Download Sydney & NSW holiday planner (PDF, 2.6MB)

Photographs
above left to right: The Rocks and Sydney
Harbour; King Street Wharf (Sydney Harbour
Foreshore Authority); Statue in Royal Botanic
Gardens (Jaime Plaza/Botanic Gardens Trust)
cafés, a weekend market, some wonderful
restaurants, great shopping and some of the
best views on earth.
Darling Harbour
This horseshoe-shaped bay on the western side
of the city is where Sydneysiders come to play.
Attractions in the area include the Powerhouse
Museum, the Sydney Aquarium, Sydney Wildlife
World, Star City Casino, the Chinese Gardens,
the Australian National Maritime Museum and
the waterside restaurant complexes at Cockle
Bay Wharf and King Street Wharf – all arranged
around a sparkling waterside park.
City centre
The city of Sydney stretches from the harbour
and the Royal Botanic Gardens in the north to
Chinatown and Central Station in the south.
Within this compact boundary there is plenty
to keep any visitor busy and entertained – great
shopping, good cafés and restaurants, bars,
gardens and parks. There are also many fine
heritage buildings, museums, galleries
and tourist attractions.
Inner city
Sydney’s inner city areas are lively precincts, full
of activity and offering much to enjoy.
Paddington
Oxford Street, Paddington’s high street, is
Sydney’s fashion artery, a 1-km boulevard of
boutiques, cafés and homeware shops,
surrounded by pretty Victorian terrace houses.
Paddington, about 2 km (1.5 miles) from the
city, is at its best on Saturday morning, when
Paddington Markets attracts the crowds to the
upper end of Oxford Street.
Continue along Oxford Street to Centennial
Park, the sprawling green playground of the
eastern suburbs – 220 hectares of palm-lined
avenues, fig-tree groves and paperbark-fringed
lakes with a chic café and cycling and horseriding
tracks.
Kings Cross
Sydney’s premier nightclub district is not for
the fainthearted. More sedate by day and a riot
of neon and noise by night, it’s a 15-minute
walk east of the city.
Newtown
Located 3 km (2 miles) south-west of the city,
Newtown is a bustling suburb crowded with
cafés, restaurants and boutiques. It’s popular
with students, alternative lifestylers and
Sydney’s hip community.
Harbourside villages
The harbour has many delightful, accessible
pockets to explore.
Double Bay
Only 3 km (2 miles) east of the city, Double Bay
is synonymous with glamour. Its small but
elegant shopping precinct stars famous
designer names, and locals come here to buy
gourmet food and fashion accessories, or to
meet friends at one of the European-style
pavement cafés.
SYDNEY’S SUBURBS
Sydneysiders have their own way of
describing the different precincts that
make up the city.
The lower north shore includes the
harbourside suburbs north of the
Harbour Bridge while the upper north
shore comprises quiet, leafy suburbs
further up the rail line.
In the eastern suburbs, between the
city and the coast, is some of Sydney’s
most expensive real estate.
The inner west stretches from the city
to the Balmain peninsula, while the
western suburbs extend towards the
Blue Mountains.
The northern beaches include all the
beaches along the coast from Manly
to Palm Beach.
South of Sydney Airport are the
southern suburbs, which include
Cronulla beach, Botany Bay and
the Royal National Park.
sydney.com SYDNEY AT A GLANCE 7