First Time to Sydney



Sydney Opera House



Last Thursday, Tony and I went to Sydney for a business trip together with one of his business associate. It was my first time to Sydney. It was supposed to be a day trip but I negotiated with Tony to have it extended as it was my first time to Sydney. He agreed and in the end, we stayed for 3 days and 2 nights.

Sydney is a more lively city than Auckland. We stayed in The Grace Hotel (77 York Street) which is in  Sydney CBD Area. It is a restored heritage hotel from the 1930's. Walking distance to all the key sites - The Circular Quay (Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge), The Rocks(Historical Districts), the Sydney Tower, Darling Harbour, Queen Victoria Building and The Strand Arcade (originally built in 1892, is a beautiful old arcade with ornate wrought iron lace balconies and was the last of the Victorian age arcades built in Sydney)

The room is spacious and clean. The bed and the pillows are really soft and comfortable. The only complaint about this hotel is the lift. The lift is not that responsive and it is slow.

There are many historical buildings in Sydney CBD. Queen Victoria Building is one of them. Less than 5minutes away from my hotel. Recognised as a Grand Old Dame of Sydney, the Queen Victoria Building was built in the late 1800s with a majestic Romanesque dome covered with copper and four levels of shops. Restored to its original former glory in 1986, it now has contemporary fashion, art, antiques, jewellery, accessories, shoes, duty-free and plenty of eateries and cafe’s on six levels. Check it out here.

Queen Victoria Building

St James Railway Station

 St Mary's Cathedral located behind St James Railway Station

St Mary's Cathedral is the mother church of Australian Catholicism. With its foundation stone laid in 1868, it is well-known for the intricate mosaic floor in the crypt depicting The Creation.

Our 3 days 2 Nights trip, day one was used for meeting the design house persons in Elizabeth St after touching down in Sydney. The business appointment lasted for more than half a day, we were exhausted by the time the appointment ended. We got up at 4am, got onto a plane at 7am. Arrived at Sydney at 9.30am but was held up at the Sydney for more than one hour as Debra's luggage did not arrived with her. First day ended terribly with a terrible dinner we had at the restaurant opposite our hotel's, we were all too tired to go far for dinner so settled for that restaurant.

Day Two, we got up early wanting to make full use of the remaining time in Sydney to explore/visit as much places as possible. We walked to Darling Harbour which was just less than 10minutes walk from our hotel. The main attraction at Darling Harbour include Harbourside, the Powerhouse Museum, IMAX Theatre, National Maritime Museum, Wildlife World, Sydney Aquarium and Harbour Cruises. 

 

Spanish Omelette



We settled down for breakfast at Cafe Cherry Coffee  which is adjacent to National Maritime. This Cafe served really nice coffee, I ordered a White Chocolate Mocha and it was the BEST Mocha I had drank so far. As for breakfast, I had Spanish Omelette to start my day though it was slightly overcooked. Overall, it was a lovely breakfast .

After breakfast, we took a stroll from Darling Harbour to Circular Quay as it was a must for me to see Sydney Opera House. We walked along  George Street, it was about 30minutes walk. Over at Circular Quay, you will get to see the Sydney Opera House as well as Sydney Harbour Bridge.

 

At the vicinity of Circular Quay, you will find The Rocks which is the site of the first colonial settlement in Australia but today The Rocks is one of Sydney's most exciting shopping, entertainment and dining precincts.

When we were at The Rocks, The Rocks Farmer's Market was on. 

The Rocks Farmer's Market is on every Friday 9am to 3pm at Jack Mundey Place (Corner Argyle and George Streets) It is a small scale market basically selling foods.

The Rocks Weekend Market is on Sat and Sun 10am to 5pm at Playfair and George Streets. This will be a bigger and bigger markets with more than 200 stalls selling designer and specialty goods.

At the market, we came across this couple trying to promote fresh sugar-cane juice. According to the lady, this juice is new to the Kiwis. It is consumed as a beverage,  especially in regions where sugarcane is commercially grown such as Southeast Asia. Fresh sugar-cane juice is available everywhere in Singapore Markets. It is extremely refreshing if the weather is hot. Sugar cane juice is the juice extracted from pressed sugarcane.

After The Rocks Market, we left for Birkenhead Point, by taxi it was less than 20minutes from Sydney CBD to here. Against a lovely harbour backdrop, designer-hungry shoppers can nab labels like French Connection, Hugo Boss, Timberland, C.K Jeans, KUMFS, Nine West and Alannah Hill. Polo Ralph shop was undergoing renovation when we were there. Check it out here.

We ended Day Two with a dinner at our hotel restaurant. I had a Chicken Curry served with Rice. It was delicious and tasted just like what my mum's chicken curry. 

 

Day Three was our last day in Sydney. As we had only half a day before we checked in for our afternoon flight back home to Auckland, we got up early and went to the Paddington Market at 9am. By taxi, It was less than 30minutes. If you are looking for the latest fashions trends and handmade jewellery, homewares and foodstalls, this market is not to be missed but if you are looking for a good bargain in this market, you can forget about it as the prices are not cheap. The market is open every Saturday from 10am to 5pm. We left the market without buying anything from there and headed back to our hotel to check out.

Last but not least...there is one shopping mall called The Strand Arcade near to my hotel. Visit the mall as it a majestic beauty in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Sydney's CBD. This is a Victorian-era shopping emporium between Pitt and George Streets with shops and eateries. Check it out here.

That was the end of my 3 days and 2 nights Trip in Sydney. I will be back, Sydney!