Hidden Secrets: Sydney City

By Rachel Carpenter

Its your first time is the iconic Sydney city, you have a hire car, a GPS and spare time. What to do….read below

By now you have visited the Sydney Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and have tried not to end up on TV’s “Bondi Rescue” while having a swim at the famous Bondi Beach. There is so much more to Sydney than the landmarks and here is a quick guide to get you there.

Things to See

Fish and Chips
As the sun sets over the city head out to the Northern Beaches and grab a dinner wrapped in paper and head for the beach. Manly has an abundance of shore line to enjoy and many takeaway shops along the Corso to prepare your meal. Just don’t feed the seagulls.

Spooky
So you’ve sat in the beach and had dinner now what well grab your hire car and head round to North Head in Manly. This area was used Military Station and Quarantine Station and the feeling of history is everywhere. Take part in one of the ghost tours they run at night and enjoy the spooky.

Places to go

The Rocks
Great weekend markets, restaurants and theatres makes The Rocks a great escape. Located in the city it wont take you long to work out why its called The Rocks.

Palm Beach
Head north to Palm Beach and explore the real Summer Bay. Palm Beach has been used by the producers of Home & Away as the external set for the fictional town since it began back in 1987. Palm Beach is 40km from the CBD and can still offer you the feel of a small seaside resort town. It’s the perfect escape from the big city.

Short Trips

The Hunter
One of Australia’s famous wine districts lies just North of Sydney. The Hunter Valley is just two hours drive from the CBD and a world away. Take a tour of a winery in a horse drawn carriage, take an exhilarating balloon ride as dawn breaks and enjoy the serenity. The Hunter Valley will sooth your weary soul and renew your spirit

The Highlands
Head to the New South Wales Southern Highlands for a taste of Scotland, good health and a legend.
Bundanoon made international headlines moving to ban bottles water in the town. This area has a strong connection to Scotland and is home to Solar Springs Health Retreat. Bowral is a short drive from Bundnoon and is a gorgeous town that was the home of Sir Donald Bradman.

Favourite Eats

Rockpool
George St
The Rocks
For over 20years Rockpool has been at the forefront of Sydney cuisine and introduced a new style of celebrity chef to Australia. Neil Perry’s vision has been shaped and lead by the top quality Australian produce. Neil has opened several restaurants around Australia but Rockpool has remained the flagship.

Longrain
Commonwealth St
Surrey Hills
Located in Sydney and Melbourne you can thank Longrain for all the time you now spend at the bar. Longrain is the home of the stick drink in Australia. That’s the cocktail that requires the bartender to “muddle” or bash fresh fruit and herbs with alcohol and ice.
The food at Longrain is Asian fusion and is a flavourful as the cocktails.