Hey there! Happy New Year! It's hard to believe that it's already almost 2020. This year has been full of ups and downs, but what I will remember most are the fun adventures that I embarked on and the incredible places that I was lucky enough to visit. 2019 provided me with the opportunity to visit Boston, North Carolina, Los Angeles/Anaheim, Singapore, Bali, Lake Tahoe, Carmel/Monterey, Sydney, and Hawai'i. In this post, I'll be talking about my trip to Sydney, Australia. Keep reading for some travel tips, highlights, and more! We decided to travel from Honolulu to Sydney this break so that we could visit some more family. If for some reason this opportunity ever arises for you, I'd jump at it! This not only breaks up the travel time (10 hours is much more manageable), but also helps a lot with jet lag. The time difference between the two cities is a cool 21 hours - which sounds difficult, but it's actually not bad at all, because it will be daytime at pretty much the same time in both places.
Now, let's get into some things that you should see! Of course, visiting the iconic Sydney Opera House is must. You can get there by taking public transportation to the Circular Quay station; my family walked there because it was about 20 minutes from where we were staying in the Central Business District (CBD). I'd recommend trying to go early in the morning to beat the crowds, but it's also not a bad idea to go back one day at dusk/sunset, when all of the city lights are on! Sydney Harbour and the Harbour Bridge are both located right there as well, as is the Sydney Contemporary Art Museum and The Rocks Market (open Friday-Saturday only). My family walked Harbour Bridge, which provided some spectacular views of the city. I'd recommend starting from the southern end at the Milsons Point railway station so that you can see Sydney as you walk in. The walk was only about 30 minutes, and it's easy - I did it in my platform sandals. The Rocks Market, an open-air market with everything from vegan coconut soft serve to bath bombs and clocks, is located right at the ending point of the Harbour Bridge walk. We stumbled upon it but found some delicious vegan treats! Darling Harbour is another place that you might want to visit. It's especially pretty at sunset! You can walk across the bridge, shop at the nearby mall, stop for some food at the food court or one of the restaurants, and hang out in the large fields and parks. If you're looking for a way to cool down in the warm summer heat, I'd recommend going to the world-famous Bondi Beach, which you can get to quickly with public transportation. The beach is very crowded, but it's stunning, with sparkling white sand and big frothy waves. It's a popular spot for surfers, as well. The area around the beach has a laid-back, beach-town vibe, which I thoroughly enjoyed. There's also a fantastic vegan pie restaurant called Funky Pies that my family and I went to; it was only a 5 minute walk from the beach! Sydney is also known for its abundance of unique wildlife, so I'd definitely recommend visiting a zoo while you're there. While I know that some zoos in the US are for-profit enterprises that don't do much good, I was confident that this was not the case at Taronga Zoo in Sydney. From kangaroos to capybaras to platypuses, we were thoroughly impressed with the animals at the zoo. I'd like to note that you can no longer hold koalas in most of Australia because it's unhealthy for them. But, Taronga Zoo has an option for a private koala encounter for $29.95 AUD, where up to 4 people can go into a special enclosure with some of the koalas and take pictures. The price includes a printed professional photograph, so I felt that it was well worth it! The zoo also a cable car that takes you from either end of the park, and the views of the city from there are wonderful. Overall, we all had a great time. Even the food was good - I had a delicious (and reasonably-priced!) roasted vegetable salad for lunch; all of the ingredients were listed for most of the dishes, as well, which was great for my allergies. Speaking of food, Sydney's food scene is really quite impressive. My family made a couple of trips to Chinatown, which had some great Asian meals. We also visited the Sydney Fish Market (I can't eat seafood, but my family liked the oysters and sushi there) as well as some other small cafes and restaurants around town. You can find virtually any kind of cuisine in Sydney, from Greek to Chinese to Italian and everything in between. In addition, the city is relatively health-conscious and allergy-conscious, so speaking to waiters and waitresses was not much of a hassle at all. A lot of the menus have labeled gluten-free and vegan options. At the grocery stores, there are tons of options for allergy-friendly snacks, milks, and more. We bought a lot of crackers and snacks to bring home! I'd also like to quickly touch on public transportation in Sydney. Essentially: it's great. You can choose from the ferry, light rail, train, and bus; they all run efficiently and frequently. If you'll be in the city for a few days, I'd recommend getting an Opal card from a station or convenience store, as you can use that card on any of the aforementioned transportation methods for very low prices. Children and youth are half-price as well. The cost for transportation is higher with single-use tickets than with an Opal card, but overall, transportation in Sydney is very, very good. This website is extremely helpful for planning your trips. It'll tell you how much it'll cost, compare the ferry/train/light rail/bus routes, and more! Overall, I truly enjoyed my first trip to Australia. We were super lucky with the weather and the smoke from the bush fires, as it only got extremely hot and visibly hazy on our last day. Sydney is an incredible place, and it has everything from beaches to famous landmarks. I hope that I can go back Down Under one day - to Sydney, and to visit some of the other amazing places there. Thank you so much for reading this post! I hope that you learned some things that you can use if you ever go to Sydney. Best wishes to you for a wonderful 2020 filled with new adventures and experiences!
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AuthorHi, I'm Amanda! I'm 18 years old and live in California. Outside of school, I love photography, traveling, reading, gymnastics, diving, DIYs, vegan baking and cooking, and spending time with my friends and family. Categories
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