Sydney, Australia – a checklist for day & night

I have been writing about Silicon Valley but haven’t about Sydney. My hometown. For those that might want to visit this beautiful city, below is a list outlining my suggestions where to go day or night.

Sydney is a small city so you can walk around to most locations but to those that are further a Blue Bus or the Train (CityRail) will take you there.

Day time

• Darling Harbor – recreational and pedestrian precinct that is situated on western outskirts of the Sydney central business district. It’s a short walk from Wynard train station. It’s basically a bunch of restaurants and bars on the water. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darling_Harbour,_New_South_Wales
• Sydney Casino – Star City – is located there too. – http://www.starcity.com.au/
• You will also find Sydney Aquarium there – http://sydneyaquarium.myfun.com.au/
• The Rocks – tourist precinct and historic area of Sydney. Plenty of shops and places to eat. Located at Circular Key. http://www.therocks.com/
• You can enter the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge from The Rocks. It’s a nice walk to the North Side and back.
• Make sure you drop by Big Bite (think Ike’s Place in SF). This place always runs out of food during lunch. The best sandwiches in Sydney. http://www.timeoutsydney.com.au/venue/restaurant/cafe/big-bite.aspx
• Sydney Tower is around the corner from Big Bite so check that out too. http://sydneytower.myfun.com.au/
• Go to Sydney Opera House and keep on walking into the Royal Botanic Gardens. Opera House is at Circular Key not far from Sydney Café.
• Catch a Ferry to Fort Denison. Fort Denison is a former penal site and defensive facility occupying a small island located north of the Royal Botanical Gardens. It’s in the middle of the harbor. You also get to spend some time on Sydney’s famous harbor and enjoy the views. You will need to catch a Matilda boat there, see here: http://www.matilda.com.au/dir076/matilda.nsf/Pages/Ferry+Services~Fort+Denison
• All the major shops are located on “George Street”. The main street that runs through Sydney. You cannot miss it. However shopping is better & cheaper in America J
• Kings Cross isn’t a clean place. There are some nice clubs there but it’s mainly polluted with adult shops & low quality bars.
• Oxford Street is another popular place for food & bars but at night turns into chaos. Upper part of Oxford Street is a suburb called Paddington which is full of designer shops.
• Get a Harry’s Pie at Harry’s Café de Wheels. It’s famous for the pies. Australian’s love pies. Located at Woolloomoloo. Best place to go after a big night out. It’s open throughout the night and always packed with people lining up outside. Same setup like Pink’s Hotdog in LA (USA). http://www.harryscafedewheels.com.au/
• Visit The Gap at Watsons Bay. The Gap is an ocean cliff, in eastern Sydney. About 15min out of the city (downtown). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gap,_New_South_Wales
• While there, have lunch at Doyles on the Wharf Restaurant. It’s the best place for seafood in Sydney. http://www.doyles.com.au/

Night time

• Sydney Café for dinner. It’s located at Circular Key where the Ferries are. http://cafesydney.com/
• If Sydney Café is booked out (usually is so book in advance) then go to Aria near the Opera House. However it’s a lot more expensive. http://www.ariarestaurant.com/default.asp?action=article&ID=21609
• Star City’s Astral Bar for drinks under the stars and on top of the city. They have a variety of drinks including sparkling drinks. It’s at Darling Harbour. And after it you can head down to the Sydney Casino “Star City”. http://www.starcity.com.au/Bars__Top_Level-Astral_Bars.cms?ident=PO68DRNHYHCUU6BM4DA0KCVQDGMYRC
• A must visit to Hurricanes Grill for dinner – http://www.hurricanesgrill.com.au/
• It’s known for best “ribs” in Sydney. Do not get stake there. If you want stake go to Manly’s Ribs & Rums.
• You want to go to the original place on Bondi Beach. This way you also get to see Sydney’s BEST beach. It’s about 15 minutes into East of city. Alternatively go to Darling Harbour where the 2nd chain is located. It’s right next to the Sydney Casino.
• Ribs and Rumps – Australia’s iconic steakhouses at Manly Beach. It’s about 20 minutes out of the city on the North side (over the bridge) – http://www.ribsandrumps.com.au/
• Establishment Bar for drinks & music. Very elegant & upmarket place. Located on George Street not far from Circular Key. http://www.merivale.com/#/establishment/mainbar
• Tank Nightclub, right behind the bar is where some great music is played in a funky setup. http://www.merivale.com/establishment/tank
• At Darling Harbour you should check out the following bars / clubs. Each have beautiful views of the harbor.
  • Home bar / nightclub. http://www.homesydney.com/
  • Cargo bar. http://www.cargobar.com.au/
  • The Loft – always hard to get in, they are very picky. http://www.theloftsydney.com/

If you have time visit the Blue Mountains and Jenolan Caves – both are next to each other and around 2 hours car drive from city (downtown). Expect to spend a full day there. http://www.bluemts.com.au/ and http://www.jenolancaves.org.au/

Enjoy the trip!

Ernest

Author: Ernest W. Semerda

Aussie in Silicon Valley. Veryfi CoFounder (#YC W17 cohort). GSDfaster Founder. View all posts by Ernest W. Semerda