I wanted to go to Australia since I was probably 10 years old. I gave this trip to myself for my 30th birthday, but after some extensive research and planning. Even though I had a tight budget and timeframe and I wanted to squeeze the most into it. Now I’m going to share 15 + 2 things which you should do or see when you’re in Sydney. And if you don’t like to read, watch my Travel Guide video:
Where to go in Australia?
The country is the 6th largest in the world so if you want to discover it, you’ll need a few months of holiday and also a car! As I said, I planned the trip for several months, trying to fit as many adventures and programs into the 20 days as I could.
Australia is divided into 3 major areas and its associated islands by 3 time zones. There are countless things to do, but what are worth seeing?
Although Camberra is the capital of the country, most tourists do not arrive here, but to New South Wales and the country’s largest city, Sydney, just like James Cook did.
Melbourne was selected as the most livable city in the world for 4 the years, and it is located in Victoria, which got its name after Queen Victoria. If you can, rent a car and drive along the Great Ocean Road!
Also named after the English queens, Queensland is perhaps the most visited destination in the country because of the Great Barrier Reef, Daintree Rainforest, the Gold Coast, the Whitsunday Islands and Brisbane.
The Nothern Territory is almost uninhabited. Its most famous attraction is the giant rock called Urulu, located almost in the middle of the continent.
As we travel west from the well-known destinations, we will see less and less tourists. South Australia mostly famous for its wine region, and only the real adventerours go to Wester Australia which occupies one third of the country and Tasmania, which also belongs to Australia.
I ended up choosing 3 main destinations which are completely different from each other: the vibrant city of Sydney, the Great Barrier Reef and the rainforest, and I spent one night camping in the middle of nowhere near Urulu.
15 things to do in Sydney
I think Sydney is a very European city with lots of attractions and activities. I’ve just collected 15 plus two that I think worth visiting! If you don’t have much time in the city, you can explore the main attractions in just 2 days.
1. The Sydney Opera House
The most famous Australian building hands down is the Sydney Opera House, which was built in difficult circumstances and became the symbol of the city and also the country. The roof structure, reminiscent of a sail or shell, is covered with more than 1 million white tiles, which is why it sparkles in sunlight. Join to a 1 hour organized tour and look around inside too!
2. Royal Botanic Gardens and Mrs Macquarie chair
However, if you want to take this iconic picture, head to the Royal Botanic Gardens next to the theater, where you will find the Mrs Macquarie chair. From here you will have a magnificent view of the city known from postcards, and you will see the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge behind it.
3. The Rocks
On the other side of the Opera House you will find The Rocks, which still retains the atmosphere of the colonial period to this day, as this is the historic district where the settlers arrived that year. The buildings built in the 1700s and 1800s are full of restaurants, making it the perfect place to have lunch or dinner.
4. Harbor Bridge
The famous Harbor Bridge is just a couple of steps from here, and for about $ 200 you can also climb on it. I wanted to spend my money on more exciting things so I skipped this. But if you want to see the city from above consider visiting the Sydney Tower Eye!
Anyway, it’s worth walking across the bridge, as you can see the iconic Opera House from another angle. If you need a little adrenaline, you can find the Luna Park at the other foot of the bridge, in the Kirribillli district.
5. Maccallum Seawater Pool
And if you’re already here, I hope you have your swimsuit with you! Within a 40-minute walk from here you will find a tiny 33-meter seawater pool which offers breathtaking views of the harbor.
6. Hop on a ferry
The public transport within the city is very good. With a prepaid pass like this, you can also use the metro and buses, but you will find the most amazing view of the bays and the city from the ferries. Because Sydney is divided into two parts by a large bay, water transportation is part of the everyday Sydney life. In many cases, you will reach our destination much more faster on ferries than on land.
7. Taronga Zoo
Taronga Zoo is Australia’s largest and I think most special zoo, as the animals that live here can enjoy the magnificent views of Sydney Bay every single day. In addition to elephants, giraffes and tigers, you can also see native Australian animals like the kangaroo, the Tasmanian devil, or the Platypus. But I am sorry to say, but don’t expect to be able to hold a koala in your hands. Unfortunately, that is not possible in New South Wales. But watch my other video, I’ll tell you how I did it!
8. Bondi Beach
You can’t talk about Sydney without mentioning the iconic Bondi Beach. The beach is usually packed with locals and tourists but when I went there, there was no crowd. Check out the gallery of pictures painted on the wall of the boardwalk and take some photos!
9. Iceberg
There are a number of seafront pools along Sydney’s coastline. One of the most famous is Iceberg, located at one end of Bondi Beach. For about $ 9, you can splash in it too!
10. Bondi Beach to Coggee Beach walk
If you are relaxed enough, stroll through the cliffs from Bondi Beach to Coggee Beach, and enjoy the breathtaking view during the 6 km walk.
11. Manly Beach
Another famous beach in Sydney is the Manly Beach, which is a surfers paradise. That’s not a surprice because the world’s first surfing championship was held on this beach in 1964.
12. Learn to surf
If you’re in Australia, you should also give it a try! I recommend you to book your surfing lessons in advance online! I tried to learn with help of the Mojo Surf team… with minimal success.
13. The Chinese Garden of Friendship
Located in Sydney’s business district, Darling Harbor is home to a number of museums.
Among the huge skyscrapers hides the Chinese Garden of Friendship. The tiny park in the Chinatown was donated by China to Sydney in 1988 and was designed by the gardens of the Ming Dynasty.
14. Sea Life Sydney Aquarium
If you can’t go to the great barrier reef you must visit the Sea life sydney aquarium, which is in a few minutes from here! You can take a closer look at sharks, octopuses, and hundreds of different fish species, but you can even meet with penguins!
15. WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo
The last of the 15 attractions is the WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo next to the aquarium, which I recommend only if you couldn’t go to the Taronga Zoo.
+1 Featherdale Wildlife Park
If you have a few more days, you can also look around Sydney. I went on a day trip to the Featherdale Wildlife Park where I could finally see wombats and quokas as well.
+2 Blue Mountains
And then we went hiking in the Blue Mountains. The name of this World Heritage Site comes from the fact that due to the oils evaporating from the eucalyptus leaves, the mountain sometimes covered in blue haze.
Useful tips before you travel
Did I pique your interest? Before you travel, there are two important things that you should know.
Since Australia is in the southern hemisphere, the seasons are different there: the summer is between November and April, and due to its size, the weather also depends on where you want to go.
In Sydney, for example, the average temperature in January, in summer is 22 ° C, and in July, in winter around 12 ° C. Not to mention the northern part of the country is covered in rainforest and has a tropical climate. I was there in autumn, late April / early May, which turned out to be just right.
You will need a visa, whether you just want to go on vacation, study or work. The easiest way is to visit the Australian Immigration Office’s website, fill in a short survey and find out exactly what kind of visa you need.
I traveled for 3 weeks, so I got my eVisitor visa in just one day and it was free.
Now you are ready to explore the other half of the world, like Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus!
