Oceania

Exploring Sydney’s Opera House In Australia

September 3, 2016 by admin 2 Comments

Sydney Opera House! A building that really needs no introductions, huh? But, for those not in the know, Sydney Opera House is a performing arts center in Australia’s Sydney on Bennelong Point of Sydney Harbour. Situated close to the business district and the famous Harbour Bridge. Inspired by bird wings, the shape and form of clouds, shells and palm trees, say its Danish architect Jorn Utzon. The roof is made out of fungus ceramic tiles and concrete.

Looking at these pictures you would not believe that the city had rained for 3 days in a roll! Yep, that total messed up all the plans I had to shoot the sunset over the bridge or my planned rides to Manly. I suppose I can’t complain too much as I still managed to venture out and explore the city parks, the famous Bondi Beach, and its sea water pools along the coast and beautiful harbours or the famous Kings Cross a notorious red light and entertainment district of Sydney.

Back into Farm Cove, you can admire the view of Sydney’s Opera House from many unique viewing points that include Mrs Macquaries Chair, from the Botanical Garden which I will be sharing more pictures on shortly after this post.

Booking a tour in Sydney’s Opera House

The offer several types of tours allowing you to step inside this iconic landmark and hear the history behind its making. From backstage tours to tours with food included, tours geared at kids, to ones tailored to different languages like German, Korean, Mandarin, Japanese, French and Spanish, as well as English of course. Ticket prices for adults range from $37 AUS to $90 AUS for tickets that include food.

Book an event and show in Sydney’s Opera House

Type of shows ranges from dance, opera, talks, circus, magic and comedy performances. Ticket prices for shows within Sydney’s Opera House also range from discounted tickets for students to adult prices. These range from around $30 and go up into the 100s for certain shows. Certainly not as expensive as I had imagined.

How to Get to Sydney’s Opera House

Getting there is fairly easy and you can certainly walk from CBD. The walk from Pitt Street where my apartment in Sydney’s CBD was located was only about 30 minutes. There are plenty of taxis and tour buses that stop right by the harbour so finding it is pretty easy.

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Exploring Sydney's Opera House In Australia

Top 10 Things To Do In Sydney Australia – Places To Visit & Where To Stay

September 2, 2016 by admin 4 Comments

Sydney is one of those cities that has been on my list now for a long time and I had put it off for so long until my friend announced that she was moving back to London. Suddenly the pressure was on to visit Australia before she left but the thing is, she was based in Melbourne.

No problem at all, solo travel is nothing new to me so I embarked on travelling to Sydney on my own before flying out to Melbourne and check out her city a couple of weeks before she moved to London. If solo travel is something that scares then hopefully my recent post with tips for first-time solo travellers will help ease the anxiety of getting out there on your own.

Sydney is one city that you can happily explore by yourself but if you have company to experience it with then even better! Below are my top 10 places to see, visit and maybe do, while visiting Australia’s famous city. Enjoy! Don’t forget to share the post.

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Top 10 Things To Do In Sydney Australia

1. Visit the Sydney Opera House

Sydney’s, if not Australia’s most recognised building. You can take a leisurely walk around the harbour, leading to a roll of restaurants and cafes before arriving at the Opera House.

The whole area is usually buzzing with people, ferries cruising by transporting tourists and citizens from the circular quay. Standing on the steps of the Opera House offers amazing views into the city.

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2. Climb Harbour Bridge or Pylon

Climbing Harbour Bridge offers and the amazing experience but comes at a cost of close to $300! You can actually get a similar experience for slightly cheap by taking to the Pylons. Pay $13 and climb up 200 stairs to get amazing views. View are not bad for the small price and a little sweat.

3. Explore Sydney Botanical Gardens

Take a leisurely walk through the Royal Botanical Gardens which is home to beautiful plant life as well as historical buildings within the Gardens.

You can also take the Choo-choo train which is a guided tour with commentary on some of the native plants and those that were introduced to the country. I will be sharing more pictures of the Botanical Gardens in a separate post as there are so many spots with beautiful views so that just has to be a separate post.

4. Visit Mrs Macquarie’s Chair

From the Botanical Gardens continue walking through and follow directions to Mrs Macquaries Chair. Mrs Macquarie’s was the wife of the New South

Wales governor, she was apparently known for sitting on a rock and watching the ships from Great Britain sail into the harbour. Mrs Macquarie’s Chari is an exposed sandstone rock cut into the shape of a bench. From here you have amazing views of the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.

5. Explore Sydney CBD and Viewing Towers

Some of Sydney’s best shopping malls can be found in Central Business District. Easy to find and explore as its runs in a grid system.

This is where my apartment was located, on Pitt Street. Pitt Street and George Street dominate CBD as they are always bustling with shoppers and city professionals. Nearby you also have Hyde park and the Skywalk at the top of Sydney Tower Eye for views of the city.

6. Take A Ferry Around The Harbour

Check out Darling Harbour which is beautiful both by day and by night. Here you will find Madame Tussauds, Cinemas, Sydney’s Zoo and SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium.

From Darling Harbour and Circular Quay, which is the city’s main transport hub. It’s the only place where ferries, trains and buses intersect, you can also catch the ferry to check out Sydney’s stunning bays and coves like Manly Cove, Watson Bay, Double Bay, Rose Bay and more!

Guide to things to do in Sydney, from markets, best viewpoints, day trips from Sydney and places to eat as well as best beaches like Bondi which is an absolute must see. #australia #sydney #adventure #harbour #bondi

7. Try Sydney’s Gastronomy

You have to drop by on George and Argyle street in The Rocks for vibrant cafes and some of the city’s oldest pubs.

Head to Kings Cross for the hip scene and Wooloomooloo for the waterfront bars and restaurants, while in the area also check out Darlinghurst which is said to be a culinary hot spot. Another spot for food is Bondi’s beachfront strip which has everything from takeaways to fine dining.

Sydney

8. Check Out Sydney’s Retail Therapy

Check out Queen Victoria Building which is filled with boutiques, cafes and restaurants. It’s a stunning building with a domed roof and Instagram-able floors #Ihavethisthingwithfloors.

If you still have more cash to burn then check out Westfield Shopping Centre on Pitt Street. It comes with levels upon levels of designer stores and tasty eateries.

9. Sample The Night Life

Australians seem to love a good party evening much like the next country. Most of the hotels have cool and trendy bars, like Hilton’s Marble Bar. If you are in the mood to shake a leg then head to Kings Cross which is well known its nightclubs and notorious for strip clubs.

Places to check out; Mrs Sippy, known for its hangouts for Sydney’s cool crowds or the Opera Bar for live jazz on the harbour. In the morning you can head back to Kings Cross and Woolloomooloo to cure your hangover at the Sunday Markets or Harry’s Cafe de Wheels as well as checking out galleries and museums in the area such as the Jewish Museum and Elizabeth Bay House.

Sydney

10. Explore Bondi Beach And surrounding Bays

Some of the city bus tours will drop you off right on the beach. When you get here you can easily walk the stretch of the coastal line exploring the iconic beach and surrounding suburbs.

Right along the beaches, you will also notice how a lot of them actually have sea water pools much like Bondi Icebergs. If you have always wanted to surf there is also a surf school near the beach.

Where to Stay In Sydney

Sydney can be expensive but I found it accommodating in terms of what was available for varying budgets. There are luxury hotels in Sydney to affordable and even budget hostels. With some located fairly central in the city. I opted to stay in a service apartment which I shared here.

I booked it via booking.com which also has a range of for all budgets. For apartments rentals in Sydney click here, you also have hostels in Sydney some of which I spotted near central Sydney. For a list of hostels in Sydney click here. For more hotels, homestays and other accommodation options in Sydney click here to read reviews and compare prices.

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Is Sydney on your wanderlust list?…

Sydney Apartments That will Bring Out The Naomi Campbell Out of You!

August 20, 2016 by admin 10 Comments

Lately, when I travel I prefer a little bit of “home from home comfort” so I tend to opt for apartments when traveling for leisure these days. Sure you might want everything taken care of by the hotel and that’s great when I am staying in hotels while on a work project. For my trip to Australia this March, I wanted to be right in the city but still feel comfortable in the space I was staying and much less foot traffic compared to a hotel. I definitely found in Meriton Apartments. They have some of the tallest residential properties in Sydney.

They have many apartment buildings in Sydney and some with penthouse. I chose to stay at Meriton Serviced Apartments in Pitt Street. Right in the heart of Sydney’s CBD. Westfield Shopping Centre is just a street or 2 streets away. It is perfectly located in that you also have the world famous Queen Victoria Building with designer boutique stores, cafes and restaurants just a few steps away. Just as well, as being close to many a restaurant meant I had enough time to evoke the Naomi Campbell alter ego before venturing off to dinner with travel friends I met in the city.

I also love the fact that it was in walking distance to Sydney’s Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Darlington Harbour and Hyde Park. The apartment was a one bed-room apartment with plenty of room and views around the city. I was fairly unlucky that while I was in the city it poured down like the heavens had opened! I simply stocked up on grab and took to watching the city from my balcony until the weather came back to its senses, then again my visit in Sydney was right at the end of their Summer. The left is fully kitted out with all the essentials so I stocked up and cooked my own food when I wanted and just chilled out as if I was at home.

When the weather brightened up I was off exploring Bondi Beach and surrounding coastline and the rest of the city so look out for pictures from my solo explorations of Sydney. For tips on solo travel, I recently posted about travel tips for first time solo travellers, not to mention that I rented the apartments on my own, the area was central and I felt perfectly safe walking around here. Another plus was that the city tour bus stopped a few meters from the apartment entrance.

If apartment rentals are not your style but still want to stay fairly central, there are plenty of hotels in Sydney from luxury hotels to budget style accommodation in the city. You can also check out my top 10 things to do in Sydney.

Bag: Celine | Shoes: Miss Selfridges | Jumpsuit: Boohoo | Earrings: H&M

Bondi Coogee Walk | Exploring Sydney’s Bondi Beach and Beyond

June 1, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

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I have shared a couple of posts from my trip exploring Sydney. From places to stay in Sydney to exploring Sydney’s Opera House to tips on the top 10 places to visit in Sydney. With much exploring planned for Sydney, one cannot miss out on experiencing Sydney beaches. Beautiful clear blue waters that run for miles and miles. So, of course, I wanted going to miss out on visiting Sydney’s most visited beach and Australia’s world-famous beach; Bondi Beach!

You cannot visit Sydney and not make it to Bondi Beach, one of the most beautiful of Sydney Beaches, and there are many. Waves upon waves of the Pacific Ocean come gushing in and its mesmerising just standing there listening to the waves crash in foaming swells. Surfers breaking waves like child’s play.

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Wearing Asos Dress / Converse / Dior Glasses

People from all over the world are drawn to Sydney beaches and who can blame them for not being able to resist. The whole coastline is just stunning and if the waves or winds are all too powerful for you, you can drop by the famous Bondi Baths that have become a landmark of Bondi Beach for many years. What I also learned while exploring the city is that Sydney has many saltwater baths or pools by the ocean which makes swimming in the ocean a lot safer. They are all dotted around the coastline and not as busy as the popular as Bondi Beach Iceberg Baths but bear in mind that not all will have life guides around like Bondi Beach Iceberg Baths.

Bondi Beach is usually crowded but as I was visiting at the end of the season, it wasn’t so busy, but with just enough sunshine to make it look inviting but shortly after we were all ducking for Bondi Pavilion cafes and gelato shops to escape the rain and a good socking on Bondi Beach. Come rain or shine tens of thousands of people walk this stretch of the beach to take in the views offered by Syndey Beaches, walk the coastal route, jog or sunbath on the golden shores.

Bondi Beach is not famous for no reason, it’s absolutely beautiful and not only that, I love that the city center is not too far. You could be sunbathing one minute on Sydney beaches and burning plastic with a little retail therapy within minutes.

Bondi Coogee Walk

While exploring the area don’t pass on checking out other beautiful beaches nearby like Tamara, Bronte, and Coogee which can all be easily accessed via the coast walk along Bondi. Don’t be fooled into thinking Bondi Beach is the one and only of Sydney beaches worth checking out. Do the Bondi Coogee Walk and you will be delighted and just how beautiful the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk.

Getting To Bondi Beach From Sydney

Getting Around: Bondi Beach is only about 30 minutes drive from Sydney CBD. Tour buses actually stop by the beach so if you are doing the city tour in Sydney you can actually get one of the buses from CBD and get on and off by the beach. You can also use Uber or any of the tax services to get to the beach. Will be sharing more pictures from explorations of Sydney CBD soon.