It was really early in the morning, I was still contemplating whether to cuddle in the bed or get out to do some touristy stuff. We had really busy weeks before we landed in Sydney and I was super exhausted. My wife is an energy bubble and she pulled me out of the bed. I woke up half hearted to her lovely smile and simply couldn’t say that I want to rest. With my Australian coffee in hand, I was all set for the adventure.
Highlights
- Morning walk at Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair to enjoy the spectacular views of the Sydney Harbor
- Sydney Town Hall>> Hyde Park>> Sydney Tower>> Forgotten Songs
- Seagull feeding at the Manly Beach
Our walk to Mrs. Macquarie Chair was serene. This chair is made of sandstone rocks and was carved by hand by the convicts in 1810 for the wife of Governor Macquarie. The area around the chair offers superb views of the Sydney harbor. Morning orange sky, cool breeze, deep blue waters, white Opera House and the Black Sydney Harbor Bridge, all visible in a single frame! Truly mesmerizing!!
Thought it was quite difficult to leave this place, we had to walk back to reach Sydney Town Hall by 10:30 AM for the Free walking tour of the Sydney Town! This 2.5 hours tour takes you through some of the historic sites and government buildings of Sydney. Find more details here.
The area surrounding the Town Hall was a cemetery 200 years ago. The government dug up all the bodies and it took them nearly 20 years to build the town hall. I couldn’t imagine how it looked 200 years ago! The street adjoining the Town Hall is the George street. This street, as we know today is very different than how it will be in 2019. The road is getting revamped to accommodate trams and pavements. I am glad I saw the current look of the city and look forward to another visit after 2019.
Our next stop was quite strange. It was the statue of the Queen Victoria’s dog. Queen Victoria was very fond of pets especially dogs. Her dog accompanied her all the way from Britain to Sydney when she arrived here. This statue is in the memory of this event and the cute little creature! Try going close to the statue and you might be amazed by what follows! I will leave it as a suspense! 😉
Walking with the tour, we reached the Hyde Park. Named after the Hyde Park in London, it is the oldest surviving parkland in whole of Australia. Though it is located in the Central Business District (one of the costliest real estates in Sydney), it is still preserved by the local government due to its historical importance.
Hyde park used to be an open area and was named so by General Macquaire in 1810 as a recreation ground for the inhabitants and the practice ground for the troops. It had drain lanes beneath, which connected the city to Busby’s Bore, a large water resource made by convict laborers. This was the first attempt to develop a large scale water resource system for the city. Another interesting aspect here is about horse racing. Seven Arab horses were the first horses to be brought to Australia and then there population grew eventually. The Hyde Park used to be the only venue for the official Horse Racing at that time. These days, Hyde park is a picnic spot for the locals. October is famous as ‘Good Food Month‘ and there are many food events going on here. An absolute paradise for food lovers!
Next we saw the Sydney Tower, at the Market Street. With a total height of 309m, this is the second tallest tower in the whole southern hemisphere, 2nd only to the ‘Auckland’s Sky Tower’. The observatory at the top of the tower, offers beautiful views of the entire city and the Sydney Harbor. There are 4 sections at the top which are open to public. These sections have 3 restaurants and an event space, which interestingly is the highest event place in the whole of the Southern Hemisphere. Isn’t this amazing?
A stunning site now awaited us as our next stop. This was the ‘Forgotten Songs’ art work at the Angel Palace. I must admit, I had never seen such a concept before. This a beautiful artwork by the artist Michael Thomas Hill to commemorate the beautiful fauna of the city of Sydney before the European settlement. As you can see below, the artwork consists of 120 bird cages hung through the street in memory of the birds that used to flock here at one point in time. 50 species of such birds were identified and their audio recordings were gathered with the help from wildlife scientists.
These birds’ chirruping or songs can now be heard throughout the street in the memory of old times. The songs are also separated into day songs and night songs and have also been programmed to ensure that in winter, the nights are longer and in summer, the days are longer. This artwork was actually a temporary artwork created during an art festival in Sydney. But due to its popularity amongst the locals, it is now a permanent establishment. Fascinating, isn’t it?
This was the last stop of our tour. An incredible experience overall. We then walked to the Sydney harbor for a late lunch. This area is quite happening bustling with lots of tourists, locals, shops, food stalls and lots of artist performances!
We were super excited by the way we spent our day so far and wanted to explore more! We had a choice between the coastal walk ‘Bondi to Bronte’ or visiting the Manly beach. It was quite sunny so we decided to visit the Manly Beach by taking a ferry. If you have time, I will highly recommend the coastal walk as it is very scenic.
We boarded the ferry from Wharf 3 at Circular Quay. It takes about 30 mins to reach Manly beach. The ferry ride offers beautiful views of the Sydney Harbor Bridge, Sydney Harbor and the Opera House. Money Saver Tip: On Sundays, this trip is AUD 2.5 otherwise it is AUD 14. This beach is famous for its strong wind current and hence is a great place for kite surfers. The wind currents and the weather also attracts a lot of seagulls esp. during the Spring. It’s a great opportunity to get very close to seagulls, play with them and feed them. It might get a little cold due to strong winds. Hence, I will suggest to visit there in the afternoon and carry wind cheaters.
Overall, another great day spent in the heart of the ‘Sydney’. Another tick mark in my bucket list. Do let us know which were some of the attractions you loved the most during your visit to Sydney!
Check Out How we Spent Our Other 2 Days in Sydney:
Day 1 Exploring the Rocks. Click here.
Day 3 trip to Blue Mountains via Feather Dale National Park, click here.
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Such an awesome budget trip! I love the fact that you included many free things which can be done in Sydney. How much does the ferry from Wharf 3 at Circular Quay cost?
It can be very easy to get stuck in the tourist trap and go for events and outings that will completely rip you off in terms of price. I am pleased that Sydney is not as expensive as I thought it would be and I like that it can be done on a budget! Yay x
Great tips!! I love it, so many overpriced places these days!! Thanks 💜
Always great reading about my new hometown. I did not know about the Forgotten Songs in Angel Place. Thanks for the heads up!
Oh wow! Now I miss Sydney more than I did.
These are such great ideas! I would love to visit Sydney some day! I’ll definitely have to add this to my bucket list 🙂
Sydney is as cool a city as any in the world. I visited a few years back, but I never found that street with the cages, that looked awesome!
Very nice pictures!
That newspaper thing is just so….authentic? And I like your pose with that. Sydney harbour seems like a lovely cultural experience to take in what the city is really like.. Seems like you had a blast!
What a gorgeous city! Is one week enough to stay in Sydney or is that too long? Would love to visit!
Sydney is a dream destination! My brother went last year and totally loved it! Hope to visit there soon!
Sydney is a gorgeous city and has been on my bucket list ! The paper looks so real:O The harbour views are splendid. I’d love to take a morning walking tour and soak in the city. The picture of the kitesurfers not he beach and the gull is too good!
When I finally scored a discounted flights to Sydney and other opportunities, definitely I will go and will drop everything just to go. I would loves to experience the Aussie life even just a week.
I would love to visit Sydney. My husband has gone there a few time and has always really loved it.
I’ve always wanted to go to Sydney! Your pictures are amazing and reading your post is making me want to go even more 🙂
Louise x
Wow, Sydney is one of my favorite cities and you’ve captured it so well 🙂 Somehow I always miss the street performers when I visit there, though! How fun! I love the kitesurfing picture of Manly Beach — I actually didn’t know it got so windy over there.
I have to agree! The newspaper does look so real!!! Indeed a fascinating statue!
Statue of Queen Victoria’s dog??? Whoa! Quite strange indeed!
Such a wide cost difference between weekday and sunday for the ferry?! Thanks for the tip.
I’m living through this post vicariously! I have always wanted to visit Sydney! It’s definitely on my bucket list and I’m going to make it happen soon! I’ll check out these places while we’re there!
I am not going to Sydney anytime soon, but … what’s there near the dog statue? So curious now!
Everything that I read about Sydney is really interesting. I like how you transmit your experience that appear to be enticing. I haven’t been here, but seems like I’m traveling with you while reading this. Your photos are really beautiful as well. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.
I love the pictures! I have never been to Australia before, but I’d definitely love visit someday. 🙂
This looks like an amazing day. But now I’m desperate to find out about the dog statue!
Sydney is definitely one place on my travel bucket list!!!! Looks like y’all had one fabulous time on your trip!
Our family would love to visit Australia. I’m sure we’ll make it there eventually and have a pretty long list of must see attractions.
Oh wow I can’t wait to visit sydney! We are definitely making a trip in the upcoming years. We have family out there (Sydney, melbourne, and queensland) and really want to connect with them.
Sydney is such a beautiful city! I personally would love to visit the cricket ground in the city and chill at the Manly Beach 🙂
Australia is like a dream come true! It is a FAR flight for me though!
Beautiful pictures telling us exact same things which you guys explored, so many awesome things 🙂 Amazing!
the seagull feeding will be lovely, i love the traditional outfit the guys above have and all your images are nice, i haven’t been to Australia before but hopefully someday i will.
wow! I had no idea how much there is to see in Sydney. Australia is on my bucket list.
Sydney is such a vibrant and developed city of Southern Hemisphere. You have given all the details and beautiful pictures of Sydney.
This is so pretty! What a great little diary & I love the statue of the dog haha!
Best,
Rebecca
Your pictures are fantastic. I would so love to visit Sydney one day. The Forgotten Songs art installation is so beautiful!
I would love to visit Australia! I don’t know if I could actually make the flight (I have a pretty big fear of flying), but it is so beautiful there, and so many awesome things to do!
The Queen Victoria’s dog reminded me of Bobby’s statue in Edinburgh!
Sydney is a gorgeous city! Mrs Macquarie a chair is the perfect spot for a view of the harbour and you did the right thing getting on the ferry to manly! My favourite place in Sydney. Loved your photographs!
we’ve never been to Australia but it is definitely on the bucket list and these are some fab ideas to keep us occupied! Sydney is always a staple place to visit.
This lools so beautiful, I’ve always wanted to go to Austrailia. I’d love to see some performances!
My grandmother was born in Sydney. I have always wanted to go there and see where she came from. I just think Sydney may be the neatest city on the planet!
There is so much cool stuff to do and see in Sydney! Admittedly, I have wanted to feed the seagulls there ever since I saw Finding Nemo, lol
Great pictures and my husband is always talking about his trip to Australia, I have never been there. The Forgotten Songs sculpture is so neat. I really need to get there.
I would love to visit Sydney!! The view of the harbor and hyde park are awesome! Also, that statue with the newspaper looks totally real!!