that it is a city walking tour along a coastal path. Of all the possible walking tours you can do in the city this is perhaps the best known and it is certainly worth making the effort to get out to Bondi to do it. The 333 and 380 buses from Circular Quay in the Central Business District will get you out to Bondi in about 45 minutes. You do need an Opal Card to travel on buses and other public transport in Sydney and this works in a similar way to the Oystercard in London. If you have done the Free Tours Sydney bus tour you can leave the tour when it reaches Bondi and walk the coastal path back.

The walk is 6Km and takes between two and three hours to complete depending how many times you stop along the way. We did it comfortably in two hours.

The path is well defined and has a concrete surface virtually all the way. There are some ups and downs as you might expect as you travel from cove to cove.

Leaving from them south end of Bondi Beach the walk climbs for a short while before you arrive at the blustery headland and Gaerloch Reserve. You definitely need to hang on to your hat here! The views are superb and it is easy to see why this is such a popular walk.

Bronte Beach (photo above) is about a third of the way along the walk and an excellent place to pause along the way. So much quieter than its near neighbour Bondi, as indeed are all the beaches on the walk.

The section of the coastal path by Waverley Cemetery was damaged in a storm in June 2016 and restoration work is yet to be completed. An alternative route through the cemetery ensures that you can complete the walk although you are asked to respect the cemetery and not take any photographs as you pass through. It is an impressive site in itself, perched as it is on the cliffs at Bronte, and some notable Australians are buried there.

Just before. you reach Coogee there is a reminder how dangerous fir can be in such dry areas.

Finally after two hours or so Coogee beach comes into view and its a short stroll down to have a well deserved cold one in the Coogee Pavilion Bar.

From here the 373 bus takes you back to Circular Quay after what is a memorable walk.