Sydney was the first place I landed in the land down under. I think I loved it because it felt like the start of my new life as a working holiday maker. It is a big city and if that is your kinda thing, you will love it too. My sister and I walked everywhere, which was amazing. Thankfully, we booked a hostel around the CBD (Central Business District) or downtown if you will, we stayed in the Mad monkey Potts Point. It was your typical hostel, nothing fancy but they did offer free dinner every night and as a backpacker this was great, not having to fight for space in the crowded hostel kitchen and a free meal? God Bless.
The Opera House – (Free)
We didn’t waste any time going to check out the Opera house. The same day we landed we took a shower, had a nap, and went out on the town. The opera house was pretty surreal, and I really recommend seeing it at night, you usually don’t have much of a crowd and the lights of the city make it magical. Do me a favour and when you get there take it all in, you are standing in front of one of the most famous buildings in the world after all. After you’ve gotten your fill, and you’re walking down the steps; to your left there is a beautiful paved walk along the water – you’re just on the outside of the Royal Botanical Gardens. Most major cities in Australia have gorgeous botanical gardens, check ‘em out! They are free after all.
Bondi Beach & Areas – (Free)
Being a lifeguard back home and watching multiple episodes of Bondi Beach Rescue, seeing Bondi was a major thing I had to check off my bucket list. But let me be the first to tell you that it is so much smaller than it looks, and good lord it is crowded.
Is it still worth it to see – yes, without a doubt. But be ready for possible blue bottles (jelly fish) that can be in the water (stinger season is around November to March and can extend through to May) Those things are ruthless. And there is a very high chance that the lifeguards will yell at you when you go for a dip.
Up the hill from Bondi you will also encounter the famous Bondi Icebergs tidal pool. You do have to pay for a membership to swim there but do not worry there are MANY free tidal pools around this coast line.
Once you have passed the pools there is a great 3km coastal walk from Bondi to Bronte Beach you should check out, and if you’re really loving the views you can walk the extra 3km to Coogee beach. Try not to go during the peak heat of the day, and if you do bring your “toggs” (swim suit) to jump in the water in between, you’ll thank me later.
Manly Beach ($22.40)
After figuring out the city’s public transportation, an easy “tap on tap off” system where you pay by tapping your card or phone, my sister and I decided that we wanted to try our luck with the Ferry. From Circular Quay to Manly Wharf cost us about $11.20 one way which felt like a fair price for seeing fantastic views of the other side of the Opera House and getting to a gorgeous beach. Don’t feel like you have to book ahead of time. Once you reach the Wharf there will be a time table showing when and where the ferries are going.
Manly was a very cute little town, you can do lots of shopping but we just wanted to enjoy the beach and maybe grab a cheeky ice cream. Both of us had masks so we could do a bit of snorkeling. We saw lots of fish, sea urchins, and quite a few sting rays. (RIP Steve Irwin). Manly also didn’t have nearly as many people on the beach as Bondi, but this could have been the fact we probably went on a random Tuesday.
This is a really great day trip, especially if you want to get out of the city a bit.
Sydney Harbour Bridge. ($0-$375)
This is another great attraction that I would recommend seeing at night. You can walk across the bridge on the pedestrian path which takes about 20 min and is 100% free but if you have $375 lying around you can climb the 1,332 steps to get a full 360゜view of Sydney’s Harbour.
Art Gallery of NSW (free)
If museums are your thing then look no further. Spend an hour or two enjoying the air conditioning and admire the Australian and Indigenous art collections at the Art Gallery of NSW. General admission is free, unless you’re trying to book a specific exhibition. Oh and enjoy the biggest spider you’ve seen by the front entrance
Overall Sydney is a great place to land to start your journey. To be honest, it was just so nice to walk everywhere, find a big park and take it all in. So, I hope you do too.