Just a 15-hour flight away from Dallas lies the magical land of Australia – the native land of Keith Urban, Chris Hemsworth, kangaroos, koalas, and flat whites. If one of those doesn’t make you squeal with excitement, you must be dead inside. I’m kidding (but not really).
General Notes on Travelling in Australia and our Itinerary
We spent 3 days in Sydney (needed 1 more), 2 days in Tasmania (just right), 3 days on the Gold Coast (could have used a couple more), and 3 days in Cairns (3 days too many). If we had to do it again, we’d skip Cairns since we don’t scuba dive and there is really nothing else to do there, and spend additional time driving around the Gold Coast or trying the wineries around Sydney. We flew between the cities and rented a car in Hobart, Brisbane and Cairns for day trips. We had a negative experience with Virgin Australia as their website wouldn’t allow us to check in our luggage in advance so we ended up paying for it at the airport, which, of course, was more expensive. Their customer service was awful as well. Renting a car was very easy, and if you are comfortable driving on the left side of the road (much easier than I thought it would be), then you’ll get to see a whole lot more of the country. Every hotel we stayed at had transformers for American electronics, so if you forget yours, you’ll be fine (in the major cities anyway). All and all, on a scale of 1 (easiest) to 10 (hardest), traveling in Australia was a 2, i.e. pretty easy.
Sydney
Sydney Harbour Bridge
Sydney is really easy to get around. Public transportation is in great shape and most of the tourist attractions are concentrated in the Darling Harbour and the Circular Quay or within walking distance of those neighborhoods. We did almost all of our sightseeing on foot, but as with any major city, you have all kinds of hop on hop off tours, public transportation and cabs that you can take if you don’t feel like walking.
Sydney felt like both an American city and a foreign city at once. You would be walking around surrounded by English street signs and feel like you were in the US or Europe, but then all of a sudden you’d catch a glimpse of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, and would be reminded that, wait, you are in Australia! The architecture was a mix of European, modern, and colonial styles, most buildings giving off 50s or 60s vibe and making this large city (4.5 mil) feel somewhat provincial.
Sydney Opera House
Getting to Sydney center from the airport was very easy. Once you land, a bus (free on Sundays) or a train will take to you the city center (only 12 minutes away). If you are staying in the Darling Harbour (which we did), Sydney Central Station (SCS) is the closest station. If you are staying at the Circular Quay (where the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Sydney Opera House are), then you’ll want to get off at the Circular Quay Station. From the SCS, it’s just a 15-minute walk to the Darling Harbour, which we were more than happy to make, even with the suitcases, after sitting on a plane for 15 hours.
Sydney Harbour Bridge – unbelievably impressive
Day 1: The Bridge, The Opera House, and The Botanical Gardens
We stayed at the Sheraton Four Points Darling Harbor, which is a pretty good location to stay at. Although it looks like it is far from the Circular Quay on a map, it is actually only a 15-minute walk. Travel Tip: Both the Darling Harbour and the Circular Quay areas are very touristy, so if you are looking to eat or stay where locals are, you have to look well outside those areas.
Millers Point/Walsh Bay: We grabbed a map at the hotel and just started walking in the general direction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, figuring we’ll eventually see it (we were right – it’s hard to miss). On the way, we stumbled upon a few cafes at the Walsh Bay, which is where we learned about flat whites – the most awesome coffee drink on the planet. We immediately fell in love. Just a few weeks after we got back state-side, Starbuck started selling flat whites in the US. Coincidence? I think not! Anyway, the Millers Point/Walsh Bay had quite a few restaurants with patios facing the water and it seemed like it would be a nice place to visit at night.
Circular Quay Wharf
The Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House are just a few blocks away from Millers Point/Walsh Bay. The pictures don’t do the bridge justice because it’s such an impressive feat of architecture and engineering that dominates the city’s landscape. We debated on whether to do the bridge climb, which is heavily promoted, and we were glad that we decided against it (too expensive, can’t take your own pictures, and you spend several hours walking single-file after people in your group). We did, however, walk across the bridge, which offered amazing views of the harbour and the Opera House. Instead of doing the bridge climb, we walked up to the Pylon Lookout, which is almost the same height at the top of the bridge and for a much smaller price allows way better photos. Plus, it has a small museum that has information about how and why the bridge was built.
After the bridge, we walked over to the Sydney Opera House, which is probably the most well-known attraction of Sydney. You can take an inside tour of the Opera House, walk around the building, and, of course, have some drinks and a bite to eat the Opera Bar, which has a nice selection of local beers, food that ranges from lamb skewers to sushi, and a giant patio that faces both the Opera House and the bridge.
The Royal Botanical Gardens are right next to the Sydney Opera House and were a natural progression on our walk. They are amazing and completely free. We saw many locals enjoying picnics, playing games, and soaking up the sun in the gardens. We walked around the Farm Cove and ended up at the Fleet Steps, which offer a great view of the harbour and the bridge. Travel Tip: The Fleet Steps offer a great photo opportunity.
Sydney Opera House
The next stop, after circling around the gardens, was the Hyde Park, right on the cusp of the central business district. This is the oldest public park in all of Australia and, while not very big, is very popular with the locals and offers a great place to rest.
At this point, having been on our feet since 6 a.m. that morning, we called it a day and collapsed at our hotel.
Day 2: Day Trip to the Blue Mountains (covered in another post)
Day 3: The Central Business District and the Manly Beach
Having woken up to a rainy morning, we decided to walk around downtown and wait till the clouds go away before taking a ferry to the Manly Beach (one of the two famous Sydney beaches; the other one is Bondi Beach). Unfortunately, we did not get to see both beaches, so cannot tell you which one is better, and the locals seemed to be divided between the both. So, we picked Manly Beach because you can get to it by taking a ferry, whereas you have to take a bus to get to Bondi Beach.
Manly Beach – Paradise?
I am always partial to ferries – they seem to make any trip better, so I might be biased when I say that you should definitely take the ferry to the Manly Beach. Not only does it offer spectacular views of the harbour and the Opera House, but you get a feel for how some of the luckier Sydneysiders (yes, that’s what you call somebody from Sydney) live in houses and high-rises overlooking the water.
The Manly Beach is actually situated in the town of Manly, just outside of Sydney, and there is not much to say about it other than it’s a beautiful place and if you have time, you should make it a part of your itinerary. We were there on a week day, so other than a few groups of teenagers and some students taking surfing lessons, it was not very crowded. We spent the better part of the day there and wished we could have stayed longer, but we could not, because we were leaving for Hobart, Tasmania the next day.
I would say that it we had to do it again, we would do four full days in Sydney, instead of three, and spend an entire day at the Bondi Beach. I guess that means we have to come back?
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