Sydney
In colonial times this small fortified harbour island was a sorry site of suffering, used to isolate recalcitrant convicts and nicknamed ‘Pinchgut’ for…
Must-see attractions in Sydney
Sydney
Once a tough, working-class neighbourhood, Balmain now rivals Paddington in Victorian-era desirability – with the added advantage of being surrounded by…
Sydney
Something of a hidden gem, this gorgeous harbourside park with a sandy beach was once part of the then 206-hectare Vaucluse House estate. Secluded beneath…
Sydney
The Sydney residences of Australia’s governor general and prime minister are located on Kirribilli Point, east of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. When in town,…
Sydney
Cronulla is a beachy surf suburb south of Botany Bay, its long surf beach (Sydney's only one reachable by train) stretching beyond the dunes to the Botany…
Surry Hills & Darlinghurst
Owned and governed by Anangu elders of the APY Art Centre Collective, this gallery is a fantastic place to check out the cutting edge of contemporary…
Newtown & the Inner West
A short walk from Darling Harbour, this cavernous science and design museum whirs away inside the former power station for Sydney’s defunct, original tram…
Surry Hills & Darlinghurst
Once the residence of Alexander Green, hangman of Darlinghurst Gaol, Green Park is a cheery space during the day, but as the many syringe-disposal bins…
Sydney
Many Sydneysiders would die for these views…and that’s the only way they'll get them. Blanketing the clifftops between Bronte and Clovelly beaches, the…
Sydney
Surrounded by high cliffs, Tamarama has a deep tongue of sand with just 80m of shoreline. Diminutive, yes, but ever-present rips make Tamarama the most…
Sydney
Part of the broader Centennial Parklands (a huge green swathe that cuts from Surry Hills to Bondi), Moore Park covers 115 hectares south of Paddington…
Sydney
Built in a blended Mediterranean/Georgian Revival style in 1929, ‘The Pav’ is more a cultural centre than a changing shed, although it does have changing…
Sydney
This 85-hectare riverside park has a democratic feel as locals descend on it to run, laze, picnic or go to a concert or other events. The site of…
Newtown & the Inner West
Australia’s oldest tertiary institution (1850) has around 50,000 students and boasts its own postcode. You don’t need a PhD to grab a free campus map and…
Sydney
At the northern end of Camp Cove, the South Head Heritage Trail kicks off, leading into a section of Sydney Harbour National Park distinguished by harbour…
Newtown & the Inner West
This humble backstreet temple was opened in 1898 by immigrants from the Sze Yup area of China. It’s dedicated to 3rd-century folk hero Kwan Ti, whose…
Sydney
This grassy tract at Coogee Beach’s northern end has superb ocean views and the Giles Baths ocean pool. A sobering shrine commemorates the 2002 Bali…
Sydney
Elizabeth Farm contains part of Australia’s oldest surviving colonial building (1793), built by renegade pastoralist and rum trader John Macarthur…
Newtown & the Inner West
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…
Sydney
This colonial bungalow stands on the site of Australia's first official land grant. In 1789 Governor Phillip allocated 12 hectares to emancipated convict…
Sydney
Scruffy, bushy Balls Head Reserve not only has great views of the harbour, the city skyline and the industrial relics on Goat Island, it also has a wiggly…
Newtown & the Inner West
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…
Sydney
Beautiful harbourside Nutcote (1925) is the former home of author and illustrator May Gibbs (1877–1969), who wrote the much-loved Australian children’s…
Sydney
Sydney has produced many famous sinners but this museum tells the life story of St Mary of the Cross (aka Mary MacKillop), Australia’s only Catholic saint…
Sydney
If we were feeling cynical, we might say that the purpose-built Entertainment Quarter is a vacuous, self-perpetuating specimen of lightweight global…
Surry Hills & Darlinghurst
Until 1912 these sandstone buildings were Darlinghurst Gaol: writer Henry Lawson was repeatedly incarcerated here for debt (he called the place …
Sydney
If Balmain’s historic cuteness doesn’t float your boat, head to Elkington Park, named in 1883 after a local politician. It slopes down towards the water,…
Sydney
The country residence of the early governors, this elegant Georgian Palladian building in Parramatta Park is now a preciously maintained museum furnished…
Sydney
Little Shark Island, off Rose Bay, makes a great picnic getaway. There's not a lot here except for toilets and drinking water – and at 250m by 100m, you…
Surry Hills & Darlinghurst
Unveiled just in time to celebrate 2019's Mardi Gras, Sydney’s proud arching rainbow crossing is the result of a six-year global campaign to reinstate the…
Sydney
The majority of the important Garden Island naval base is off-limits to the strolling public, but you can visit the tip by ferry. Here, there's a pleasant…
Sydney
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…
Sydney
Sydney's most famous architect, Harry Seidler, designed this striking small house (1950) for his mother and father, Rose and Max. It’s a modernist gem,…
Sydney
The only things to distract you from serious beach time at divine Milk Beach are seaplanes and the glistening Sydney skyline. With wow-worthy harbour…
Surry Hills & Darlinghurst
You know it’s been a rough night if you wake up in Taylor Sq – a vaguely defined paved area straddling the gay hub of Oxford St. The rainbow flag flies…
Sydney
Visible from all over Sydney, this striking white lighthouse was built in the 1880s as an exact replica of the original Francis Greenway–designed…
Sydney
On the clifftop fairways of Bondi Golf & Diggers Club, a short walk north from Bondi Beach, lies a flat patch of rock carved by the Eora Aboriginal people…
Sydney
Among the wide formal avenues of Centennial Park is the domed Federation Pavilion – the spot where Australia was officially proclaimed a nation (on 1…
Sydney
Manicured Double Bay, an emblem of Sydney's wealthy Eastern Suburbs, is a bastion of blue-rinse ladies and flashy, nouveau-riche types. There's a lively…
Sydney
There are wonderful harbour views from the grounds of Strickland House (1856), which are now a public park. It sits above sweet little Milk Beach. Built…
