Out of every city that we went to in Australia, Sydney was my favorite. There was just something about it that was so fun and easy going and it honestly reminded me of LA with the buildings, food, diverse people, and the struggle of getting around with public transportation. Also, the weather was always warm with a blue sky and that made it so we could do a lot of fun, outdoorsy activities.

Sights and Activities.

Sydney Opera House

On our first day in Sydney, we got to take a beautiful boat ride under the Sydney Harbor Bridge and past the iconic, Sydney Opera House. All of my life I’ve wanted to see it and finally I can say I have! The opera house is not only amazing on the outside, but it is also super cool on the inside. When we saw a piano concert there, the room we were in was decorated and designed beautifully and being a piano player myself, I was blown away hearing the music played in that room! Obviously, the Sydney Opera House is a “must see” when you are in Sydney.

Luna Park

When we went to Luna Park it wasn’t just any old Australian amusement park. We went on Halloween because we did not want to miss out on one of our favorite holidays of the year. Little did we know that it would be one of the scariest days of our life. When we arrived, we were greeted by employees dressed as zombies, but they didn’t just have face paint on, they were talking drowsily and really playing the part. That gave us a scare, but it wasn’t until we entered the park that we actually thought about sprinting out of the joint. Inside, every employee was dressed really creepy and most of the visitors also took it really seriously. Every now and then we would get chased by insane clowns that were screaming at the top of their lungs or scary twins dressed in bloody clothes that would silently creep up on you. It was horrifying, but we still had a fun time doing awesome rides, eating “scary floss,” and trying our best to block the scary people out of our path. My favorite ride was called The Mouse Trap and at one point, it looked as if we might zoom right into the harbor in front of the Sydney Opera House!

Taronga Zoo

The Taronga Zoo was probably one of my favorite activities in Australia. They have amazing animals like koalas, kangaroos, giraffes, emus, elephants, pandas, all types of reptiles, and much, much more. But, not only can you see the animals from a distance, you can do close-up encounters with multiple animals. My favorite activities were feeding the giraffes, going extremely close to koalas, and doing an awesome ropes course above kangaroos, wallabies, and emus laying crazy colored eggs. The Taronga Zoo is an all around  great experience for people who love animals and adventure!

Sea Life Sydney Aquarium

Unlike the not so good aquarium in LA, the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium is a great place to see amazing sea creatures from great views. We saw sharks, manatees, crazy fish, sting rays, and more. The coolest part of all were the glass tunnels that you walk through and see all types of things swimming past you. I never knew how cool sting rays looked from the bottom! Another feature that made this aquarium better than others, was that there was a perfect path throughout the whole thing. It did not leave you lost like the one in Long Beach!

Bondi Beach To Bronte Beach

On a perfect day, like the day we went, the walk from Bondi Beach to Bronte Beach is mandatory. When we started in Bondi Beach, we hung out for a while, watching amazing surfers and playing in the sand because the water was freezing. Then we started our walk and stopped by the Bondi Icebergs Pool where the whole pool is made of freezing ocean water. We so badly wanted to try it, but it turns out you had to schedule it in advance. Anyways, we continued the walk on a beautiful cliff and when we went, there was a special art exhibition along the whole walk. So many of the art pieces were made of recycled materials and my favorite one was this bamboo ball on the side of a cliff. It was so cool because we could go in it and see over the cliff! After that, we kept going until we reached Bronte Beach. Bronte Beach was especially cool because there were huge random objects like flip flops sitting on the beach as art! It was such an awesome experience. We had a great lunch in Bronte before taking the bus back to Sydney.

Food.

Chur Burger

Ok. This was definitely the best burger I’ve ever eaten in my whole life. Luckily, Chur Burger is in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane so it’s hard to miss. I got their classic burger and it was absolutely heavenly. It is also an easy going restaurant, it’s not crowded, and the people that work there are nice and talkative. This is obviously a place you need to go if you’re in Australia.

Single O

If you’re looking for some amazing breakfast in Surry Hills, head straight to Single O. Everyone there is super friendly and it has a really cool vibe and good music. Out of the 3 times that we went there, I got their delicious fried eggs on toast and their insanely fluffy orange juice. It was so good that it never got old. It’s a really small place with only about 5 tables, but you can also get coffee and pastries to go from the take-out window.

Madame Nhu

On the rainy day that we arrived in Sydney, we went to a delicious pho place called Madame Nhu. We pretty much walked right in and they gave us recommendations on what to eat and then we had an amazing welcome to Sydney! I got their classic pho and we also loved the spring rolls so much that we literally got 3 orders of them. I highly recommend this great little neighborhood restaurant.

Vacanza Pizzeria

The Vacanza Pizzeria is an all-around delicious dinner place. My mom, my sister, and I were all starving and once we ordered, they got our food to us quickly. I got a margherita pizza, my favorite, and it was just as good as I hoped it would be! Aside from the amazing pizza, the service was nice and the location was great for us. My mom said Vacanza Pizzeria was literally as good as any pizza in Italy!

The Bogey Hole Cafe

If you are tired and hungry after your walk from Bondi to Bronte, head right over to The Bogey Hole Cafe. I know that there are many cafes to choose from on the main street, but trust me, this one will be amazing. I got their banana crepes and they were great. The thing I liked most about them was that they were not as sweet as most American crepes. They were light, yummy, and came with a small glass of syrup. It was the perfect lunch after an amazing walk.

Treats.

Gelato Messina

Gelato Messina is the perfect afternoon treat on a hot day in Sydney. They have a wide selection of flavors from the classics to pear and rhubarb. On the first day that we went, I got milk chocolate with peanut butter fudge and on the second day, I got tiramisu. Both of them were SO good and I wish we went there every day! The place has benches outside, but beware- the gelato is so good that they might have a long line.

Good to know…

Currency: Australian Dollar

Weather: When we went, in the spring, it was definitely hotter than Melbourne and was pretty much always a solid 75 degrees.

Transportation: Other than walking and taking boats, there is not much public transportation that was easy for us to navigate. I don’t think you need to rent a car, but expect to take taxis!