Sydney CBD Young at Heart

Holiday Destination

Down by the harbourside the open air bars and eateries are abuzz with the sounds of youthful excitement and celebration. The holiday crowds soak up the atmosphere, while the buskers entertain anyone and everyone. This is an exciting and stunning place to be, where Sydney is at its most vibrant… and where all the main tourist attractions are found!

If you venture beyond the waterfront you will find yourself surrounded by soaring glass towers and heritage sandstone buildings, and where impressive street sculpture and exotic palms bring a touch of art and greenery to the city streets. This is also where many of Sydney’s well known contemporary art and craft galleries are located.

The Rocks area and Circular Quay through to Martin Place is a holiday destination in itself, even if you’re not on holidays you will certainly feel like you are!

Where: Sydney CBD| Allow: 3-4 hours
Getting there: Ferries – Buses – Trains – Drive
Also see: Sydney Botanic Gardens,  Ultimo Architecture & Art Galleries, Chinese Garden Hidden Oasis

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Where to Start

Circular Quay is the perfect place to start your outing, and easily accessible via public transport. Approaching by ferry, or walking the Harbour Bridge from Kirribilli affords expansive views of the city skyline and the iconic Opera House.

For fabulous views over the Quay and harbour, take the lift to the Cahill Expressway Lookout and walkway (near wharf 2). This is also another way to access the Botanic Gardens.

What to Do

While the Quay area is home to many of Sydney’s most popular tourist attractions and entertainment, there’s still much more to explore if you fancy taking a little detour through the city streets and Botanic Gardens! Here are my picks for walks/sites in this part of the city….

1. City Street Walk – Glass Towers & Heritage Architecture

The streets between Circular Quay and Martin Place are home to some of Sydney’s most impressive and well known skyscrapers, as well as our beautiful heritage architecture. It’s such a thrill to be at street level surrounded by towering city buildings… you won’t get this feeling in the ‘burbs’! So if you love to photograph city scapes, this area offers plenty of opportunities to capture the architecture of both past and present.

Even in winter when the trees are bare, the city is worth exploring… there’s something quite magical in the silhouette of winter trees against glass towers.

2. Architectural Tours

If you’re the type that prefers a more structured informative exploration, the Australian Architecture Association offers tours of Sydney’s iconic buildings and street art…. have to say I’m tempted!

For some of us,  the outside view isn’t enough! To see inside some of Sydney’s architectural landmarks and heritage treasures the Sydney Living Museums organization “unlocks the doors of the city’s most inspiring and intriguing buildings and spaces” on one weekend a year.

3. Photographic Exploration – Reflections & Angles

Much of my time in the CBD is consumed with searching for photographic opportunities, such as unusual reflections and exciting contrasts and angles.  There’s no shortage of inspiration, with many of the tall glass office towers reflecting the light and surrounding architecture in surprising and beautiful ways. Even an escalator can be photogenic 🙂

If you admire shop window displays, you might enjoy hunting for those special reflections, where overlapping worlds merge into one.

4. Street Sculpture & Installations

We’re fortunate in the CBD to be surrounded by art and galleries. Just wandering the streets you will encounter superb outdoor sculptures, colourful foyer art and delightful installations,  such as the Forgotten Songs, where bird cages emitting bird sounds are suspended above Angel Place!

The ‘Day In Day Out’ sculpture at number 1 Bligh St is a massive multi dimensional structure painted in hot vibrant colours, what fun, I just love it! A little further up Bent St, are the giant marble sculpted rocks ‘Touchstones’, located in the glass ceilinged foyer area of Aurora place, a perfect addition to the space.

5. Galleries – Art & Craft

Housed in an impressive Art Deco sandstone building is the cutting edge Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA). Being only minutes from Circular Quay it’s an easy choice when visiting the area, there’s always some new and exciting exhibition. Also, on the George St entrance is the popular MCA Store, selling contemporary giftware and a huge range of books on contemporary art, artists, design and architecture.

One of my favourite Art & Craft galleries ‘Craft NSW’ is located in The Rocks This is where I go when looking for a unique artisan crafted gift… or when I’m looking for some creative inspiration! The displays are curated by the artisans to enhance each and every piece, it’s just a wonderful place to browse.
(Update 19th January 2021 – shop temporarily closed, only the online store is available).

The National Trust S.H. Ervin Gallery is well recognized as one of Sydney’s leading public art institutions. Perfectly situated on Observatory Hill and within easy walking distance of Walsh Bay and Barangaroo, but hey, that’s another outing altogether!

6. The Rocks

This blog wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t mention The Rocks! I know it’s been well documented so I won’t devote too much space here.

My partner and I love to spend hours just exploring this area, strolling the cobbled laneways, finding new passage ways and stairs that lead to new discoveries.  The quaint cottages and intimate cafés that are nestled in behind the main shopping strip are definitely worth exploring.

If you have time and energy, wander a little further toward Walsh Bay or Barangaroo. You might just find some hidden gems… or views that most visitors don’t see.

It’s always a thrill to find a new place or unique view, like our recent discovery of Parbury Park and the Clifftop Walk through to The Foreshore Reserve… affectionately known as ‘The Paddock’.

7. Royal Botanic Gardens

One of our favourite destinations in this part of the city is the Botanic Gardens . Our outing typically starts with a ferry trip from Mosman Bay to Circular Quay followed by a 15 minute walk to the delightful Botanic Gardens Restaurant. Located at the heart of the gardens and surrounded by a large lotus pond and tropical vegetation makes it the perfect place for brunch. We can easily spend a few hours enjoying brunch and strolling the gardens. Once you’ve gone that far it’s an easy hop to the Art Gallery of NSW!

8. Eat & Drink

There’s absolutely no shortage of cafés, bars and restaurants around the harbour area, with most catering for the tourists. When you’re after a casual meal with fantastic views and an upbeat vibe there are plenty of options. Of course the Quay area is also well known for having the greatest concentration of fine dining restaurants in Sydney, they’re certainly worth seeking out for that special dining experience.

East Circular Quay Eat & Drink

If you love to eat, drink and crowd watch… and enjoy the harbour views, East Circular Quay is the place to be! You can’t get any closer to the water or crowds than at the Sydney Cove Oyster Bar… Oh, and if you fancy a movie, the Dendy Cinema is right opposite.

For a light Italian meal in a great location, the Eastbank Café Bar Pizzeria may suit. Located above Eastbank Café is Hacienda Sydney, perfect for drinks and nibbles with harbour and bridge views!

Café Sydney is for special occasions, located on the rooftop of Customs House, affording superb views of the harbour and bridge.

The Rocks Eat & Drink

One of our old favourites is Pony Dining, located in an intimate laneway just behind the Orient Hotel. You need to book for this one. If you are like us and don’t like sitting on a bench at a shared table, ask for seating inside when you make your booking.

The Dining Room at The Park Hyatt has clear views to the Opera House… i.e. if you’re lucky enough to get a prime window seat!

A trip to The Rocks wouldn’t be complete without having a drink at one of the historic pubs, such as the  Hero of Waterloo or The Lord Nelson (there’s a great restaurant upstairs).

The recently refurbished Hotel Palisade  is receiving quite positive reviews. Atop the old hotel there’s a ‘floor to ceiling glass room’ that provides expansive views all round (bookings are essential for this area).

CBD Eat & Drink

Mr Wongs is just 5-10 minutes walk from Circular Quay… the exotic interior and delicious food make for a memorable experience! It can be difficult to get a table so best to book ahead.

Est. Restaurant is fine dining in an elegant, high ceilinged dining room – winter is a great time to dine here.

Ash Street Cellars Serves up tasty tapas in an outdoor setting, located in a narrow laneway adjacent to the delightful Forgotten Songs installation. Very lively during the week but surprisingly not open on Saturday or Sunday.

Uncle Ming’s small subterranean bar on York St has an upbeat vibe and an exotic Chinese influenced interior, dimly lit, great atmosphere… we usually have at least one ‘Ming’s Sling’ cocktail before heading down to the waterfront for dinner. Sometimes the music can be overly loud, if you hear it from the street I would probably give it a miss!

Lobo Plantation is a small bar on Clarence St… vibrant Caribbean-themed interior and serving 250 types of rum – love it! Great place to start the evening.

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