Sydney, Australia: Some Must Do Activities During Your Visit to Sydney

In March 2006, I had the opportunity to visit several parts of Australia, and by far, Sydney was the best place we visited. I was surprised when I compared what we had done with several others who had traveled to Sydney. That is, I was surprised that others hadn’t researched or done as much as we had during our visit. For those of us in the United States, if you are taking the long journey, do your homework and don’t miss these fantastic, once in a lifetime opportunities.

1. Bridge Climb Sydney
Climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge was a phenomenal experience. Most people immediately think “There’s no way I’d ever CLIMB a bridge!” Before discounting this one, remember, it makes the number one don’t miss activity on this list for good reason. Not only will you have fabulous views of Sydney that can not be had in any other venue, you will feel exhilarated at your accomplishment. If you’re still not convinced, let’s talk safety. Not only are you trained for 30 minutes on safety techniques, you are literally harnessed to the bridge during your entire journey. It’s impossible to fall off the bridge! And, if you’re still not convinced, let me just say that “climb” is used a bit loosely here. With the exception of 6 ladders, the entire time is spent walking gently up or downhill, no real climbing involved. This was a fabulous opportunity to learn about Sydney and the history of the Harbour Bridge. The cost of the Bridge Climb was about $120 USD at the time we went. You can reserve your spot at www.bridgeclimb.com.

2. Manly Beach
What we loved about Manly beach was the beautiful view, and the fun promenade. We ate lunch on the beach at an outdoor cafe, and then walked and shopped at small boutiques. It was just such a cute atmosphere. At the end of the beach is a small nature park where you can walk through trees and up trails. Manly Beach is free, but the ferry will cost about seven Australian dollars.

3. See an event at the Sydney Opera House
I admit that I’m not an Opera fan, so seeing an opera wasn’t even on my radar screen. However, the Sydney Opera House offers many, many other events, including theater, concerts, modern dance, etc. We chose to see a play called “Doubt” and were so happy that we decided do that. Weather permitting, there is a cafe right on the water next to the Opera House, where you can have a pre-event drink or light meal. This was an amazing way to be a part of one of the most intriguing structures in the world, and didn’t cost very much at all. For a schedule of events, visit www.sydneyoperahouse.com. We were able to buy our tickets in advance of our trip via the Internet.

4. Take a wine tour to Hunter Valley. We weren’t very big on wine, but this was a very fun and pleasant way to spend a day. Several tour companies offer excursions to Hunter Valley from Sydney. We chose one that offered a boutique wine tour. That is, we skipped the big, commercial wineries and went to smaller, lesser-known ones. What a great experience! The winery operators were very gracious and hospitable. They took us on tours, gave us plenty of samples and told us what made their wines special and unique. We were also given the opportunity to purchase wine after sampling, of course. Lunch was provided in our tour. If you would like to research the boutique wine tour of Hunter Valley, visit www.visitours.com.au,

5. Visit Bondi Beach.
Unlike Manly beach, this is the ultimate spectator beach. Think California’s Venice Beach times one hundred! Still, this was well worth a stop and definitely a great people watching experience. You can take a ferry to Bondi Beach from Sydney Harbour.

6. The Elizabeth Bay House. This boasts a wonderful view of Sydney Harbour. Surprisingly most tourists we talked to didn’t even know this existed. It was definitely a very fun small excursion. We took a bus to near the Elizabeth Bay House and walked the remaining distance of about a quarter mile. The architecture and history of this house is incredible. It also is nearly free (a suggested donation of about two Australian dollars).

7. Take a bus tour of Sydney. Our first day we were tired! But, we didn’t want to miss seeing the city. With a City Pass, we could hop on and off the bus as much as we liked and our pass was good for twenty-four hours. Plus, the bus was a double-decker, so we sat upstairs in the sun and enjoyed the view. This was a very good way to begin our trip to Sydney and scope out which sights and areas of Sydney we felt merited further investigation and time.

We had a fabulous time in Sydney. The people were friendly, the food was wonderful. If you do all of the above, you will defintely feel like your trip was complete and worthwhile.