Top Sydney Attractions and Icons
After visiting Tasmania, we flew to Sydney for a couple of nights to see some of the Top Sydney Attractions. We arrived early afternoon and took a taxi to Hotel Stella on Wentworth Avenue: Close to Hyde Park, the underground at Museum Station and several shopping areas, all within walking distance. Sydney was our last destination on our September and October 2013 Australian tour.
In 2017, we stayed at ibis Sydney Airport hotel as we had an early flight to Darwin the next day. So, we had the afternoon and evening free to visit Sydney. It was a short walk to Mascot underground station for a train to Circular Quay, the heart of Sydney.
Sydney
Sydney Harbour
Sydney Harbour Bridge, Opera House and Opera Bar at Sydney in New South Wales, Australia.
Arrival in Sydney
After checking into the Hotel Stella, we went out to shop and eat. First, we headed for Chinatown on Dixons Street, about a ten-minute walk. Then we crossed Hay Street to check the shops and restaurants in Market City. After shopping and eating, we finished the day at Hotel Stella Bar for a nightcap.
Sydney Attractions
After checking into the Hotel Stella, we went out to shop and eat. First, we headed for Chinatown on Dixons Street, about a ten-minute walk. Then we crossed Hay Street to check the shops and restaurants in Market City. After shopping and eating, we finished the day at Hotel Stella Bar for a nightcap.
We only had one full day for Sydney’s attractions, so we started early, stopping for breakfast at The Hyde Hotel. Then to the underground from Museum to Circular Quay using a My-Multi Day Pass valid on trains, busses and ferries. At Circular Quay, we photographed the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge, then to the Opera House for photos before the crowds. Furthermore, the Sydney Opera House is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Mid-morning, we caught the Manly Ferry for a thirty-minute trip across the harbour to the north shore. Great photo opportunities of the Opera House, Bridge, Harbour and surfers at Manley Beach. Then, back to Circular Quay for lunch at the Opera Bar. I could not resist a bottle of James Squire, Australia’s first brewer.
After lunch, we entered the Royal Botanic Gardens from the Opera House forecourt at the Queen Elizabeth Gate. Then, we wandered around the gardens looking for wildlife and nature scenes to photograph; see the gallery below.
Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney
Jacaranda mimosifolia
An ornamental Jacaranda mimosifolia at Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. An introduced ornamental species native to north-western Argentina and southern Bolivia. They also feature around many of Sydney’s harbourside suburbs.
The Moreton Bay Fig (Ficus macrophylla) is an endemic species from Central Queensland and southern New South Wales.
Also displayed are four Australian resident birds and two endemics: a noisy miner and a pied currawong. I photographed both the noisy miner and magpie-lark photos during a brief visit to the gardens in 2017. Furthermore, the pied currawong was feeding on a dead grey-headed flying fox. I assume the flying fox was carrion left by a predator or died of natural causes. Moreover, in 2012 the government approved the removal of Botanic Gardens’ flying-fox colony to conserve the plant collections (Ref 1). I guess they still visit from other locations around Sydney.
We finished our walking tour at Mrs Macquarie’s Point, with great Harbour Bridge and Opera House views. Then to Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool bus stop taking us to York Street. It was a fifteen-minute walk to our hotel via Hyde Park. In the evening we went to World Square Shopping Centre, again we finished at Hotel Stella Bar for a nightcap.
Final Day in Sydney and Australia
Our final day in Australia: An early breakfast, then we spent a couple of hours in Hyde Park. Home to the Anzac Memorial, fronted by the Pool of Reflection, an iconic national tribute to the military.
After a late checkout from our hotel, we grabbed a taxi to the airport for our afternoon flight back to the UK.
That completes our 2013 Tour of Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Sydney
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References and Bibliography - Online Resources
1. Flying foxes – Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. [Online] Available from https://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/ [Accessed 21-Apr-22].
2. 18 Top-Rated Attractions & Things to Do in Sydney. [Online] Available from https://www.planetware.com/ [Accessed 21-Apr-22].