As an avid photographer, I was so excited to come to Australia with my three cameras and to document as much of this beautiful country as I could. My friends constantly made fun of me for juggling between taking pictures on my DSLR, GroPro, Polaroid, and phone, but I was able to get some decent pictures from the hustle. Before arriving in Sydney, I had followed a ton of photography accounts on Instagram, some of them including @australia, @sydney, @saltywings, @beautifuldesintations, and @nswnationalparks for inspiration. Throughout the months approaching my Australia journey, I saved a number of locations of these pictures in order to have a better idea of the most photogenic places that I should make an effort to get to. When traveling, I would always check out some of the area/city’s instagram’s to get a better idea of where to check out on my visit. Some of these helpful accounts included @brisbane, @visitgreatoceanroad, @melbourne, @southernaustralia, @sydneyfun, and @queensland. Instagram proved helpful when traveling for more than just photo reasons, helping us find attractive restaurants to pick out and where we should plan out day trips. By using Instagram, you can gain inspiration from other people that have been to the area and find lots of hidden gems that you may not be able to find via a google search or browse on tripdvisor. Before checking out a new area, I highly recommend browsing through Instagram to get a better idea of all of the best the area has to offer.
In Sydney specifically, I had quite a built out list on my phone of places to check out that I had accumulated through my months of preparation beforehand. Categories included best restaurants, brunch spots, rooftop restaurants, late night dessert shops, and sunset spots, which were then further broken down to separate sections for different suburbs of places to checkout. Using the checklist feature of notes on iPhones, I made an effort to see as much as possible in the five months in Sydney and have to say I am pretty happy with the result. I was able to get through a lot of the list and see a lot in a short amount of time, which I’m fairly proud of! These were some of my favorites:
Restaurants
- Henry Lee – Located near Urbanest Central, this hole in the wall restaurant looks like nothing from the outside but opens up to a large, brick-stone open courtyard with a small kitchen to the right has a very collective menu and delicious open faced breakfast sandwiches.
- Vida Surf Store – One of the most famous acai places in Sydney, this smoothie shop serves a variety of different smoothies, bowls, and wraps. It is centrally located by Bondi Beach, which is perfect for quick walk to the beach with your smoothie.
- The Two Wolves – In Ultimo, right by campus, Cheap Taco Tuesdays.
- El Camino – Free Nachos and good deals on Tuesday nights.
- Coogee Pavilion – Right by Coogee beach, wide variety of food stalls and an amazing view overlooking the water.
- The Wedge – Tiny café hidden on a side street in Glebe with great brunch food. Ideal on a warm day for their outdoor seating.
Brunch
- Speedos Café – Located a short walk down from Bondi Beach. Serves some of the amazing picture worthy brunch places you see on social media.
- Brewtown – Aesthetic coffee shop in Newtown.
- Celsius Coffee Co – Right on the water, cornered inside a small ferry stop. Beautiful views of Sydney Harbor and great breakfast food.
- Smoking Gun – Bagel shop in Wooloomooloo.
- Concrete Jungle – Located in Chippendale, brightly lit brunch place great for smoothie and salad bowls.
- Trio – A delicious, white table cloth breakfast place (that is actually affordable) near Bondi. Opens early so is great to stop in at after watching a legendary Bondi sunrise.
Rooftop Restaurants
- Sweet Hearts – Has outdoor movie nights in the summer months
- Glenmore Hotel – Perfect for a breathtaking view of the Opera House
- The Terrace – Beautiful with fairy lights strung across the terrace. Moderately priced food so best for appetizers.
Late Night Dessert
- Cremeria Deluca – Located in Five Dock, known for their ice cream sandwiches with brioche buns
- Kurtosh – In Surry Hills, known for their cone shaped pastries
- Cow and Moon – Enmore’s world reknown gelato, One of the best places for gelato in Sydney
- KOI Dessert Bar – In Chippendale, Unique dessert combinations
- Pancakes on the Rocks – Open 24/7 for delicious breakfast foods
Sunset Spots
- Dudley Page Reserve – Open field with a playground where you can get pictures on the swings with the city skyline in the background.
- Watson’s Bay – Accessible by bus or ferry. Has a lovely walk up to a lighthouse and many smaller beaches.
- Tamarama Beach – Located in the middle of the Bondi to Coogee walk. One of the quieter beaches that is well known for its surf. For that reason, it is a beautiful place to watch the sunset and take in the local surfers catching the last few waves of the day.
- Mrs Macquarie’s Chair – Located at the tip of the Royal Botanic Gardens, provides beautiful side angle views of the Opera House, Harbor Bridge, and Central Business District skyline.
- Observatory Hill – Beautiful views of the Harbor Bridge to the right and Darling Harbor/Barangaroo to the left.
- Opera Bar Sydney – A restaurant and bar located by the stairs to the Opera House. Provides seating and picnic tables to enjoy your night by the Opera House.
- From a Sydney Harbor Cruise – Catch a harbor cruise (or a ferry from Manly if you’re looking for the budget option) to watch the sunset on the water. It is absolutely beautiful and worth the money.
My list was constantly growing throughout my time in Australia. I felt like the more I explored, the more I found I hadn’t done yet! Although I was able to complete a lot of what I set out to do in Sydney this past semester, I know I will have to be back to complete my list in a few years and to find more to see within this amazing city. I’m looking forward to coming back to these favorites in a few years and seeing how/if anything has changed!
