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Debbie
Ward has spent more than 15 years
as a journalist, several as Features
Editor of Travel Trade Gazette.
She now works freelance.
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Sydney
City Guide
Cruise International
Sydney has perhaps the most iconic
harbour in the world and a cruise
arrival or departure here will certainly
pack the wow factor.
Yes, there’s the opera house
and the harbour bridge but Australia’s
biggest city is so much more besides.
It’s historic - the first
place of European settlement - and
arty, a place to lie on the beach
or to dine in fine restaurants.
It’s also a gateway to vineyards,
mountains and national parks.
The Rocks, near the Overseas Passenger
Terminal, is the heritage district,
with colonial buildings, a café
culture and a weekend market and
it’s here and bustling Darling
Harbour, with its museums, restaurants
and neighbouring Chinatown, that
the big hotels are concentrated.
Cheaper accomodation is centred
on Kings Cross, also the nightlife
hotspot.
Circular Quay, between the bridge
and the opera house, is the transport
hub for ferries, buses and trains
and the site of the Museum of Contemporary
Art.
For independent art galleries and
designer boutiques head for Paddington,
Woollahra and Double Bay.
Escaping the city’s streets
is easy; join the friendly locals
on one of the outlying beaches or
flop in the huge Royal Botanic Gardens
at its heart.
What to do/see
Book ahead for the popular BridgeClimb
and you can enjoy stunning 360 degree
harbour views from atop an icon.
Or, take a backstage tour with breakfast
at fellow must-see the Opera House.
Another Behind-the-scenes treat
is Taronga Zoo’s ‘Road
and Snore’ which involves
dinner, luxury harbourside camping
and after-hours access to animals
including Tasmanian devils and koalas.
You can learn to surf or watch
the experts at famous Bondi or Manly,
just two of Sydney’s suburban
beaches. Fancy a barbie? Look out
for DIY public grills - Bronte and
Centennial parks and Shelly Beach
are among the top spots.
Where to drink
For a world-class view over cocktails
ascend to the Orbit Lounge Bar at
the Summit Restaurant (247 George
Street) which revolves 47 floors
above the harbour. Rather more down-to-earth
is Sydney’s oldest pub at
the Lord Nelson Hotel in The Rocks
which has its own boutique brewery.
Kings Cross is the showy focus
for nightlife while in the hip inner
city suburbs of Darlinghurst and
Surry Hills you’ll find quirky
bars like Doctor Pong’s (Burton
Street) where table tennis takes
centre stage or The Winery (Crown
Street) where the reds are described
as ‘slurpable’ and ‘mysterious’
and daily food specials range through
picnics, pies and roasts. A thriving
gay scene is concentrated on Oxford
Street.
Where to eat
Family-run Doyle’s on the
Beach at Watson’s Bay serves
celebrity-drawing seafood like Macadamia
crusted barramundi and lobster platters.
You won’t find mushy peas
at Doyle’s but they top the
‘pie floater’ at another
Sydney institution, Harry’s
Café de Wheels, snack van
to the stars, near the naval base
at Woolloomoloo.
Right at the Overseas Passenger
Terminal in the Rocks, award-winning
fine dining restaurant Quay serves
carefully sourced delicacies adorned
with edible flowers.
For a really grand cuppa, enjoy
one of the fortnightly high teas
at the Opera House while a world-class
singer hits the high notes.
For pot luck, Darling Harbour,
Woolloomoloo Wharf and the main
nightlife districts offer plentiful
options.
Where to stay
The Shangri-La (www.shangri-la.com)
is the hotel to choose for those postcard
views of the harbour. On a smaller
scale there are just 18 colourful
rooms at the boutique and arty Medusa
(www.medusa.com.au)
in Darlinghurst.
If you fancy living like a local in
a home-away-from-home, check into
one of the city’s many serviced
apartments, like the Breakfree on
George (www.breakfree.com.au/on-george.)
For a knockout location with a tiny
price tag, rent a tent on Cockatoo
Island in Sydney harbour (www.cockatooisland.gov.au),
site of a former jail and dockyard.
Stylish heritage apartments open there
this October.
Day trips
The Blue Mountains, so named for
the coloured haze produced by their
Eucalyptus trees, are just two hours
west of Sydney. Waterfalls, valleys
and pinnacles, including the famous
Three Sisters, can be viewed from
hiking trails, a scenic railway
or cable car. Two hours north of
the city is Australia’s oldest
wine producing region the Hunter
Valley. The vineyards offer fine
dining or picnic spots and you can
explore by bike, horse and carriage
or balloon. Whale- watching trips
depart from Sydney harbour while
Port Stephens near Hunter valley
is a top spot for dolphins.
Population:
22,000 in central Sydney, four
million in greater Sydney.
Climate: Sydney has opposite
seasons to ours. Temperatures
in its long summers hover around
23C and in winter rarely fall
below 10C.
Currency: Australian Dollar
(AUD). £1 = 1.7 AUD
Time difference: GMT +10
Dialling code: 2 (61 for Australia)
Useful websites
www.australia.com
www.visitnsw.com.au
www.sydney.com
www.cruisedownunder.com
What Cruise
lines
Crystal Cruises: 020 7287 9040
www.crystalcruises.co.uk
Holland America Line: 0845 351
0557 www.hollandamerica.co.uk
Orion Expedition Cruises: 020
7399 7620 www.orionexpeditions.com
P&O Cruises: 0845 678 00
14 www.pocruises.com
Princess Cruises: 0845 3 555
800 www.princess.com
Regent Seven Seas Cruises: 02380
682 280 www.rssc.co.uk
Voyages of Discovery: 0844 822
0802 www.voyagesofdiscovery.co.uk
Royal Caribbean International:
0844 493 4005 www.royalcaribbean.co.uk
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