Hi all, I am heading to Australia for two weeks in March with my boyfriend. We have absolutely nothing planned so any recommendations would be very welcome! Day trips, restaurants, tips, etc
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I went to Australia a few years ago and loved Manly Beach to the north of the city. You can walk along its coastal path and the area has some of the best seafood restaurants and fish and chip shops.
We also went to the Blue Mountains National Park which is beautiful and has the most incredible views. You can get a train from the central station (about 90 mins) then take the shuttle bus to the start of the hike which goes along the mountains and past waterfalls.
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Hi, really depends where you are basing yourself? Sydney is a great city and Manley is just beautiful. Melbourne has an amazing food scene and the wineries outside are fab or go up to coast and Noosa is a laid back beach town.
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If you decide to head up the coast as Rebekah has suggested - I have plenty of recommendations for the Gold Coast (Burleigh Heads), Brisbane (it’s definitely worth a visit but it’s my home town so I’m a little biased!) and Sunshine Coast (Noosa, Sunshine Coast Hinterland e.g. Maleny/Montville)
Hi! I have been to Sydney on my honeymoon, For accommodation we had stayed at the Holiday Inn which is very central. A night at the Sydney Opera House is a must. You can visit Bondi Beach. We had gone to the Blue Mountains and stayed at Fairmont Resort. From there you can visit the Jenolan Caves, Mount Tomah and Everglades Garden. Hope this helps! Enjoy your holiday!
I’m from Sydney and happy to give some recommendations! I went back for the first time in 3 years end of last year (since covid!) and treated my mum and I to a nights stay at Taronga Zoo’s hotel.
We had a koala right outside our window with views of the Sydney Harbour bridge and Opera House peeping behind! The hotel is stunning, super chic! Food was incredible and we got access to the zoo througout our whole stay + a private tour of the hotel’s enclosure which had wallabies, echindas, bush turkeys and all sorts. It was really special.
They opened in 2020 (bad timing) and still flying under the radar / rates are very reasonable too!
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I live in Melbourne so if you’re planning on visiting here, happy to give recommendations!
Hello,
I lived in Sydney for a year and have a couple of places that I recommend!
To visit:
Chinese Garden of Friendship (surreal experience of enjoying a traditional Chinese Garden surrounded by modern skyscrapers)
Darling Harbour (great to stroll around with lots of lovely restaurants and cafes)
Botanical Gardens (free to wander around and you get some amazing views)
Sydney Opera House Tour (pricey but worth it)
Taronga Zoo (take the ferry across the bay and then cable car up)
Queen Victoria Building (pretty Victorian shopping arcade filled with gorgeous little shops and boutiques)
Blue Mountains (if you’re short on time you can visit as a day trip. Scenic World have ticket that gets you access to the hemisphere’s steepest cable car and the world’s steepest railway down to the rainforest floor to explore beneath the canopy)
For beaches, Bondi is obviously top of everyone’s list, but Brontë beach is just as good, and you can get there along a coast path walking from Bondi. Both have sea pools if you don’t fancy swimming in the open water
To eat:
Sydney is really foody (good coffee is practically a religion, you won’t find anything but a great breakfast/brunch, and the high Asian immigrant populations means there’s a fantastic array of Asian cuisine wherever you look), but below are a few highlights for specific things
Bourke Street bakery (the most amazing bread and viennoiserie to take out and enjoy on a picnic)
Mr Crackles (the best hog roast/pulled pork sandwiches/baguettes with all sorts of toppings to takeaway)
Gelato Messina (several of these throughout Sydney and I believe there’s also one in Melbourne. The best ice-cream outside of Italy - so many amazing flavours)
Lindt Cafe (delicious hot chocolate)
The Botanist (on Willoughby Street, modern cuisine, great for an special evening meal)
Mad Mex (Mexican, cheap eats. They also have a pizza branch, the name escapes me, that is also a bargain)
Have a great trip!
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I’m from Sydney (lived in London for 5 years, but these are my go-to’s or ‘on my list’)
Go to Icebergs at Bondi for a fancy pants lunch. North Bondi Fish is also good.
Watsons Bay Hotel for lunch - you can get a ferry there from Circular Quay which is a nice trip on harbour!
Balmoral Boathouse for coffee/brunch - any of the ‘Boathouses’ are good though. I like the one’s at Rose Bay and Shelley Beach (near Manly) good too.
You can get a ferry from Circular Quay to Manly too - Have lunch there, but I wouldn’t recommend staying in Manly as it is quite far from everything else!
Definitely do the Bondi to Bronte (or go as far down as Coogee) - stop along the way for coffee at Bronte or Tamarama
Get oakberry açai bowls at Bondi (My fave when I go home!)
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