Carriageworks Farmers Market

Sydney

　　Over 70 regular stallholders sell their goodies at Sydney's best farmers market, established to connect small NSW producers with consumers in the big city. It's held in the heritage-listed Carriageworks gallery. Food and coffee stands do a brisk business and vegetables, fruit, meat and seafood are sold in a convivial...

Q Station

Sydney

　　From 1837 to 1984 this sprawling historic complex in beautiful North Head bushland was used to isolate new arrivals suspected of carrying disease. These days it has been reborn as a tourist destination, offering appealing accommodation and various tours. Shuttle buses whisk you from reception down to the wharf, where...

St James’ Church

Sydney

　　Built from convict-made bricks, Sydney’s oldest church (1819) is widely considered to be architect Francis Greenway's masterpiece. It was originally designed as a courthouse, but the brief changed and the cells became the crypt. Check out the dark-wood choir loft, the sparkling copper dome, the crypt and the 1950s stained-glass...

Paddington Markets

Sydney

　　Originating in the 1970s, when they were drenched in the scent of patchouli oil, these markets are considerably more mainstream these days. They're still worth exploring for their new and vintage clothing, crafts and jewellery. Expect a crush. ...

Barangaroo Reserve

Sydney

　　Part of Barangaroo, the major redevelopment project of what was a commercial port, this park sits on a headland with wonderful harbour perspectives. The tiered space combines quarried sandstone blocks and native trees and plants to good effect. A lift connecting the park's three levels is good for weary legs....

Cockatoo Island

Sydney

　　Studded with photogenic industrial relics, convict architecture and art installations, fascinating Cockatoo Island (Wareamah) opened to the public in 2007 and has regular ferry services, a campground, rental accommodation, and two cafe-bars. Information boards and audioguides ($5) explain the island's time as a brutal convict prison, a shipyard and a...

Chau Chak Wing Museum

Sydney

　　This new museum at the University of Sydney is scheduled to open in mid-2020. It will combine the three former university museums and greatly expand the space to exhibit the university's collections and host temporary exhibitions. Highlights include Indigenous cultural objects and the important collections of 19th- and 20th-century Australian,...

Brett Whiteley Studio

Sydney

　　Acclaimed local artist Brett Whiteley (1939–1992) lived fast and without restraint. Many of his multimillion-dollar paintings were created in this hard-to-find studio (look for the signs on Devonshire and Bourke Sts), which has been preserved as a gallery. Pride of place goes to his astonishing Alchemy, a giant multi-panel extravaganza...

Queen Victoria Building

Sydney

　　Unbelievably, this High Victorian Gothic masterpiece (1898) was repeatedly slated for demolition before it was restored in the mid-1980s. Occupying an entire city block on the site of the city’s first markets, the QVB is a Venetian Romanesque-inspired temple to the gods of retail. 　　Sure, the 200 speciality shops are...

Watsons Bay Beach Club

Sydney

　　One of the great pleasures in life is languoring in the pumping beer garden of the Watsons Bay Hotel, mere metres from the ferry wharf, after a day at the beach. It goes off here at weekends, with a rowdy good time had by all. Stay to watch the sun...

Strand Arcade

Sydney

　　Constructed in 1891, the beautiful Strand rivals the QVB in the ornateness stakes. The three floors of designer fashions, Australiana and old-world coffee shops will make your shortcut through here considerably longer. Some of the top Australian designers and other iconic brands have shops here – chocolatiers included! ...

Rocks Discovery Museum

Sydney

　　Divided into four displays – Warrane (pre-1788), Colony (1788–1820), Port (1820–1900) and Transformations (1900 to the present) – this small, excellent museum, tucked away down a Rocks laneway, digs deep into the area's history on an artefact-rich tour. Sensitive attention is given to the Rocks’ original inhabitants, the Gadigal (Cadigal)...

Royal Botanic Garden

Sydney

　　Southeast of the Opera House, this garden was established in 1816 and features plant life from around the world. Within the gardens are hothouses with palms and ferns, as well as the Calyx, a striking exhibition space featuring a curving glasshouse gallery with a wall of greenery and temporary plant-themed...

Calyx

Sydney

　　This striking exhibition pavilion in the Botanic Garden incorporates a cool, curving glasshouse space with a living wall of greenery that requires some 18,000 plants to fill. It hosts temporary exhibitions on botanical themes. ...

Quay

Sydney

　　What many consider to be Sydney's best restaurant matches a peerless bridge view with brilliant food. Chef Peter Gilmore never rests on his laurels, consistently delivering exquisitely crafted, adventurous cuisine, coaxing unlikely bedfellows such as abalone and pig cheek into perfect matches. It's polished but never prissy. Book online some...

Camp Cove

Sydney

　　Immediately north of Watsons Bay, this small swimming beach is popular with both families and topless sunbathers. When Governor Phillip realised Botany Bay didn't cut it as a site for a convict colony, he explored north into Sydney Harbour, dropped anchor and sunk his boots into Camp Cove's gorgeous golden...

Sydney Harbour National Park

Sydney

　　Sydney Harbour National Park protects large swathes of bushland around the harbour shoreline, plus several harbour islands. In among the greenery you’ll find walking tracks, scenic lookouts, Aboriginal carvings, beaches and a handful of historic sites. The park incorporates South Head and Nielsen Park on the south side of the...

Art Gallery of NSW

Sydney

　　With its neoclassical Greek frontage and modern rear, this much-loved institution plays a prominent and gregarious role in Sydney society. Blockbuster international touring exhibitions arrive regularly and there's an outstanding permanent collection of Australian art, including a substantial Indigenous section. The gallery also plays host to lectures, concerts, screenings, celebrity...

Walsh Bay

Sydney

　　This section of Dawes Point waterfront was Sydney’s busiest before the advent of container shipping and the construction of port facilities at Botany Bay. This century has seen the Federation-era wharves morphing into luxury hotels, apartments, a renovated arts precinct, power-boat marinas and restaurants. It's a picturesque place to stroll,...

Centennial Park

Sydney

　　Scratched out of the sand in 1888 in grand Victorian style, Sydney’s biggest park is a rambling 189-hectare expanse full of horse riders, joggers, cyclists and in-line skaters. Grab a park map at any of the entrances or the information centre in the middle. During summer the Moonlight Cinema attracts...

Museum of Contemporary Art

Sydney

　　The MCA is a showcase for Australian and international contemporary art, with a rotating permanent collection and temporary exhibitions. Aboriginal art features prominently. The art deco original building has had a modern space grafted on to it, the highlight of which is the rooftop cafe with stunning views. There are...

Shelly Beach

Sydney

　　This pretty, sheltered, north-facing ocean cove is an appealing 1km walk from the busy Manly beach strip. The tranquil waters are a protected haven for marine life, so it offers wonderful snorkelling. It's a popular place for picnickers. ...

Manly Beach

Sydney

　　Sydney's second most famous beach is a magnificent strand that stretches for nearly two golden kilometres, lined by Norfolk Island pines and midrise apartment blocks. The southern end of the beach, nearest the Corso, is known as South Steyne, with North Steyne in the centre and Queenscliff at the northern...

West Head

Sydney

　　This central section of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is a spectacular wilderness, with awe-inspiring vistas over Pittwater and Broken Bay, hidden beach communities, Aboriginal engravings and great walking tracks down to perfect little coves. It's accessed off Mona Vale Rd in Terrey Hills or via boat from Palm Beach. West...

North Head

Sydney

　　About 3km south of central Manly, spectacular North Head offers dramatic cliffs, lookouts, secluded beaches, pretty paths through the native scrub, and sweeping views of the ocean, harbour and city. It's great to explore by bike or on foot, along the Manly Scenic Walkway. Grab a map and plot your...

Sydney Opera House

Sydney

　　Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, this magnificent building is Australia's most famous landmark. Visually referencing a yacht's sails, it's a soaring, commanding presence that comprises five performance spaces for dance, concerts, opera and theatre. Wander around the outside to your heart's content. The best way to experience the interior...

Taronga Zoo Sydney

Sydney

　　A 12-minute ferry ride from Circular Quay, this forested harbour hillside is full of kangaroos, koalas and similarly hirsute Australians, plus numerous imported guests. 　　The zoo’s inhabitants have million-dollar harbour views, but seem blissfully unaware of what the humans consider a privilege. Encouragingly as far as zoos go, Taronga is...

Watsons Bay

Sydney

　　Lovely Watsons Bay, east of the city centre and north of Bondi, was once a small fishing village, as evidenced by the heritage cottages that pepper the suburb’s narrow streets (but which now cost a tiny fortune). 　　For the Sydney visitor, it's a lovely day trip by ferry. If time...

Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park

Sydney

　　A spectacular mix of sandstone, Australian bushland and tranquil water vistas, this 14,928-hectare park forms Sydney’s northern boundary. It’s located 20 to 30km from the city centre and accessible by public transport, making a spectacular day trip from the city. It is a popular place to visit for its wilderness,...

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sydney

　　Sydneysiders love their giant 'coathanger', which opened in 1932. The best way to experience this majestic structure is on foot. Stairs and lifts ascend the bridge from both shores, leading to a footpath on the eastern side (the western side is a bike path). 　　Getting the train to Milsons Point...

Bondi Beach

Sydney

　　Definitively Sydney, Bondi is one of the world’s great beaches. It’s the closest ocean beach to the city centre (8km away), has consistently good (though crowded) waves, and is great for a rough-and-tumble swim (the average water temperature is a considerate 21°C). 　　If the sea’s looking a bit angry, you...