Sydney is a living city of culture, one that breathes in adventure and thrives on the magnificence of its architecture, the pebbles of its golden beaches and the commotion of its suburban streets where wine bars and cafés set the latest trends. 

Millions of visitors travel to Sydney every year to see the key landmarks, Sydney Opera House, Bondi Beach, the Royal Botanic Gardens, but if you scratch just beneath the surface you’ll find so much more to this stunning city. 

Ruminate at the Lobo Plantation

A rum bar Ernest Hemingway or Blackbeard would be proud to call his own, Lobo Plantation’s charm is in its Caribbean flair and the mystique of its subterranean locale. Recently named best bar of the year by Timeout Australia, this is very much an all for one and one for all bar, where friends and the newly acquainted meet directly after work, or on the weekend, to sample the many special rum mixtures. Any aficionado of the drink will immediately fall in love with the wall of rums from across the Caribbean and America on the wall behind the counter.

 

Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb

Where adventure and history meet as one, the Sydney Harbour Bridge is as synonymous with Australia as much as it is with the city. Don’t settle for a fly by photo, discover its every nuance on a climbing expedition. Reaching 134 metres above sea level, scaling the bridge takes roughly three hours to complete with a guide who will offer pieces of knowledge on the structure throughout the hike. BridgeClimb is the principal company here who operate group climbs of 14 with a free photo and entry to Pylon lookout included. Thanks to the safety procedures and experience of the staff restrictions are limited, children can climb providing they’re above the age of 8 and are 1.2 metres tall. You may even believe you’re too old to make such a climb. It’s worth pointing out that the oldest climber reached the summit of the Harbour Bridge at the grand old age of 100!

A Cinema near you

Cradling the precipice of Mrs Macquarie’s Chair, the St.George OpenAir Cinema is a premium lifestyle experience with a giant 350sqm screen three storeys high. It’s as scenic as it is innovative, overlooking Port Jackson with both the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House in the near distance. Both classics and new releases are shown here throughout the season and we highly recommend booking in advance and making the most of the on-site bar and restaurant.

 

Horseback

Sydney’s Centennial Park is one of the finest parks in the world to offer inner-city horse riding and you don’t have to be an aspiring Zara Phillips to make the most of this fun day out. A professional instructor will guide you along a one hour circuit of the park, taking in seasonal floral displays and an abundance of wildlife. A particular highlight of the tour is the Federation Pavilion, a significant site in Australia’s history where the country was unified in 1901. Holidaying as a couple? Make your fantasy a reality with a romantic ride by dusk or dawn.

Markets

A trip to a local flea market while on holiday can help you better understand the culture of the country you’re in. Fortunately, Sydney is in possession of many markets with a deluge of items, from bric-a-brac to vintage antiques. Glebe Markets is a great place to start, held in the grounds of a public school every Saturday, shoppers come here to enjoy the food just as much as the items on display. Paddy’s Markets are on a whole other scale, with over 1000 stalls verging on the chaotic you can find just about anything – from all kinds of food items to clothes and valuables.