Sydney and Nearby - Introduction

Australia’s premier city is not just the harbour and the Opera House. We have split Sydney into the following sub regions:

OPERA HOUSE and nearby including the Harbour Bridge, The Rocks and Circular Quay.
DARLING HARBOUR and nearby: revitalised area including Pyrmont and Chinatown.
INNER SYDNEY EAST: Darlinghurst, Paddington, Kings Cross, Potts Point and Elizabeth Bay are included.
NORTH SHORE, Manly and northern beaches: from Kirribilli to Palm Beach.
BONDI and southern beaches: Bondi through to Maroubra via Coogee.
OUTER SYDNEY: South, West and North including Botany Bay, Homebush Bay and the Hawkesbury River.
NATIONAL PARKS near Sydney: The metropolis is surrounded by parks.

Sydney OPERA HOUSE, Circular Quay, The Rocks and nearby

Sydney Cove, where harbour ferries now run from Circular Quay, had a very unpromising beginning in 1788 when disbelieving Aborigines watched as a fleet of 11 ships arrived with a disparate group of male convicts and their motley jailers. Today with the stunning Opera House as its centrepiece, this is one of the most famous locations in the world. The combination of the natural beauty of the harbour, the dramatic 1930s Harbour Bridge and the Opera House has fused into a ‘must see’ priority for any visitor.
Circular Quay is a train and bus terminal as well the setting off point for some sightseeing boats and numerous bustling harbour ferries – some of the best views of Sydney are from the water and the ferries are a fast and inexpensive way of getting about. Fanning out southwards from the Quay are the Royal Botanic Gardens, Hyde Park and the CBD (Central Business District).
By the southern end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge lies The Rocks, once an area of warehouses and maritime commerce, now restored and revamped into a fashionable and atmospheric area of bars, restaurants, hotels and unusual and trendy shops and galleries.

Sydney DARLING HARBOUR and nearby 

Darling Harbour was a decaying industrial docks area until the 1980s when it began to be transformed, at considerable cost, into a huge and stylish waterfront leisure park with numerous shops, hotels, restaurants, entertainments and attractions,. The momentum of this redevelopment has now spread to neighbouring Pyrmont and the two are linked by the dramatic Pyrmont Bridge, a walkway and monorail track across Cockle Bay.
Major attractions in the vicinity include Sydney Aquarium, Tumbalong Park and the tranquil Chinese Garden of Friendship, the trendy and inspirational Powerhouse Museum, the National Maritime Museum (pictured), bustling Sydney Fish Market and the lurid but interesting Star City Casino complex.
Near the Chinese Garden at Darling Harbour is Sydney’s effervescent Chinatown as well as bustling Paddy’s Market.

INNER SYDNEY EAST

Former scruffy inner suburbs are now trendy, avant garde locales with an array of bars, restaurants, clubs and boutique hotels.
Surry Hills is immediately east of Sydney’s main rail terminus, Central Station.  Continuing eastwards, Darlinghurst is now the centre of the Sydney’s flamboyant gay society (the huge ‘Mardi Gras’ every February celebrates the gay scene in the harbour city).  The next suburb, Paddington, has some superbly restored Victorian-era terrace houses in its leafy back streets (as pictured).
Bohemian Kings Cross disintegrated into a grotty red light district during the Vietnam War. Although still a magnet for hookers and unfortunates, it is lively and interesting with bars and restaurants open all hours.
The dock side area around Woolloomooloo is a mixed bag with remnants of its previous era as a slum now co-existing with some good and not so good modern buildings. East from here are a string of elegant harbour side suburbs – Potts Point, Elizabeth Bay and Rushcutters Bay followed by the more distant Double Bay, Rose Bay and Watsons Bay.

Sydney NORTH SHORE, Manly and northern beaches

Away from the high rise office buildings of North Sydney close to the Harbour Bridge, some affluent and attractive suburbs lead to Manly and the Pacific Ocean.
Kirribilli, opposite the Opera House, is where the Prime Minister and Governor General have official residences. Then come Neutral Bay, Cremorne, Mosman and Balmoral. Next is the entrance to the large inlet of Middle Harbour. At the narrowest point is the Spit Bridge which gives road access to Manly and has scheduled opening times to allow tall ships to pass through.
Sydney Harbour’s best known ferry journey, which commenced in 1854, is from Circular Quay to Manly (a ferry arriving at Manly Wharf is pictured).
Set on an isthmus, Manly is a ubiquitous residential and holiday centre with a pedestrian walkway (The Corso) linking the calm harbour beach with the surf beach of the Pacific. North from here are a string of suburbs with great beaches including Freshwater, Curl Curl, Dee Why, Collaroy, Mona Vale, Newport, Bilgola, Whale Beach and Palm Beach. The latter is near the mouth of the Hawkesbury River at Broken Bay with the lovely inlet of Pittwater at the southern end of the bay.

Sydney - BONDI and southern beaches

Bondi is the nearest ocean beach to central Sydney. This mile-long arc of golden sand first hit the news in the 1880s when some Sydney residents (known as cranks) first challenged the law which forbade swimming during daylight as being indecent. Today this world famous urban beach epitomises beach culture in Australia. Although not the best place for a surf or a swim in the Sydney area it is still a good beach, albeit usually noisy and crowded - there is also an excellent ocean swimming pool (pictured). Bondi has a unique atmosphere, with an eclectic mix of long term residents, surfies, beach bums, touts, posers and tourists.
South of Bondi is the lovely cove of Tamarama, popular with the gay community, then another nice beach at Bronte backed by a park with outdoor cafes. Next are Clovelly, Gordons Bay, bustling Coogee, South Coogee and Maroubra Beach, a national surfing reserve. There is a excellent and scenic coastal walk from Bondi right through to Coogee and this whole stretch of urban coast has a ranges of accommodation, bars and restaurants.

OUTER SYDNEY

NATIONAL PARKS near Sydney