Sydney is a place that I’ve always been well aware of mainly from it being on the first cities shown on the news in the UK to enjoy the New Year alongside playing host to some iconic landmarks such as the Opera house and Harbour Bridge. That’s just inside the city, with it boasting a spectacular coastline with world renowned beaches like Bondi Beach. Sitting just a short flight north east from Melbourne as I headed up the east coast of Australia it’s only made sense to drop in on Sydney. I’ll stop here with explaining the why, I have a section coming up next that covers this exact point!
(By the way, we are into part two of my Australian adventure but if you missed the first part in Melbourne, be sure to click the link here!)
Why I Headed To Sydney
Where was I? Ah yes! When travelling along the east coast of Australia it would only be silly to miss out a major city such as Sydney. Do you think to consider and then help me time it right was New Year’s Eve. In Sydney is where there is world-renowned locations for experiencing New Year’s Eve and do my planning was late late I managed to pull something together to allow me to thoroughly enjoy embrace that New Year’s Eve feeling in this city.
Even if it wasn’t around New Year, there are plenty of options of things for you to enjoy when you head there. Sydney is a location full of history, location that is full of culture and a location that has a plethora of options when it comes to its nightlife as you’d expect in any major city. Add in the coast allowing you to experience the sea, the beaches and in some instances the surf. Just like I spoke about concerning Melbourne, there are also options just outside of the city for you to enjoy and take in all of mother nature’s glory.
What Did I Think Of Sydney?
Overall I found Sydney a very pleasant city to explore. Not only do you have the benefits of being within the city, you have the coastline right there on your doorstep for you to go and enjoy if you want to get away from the hustle and bustle. Sydney is a lovely city and very scenic one giving you that gorgeous coastline on the outside and the photogenic harbour on the inside, with the bridge and opera house to really enjoy, giving you somewhere to sit and just appreciate the world around you.
I never really got to fully enjoy but I feel the nightlife in Sydney is definitely what do you expect of a major city with a mixture of quiet spots along the coastline for you to enjoy the sunset, bars providing you fantastic views, be it sat under the opera house or sat 47 storeys high, or nightclubs for you to throw some shapes in.
Even though I enjoyed my time here it was just something about it that didn’t quite click the same way that Melbourne. For me it seems to lack character in comparison. Now this could be just my experience of it and actually I’m completely wrong but it is my honest thoughts about Sydney. Another thing that I noticed about Sydney is it seems to be slightly more expensive than somewhere like Melbourne.
Should You Cover It?
Sure, I would recommend you check out Sydney. There are plenty of positives about my time here and the experiences I had here are definitely outweigh the couple of negatives highlighted. Again there’s something for everyone will it be in the city down the coastline or to the west in the mountains, and this ultimately could leave you having a very different experience to me and not seeing the negatives I saw.
Day 6 - 29 December
Making sure to not rush myself and take my time, I said goodbye to my Melbourne hosts who looked after me and steadily made my way to the airport for my flight to Sydney, kindly being dropped off. Landing around mid afternoon, I took the shuttle into the city centre known as Airport Link.
Getting from the airport to the city centre: This is a train that runs directly into the city centre, giving you a very convenient way of travelling, taking around 13 minutes and running every 10 minutes. Costing $15.30 for an adult ticket, this would be my recommended way of getting into Sydney. to be able to facilitate this, you either need to get yourself an Opal card which you top up then tap and go or else you can now use contactless on your credit/debit card. Other options that are on offer are to get a bus, taking around 25 minutes or a taxi taking around 20 minutes but costing $45-$55 one way.
Backpack in hand, I made my way across to the hostel that I was staying in. Checking in, bag dropped off to my room and did what any good Brit would do when settling into somewhere new… grab myself a cup of tea and get mingling with the other hostellers. Before I knew it, I had some evening plans lined up with a small group of people heading to one of the bars in the city.
As I’ve mentioned before, I like to stay fit whilst I travel and in relative shape. This is a mixture of keeping my health up physically but also mentally. I find that if I don’t push myself on a regular basis, I can get often get grumpy though admittedly, there may be a little bit of addiction to it there amongst other things. Overall, it’s not hard for you to stay in shape when you’re travelling with there being plenty of gyms around that can offer one day passes, places to run or locations to do bodyweight sessions.
Gym session completed. Food eaten. Shower done and now dressed. I was on my way over to the bar that the others had already made their way to using my trusty Opal card and metro system. This system connects most of the places that you would want to go in Sydney and with the ease of the Opal card (or the credit/debit card option now), you can easily hop on and off of trains to get around.
The bar that we were at was central location called O Bar, sitting at the top of one of the skyscrapers on the 47th floor, with a cool concept of the bar slowly rotates within the building giving you scenic views all across Sydney, with a full view of Sydney harbour, Opera House and Harbour Bridge, as you can see in the background below.
Even if the evening wasn’t a full blown night embracing the nightlife of Sydney, it was a great experience to warm you up to the city and get to know a great group of people. A wholesome evening of sharing our travel stories and getting to know new people, often with one or two becoming friends for life like I’ve experienced. It’s definitely these sorts of nights that you look back on with fond memories, especially for me as I wrote this blog. The added bonus was that we came away with a solid plan for New Year’s Eve which we decided to do together! More on that later though.
Midnight struck and Reece was late getting back from the ball, as I needed a decent night’s sleep ready for the activities of the next day, heading off to see the Three Sisters Mountains and Jenolan Caves, which are just a couple of examples of the wonders to explore that sit just outside of Sydney.
It was here as I was getting my bag ready in the darkness for the next day, I had a bit of a shock and gave my roommates within the dorm a bit of a rude awakening. Which I feel is now perfect time to discuss the hostel that I was staying in and giving it a review…
The hostel that I was staying in was Backpackers HQ, and was one of the few options that were left when booking this trip very late on, noting the proximity to New Year’s Eve hence most of the hostels in Sydney were pretty busy. Make sure you book early if you have any plans around big events! A common theme that I faced with having to negotiate the minimum stay requirements based on how long I was due to be staying in Sydney and it being New Year. Thankfully, this place was one of the cheapest and easiest to stay at, even if I still had to sacrifice a night.
Aside from that, the things that drew me to this hostel were the facilities on offer and the convenient location to central Sydney alongside it being very close to a Metro station giving you good connections to the rest of the city. Inside of the hostel, the facilities on offer were excellent with a large common room area in the centre providing you plenty of space to chill out, eat, read or whatever it may be for you to have some downtime from those hard days travelling.
Next to that, it had a very large kitchen area and an open plan dining area allowing you to prepare your meals if that’s your way to go when you travel with an additional seating area outside for you to relax in. I was a big fan of the facilities in the communal areas!
This however is where we go into the downsides of my stay here. Firstly the rooms are pretty darn cramped. With a variety of room options, I stayed in a 14 bed room. This room, though with a lockable locker, it was not big enough to fit in my main bag, leaving me with the only option of sliding under the bunkbed or putting it between two of the bunks. Due to the room layout, this made life a little bit awkward at the business end of the room. The room was ensuite giving you all the amenities that you would expect from a ensuite. Another issue with the room, along with the cramped nature, came in the shape of poor air-conditioning leaving the room is getting very warm and a lack of air flow, which in the Australian summer is not ideal!
Now for the real kicker, on top of the others issues highlighted, which is what gave the sudden fright as spoken about earlier, was the abundance of bugs in around the room at night, in particular cockroaches! Yes, the thing that shocked me when I got back was the fact that as I opened up my bag ready to grab something from it, three cockroaches shot out of it leaving me both shocked and mildly disgusted.
Overall my experience with this also was on the most part good just frustrating to have these downsides. Would I recommend it to somebody else? Sure as long as they were aware of the downsides that I highlighted and were comfortable with the potential for these to be an issue.
Day 7 - 30 December
My first full day in Sydney was a day trip I’d organised which took me firstly into the Jenolan caves, followed up by going the opposite way and exploring the tops of the Blue Mountains National Park.
The first stop of the day was to the Jenolan Caves, where we were met by the tour guide to take us into the cave system. What an experience this was! Caves have always been something that have taken my breath away with the way they have come to be formed and the various shades and colours they can contain. We have the ease of just being able to walk down into them, guided by someone and taking the stairs but imagine being the first person to think “I know what I’ll do today! I’ll head into that dark hole with just a candle to light my way”. Crazy!
Even more so when you see the slide that they used to take to get in, with only a candle in their hand and a small bag to stop them from injuring themselves from the friction. Truly astounding!
The second part of the tour was taking us to the Blue Mountain National Park, stopping off at the viewpoint that overlooks the top of the Three Sisters rock formation. Not only do you have a brilliant view of the mountains, it gives you a fantastic view over the large swathes of the forest in the valley below. It’s certainly a sight to behold leaving you feel somewhat small and insignificant from up there. The next part was to take a cable car along to the main entrance of the national park. where we were let loose to explore around the plethora of forest, playing host to many species of animals, plants and other interesting sites.
Though I’m not quite into horticulture myself, this would definitely be a great visit somebody who is. It was a lovely way to finish off the day by walking through the forest of the National Park having some time to yourself. The whole experience was worthwhile with my main highlight be in the cave system. It’s a full day trip that I would recommend anyone to complete. The final part of the day trip is to get a boat trip back down into central Sydney, giving you another perspective.
As for the evening’s plans, there wasn’t much planned. Agenda was to get dinner, confirm the plan with the others for the morning and get an early night, ready for the excitement of New Year’s Eve. I felt that the next day would be a long one and with us meeting at 0530, I needed as much sleep as possible.
Day 8 - 31 December
After finally coming up with a plan collectively we decided to commit to it and this meant a very early morning start for the group. Getting up at around 0530, I got dressed, packed my bag and got to the shop to buy our snacks for the long day ahead. The early time was based on knowing how popular it was going to be and by the simple fact that people already started queueing the night we went to O Bar two nights ago. Lo and behold when we arrived to join the queue ourselves, it was bloody long.
We arrived around an hour and a half before they opened up the gates to start allowing people in at 0800, and we were many hours away from being anywhere near the front. So we got comfortable, made sure that we had everything ready to move when security opened and enjoyed each other’s company because we had to get used to it for the rest of the day.
Everything was going smoothly initially, with a nice orderly queue snaking through the park that we were in but this didn’t last very long. With no fences to keep this order, it didn’t take long before people took the direct route to the checkpoint that we were aiming for. It was utter chaos! There was pushing, there was shoving, there were security guards getting very angry and threatening to somehow “close” the “queue” that had become a mass of bodies. As all of this was going on the police just stood by and watched with bemusement at the mass of human beings in front of them.
This scrum continued for the best part of an hour as it became a mixture of trying to ensure that we stayed together as a group whilst at the same time holding our place in the “queue”. Thankfully, we just about managed to get through as a collective and once we are through this bottleneck, the queue calmed down to one of a more orderly manner. You’re probably wondering how we kept ourselves entertained as this queue slowly moved forward? There was only one thing for it: a cappella karaoke. From Queen to Disney and anything in between.
Finally, after all of that and roughly 4-5 hours passing by, we made it in and the next part of our task was to try and find ourselves a spot to sit in that wasn’t obstructed by trees, already taken or directly next to the portaloos. Everyone push forward to the very front of the park, naturally thinking this would give them the best view. Unfortunately, it was clear these spots had already been taken and left you looking for elsewhere. It was one of those instances of you having to gamble on pushing what would be the best place, hoping there’d be space or guarantee you get somewhere that’s not top tier but still good.
Thankfully, thinking outside of the box we managed to find a spot that fit the criteria! The bonus was that it gave a great view between the trees that nicely framed the Sydney Opera House in front of the Harbour Bridge. We settled for here, setting up camp for the rest of the day.
With roughly another 10 or 11 hours, it was spent eating, drinking, sleeping, reading, card games; you name it we tried it. Ultimately, it was a very pleasant and wholesome afternoon spent with a group of strangers that I’d met only 48 hours.
Day 9 - 1 January
Happy New Year! The countdown happened, the fantastic fireworks display erupted and we all celebrated seeing the New Year in in Sydney, Australia. What an experience it was, to see in the New Year with a small group of people that I’d met 48 hours ago. This right here is what travelling is all about in my eyes.
We enjoyed the fireworks, hugged, celebrated, got a lovely little group photo and then it was time to pack up. I had another one of my crazy ideas that I managed to persuade everyone into joining. Returning to the hostel at around half past one walking back from the park, I quickly packed a bag ready for my idea in the morning before getting into bed and setting my alarm for only three hours later.
Now, you’re reading this and probably wondering “what on earth?” was I meant to be doing after sleeping only three hours? Well, your answer to that question is this: It was time to go and enjoy the sunrise! And there’s only one place or it was here in Sydney: Bondi Beach! Wondering how many people actually we’re going to be joining me from my adventure I silently slipped out of my room headed down to the reception to be found by three on the posse from the day before.
With it being roughly 45 minutes away via a trip on the Metro followed by a bus, we arrived just in time to enjoy the sunrise. Setting down our bags, I quickly undressed and headed into the ocean as the sun was peeping through the clouds and over the horizon, showering me in its golden hue.
In my eyes, there is no better way to bring in a New Year than by embracing the refreshing ocean water whilst the sun rises. The moment was simply magical and one of the things that I want to live for! It somewhat refreshes and cleanses the mind, body and soul.
Just casting my mind back to this moment makes me crave the warm embrace of the sea and its revitalising nature. As I enjoyed the warm embrace of the ocean, the rest of the group sat on the beach, admiring the sunrise in front of them not daring to enter the water. Enticing them to come and join me in the refreshing nature of the ocean, it was to no avail. As much as I considered picking one of them up to bring them in, I decided against it.
Drying off and re-dressing myself, we decided to take a slow walk from Bondi Beach along the coastal path down to Coogee beach. With the sun rising to our left, engulfed in the golden hue its rays gave off, this further emphasised the beauty of the scenery. It was at this point that I decided to call home and wish her a Happy New Year. Noting that in the fact that I was in 2018 whilst they were in 2017 still, gave me a perfect opportunity for all of those cheesy jokes about being so last year.
The original plan for me had been to walk down the beach front, arriving in Coogee Beach for brunch. However, by the time that we got to Coogee Beach, noting that we may walk to that slower than planned, I realised there wasn’t enough time to properly sit down and enjoy my first meal of the year. I’d have been left to either rush or miss out on later plans. Plus a nap was much needed so we headed back to hostel to go off on our separate plans.
Now, you may be wondering what’s happened to my usual plan. Is there something that I usually do in every city that I’ve yet to do in this one noting that I’ve been here now for three days. Well, you’ll be glad to know it is here: Time for a free Walking Tour!
After a much needed nap following my small amount of sleep, it was free Walking Tour time, which took you around all of Sydney, telling you everything about the history such as the origins of Australia as a nation, the older buildings and their origin, some of the more newer additions such as the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Then for those are into it, there’s the Contemporary arts scene with Sydney being the home to many artistic installations as well as it being the scene of some big blockbuster films such as The Matrix.
Walking Tour was run by I’m Free Walking Tours, and was definitely worth my time learning about the complex history of not just Sydney but Australia as a whole.
The plan for the evening was another one based around meeting people I’d previously met on trips around the world. As a collective, we headed it for dinner at Munich Brauhaus, who specialise in German food in particular schnitzels and I must admit these were rather good, providing great value for money. What is dinner was to finish the day before we took a leisurely stroll along to the Opera House to grab ourselves drinks from the bar and then sit by the harbour, taking in the pleasant night time atmospherics and views.
Day 10 - 2 January
There’s only one thing that took up my day 10: pack up and get ready for me to move north further up the east coast, ready for my next stop on my amazing Australian adventure. The next location on my tour was Cairns up in the more northern areas of Queensland, known for its tropical scenery and wildlife, and the ability to immerse yourself in it all on a variety of adventures. Alongside that there is also the element of Gilligan’s hostel, which is an (in)famous hostel to stay in but I was mainly looking forward to embracing some more mother nature whilst I was there.
What I Missed
Of course, there are a few things that I missed again that I’ll detail here to inspire your future trips or my own:
- Nightlife – With it being a big city and one that I’d heard a decent amount about when it comes to the nightlife, if I had time, I would have loved to embrace it.
- East Coast – I explored much of the city but the vibe and culture of the coast line must be something completely different. It would have been great to have immersed myself in it more, as I can imagine it would be a lot more relaxed and slower paced.
- Surfing – This is going to be a recurring thing amongst this Australian trip but when you have so many great beaches down the coast line, the fact I didn’t go surfing at any point must be some sort of crime.
- Sydney Harbour Bridge – If you have the funds and time for it, you can climb on top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which will give you a very different perspective of the city.
- Outdoor adventures – With all the beaches, national parks and outdoor beauty, this is something that I don’t think I would have ever “finished”.
Another blog finished and another city covered. That finishes off this blog bringing you more motivation and more inspiration for travelling and exploring the east coast of Australia as well as giving you thoughts for the future as to where in the world you may want to bring in the New Year, be it home or away. Hopefully you enjoyed the read, maybe even so much so you should consider following me on my social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram. These can all be found in the buttons below or at the top of the page which ever takes your fancy. Be sure to like and follow me across all platforms and you’ll be one of the first to hear about when the next blog is released, whether it be about travel, lifestyle or fitness. Not only that you’ll be able to see and hear about my thoughts in every day life, what I get up to day to day and receive extra pieces of motivation.
