Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

WHAT TO SEE & DO IN SYDNEY 143
caged pool area for swimming. Reach Balmoral via a ferry to Taronga Zoo and
then a 5-minute ride on a connecting bus from the ferry wharf, or catch the bus
from the stop outside the zoo’s top entrance.
MUSEUMS, GALLERIES, HISTORIC HOUSES & MORE
Art Gallery of New South Wales The numerous galleries here present
some of the best of Australian art and many fine examples by international artists,
including good displays of Aboriginal and Asian art. You enter from The Domain
parklands on the third floor of the museum. On the fourth floor you will find an
expensive restaurant and a gallery often showing free photography displays. On
the second floor is a wonderful cafe overlooking the wharves and warships of
Woolloomooloo. Every January and February there is a fabulous display of the
best work created by school students throughout the state. Allow at least 1 hour.
Art Gallery Rd., The Domain. & 02/9225 1744. www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au. Free admission to most galleries.
Special exhibitions vary; expect to pay around A$12 (US$7.80) adults, A$7 (US$4.55) children. Daily
10am–5pm. Tours of general exhibits Mon 1 and 2pm; Tues–Fri 11am, noon, 1 and 2pm; Sat–Sun 11am, 1
and 2pm. Tours of Aboriginal galleries Tues–Sun 11am. Free Aboriginal performance Tues–Sat noon. CityRail:
St. James. Sydney Explorer bus.
Australian Museum Though nowhere near as impressive as, say, the Natural
History Museum in London, Sydney’s premier natural history museum is still
worth a look. Displays are presented thematically, the best being the Aboriginal
section with its traditional clothing, weapons, and everyday implements. There
are some sorry examples of stuffed Australian wildlife, too. Temporary exhibits
run from time to time. Allow 1 to 2 hours.
6 College St. & 02/9320 6000. www.austmus.gov.au. Admission A$8 (US$5.20) adults, A$3 (US$1.95) children,
A$19 (US$12) families. Special exhibits extra. Daily 9:30am–5pm. Closed Christmas. CityRail: Museum,
St. James, or Town Hall. Sydney Explorer bus.
Customs House This museum, in the sandstone building with the clock and
flags across the large square opposite the Circular Quay CityRail station and the
ferry wharves, opened in December 1998. It’s worth a look inside if you’re interested
in architecture. You might be hooked by the series of modern-art objects
displayed on the ground floor, and the traveling exhibits on the third floor—
though often you won’t be. Outside in the square is a popular cafe selling reasonably
priced coffee, cakes, sandwiches, and the like. Allow 15 minutes.
Alfred St., Circular Quay. & 02/9320 6429. Free general admission. Daily 9:30am–5pm. CityRail, bus, or
ferry: Circular Quay.
Elizabeth Bay House This good example of colonial architecture was built
in 1835 and was described at the time as the “finest house in the colony.” Visitors
can tour the whole house and get a real feeling of the history of the fledgling
settlement. The house is situated on a headland and has some of the best
harbor views in Sydney. Allow 1 hour.
7 Onslow Ave., Elizabeth Bay. & 02/9356 3022. Admission A$7 (US$4.55) adults, A$3 (US$1.95) children,
A$17 (US$11) families. Tues–Sun 10am–4:30pm. Closed Good Friday and Christmas. Bus: 311 from Circular
Quay. Sydney Explorer bus.
Museum of Sydney You’ll need your brain in full working order to make the
most of the contents of this three-story post-modern building near Circular
Quay, which encompasses the remnants of Sydney’s first Government House.
This place is far from being a conventional showcase of history; instead, it
houses a rather minimalist collection of first-settler and Aboriginal objects and
multimedia displays that “invite” the museumgoer to discover Sydney’s past for