For my darling – here is a little ripper guide to Sydeny, some Australian isms and other things of interest… There’ll be some bonzer tucker for your writings in here… It’s a bit like your critters guide, only this one is a bit more “librarian-ey”
START FIRST BY PRESSING PLAY ON THE SOUNDTRACK HERE…
Top slang
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27888329
Aussie Dictionary
http://www.koalanet.com.au/australian-slang.html
This is a little Random
With a little help from The Skimm!! A little cerebral, however this may appeal to your inner librarian…
http://m.theage.com.au/comment/the-fourth-r-missing-from-australian-education-20151025-gkhv8k.html
Sydney Culture…
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/04/13/travel/in-sydney-lively-culture-amid-natural-beauty.html?
Written by an Australian who lived in NYC so it’s perfect. The photographer Andrew Quilty is the son of dads old lawyer and mate Brian who passed away a few year back. The main photo is of the boat ramp at Bondi just below where my old house was and where I have spent a lot of time in the sun…
Sydney History
If you’re going to understand Australian history you have to start with the traditional custodians of the land… Then came the convicts…
http://www.aboriginalheritage.org/history/history/
http://www.creativespirits.info/australia/new-south-wales/sydney#toc0
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/02/travel/02sydney.html
http://www.atnf.csiro.au/people/Ray.Norris/SydneyRockArt/sites/Elvina/index.htm
Sydney Suburb Guide
https://www.airbnb.com/locations/sydney/neighborhoods
http://m.au.timeout.com/sydney/area-guide
Sydney Whats On Guides (Eat, Drink, See, Listen, Play!)
http://thethousands.com.au/sydney/
http://m.au.timeout.com/sydney/
http://www.urbanwalkabout.com
Stuff for my darling (she is a writer)
http://www.swf.org.au/
http://www.emergingwritersfestival.org.au/
http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/writers-festivals
http://www.youngwritersfestival.org/
Some of my favorite places / things to do
http://icebergs.com.au
http://www.aquabumps.com/2013/04/03/d-a-m-p/
http://www.waverley.nsw.gov.au/recreation/beaches_and_coast/bondi_to_bronte_coastal_walk
http://www.batherspavilion.com.au
http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au
http://www.sydney.com/destinations/sydney/sydney-east/watsons-bay/attractions/camp-cove
Festivals
http://www.surryhillsfestival.org
http://www.vividsydney.com
http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au
Cake Guide (v important)
http://www.girltweetsworld.com/a-cake-lovers-guide-to-sydney/
Sydney Organic Food
http://www.organicfood.com.au/content_common/pc-sydneyorganicfood.seo
Walking! (In Sydney + Away)
http://concreteplayground.com/sydney/travel-leisure/leisure/the-ten-best-coastal-walks-in-sydney/
http://travel.cnn.com/sydney/visit/best-10-bushwalks-sydney-249035
http://www.greatwalkstasmania.com/destinations/bay-of-fires-lodge-walk
http://travelinsider.qantas.com.au/australia/tasmania/5-lesser-known-walks-around-tasmania/
http://www.larapintatrail.com.au
https://www.bibbulmuntrack.org.au
Snorkeling!!
http://www.au.timeout.com/sydney/sports/features/6735/
Metric Conversion
lol http://www.metric-conversions.org/
Places to write
http://concreteplayground.com/sydney/arts-entertainment/culture/the-ten-best-coffices-in-sydney/ – Missing MCA library cafe & Gardeners Lodge Cafe (indigenous)
http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/venues/members-lounge/ (I am a member here so we can go it’s a beautiful room to eat or work)
http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/ (considered one of the most beautiful libraries in the world)
http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/explore/libraries/branches/surry-hills-library (modern new gay lesbian)
http://www.woollahra.nsw.gov.au/library (waterfront and right above Blackburn gardens and redleaf pool – beautiful harbour pool)
http://www.waverley.nsw.gov.au/services/library/home
Weekends Away
Jervis Bay – http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/Jervis-Bay-National-Park
Canyoning in the Blue Mountains – http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/10/australia-canyons/jenkins-text
Kangaroo Valley – http://www.kangaroovalleytourist.asn.au
Mount Vic Flicks – http://www.mountvicflicks.com.au + http://www.hotelimperial.com.au
INNER CITY
Breakfast – Bills Darlinghurst http://www.bills.com.au/#darlinghurst – the original Bills. YUM!
Walk in the Botanical Gardens https://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/
Bridge Climb – book ahead – http://www.bridgeclimb.com/ – super touristy, we used to climb the bridge a lot as kids, mostly drunk. Now you can do it legally, recommended to be mostly sober.
Cafe Sydney – http://cafesydney.com/
SHOWS
Sydney Opera House – book ahead if you want to catch a show – http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/
Sydney Theatre Company – https://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/
Belvoir Street Theatre – http://belvoir.com.au/
The Stables (Griffin)- http://www.griffintheatre.com.au/
If you’re still going to be in Sydney after 7th Jan then http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/info/ explodes all over Sydney and is epic
RAINING? HOW ABOUT ART?
The Art Gallery of NSW. We do art. We do it well. Its really worth a visit – its world class http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/
We also have the Museum of Contemporary Art which is in The historic Rocks area (pretty touristy, but nice for a stroll) – http://www.mca.com.au
Forget the Australian Museum – its not worth it – hit the pub.
BALMORAL BEACH
Balmoral Boat Shed – http://www.theboathousebb.com.au/ – a fav in Sydney – the avocado toast is ridiculous – you can walk along the promenade here and swim in the harbour.
The Balmoral Bather Pavillion is also ah-maze-ing – http://batherspavilion.com.au/
BONDI (ISH) DAY OUT
Icebergs Dining Room Bondi Beach – http://idrb.com/ – you’ll need to book now if you want to get in – combine this with a morning Bondi to Bronte walk http://www.waverley.nsw.gov.au/recreation/beaches_and_coast/bondi_to_bronte_coastal_walk – after lunch you can stroll the promenade and if you still want drinks then you can cruise into The Bucket List – http://www.thebucketlistbondi.com/ – if you want to hit the beach then you can go to the smaller and more ‘refined’ Tamarama, which is often called Glamarama because the hottest Sydney girls seem to like to frequent this beach to escape the hoards of body builder types that strut and parade up and down Bondi Beach… Later you could go to Coogee Pavillion which has a really cool set up with an almost market style ground floor with many types of tapas and food – super busy http://merivale.com.au/coogeepavilion (BTW – Coogee Bay is owned by Merivale Group which is the doyen of the Sydney pub / restaurant scene – they have dozens of incredible restaurants and you can’t go wrong at any one of them so you might want to check out their site http://merivale.com.au/ hint: Uccello in the city (if you can get in))
WOOLLAHRA / PADDINGTON / DARLINGHURST
Woollahra is Sydney’s most wealthy suburb and there are so many amazing restaurants and pubs. Love eating at Chiswick http://www.chiswickrestaurant.com.au/ and my fave pub in Sydney is the http://www.lorddudley.com.au/ but its much more of a winter place. If you can get a spot on the front porch of http://vinoecucina.com.au is delightful for a cheaper lunch. I LOVE Cafe Sopra at Fratelli Fresh http://www.fratellifresh.com.au/potts-point/, but Fratelli Paradiso http://fratelliparadiso.com/ gets me over Sopra almost every time. Apollo is amazing if you want to try mod oz Greek fusion: http://theapollo.com.au/
PALM BEACH DAY OUT
Ideally you will get a house up at Palm Beach for a night or two so you can enjoy this part of the world. Its where Sydney’s super rich go to play (but quite a few rubber neckers come up to join the fun) Breakfast (get there early to avoid huge queues) – Palm Beach Boat Shed – same owners as Balmoral Boat Shed – http://www.theboathousepb.com.au/ – really great breakfasts and lunches. The walk to the light house is beautiful and historic walking the Kings Road which was made for the visit of the King – he never came… 🙁 There is a fantastic restaurant called Barrenjoey House – you will LOVE it. – http://barrenjoeyhouse.com.au/ (also has accommodation) – You can fly up and back from Rose Bay in Sydney with Sydney Harbour Seaplanes which is a real thrill – http://www.seaplanes.com.au/ – if you do that you can dinner at Catalina on the way back (its literally at the drop off point) – expensive and fabulous: http://catalinarosebay.com.au/
WALKING / KAYAKING
Bondi to Bronte (above)
Spit to Manly – http://www.manly.nsw.gov.au/attractions/walking-tracks/manly-scenic-walkway/ You can then lunch at one of the great restaurants in Manly, like Manly Wine https://www.thekeystonegroup.com.au/venue/manly-wine/ and then catch the Manly Ferry back to Circular Quay to be back in the heart of things.
Also from the Spit is Sydney Harbour Kayaks – http://www.sydneyharbourkayaks.com.au/rentals
SUGGESTED ITINERARIES
OK, so this is the top shelf list. You may just need to use common sense to make allowance for winter / summer…
Firstly, you need to appreciate the national sport of Australia is drinking…
I’ve grouped things together a little so you can to all of the things in one title one morning / afternoon or make a whole day of it.
INNER CITY
Breakfast – Bills Darlinghurst http://www.bills.com.au/#darlinghurst – the original Bills. YUM!
Walk in the Botanical Gardens https://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/
Bridge Climb – book ahead – http://www.bridgeclimb.com/ – super touristy, we used to climb the bridge a lot as kids, mostly drunk. Now you can do it legally, recommended to be mostly sober.
Cafe Sydney – http://cafesydney.com/
SHOWS
Sydney Opera House – book ahead if you want to catch a show – http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/
Sydney Theatre Company – https://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/
Belvoir Street Theatre – http://belvoir.com.au/
The Stables (Griffin)- http://www.griffintheatre.com.au/
If you’re going to be in Sydney after 7th Jan then http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/info/ explodes all over Sydney and is epic
RAINING? HOW ABOUT ART?
The Art Gallery of NSW. We do art. We do it well. Its really worth a visit – its world class http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/
We also have the Museum of Contemporary Art which is in The historic Rocks area (pretty touristy, but nice for a stroll) – http://www.mca.com.au
Forget the Australian Museum – its not worth it – hit the pub.
BALMORAL BEACH
Balmoral Boat Shed – http://www.theboathousebb.com.au/ – this is a fav in Sydney – the avocado toast is ridiculous, so is the kimchi bowl- you can walk along the promenade here and swim in the harbour.
The Balmoral Bathers Pavillion is also ah-maze-ing – http://batherspavilion.com.au/
BONDI (ISH) DAY OUT
Icebergs Dining Room Bondi Beach – http://idrb.com/ – you’ll need to book ahead if you want to get in – combine this with a morning Bondi to Bronte walk http://www.waverley.nsw.gov.au/recreation/beaches_and_coast/bondi_to_bronte_coastal_walk – after lunch you can stroll the promenade and if you still want drinks then you can cruise into The Bucket List – http://www.thebucketlistbondi.com/ – if you want to hit the beach then you can go to the smaller and more ‘refined’ Tamarama, which is often called Glamarama because the hottest sydney girls seem to like to frequent this beach to escape the hoards of body builder types that strut and parade up and down Bondi Beach… Later you could go to Coogee Pavillion which has a really cool set up with an almost market style ground floor with many types of tapas and food – super busy http://merivale.com.au/coogeepavilion (BTW – Coogee Bay is owned by Merivale Group which is the doyen of the Sydney pub / restaurant scene – they have dozens of incredible restaurants and you can’t go wrong at any one of them so you might want to check out their site http://merivale.com.au/ hint: Uccello in the city (if you can get in))
WOOLLAHRA / PADDINGTON / DARLINGHURST
Woollahra is Sydney’s most wealthy suburb and there are so many amazing restaurants and pubs. Love eating at Chiswick http://www.chiswickrestaurant.com.au/ and my fave pub in Sydney is the http://www.lorddudley.com.au/ but its much more of a winter place. If you can get a spot on the front porch of http://vinoecucina.com.au is delightful for a cheaper lunch. I LOVE Cafe Sopra at Fratelli Fresh http://www.fratellifresh.com.au/potts-point/, but Fratelli Paradiso http://fratelliparadiso.com/ gets me over Sopra almost every time. Apollo is amazing if you want to try mod oz Greek fusion: http://theapollo.com.au/
PALM BEACH DAY OUT
Palm Beach is a very special part of the world. Its where Sydney’s upper crust go to play (and a few rubber neckers come along to join the fun) Breakfast (get there early to avoid huge queues) – Palm Beach Boat Shed – same owners as Balmoral Boat Shed – http://www.theboathousepb.com.au/ – really great breakfasts and lunches. The walk to the light house is beautiful and historic walking the Kings Road which was made for the visit of the King – he never came… 🙁 There is a fantastic restaurant called Barrenjoey House – you will LOVE it. – http://barrenjoeyhouse.com.au/ (also has accommodation) – You can fly up and back from Rose Bay in Sydney with Sydney Harbour Seaplanes which is a real thrill – http://www.seaplanes.com.au/ – if you do that you can dinner at Catalina on the way back (its literally at the drop off point) – expensive and fabulous: http://catalinarosebay.com.au/
WALKING / KAYAKING
Bondi to Bronte (above)
Spit to Manly – http://www.manly.nsw.gov.au/attractions/walking-tracks/manly-scenic-walkway/ You can then lunch at one of the great restaurants in Manly, like Manly Wine https://www.thekeystonegroup.com.au/venue/manly-wine/ and then catch the Manly Ferry back to Circular Quay to be back in the heart of things.
Also from the Spit is Sydney Harbour Kayaks – http://www.sydneyharbourkayaks.com.au/rentals
ENJOY
??