Top 10 Sydney (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides)

162 Pages·2011·10.03 MB·English

by  Steve Womersley, Rachel Neustein

EYEWITNESS TRAVEL
TOP10
SYDNEY
WFoionlgloeor mWohoalrof o 10
Must-see museums & galleries
oTmhea in Artspace Poitntst 10 Best restaurants, bars & cafés
SAoruot fhG N aWelwaelr eys BaEyli zHaobue 10 GMroesat tfeasst hbioenaacbheles p&la pcoeos lsto shop
W ll l 10 Best venues for music, dance & theater
10 Most fun places for children
10 Scenic excursions
10 Best hotels for every budget
10 Insider tips for every visitor
110 Best sporting ve0nues
YOUR GUIDE TO THE 10 BEST OF EVERYTHING
McSETLAHIROSN E C H A L L I S AV E N U E
NWBICLIHLAOSNOLDSNO S NST TSRRTEREEECETET T O MSATNRNEEINTG
G R I F F I T H S S T
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G R A N T
STREET
BOU R KE STR E ET
McE LHON E STR E ET
S T R E E T
S T R E E T
S T R E E T

W H A R F

O A D WAY

N YEONUTN G
R
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Y R O A
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H A M S T
P
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TOP10
SYDNEY
STEVE WOMERSLEY
RACHEL NEUSTEIN
EYEWITNESS TRAVEL
Left Mosaic at St Mary’s Cathedral Centre Sailing on Sydney Harbour Right Kings Cross
Contents
Sydney’s Top 10
Sydney Opera House 8
Reproduced by Colourscan, Singapore
Printed and bound in China by Leo Paper Products Sydney Harbour Bridge 12
Ltd
First American Edition, 2005 Sydney Harbour 14
11 12 13 14 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Published in the United States by DK Publishing, The Rocks
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014
Reprinted with revisions 2006, 2007, & Circular Quay 18
2009, 2011
Copyright 2005, 2011 © Dorling Kindersley
Limited, London. All rights reserved Royal Botanic Gardens
Without limiting the rights under copyright & The Domain 20
reserved above, no part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means Art Gallery of NSW 24
(electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording
or otherwise), without prior written permission of
both the copyright owner and the above publisher Darling Harbour
of this book. Published in Great Britain by
Dorling Kindersley Limited. & Chinatown 28
A catalog record for this book is available from
the Library of Congress. Powerhouse Museum 30
ISSN 1479-344X
ISBN 978-0-75667-038-2 Taronga Park Zoo 32
Within each Top 10 list in this book, no hierarchy
of quality or popularity is implied. All 10 are, in
the editor’s opinion, of roughly equal merit. Bondi Beach 34
Floors are referred to throughout in accordance
with Australian usage; ie the “first floor” is the Moments in History 36
floor above ground level.
Historic Sites & Buildings 38
Writers 40
Museums 42
Art Galleries 44
The information in this DK Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide is checked annually.
Every effort has been made to ensure that this book is as up-to-date as possible at the time of
going to press. Some details, however, such as telephone numbers, opening hours, prices,
gallery hanging arrangements and travel information are liable to change. The publishers
cannot accept responsibility for any consequences arising from the use of this book, nor for
any material on third party websites, and cannot guarantee that any website address in this
book will be a suitable source of travel information. We value the views and suggestions of
our readers very highly. Please write to: Publisher, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides,
Dorling Kindersley, 80 Strand, London, Great Britain WC2R 0RL, or email
Left Beare Park Centre Sydney Opera House & Sydney Harbour Bridge Right Shelly Beach
Architectural Highlights 46 Around Town
Beaches 48 City Centre 76
Parks & Gardens 50 Kings Cross
Sporting Venues & Darlinghurst 84
& Olympic Sites 52 Paddington
& Surry Hills 90
Outdoor Activities 54
Eastern Suburbs 96
Activities for Children 56
Newtown & Glebe 102
Restaurants 58
Balmain & Leichhardt 108
Casual Dining 60
The North Shore 114
World Flavours 62
Beyond Sydney 120
Performing Arts
Companies 64
Streetsmart
Nightlife & Live Music 66
Practical Information 132
Pubs & Bars 68
Gay & Lesbian Friendly 70 Places to Stay 143
Festivals & Events 72 General Index 150
Left Victorian terrace house Right Royal Botanic Gardens
Key to abbreviations 3
Adm admission charge Dis access disabled access
Contents
SYDNEY’S
TOP 10
Sydney’s Highlights
6–7
Sydney Opera House
8–11
Sydney Harbour Bridge
12–13
Sydney Harbour
14–17
The Rocks &
Circular Quay
18–19
Botanic Gardens &
The Domain
20-23
Art Gallery of
New South Wales
24-27
Darling Harbour &
Chinatown
28-29
Powerhouse Museum
30-31
Taronga Park Zoo
32-33
Bondi Beach
34–35
Top Ten of everything
36–73
SYDNEY’S TOP 10
Sydney’s Highlights
Sydney is blessed with stunning ocean beaches, magnificent national parks
and a wonderful subtropical climate that makes the great outdoors irresistible
to its four million inhabitants. The Eora people, the Aborigines who settled
around Sydney Harbour, arrived approximately 50,000 years ago, while the
earliest white settlers arrived in 1788. Free settlers soon followed in the wake
of the First Fleet of transported convicts, and after them several waves of
migrants seeking a new life. Now, over two centuries later, the once far-flung
penal colony has matured into a culturally diverse, tolerant and mesmerising
city. Ideally located on the world’s most beautiful harbour, Sydney is
as exciting and bustling as it is laid back and relaxing.
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Sydney Harbour
Sydney Harbour £ From its pristine beaches to its working dock-
@ Bridge lands, this deep-water port at the heart of this
This enormous and maritime city is the world’s finest (see pp14–17).
beautiful structure was
an economic and engi-
neering triumph. It
reshaped Sydney’s land-
scape and lifted the city’s
spirits during the dark
days of the Great Depres-
sion (see pp12–13).
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The Rocks & Circular Quay
$ Governor Phillip and the First Fleet
arrived here in 1788 to lay the foundations
for Australia’s white settlement. Now it’s
an engaging historic precinct and a lively
transport hub (see pp18–19).
Royal Botanic Gar-
% dens & The Domain
This lovely green belt east
of the city centre
incorporates the Royal
Botanic Gardens and the
Art Gallery of New South
5BSPOHB Wales, and has been one
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of Sydney’s best-loved
public spaces for almost
5
200 years (see pp20–23).
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Art Gallery of
^ New South Wales
Boasting one of the
country’s most extensive
collections of Australian
and international art, this
striking building in The
Domain is not to be
missed (see pp24–7).
Darling Harbour & Chinatown
&ODUN & Chinatown’s authentic bustle and flavour is the
,VODQG perfect counterpoint to the ritzy Darling Harbour
precinct. An extension of the
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&MJ[BCFUI bars, cafés and tourist
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Powerhouse’s eclectic and
sometimes eccentric science
and design collection
appeals to children and
adults alike (see pp30–31).
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NP Taronga Zoo
( The zoo’s collection of Australian
and exotic animals, not to mention
its gorgeous setting
overlooking the harbour,
makes it a must-see
destination for visitors
Bondi Beach (see pp32–3).
) Sydney’s swimmers, surfers and
sybarites all love Australia’s most iconic
beach. Don’t leave the city without
spending some time here, body
surfing, walking along the clifftops or
working on your tan (see pp34–5).
Sign up for DK’s email newsletter on traveldk.com 7
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Sydney Opera House
The Opera House’s magnificent harbourside
location, stunning architecture and excellent
programme of events make it Sydney’s number Opera Theatre
£ Home to The Australian
one destination. The modern masterpiece reflects
Ballet, the Sydney Dance
the genius of its 1966 architect, Jørn Utzon. In Company and Opera Aust-
1999, Utzon agreed to prepare a guide of design ralia, this lovely theatre
(above) seats more than
principles for future changes to the building.
1,500. It hosted the site’s
This was welcome news for all who marvel first performance in 1973,
at his masterpiece and for the four million Prokofiev’s War and Peace.
visitors to the site each year.
Top 10 Features
1 Roof
2 Concert Hall
3 Opera Theatre
4 Drama Theatre
5 Playhouse
6 The Studio
Opera House roof tiles 7 High Tea
8 Forecourt &
After the show, kick
Monumental Steps
back to live jazz and a
late supper at the 9 Northern Foyers
Opera Bar. 0 Bars & Restaurants
A range of perform-
ance packages is
available.
Opera House and the Bridge
• Map N1
Drama Theatre
• Bennelong Point $
This intimate theatre
• Open daily; Box Office
was not part of Utzon’s
open 9am–8:30pm
original plan. Today,
Mon–Sat, 2 hrs prior to
Roof however, it is a much-
performances on Sun !
Comprised of 10 loved venue and its size
• 9250 7777; for hearing
“sails”, the roof (above) is ensures good sightlines
impaired TTY users call
made of over one million from every seat.
133677, then ask for
tiles. Designed to counter
9250 7111
the sunlight, the ceramic
• www. sydneyopera
tiles take on a lustrous
house.com
glow at dawn and dusk.
• Essential tour: 9250
7250 (1 hour every 30
Concert Hall
mins from 9am–5pm @
The Opera House’s most
daily, $35); Backstage
impressive venue, and home
Tour (2 hours, from 7am,
to the Sydney Symphony,
includes breakfast in the
seats 2,679 and hosts
Green room, $150)
concerts, opera (right) and
• Dis access, loop, infra-
drama performances. Its
red hearing systems and
acoustics are acclaimed
audio description
worldwide, and the Grand
service: 9250 7185
Organ took ten years to
• Opera Bar: 9247 1666
design and tune.
8 One of the best vantage points for Opera House photographs is
Mrs Macquarie’s Chair (see p20) at dawn.
Sydney’s Top 10