Centennial Park – Sydney’s largest park, it’s full of history and even wildlife. You’ll see a colony of over 30,000 fruit bats, certainly lorikeets, probably kookaburras and flocks of cockatoos. There are three places to get lunch. They’ve got wild areas and formal gardens and you can download either a history or a wildlife walking tour here. They show outdoor movies in the warmer months and have loads of programs and tours.
Opera House Membership – if you think you’re interested in going to the Opera House for shows, it’s worth it to look into this. You can get very good discounts on unsold tickets close to the date of performance, and if you order in advance, you’ll be eligible for the best seats. We got half price tickets for Madame Butterfly and fourth row tickets for the symphony because of our membership.
Cockatoo Island – An incredibly memorable trip! Take the ferry over to the largest island in the harbor, first used as a penal colony and then as the site of one of the largest shipbuilding centers in the world. It’s an incredible place to explore – a sort of dystopian feel with these old shipyards while you’re surrounded by a glittering city. The employees there were beyond helpful and it’s all well signed. A really fascinating place that is important in Sydney’s history! You can camp overnight – really, it’s glamping, with rented tents with cots and an incredibly well equipped outdoor communal kitchen. There is a bonfire at night that adds to the charm, so you might want to bring marshmallows. Or, do as we did, and rent one of the historical apartments available on the island – there are very few of them, and they are quite nice. We were in the apartment used by the ferry driver when it was a shipyard. (Harbourview Apartment.) You will have to bring food to cook, but the kitchens are well equipped. They are pretty inexpensive, too. Just book well in advance. I promise you’ll love it. It really is a secret – most Sydneysiders know you can camp there but very few know about the apartments.
Bridge Pylon vs Bridge Climb – You will hear all about the Bridge walk when you get to Sydney. It’s the thing to do – a guided climb up to the very top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge. You need to be in shape – it’s 1,332 stairs, and you need to have deep pockets – tickets start at $298, and depending on the time of day and time of year, can be close to $400. Another option is to go up the pylon on the southeast side of the bridge. Tickets are $24.95 and you get a little museum on the way up. You wind up about 2/3 of the way up the height of the top of the bridge, and can go outside at the top of the pylon and walk around in any direction. It was high enough for me, and a lot less scary.
Coastal walks – Probably the best thing to do in Sydney on a beautiful day is to take a coastal walk. Everyone will tell you about the walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach, and it’s magnificent. But there are plenty more, just as good. There’s more than you can do here in your 3 months!
Art Gallery of NSW – this really is a well-curated gallery and worth a visit, especially the second, newer building. It has a wonderful Aboriginal art section and a spooky, eerie vault that was once used to store WWII munitions. Now it’s a dark and creepy gallery with strange sculptures. Really kind of cool. Don’t mix this up with the Contemporary Art Museum in the Rocks – that is very skippable, except for the very nice restaurant on the 4th floor with a great view.
Fish Market – although it can get quite crowded with tourists, this is a great place to go. You can get both prepared food to eat on site or fresh fish to take home. Don’t get intimidated by the whole fish – if you ask, they will clean and filet it for you. You can also take cooking classes there. They are building a new facility, so it might be even better in the future!