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Introducing Sydney
At the heart of Sydney - Australia's oldest, largest and most diverse city - is the outrageously good-looking Sydney Harbour. Like a psychedelic supermodel, the city curves and sways through this glamorous maze of sandstone headlands, lazy bays and legendary surf beaches. The Sydney experience is essentially physical - dunk yourself in the Bondi surf, sail under the Harbour Bridge on a yacht, jog along the Coogee cliff tops or rampage through Centennial Park on horseback. Everybody seems to be outside - the beaches are swarming, street cafés buzz and the harbour blooms with sails.
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Jealous as hell, the rest of Australia stereotypes Sydney as more body-beautiful than bookish, more carpe diem than museum - a narcissistic 'Sin City' fixated on sunglasses, salons and soy lattes. Sure, there's a lot of blonde dye in Bondi, but the genetic legacy of the British and Irish convicts who built Sydney is more evident in gutsy self-belief than anything mirror-worthy.
Sydney is no less complex socially than it is on the map. An edgy multiculturalism ignites the food scene and fuels the nocturnal life - you'll lose yourself in the restaurants, bars and clubs just as easily as on the streets. Aboriginal heritage makes an impact through art; you'll see many urban galleries celebrating indigenous culture.
Whether it's the launching pad or the final fling of your New South Wales adventure, your Sydney days will be active and engaging, your nights indulgent and intense. The rest of Australia is in denial - Sydney is as good as it gets.
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
Tips & articles
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Graveyard goodtimes: the world’s best cemeteries
29 October 2009
With Halloween and Day of the Dead fast approaching, it’s only natural that our thoughts turn to...
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Insider tips: Sydney
17 September 2009
Grab yourself a coffee and a bit of local know-how, and you’ll be surfing Sydney’s sinuous...
Sydney
Recommended things to do & see
- Entertainment (155)
- Restaurants (189)
- Shopping (135)
- Sights (166)
- Hotels & hostels
Our Top Picks For Sydney
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1 Bondi Beach and Northern Beaches
Carve up the surf at Bondi Beach or the Northern Beaches
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2 Circular Quay restaurant
Enjoy fresh seafood, divine Australian wine and harbour hubbub at a Circular Quay restaurant
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3 Sydney Opera House
Catch a show and ogle the architecture at the Sydney Opera House
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4 Art Gallery of New South Wales
Check out the stunning indigenous art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales
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5 Manly Scenic Walkway
Forget you're in the middle of a huge city on the bushy Manly Scenic Walkway
Related Groups
Our favourite Sydney Blogs (beta)
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Sydney Walking Brew Tour
Blog: thebeergeek.com - 31 December 2009
The eve of Christmas Eve was the last serious day of beer travel on our Australian trip. We had three breweries to visit and then we were done. Almost as important, we had been putting off Christmas shopping (“Let’s just do it in Sydney…”) so we still had a number of Christmas presents to purchase. [...]
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Sydney and the Beermen
Blog: thebeergeek.com - 30 December 2009
Our fifth day’s drive on the Princes Highway brought us back to Sydney for the final portion of our Australian adventure. We enjoyed our time along the coast but, as they say, all good things must come to an end. We also needed to get back to Sydney to record the holiday episode of beermen.tv. After [...]
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Blog Update: London, Hong Kong and Sydney
Blog: The Amazing Dawdle - 22 December 2009
LondonWe were scheduled to fly into London from Santiago via Madrid Spain at 2pm. As we pulled into the check-in, the agent looked at us and told us that our flight was delayed until 6pm, at least, which meant delays of over four hours. At least we had the lounge to chill out in. Once we landed in Madrid, we had about a half hour to spare (after immigration and navigating their massive train system) before hopping a flight to London. We were lucky enough to have our friend Mel pick us up at the airport, as we were staying with her and her husband and baby.
