Sights in Sydney
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Waverley Cemetery
Many Sydneysiders would die for these views…and that’s the only way they’re going to get them. Blanketing the cliff tops between Bronte and Coogee, the white marble gravestones here are dazzling in the sunlight. Eighty-thousand people have been interred here since 1877, including writer Henry Lawson and cricketer Victor Trumper. It’s an engrossing (and strangely uncreepy) place to explore, and maybe spot a whale offshore during winter.
reviewed
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Redleaf Pool
Not really a pool at all (it’s a fenced-off section of Seven Shillings Beach), family-friendly Redleaf is the closest swimming spot to the city – as such, it attracts an urbane cross-section of inner-eastern locals. A boardwalk runs around the top of the shark net, and two floating pontoons are sought-after posing platforms for those who confuse beaches with catwalks.
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Victoria Park
The green gateway to the Inner West and the University of Sydney, Victoria Park is a 9-hectare grassy wedge revolving around pondlike Lake Northam and Victoria Park Pool. In February 75,000 people descend on the park for the Mardi Gras Fair Day: dog shows, live performances and the ‘Miss Fair Day’ drag competition (no, it doesn’t involve cars).
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Minus 5
On a hot summer's day this winter wonderland is a surreal experience. Everything's made of ice, from the furniture to the intricate sculptures. Adults get a complementary first vodka cocktail (value around A$15) served in an ice glass. Even wearing the big coat and gloves provided, you won't be sorry to be booted out after 30 minutes. Children can only enter before 18:00. It's wheelchair accessible but the lounge itself isn't guide-dog-friendly.
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Cockatoo Island
Studded with photogenic industrial relics, convict architecture and art installations, fascinating Cockatoo Island (Wareamah) opened to the public in 2007 and now has regular ferry services, a campground and rental accommodation. Weekly guided tours dig into the island's time as a prison, shipyard and naval base (bookings essential), but information boards and audio tours ($5) make a self-guided wander rewarding.
A spooky tunnel passes clear through the middle of the island and you can also explore the remains of the prison. During WWII most of the old sandstone buildings were stripped of their roofs and converted into bomb shelters. Solitary confinement cells were…
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Dolphin Point
This grassy tract at Coogee Beach’s northern end has superb ocean views and the sea-salty Giles Baths ocean pool. A sobering shrine commemorates the 2002 Bali bombings. Coogee was hit hard by the tragedy, with 20 of the 89 Australians killed coming from hereabouts.
Formerly known as Dunningham Park, its name was changed to honour the six members of the Coogee Dolphins rugby league team who died in the blast.
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Susannah Place Museum
Dating from 1844, the claustrophobic Susannah Pl is a diminutive terrace of tiny houses with a tiny shop selling tiny historical wares. My, haven’t we grown? In the backyard, check out how generations of working-class Rocks women cooked and laundered their clothes in a wood-fired copper urn (near the outdoor dunny). Admission is by way of guided tour.
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State Theatre
The utterly ornate State (1929) is Sydney’s most ostentatious theatre. Originally built as a movie palace during Hollywood’s heyday, it’s now a National Trust–classified building, dripping with gilt and velveteen. Live shows (musicals, comedy, middle-of-the-road bands) take the stage, except during the Sydney Film Festival in June.
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Sydney Writers Walk
A series of metal discs cast into the Circular Quay promenade hold ruminations from prominent Australian writers (and the odd literary visitor). The likes of Robert Hughes, Germaine Greer, Peter Carey, Umberto Eco and Clive James wax lyrical on subjects ranging from indigenous rights to the paradoxical nature of glass.
Genres vary from eloquent poems addressing the human condition to a ditty about a meat pie by Barry Humphries.
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Ken Done Gallery
The cheerful, quasi-childlike work of Sydney artist Ken Done is exhibited inside the lavishly restored Australian Steam Navigation Building. Expect luridly coloured Australian landscapes, Opera House renderings and comic minutiae from Done’s days. Help prop up his ailing empire (recently devalued from $61 million to around $8 million) with a visit to his shop just down the road.
reviewed
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Australian Museum
This natural-history museum, established just 40 years after the First Fleet dropped anchor, strives to shrug off its museum-that-should-be-in-a-museum feel. Hence dusty taxidermy has been interspersed with video projections and a terrarium with live snakes, while dinosaur skeletons cosy up to life-size re-creations.
There are also interesting displays on extinct megafauna (giant wombats – simultaneously cuddly and terrifying), and a sad 'where are they now' exhibit featuring stuffed remains and video footage of recently extinct species.
Yet it's the most old-fashioned section that is arguably the most interesting – the large collection of crystals and precious stones.…
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The Corso
The quickest route from the Manly ferry terminal to Manly’s ocean beach is along The Corso, a part-pedestrian mall lined with surf shops, pubs and sushi bars. Kids splash around in the fountains and spaced-out surfies shuffle back to the ferry after a hard day carving up the swell.
If you need some surfboard wax, you’re in the right place, but don’t expect to see much Sydney bling here – the mood is suburban and relaxed.
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Bellevue Park
This quiet suburban park has killer views over Bondi and all the heads: North, South and Middle. Early Irish convicts named it Vinegar Hill, after a battle in the 1798 Irish Rebellion, but Governor Macquarie pooh-poohed the idea and renamed it Bellevue Hill. The surrounding streets are home to a large Jewish community and some of Sydney’s rich-and-famous, including the Packer media tribe and actress Toni Collette.
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Cockle Bay Wharf
The first vaguely tasteful development in Darling Harbour, Cockle Bay Wharf occupies the harbour’s cityside frontage as far as Pyrmont Bridge. Its sharp, contemporary angles are softened by the use of timber and whimsical sculptures (we particularly like the jaunty dancing storks).
Housing upmarket restaurants and bars, Cockle Bay helped yank Darling Harbour out of the financial mire in the 1990s. Sydney’s megaclub Home set a new standard for stylish clubbing and bucked the colonial trend by spawning an offshoot in London.
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Outback Centre
A mixture of kitsch and cultural, this is a combination of souvenir store, performance space and art gallery. You'll find woomeras (spear-throwers), kalis (jumbo-sized boomerangs), musical clap sticks and bullroarers (ceremonial musical instruments). The highlight, hidden out back, is Australia's Outback Gallery. A free 'Sounds of the Outback' didgeridoo performance takes place at 13:00, 15:00 and 17:00 daily.
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St Philip’s
Completed in 1856 by architect Edmund Blacket in High Victorian Gothic style, St Philip’s is the latest incarnation of a line descending from Sydney’s original Anglican parish church (1793). It’s an unobtrusive structure dwarfed by surrounding skyscrapers and is usually kept locked outside Sunday services and special events.
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Nicholson Museum
Within the University of Sydney's quadrangle, this museum is a must-see for ancient-history geeks. Inside is an amazing accumulation of Greek, Roman, Cypriot, Egyptian and Near Eastern antiquities, including Padiashaikhet the mummy. It was founded in 1860 by orphan-made-good Sir Charles Nicholson, a key figure in the establishment of both the University of Sydney and the Australian Museum.
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Macquarie Lighthouse
When the original Francis Greenway–designed lighthouse (1818) fell into disrepair and was dismantled, the current lighthouse (1883) was built in front of it as an exact replica. It’s a pretty spot, with grassy lawns, heavenly ocean views and a cliff-top trail extending to North Bondi. Before the lighthouse was built, a series of fires were lit along this coast to keeps ships away from the cliffs.
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Campbell’s Storehouses
In 1839 Scottish merchant Robert Campbell started building a private wharf and this gingerbread-style row of 11 storehouses to house his stash of tea, alcohol, sugar and fabric. Construction didn't finish until 1861, and a brick storey was added in 1890. Such storehouses were common around Circular Quay into the early 20th century, but most have been demolished.
These survivors now sustain a string of pricey restaurants.
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Sydney Park
Full of dog walkers, kite flyers and stragglers from last night’s party, 40-hectare Sydney Park is a great place to chill out. From the bald hilltop the city rises like a volcanic island from a sea of suburbia, while to the south there are views over the airport to Botany Bay. Much of the land has been reclaimed from swamps, clay pits and brickworks.
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Artspace
Artspace is spacey: its eternal quest is to fill the void with vigorous, engaging Australian and international contemporary art. Things here are decidedly avant-garde – expect lots of conceptual pieces, audio-visual installations and new-media masterpieces. It’s an admirable attempt to liven things up in Sydney’s art scene, experimenting with sometimes-disturbing concepts. Excellent disabled access.
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May Gibbs’ Nutcote
Spanish Mission–style Nutcote (1925) is the former home of much-loved Australian children’s author May Gibbs, who wrote Snugglepot & Cuddlepie. It’s now restored to its 1930s glory and houses a museum devoted to her life and work. Cheery volunteer guides will show you around, and there are beautiful gardens, a tearoom and a gift shop. It’s a five-minute walk from the wharf.
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Italian Forum
This re-created mustard and maroon Italian piazza has copped its fair share of criticism, and yes, it’s totally Disney-goes-to-Rome, but the Italian Forum is a reliable place for a strong coffee, some pasta or a pair of expensive sunglasses. Immaculate waiters without a hair out of place deliver your gelato or macchiato as the kids play Caligula. Remember to say ‘Ciao’ whenever possible.
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Queen Street
Despite its status as the premier antique-shopping strip in Australia (the first shop opened in 1957), tree-lined Queen St retains a village vibe, with pricey boutiques, delis, summer chestnuts hanging heavy on the bough and kids who say, ‘Hey, nice Ferrari!’. There was once a famous annual street fair here, until noise-phobic residents shut it down in the early 1980s.
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Australian Centre for Photography
The nonprofit ACP exhibits the photographic gems of renowned Sydney and international photographers. It’s particularly passionate about photomedia, video and digital-imaging works, its displays extending into a multiexhibition space next door.
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