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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I love the pic of the opera house in the beginning! I hope one day to get to see Sydney in person! The beaches look amazing!
I didn’t realize that the tower was the second tallest in the Southern Hemisphere.I really want to go to Sydney x
Australia is on the top of my travel bucket list. I would love to spend time in Sydney exploring all the historic sites.
Sydney is high on my husband and I’s list of places we’d love to go. If we’re ever lucky enough, I can’t have a picnic at Hyde park and see the super tall tower! Not to mention a visit to the harbor, there are so many fun things to do there too. Thanks for bringing such a cool place to your readers!
I wish I could go to Sidney in the near future! Been adding lots of places to my bucket list and I’m planning to fulfill them with my family. Soon! <3
I have wanted to go to Sydney for a long time. Looks like you had an amazing trip there. Although I am with you and that statue of a dog. It’s a kind of strange thing to see.
Sydney is on my list of places to go. Glad you enjoyed yourself!
I have always wanted to visit Sydney! Such a long trip from here (New England), but from reading your post it would be totally worth it! Those bird cages are amazing, and truly a living work of art. The view from the top of the Sydney Tower must be surreal! Looks like you had a wonderful trip!
Wow !! your pictures dragging me to travel to Sydney !! Perfect City to explore
So many fun and unique sights! I recently visited Australia but only got to be in Sydney for a few hours 🙁 I would definitely like to go back and see and do many of the things you wrote about!
Walking tours are the best when you travel. Especially since it’s a great way to explore and just get lost in the city that you’re in. This was a lovely experience! I sure would love to visit Sydney someday.
What a gorgeous place! I have always wanted to visit Sydney and this makes me want to visit even more. I hope you have a great time!
I would love to visit Sydney one day! It looks like there is so much to do, and lots of variety too.
I hope one day that I get a chance to visit Australia. I really like that art display of all those cages hanging that is really cool and makes for a really interesting photos .
I’ve always wanted to visit Australia! I’m sure it would be an amazing family visit with my daughters!
I would love to visit Sydney. It is on the shortlist of places that my husband and I want to visit We plan on doing quite a bit of traveling in the next few years so this will be helpful.
Oh wow I would LOVE to visit Sydney! It’s on my list of places I want to visit, one day when the kids are grown! Fab photos too!
Thank you! 😊
Sydney is absolutely beautiful! The architecture always blows me away. I have never been before, but this post inspired me to want to book plane tickets right at this moment!! Dreaming for one day.
Much love,
Ashley | dearash.com
I hope your dreams come true! 😊
I think this is an awesome guide for people who are planning to visit Sydney! I’m glad you were able to go on that walking tour! Sydney is just amazing! So many places to explore!
Yeah! Absolutely! We had a great time and the walking tour was absolutely fantastic!
I think Sydney is a must to go to! It’s always been on my list but I haven’t had the chance to go there yet. I appreciate you sharing your experience! So cool!
I think this is an awesome guide for people who are planning to visit Sydney. It’s great that you were able to go on that walking tour. I think it’s a whole lot of fun! Sydney is just amazing.
Your photos are so beautiful! I don’t know if I will ever get to Australia but I loved traveling vicariously through you! The Sydney Opera house looks amazing!
Thank you for your compliments!😊
These images are incredible! What type of camera do you use?
ALSO! What made you choose Sydney?
I am using Nikon 5200. I went there for a work trip and combined with some tourism! 😀
You are a very lucky to be visiting such a beautiful place. I would love to go with my family!
I went to Australia in highschool for an exchange program and want to go back so bad! Expensive air fare though.
Oh wow! That money saving tip is worth noting. Will bear this in mind and visit on a Sunday if I find myself in Sydney.
Sydney sounds like such a neat place to visit! Thanks for sharing an awesome resource for visitors.
I have always wanted to visit Sydney! My sister did a solo trip there two summers ago and LOVED it. She talks about going back all the time.
Looks like you had the most wonderful time. It’s funny as an Australian I kind of take for granted the beautiful places we have to offer. I’ve visited Sydney many times but never really got to see it through a tourists eyes. Love the post.
My first stop would be to take photos of the Opera House from the Sydney Harbor and then do the tour of the rest of it. Sydney is so beautiful and your photos do it justice.
Great read and beautiful pictures. I have always wanted to visit Australia; with your post, Sydney might be might first stop.
Sydney is a dream destination and looks like there are so many amazing things to explore! I wish to visit there soon!
Pictures are super cool. I hope to visit some day
I’ve never been to Australia, but I would love to some day! Sydney would be a top place to go to if I visit.
I totally didn’t know there was a Hyde Park in Sydney. I only knew of the one in London. Going to Sydney would be a bucket list thing for me too. Love your pictures and it seems like you had so much fun.
OMG! I want to go there! I love that birdcage exhibit and that dog statue is so cool. Great photos and story!
I really hope i can visit Sydney some day.. These pictures made me want it more! You’re so lucky to see so many new places!
I wish I could see Sydney! It looks amazing….what a wonderful trip.
It’s definitely a dream to visit Sydney some day. Forgotten Songs at Angel Palace looks astonishing.
The statue of the man reading a newspaper is uncanny in its realness! Haha. It looks like you trip was such fun. I hope to visit Sydney some time.
I love Sydney, the places you showed are gorgeous and now I know what to visit there 🙂
It looks amazing there. I’ve never been out of the US myself, but this place looks awesome! Definitely something to think about if we plan to travel out of country.
Great post! I loved Sydney and the Forgotten Songs are awesome! Hope you did the Bondi Beach Walk too 🙂
Wow! So many things to do in Sydney. You’ve given me so much inspiration for when I arrive there!
Your pictures are great! Sydney is on my bucket list–hoping to get there in the next couple years!
I’ve never done touring a city early in the morning as I always do it after breakfast but I love the idea! Sidney is a beautiful city and seems like you had a wonderful trip there. The artwork ‘Forgotten Song” is quite fascinating and unique.
I agree the forgotten song exhibition quite literally takes my breath away. It is very different from what I would expect from Sydney I would have to say x
Sydney is beautfiul and I have always wanted to visit the harbor. I like the sound of the street performances and the forgotten songs artwork x
Sydney looks beautiful and I’ve always wished to visit Australia! Thank you for sharing this guide, I’ll check out the others s well 🙂
Samantha | https://samanthacarraro.wordpress.com/