Sydney

Sydney: Sunny Side Up

Have you been searching for the perfect wave? Well, it’s rolling its way to Sydney’s spectacular shores right now. Don’t worry though – wave after wave is pulled irresistibly to the city’s sandy edges! Sydney is, after all, a city that boasts of beautiful beaches like Bondi and Manly, amongst others. Now add a glitzy coastline, gorgeous architecture, national parks and emerald jungles, a thriving nightlife, fun festivals and more and you’ve got a holiday to remember! Sydney tourism introduces you to equal parts of brash, beautiful and busy. So, go on, put your finger on the city’s pulse, and you’ll feel yours quicken.

Highlights of Sydney

Beaches

From a calm sheltered bay, to busy waters full of ambitious surfers, from bronzed bodies gleaming in the sun, to secret coves with the wind and water for company – Sydney has a huge variety of beaches. One of Sydney’s famous places is Bondi beach, where you can enjoy the sun and sand and then relax at a café or a restaurant by the shore. If being in the water appeals to you, then take a ferry from Circular Quay to Manly beach, where you can swim and snorkel to your heart’s content. If you think Sydney on land is a bustling city, then plunge into the waters of Shelley Beach to discover an even busier ocean kingdom. If you’re looking for the beauty of Bondi, without the crowds, it might be worth your while to head to Palm beach, which is far less crowded. Why stop there though? In your quest for the perfect beach day, Sydney offers up sandy slices like Collins Flat Beach, Milk Beach, Bronte Beach, Gordons Bay, Watsons Bay and more. Grab your board, swimsuit and flipflops – surf’s up!

Parks and Wildlife

Parks, nature and wildlife peep out at you from Sydney’s skyline. Find your feet leading you to Paddington Reservoir Gardens? Well, that’s natural. These gardens played an integral role in Sydney’s survival – acting as the water supply for the city in the 19th century. Today, you can take a stroll on the boardwalks and admire this sport of heritage and beauty. If drama suits you, take a walk from Bondi Beach to Congee – lungsful of crisp ocean air, the crash of majestic waves against the cliffs and the joyful spray of salt-water – it’s magical. If the ageless beauty of nature attracts you, then you must visit the Royal Botanic Garden where you can spot the “dinosaur tree” (a Wollemi Pine), which dates back 90 million years. Want to meet the creatures of the deep? Take a whale watching trip at Kamay Botany Bay National Park. If you can’t get enough of Sydney’s green side, don’t worry. The city is lush with national parks – both at its heart and its boundaries. The Royal National Park mixes rainforests, beaches and indigenous rock engravings. In Sydney North, you’ll find Australia’s second-oldest national park – Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, where you can bushwalk, camp, kayak and examine native art.

Food

Dip your spoon into Sydney’s cooking pot and a different cuisine comes out each time. Feast on regional Chinese cuisines – dim sum, prawn dumplings, noodle soup and enjoy a traditional Cantonese brunch in Chinatown. Grab an evening snack at the Spanish Quarter of the city, where you can sink your teeth into all types of tapas. Spicy and sweet go to battle in Korea Town, and you’re left to enjoy the spoils. Kimchi, bibimbap, fried chicken – load your plate with these delights. If you’re looking for the authentic Aussie experience in Sydney, then some Sydney rock oysters will go down nicely with a bottle of wine or a pint of beer. Start your morning by slathering your toast with the inky black spread beloved by all Australians – vegemite. Sydney is a cultural curry – you’ll find Thai food right next to China Town, Lebanese and Middle Eastern delights in Surry Hills, vegetarian food in Newtown, Portuguese in Petersham and so many other cuisines, you’ll wonder whether you travelled the world, instead of one city.

Tourist Spots

Let’s see… are there any iconic places to visit in Sydney? The answer is a resounding yes. We’ll start with the beloved Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge – both world-famous representations of the city and the country. When you can tear your eyes and legs away, why not visit some other famous spots like Luna Park and Sydney Tower? For the more daring, why not do a bridge climb of Sydney Harbour bridge, where you can scale your way up the southern half of the bridge. The shores of Sydney, which have witnessed many a battle, has the forts, bunkers and batteries to prove it. Visit the Georges Head Battery, the fort at Bradleys Head and the Middle Head Fortifications to get a glimpse into Sydney’s turbulent past. For a more extensive look at the city’s history, well that’s what the city’s museums are for. Visit the oldest museum in the country – The Australian Museum, the Museum of Sydney, the Powerhouse Museum and more. Finally, tourism in Sydney would be incomplete without a trip to the city’s zoos. Both Taronga Zoo and Sydney Wildlife World are home to some amazing animals, birds (including 6,000 native animals at Sydney Wildlife World).

Interesting Facts about Sydney

• Sydney has over 100 beaches – from a few feet to many kilometres long
• 15,500 light bulbs are changed annually at the Sydney Opera House
• You can find the deepest natural harbour, containing almost 504,000 megalitres of water.
• The Sydney Harbour Bridge is the widest long-span bridge and tallest steel arch in the world.

Location of Sydney: where the Sydney Siders Stroll

Australia is a vast country (well, continent to be exact). If you trail your finger along the east coast, though, you’ll easily arrive at the dazzling city of Sydney. The metropolis surrounds Port Jackson and stretches all the way to the Blue Mountains in the west. In the north, Sydney extends itself till Hawkesbury and in the South, it greets the Royal National Park. Finally, in the south-west, Sydney shares its borders with the region of Macarthur. Locals who live in Sydney are called Sydneysiders.

Click here to view Sydney on Google Map

Timings: Best time to Visit Sydney

It might surprise you, but Summer in Sydney arrives a little early, starting in December and then spreading to February. Comfortable temperatures, warm sunshine bathing your skin, manageable crowds – this is the ideal time to explore Sydney. Make sure you drink lots of water, dress in light comfortable clothes and carry your sunblock – the weather is enjoyable, but you need to be cautious if you aren’t used to the heat. So choose the best time to visit Sydney wisely

How to get to Sydney

By Air - The busiest airport in the country had to be in one of its busiest cities. Sydney’s Kingsford Smith International Airport is well connected to all the major cities in the world and to other domestic cities in the country. Air India offers flights from Delhi to Sydney. However, you can also choose from Emirates, Singapore Airlines, AirAsia, British Airways and other carriers to fly to Sydney from India. You can also check out more ways on How to Reach Sydney

History of Sydney: Convict, Colony, City

The first people to set foot on Sydney’s soil were indigenous Australians who had migrated from northern Australia and from Southeast Asia before that. From radiocarbon dating results, it was established that Sydney saw its first settlers almost 30,735 years ago. However, aboriginal tools found in the area suggests that Western Sydney was home to indigenous people almost 45,000 years ago. In 1770, Lieutenant James Cook landed at Botany Bay, marking the first meeting between the British and the native people of Australia.

Over time, the British empire began to send convicts to Australian shores. When the first fleet of ships, bearing convicts arrived, they found the land inhospitable and so travelled further up the Australian coast to Sydney cove, where they fixed on a new location for a colony. Although the British originally wanted to call Sydney Albion, they changed it to Sydney.

In the years following, Sydney was the site of many battles between the British and the native people of Australia. In 1901, Sydney (under the rule of Queen Victoria) became the state capital of New South Wales. Unemployment, the Great Depression and the Second World War left Sydney strained and struggling, however, post-war Sydney experienced a boom in population, cultural diversification and development, leading the way for the great city we know today.

These are just slices of Sydney tourism – to experience the real deal, visit our Sydney packagespage, to choose a sun-soaked Sydney holiday organised by Thomas Cook.