What to do in Sydney, Australia's largest city?
Sydney is the largest and oldest city in Australia and the capital of New South Wales. It used to be a place for exile of criminals and attracted countless gold diggers. Today, it has transformed into the fifth most livable city in the world, with a pleasant climate, clean environment and high quality of life. For tourists, Sydney has a picturesque harbor, world-famous landmarks, charming sunshine and beaches, and fresh and delicious seafood. Everything can be found here.
Many tourists who visit Australia for the first time will choose Sydney as their first stop. The reason is simple: Sydney is the easiest city to reach in Australia (with the most international flights), and it also has the most complete urban transportation system and mature tourism facilities, allowing tourists to easily visit major attractions in a short period of time. Among Sydney’s many must-see attractions, Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Hyde Park, Darling Harbour & Sydney Fish Market, Blue Mountain and WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo will all be introduced in detail in other articles. This time, we will focus on introducing some other attractions in the city that are easier to miss.
Sydney's most famous beaches are Bondi Beach and Manly Beach. The beaches are not far from Sydney city. It only takes about 30 minutes to take a bus from the city center to Bondi Beach, and it only takes 30-40 minutes to take a ferry to Manly Beach. It is very convenient. Both beaches have clear water and fine sand, and there are many scenic restaurants, boutiques and bars along the way. You can spend a leisurely afternoon here after swimming. In addition, the coast has strong Pacific waves, attracting surfers from all over the world to challenge the huge waves.
Hyde Park Barracks is located in Hyde Park. It was once a prison with a history of more than 200 years. It is a World Cultural Heritage Site rated by UNESCO and has now been transformed into a museum for tourists to visit. The museum houses more than 100,000 daily necessities of great historical value, reflecting the lives of the prisoners who were exiled here, such as various labor tools, torture instruments, clothing and even prisoners' beds (which were hammocks made of linen at the time). It is the best place to understand the early history of Sydney.
The Australian National Maritime Museum is located in Darling Harbour, facing the Sydney Aquarium on the opposite bank. At the door are the HMAS Vampire D11 and a replica of an 18th-century tall ship. Visitors also have the opportunity to board these two ships and take photos. The Oceanographic Museum has more than 40,000 exhibits, mainly various cultural themes related to navigation, ocean, navy, etc. It is a must-visit pilgrimage site for military enthusiasts. In addition, the museum also houses many precious specimens and historical materials, and regularly holds temporary exhibitions with various themes. The content is diverse and well worth a visit.
Sydney Aquarium (SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium) houses more than 12,000 animals of 650 species and is one of the largest marine life museums in the world. There are 16 theme pavilions in the museum where you can explore various marine creatures including penguins, sharks, turtles, jellyfish, dugongs, seahorses, and various marine and tropical fish. In addition, there are 9 interactive exhibition areas in the aquarium where you can learn various knowledge about the ocean and its creatures through teaching clips and personal experience. In the aquarium, visitors often walk through the transparent glass tunnel in the water and watch sharks, manta rays, etc. passing by overhead, which is a very special experience.
Finally, we have to mention The Rocks, the trendy holiday market; Sydney Tower Eye, the second tallest building in Australia, which overlooks the entire Sydney Harbour; the Queen Victoria Building, an ancient building in the 19th century British architectural style, which is now a large shopping mall in Sydney; Hunter Valley, Australia's oldest grape-growing area and a major wine-producing area, and so on. So next time you come to Sydney, remember not to leave in a hurry, and reserve at least three days. Finally, I have to mention that the attractions introduced in this article are all the ones I visited when I visited Sydney several years ago. They may be a little out of date and may not include the latest information. I hope you can understand.