Shopping, Eating, Highlights and Activities

Shopping and Eating

In Coogee, there is a decent supermarket on Coogee Bay Road, and a host of small shops of all sorts. Also, many cafes and restaurants are in the area. Some are BYO (for "bring your own") where one can buy wine in one of the nearby bottle shops and bring it for the meal (in some places, a small charge might apply). Australian wines are particularly recommended!

Many restaurants are located in the city centre and around the harbour.

Museums and Galleries

• Museum of Sydney (has a current exhibition on the architect who created the Sydney Opera House.)
• Museum of Contemporary Art
• Art Gallery of NSW
• Powerhouse Museum
• Sydney Observatory

Walks

• Coogee to Bondi Cliff Walk
  Approx. 2 hours; recommended Sushi place: Raw Bar; return by bus (a touch inconvenient) or shared cab.
• Kings Cross to Opera House
  Catch a train to Kings Cross Station, e.g. from Bondi Junction Train Station. Come out on Victoria Street and walk towards the Harbour. Just before Embarkation Park on the left, you will find a set of steps that go down to the street level below. Descend the steps and walk past the Woollomooloo Wharf. Keep following the waterline on the other side of the Wharf and you will come to some rock steps that lead up to a walkway. Follow the walkway to Lady Macquarie's Chair and continue around the bend to see the Bridge, Opera House and City Skyline (good to do this walk late afternoon near sunset). Continue through Botanic Gardens around to the Opera House and Circular Quay.
• Spit Bridge to Manly Beach    proposed for free afternoon on Wed Feb 16
  Catch a bus from Wynyard Rail Station over the Harbour Bridge to the Spit Bridge and then follow the route on the web site. This 2.5 hour easy-to-moderate walk gives a taste of Australian bush plus spectacular water views as it follows the coast. Have a swim at Manly Beach to cool off. Have dinner in Manly and catch the Manly Ferry back to Circular Quay.

Highlights and Activities

• Harbour Cruise (or ferry)
  This is a must - as it is probably one of the most scenic and spectacular harbour layouts in the world.
• Zoo
  As well as being a good zoo, it affords wonderful views back to the Harbour and City. To optimize the experience, get there by catching a Ferry from Circular Quay.
• Harbour Bridge Climb
  Not for the faint-hearted, this spectacular climb (guided tours only) leads up to the top of the harbour bridge and offers a magnificent view of the Harbour, Opera House and City centre.
• Sydney Explorer Bus
  This is a nice way to visit many of the highlights of the city centre. One can buy a ticket for a day, and hop on and off the bus at any of the stops. One convenient start is at Circular Quay, which is easily reachable by bus 373 etc. from Coogee.
• Bondi Explorer
  Similar scheme, but more for the beach addicts ... starts at Coogee beach.

Music

The program at the Sydney Opera House can be found here.

Also, on Saturday, February 19, there will be a concert of the Australian Chamber Orchestra (at the City Recital Hall), click here for details.