5 Immersive Ways to Experience Sydney’s Best Sights

Introduction

Whether you’re flying into Sydney for the first time, returning home from overseas or popping back from a quick domestic trip, the view when circling into Sydney will take your breath away. Every time. So try to get a window seat!

1. Sip, Snack and See the City

Dine at Infinity at Sydney Tower aka Centrepoint. Out to the far east are the city beaches from Bondi to Maroubra (where I went for a stroll down the beach with Chris Cody in episode 1 of Sense in the City)

At 86 km to the west is the Blue Mountains (that artist Esmeralda Raven Aponte mentions in Episode 2 and where perfumer Jocelyn Fullerton from Episode 3 grew up).

For coffee or brunch, there’s always the café at the top of the art deco Museum of Contemporary Art with views of Circular Quay and the Opera House. 

Another perfect place for a drink with a view is Blu Bar on 36 on the 36th floor of the Shangri-La in the Rocks.

2. Climb, or walk across, The Harbour Bridge

If you really want to gaze at the harbour from above and feel like you’ve earned the privilege, you can scale the Harbour Bridge.

3. Coastal walk from Coogee to Bondi, then lunch at Bondi Icebergs

Book a balcony table for lunch at Bondi Icebergs, a famous establishment perched on the south end of the beach. 

4. Take in the harbour on a ferry to Manly then stroll to Shelly Beach.

The Sydney to Manly ferry takes half an hour from Circular Quay and it’s a simple and stunning way to take in the harbour. You’ll soon pass the Opera House that Christa Hughes talks about in Episode 4

5. Walk from Circular Quay to the Art Gallery to East Sydney

Stroll around Circular Quay, past the Opera House. This is another one of my favourite Sydey walks.
The Opera House is of course Australia’s most famous building, and built on a sacred gathering point, ‘Tubowgule’ (meaning where the knowledge waters meet), that the Gadigal clan had used for thousands of years.

Continue through the magnificent Royal Botanical Gardens, covering 30 ha. of over 26,000 plants, including gardens dedicated to Roses, palms, ferns, herbs and succulents. 

Then continue to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, an elegant neoclassical structure in The Domain. 

Afterwards walk down to Woolloomooloo for a fancy meal on the pier, a cheap and cheerful pub meal or a famous meat pie from Harry’s Café de Wheels cart … or I quite like to meander back up through a slightly more gritty, local East Sydney for a hearty pasta at the classic Bill and Tony’s Italian restaurant with its dark brick doorways, red and white table cloths and classic Italian film posters on the wall. Cheap, cheerful and tasty!

These are just five ways to enjoy the sights of Sydney while getting amongst it. See you soon…