Australia Chapter 4: Sydney

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This Sydney Australia travel guide covers our experiences exploring one of the world’s most beautiful cities, from the iconic Sydney Harbor to the beach towns of Manly and Bondi.

Sydney

After spending about 10 days in Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, and other nearby small towns, it was time to hug family goodbye and board a Virgin Australia flight to Sydney. We left from the Sunshine Coast Airport (MCY) in Marcoola, QLD. The airport was small but had plenty to offer with several restaurants and shops. It felt much bigger than it should have for an airport of its size. Now, most domestic airports in Australia do not require a boarding pass to pass through security. This was one of them, so perhaps the crowds were not all flyers but some families seeing off friends and loved ones. Either way, we didn’t spend much time airside as we walked out onto the tarmac and climbed the steps onto the large Boeing aircraft for our one hour and thirty-five minute flight to Australia’s largest city.

We landed on time and ready to explore. We jumped on the train and got off at Central Station, a twelve-minute ride. We walked a block to a brewery for lunch and chatted about what the rest of the day and week would look like. We wrapped up and took an Uber the short distance to the hotel (public transit seemed out of the way for this trip). We checked in and started exploring.

Sydney Harbor

Sydney Harbor is a worthy destination by itself. Our hotel sat directly under the magnificent Harbor Bridge and just a few hundred foot walk to the view of the Opera House. Sometimes when you finally see a historic landmark in person, it can be a bit underwhelming. This was not the case. Both of these global icons were as impressive and photogenic in person as the hype leads you to believe. The Opera House, just across the harbor from us, was a perfect backdrop to the activity that was happening around us. Shops and restaurants weaved their way around the perimeter of the harbor. It seemed like it may have been the perfect time to visit Sydney. It wasn’t overly hot or overly crowded. Parts of almost every restaurant were cornered off for a company holiday party, which made the area a bit livelier than it perhaps would have been. We continued exploring, finding a Turkish restaurant in Newtown. A quick public bus ride to the suburbs. Sydney’s suburbs are more like neighborhoods or districts in any other city. You feel like you are still in the heart of the city, and the quick bus ride doesn’t appear to ever leave Sydney. For example, Newtown was only half the distance back to the airport. We explored a bit more and called it a night.

Manly

Manly, New South Wales is a beach town about an hour drive from Sydney or a convenient twenty-minute fast ferry ride from the harbor. The town came recommended from my brother and sister-in-law, and it was one of the best recommendations to date. From the moment the ferry approached Manly harbor, we knew this was a place we would feel at home. Beaches, shops, restaurants, walking trails, and more. It was busy but didn’t feel it. We walked around taking it all in, found a place to eat and grab a cold beer. We walked around the beach and knew this wasn’t our last visit. Our original plan included visiting Bondi Beach for a full beach day the next day, but we really wanted to return to Manly and lay on the beach. We pivoted and decided we would take the ferry back now and then a bus to Bondi and spend the late afternoon and early evening there. The next morning, we returned and it was just as beautiful as the day before. It was a bit warmer, so the beach was a bit busier, but again, it didn’t feel overcrowded. The lifeguards were staying very busy with constantly changing currents. Due to the unique geography, the swells change without warning, and without awareness of this, it is dangerous. However, lifeguards here, and in Australia overall, are not the lifeguards from your local pool. They are highly trained and constantly aware of every situation. When they are on duty, you are safe.

We did not get to spend as much time hiking in Manly as we would have liked, but here is a great hike that we did just a small part of: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/australia/new-south-wales/spit-bridge-to-manly-walk

Bondi

Bondi is more than a beach. It’s a community within Sydney that is often overshadowed by the famous beach. That said, Bondi Beach does deserve the recognition it receives. It is a large beach with beautiful backdrops and plenty to do in the area around the beach. I wish I had more to say, but we didn’t spend enough time here. The hard part of traveling is prioritizing exactly where to go. I am glad we saw Bondi Beach and got to experience the area around it for even the little time we did. We will be back!

Sydney was only a few days, and it was a bit of an unwind from the previous 10 days. Almost a vacation within the vacation. From what we saw and the walks we took, Sydney is one of the best cities in the world, in my somewhat humble opinion. It’s beautiful, the people are great, public transportation is solid, especially if you take the buses. We will be back!

This chapter wraps up the chronological storytelling from Australia, but there is still more to be shared. Look out in the near future for content featuring more “how-to” guides and travel tips for the area. Do you want me to write about something in particular, or are you looking for help planning a specific destination? Fill out the form below!

Sydney FAQ