Sydney was my first Western-world contact in more than 2 years living in Southeast Asia. Everything felt weird for me haha. The fact that the Uber driver didn’t help with my luggage, the fact that people didn’t stare, the fact that I understood people around me, the fact that I couldn’t tell who are the travelers, and many more things, felt weird.
I stayed my first nights in a Hostel called London Plane Backpackers. In here, the same amount I pay for 1 night would pay me a week of accommodation in Southeast Asia. Not used to this either.
I thought I might meet some cool people at the hostel, but backpacking in Australia has nothing to do with the backpacking scene in Southeast Asia. Feels like almost no one is actually backpacking in this country. Young people come here to work and travel under the working holiday visa program, so meeting fellow travelers doing the same as me proved to be very difficult. The hostel was packed with guests who work in Sydney. I saw these neon boxes and vests everywhere in the hostel. People are working as food delivery personnel I figured. No one would be a companion to explore the city around, no one was here for that– which felt very weird because usually that’s what everybody at the hostel is doing. All the people I met in this hostel were either working or trying to find a job. I also found several construction workers.
Anyway, in Australia I had to let go of the idea of meeting fellow travelers to explore around with– this is definitely not Southeast Asia anymore. Even meeting people while being outside isn’t the same. In Asia, if I see a Caucasian exploring, I know it is a traveler and we may end up talking and doing stuff together. Here in Australia, everybody looks the same. How can I know who is a traveler? Well, I don’t have to figure it out because apparently, no one is (or almost no one). I also stayed for a week at a friend’s house which didn’t help to connect to more people.
From this hostel, I explored all around Sydney Center on foot. I would walk all day and explore the surroundings. One great thing about Sydney is that I can walk without any sort of hassle. So easy and pleasant to walk here. Nothing on the sidewalk, everything is clean, where is the action? I confess I missed it. Kinda boring after living in Saigon haha. Finding food was also not a good experience. Lots of crappy food, way more expensive than I am used to, and no sitting on the sidewalk somewhere random… really had to make proper decisions which sucked. I put on some weight on this trip, and I also noticed many fat people on the streets, which I am not used to seeing.
One of my favorite things about Australia was definitely the animals. I have seen so many birds I had never seen in my life. They fly freely in the sky, wow, so cool. I absolutely loved this! Within the city, you can see different species of parrots flying around, cockatoos that look extremely cute, huge bats hanging in the trees, and Ibis, which was a bird I had never seen in my life. Awesome! I was delighted with this.
Anyway, I walked to many places in the city:
Finger wharf
I walked to this spot and this was the first thing I have done in Australia. I was surprised by the neighborhood houses. I liked them. The architectural style is actually very beautiful in this area and I loved to admire the houses. On my way to Finger Wharf, I passed by McElhone Stairs which offer a nice city view.
Finger Wharf itself is in a nice spot. The buildings have this beautiful architecture and the place is filled with restaurants by the sea. Lots of people were eating in this area where many yachts are docked. Felt like people in Sydney do yacht parties quite a lot, as I saw several yachts with loud music sailing around. I sat at the end of the platform simply enjoying how quiet the surroundings were. Nice spot here!
Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
From Finger Wharf I walked to the Royal Botanic Garden which is a very nice spot. The gardens are huge and pretty, clean and tidy. There was even a wedding happening right there. From here I had my 1st glimpse of the Iconic Sydney Opera House which isn’t that far. The gardens offer beautiful views and I think they are a great spot to relax or do some exercise.
Sydney Opera House
Next was the famous Sydney Opera House. I didn’t visit the inside, but it was nice to see it from the outside. I have seen things way more beautiful than this haha. Not sure why all the fuzz, but anyway, being around is a nice walk and offers nice views. The Iconic Bridge is quite a sight, as well as a massive cruise that was about to depart when I arrived. It was cool to see the giant set sail. I have never seen it before and I have never seen such a big ship before either. So a lot of new things hehe.
Sydney Harbour Bridge
From the Opera House, I could see the Bridge. It makes a statement in the landscape and is nice to look at. I saw the shadows of people up at the top. Yes, it is possible to climb Sydney Harbour Bridge, but I didn’t even dare to check the price haha. It is also possible to walk across it, something I didn’t do. I walked under it from both sides and that was it. This area near the Opera House and Circular Quay seems to be the most popular in Sydney. The place was packed. There are many restaurants by the sea and lots of things going on as the harbour is right there. There are some boats to cruise around the area but I didn’t join any river sightseeing. You can spend a lot of time here just relaxing or observing the hustle around.
Sydney Museum of Contemporary Art
I came back to this spot to see this museum. It has free entrance and a lot to explore. I spent hours in here. I like art, so I decided to check it out. For me, it was worth my time as I saw many interesting pieces of art. I walked around this pleasant area to the Rotunda Observation Deck, Dawes Point Reserve, and around without any specific destination.
Sunset-watching spot in Sydney: Observatory Hill
One of those days I spent in Sydney, I decided to come to this hill for sunset. Good decision. This is apparently a popular place to watch the sunset as it got packed with people at the golden hour. It offers a very beautiful view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the surroundings, giving another perspective of the city. People were just chilling on the grass or under a tree. I sat there quite a while enjoying the view and silence. Loved this spot!
St Mary’s Cathedral
It has been quite a while for me since the last time I saw a Cathedral like this, so I made sure to visit. It is a beautiful church indeed right next to Hyde Park which makes it convenient to visit.
Hyde Park
This is a nice quiet park in the city center. This was where I saw huge bats in the trees feeding or sleeping. I stayed a while to admire the animals and also because the Park is a nice resting spot.
Sydney Town hall
This is also another area in the city with lots of movement. Lots of people here and transport connections too. This seems to be one of the most crowded places in Sydney. I walked around the area to admire the building’s architecture which looked very European-like. There was a protest related to Palestine going on. Lots of action here, and lots of shopping too.
Darling Harbour
I also visited this spot because I had nothing else to see. It is a spot with many people and nice for a walk around. There were pedal boats to rent and people were having fun on the water. I wouldn’t say you’ll be missing out if you skip this spot.
Chinatown Sydney
To go to Darling Harbour I came across Chinatown. A very disappointing one haha. There was nothing going on here. Just a few shops and that was it. Chinatowns in Southeast Asia are so vibrant, full of life and fun. Not this one though.
Besides these spots, I did a lot of walking around and admiring the architecture of the imponent buildings. It is indeed a bit of Europe abroad to my eye. Everything is very familiar, nothing really stunned me. It is a pleasant city overall. Seemed to me quiet and not chaotic but this was just my perception. The city has good connections by train and I used it several times to visit Sydney Beaches or the Blue Mountains. To move around you have to buy an Opal card and top up with a minimum of 10 AUD so you can tap it on either trains or buses and move around the city with ease. Buying only a one-way ticket is not worth it. Buying a solo ticket is way more expensive. Note that the Opal card will only be accepted in New South Wales, if you try to use this card in Brisbane for example, it won’t work.
I can conclude that Sydney surprised me. It seems to be a city with a wide variety of attractions and different landscapes to explore. I ended up enjoying it more than I thought. From Sydney, I moved to Byron Bay by train. I ended up spending too much money on transportation in Australia because I didn’t get the Greyhound pass. I strongly recommend you do one if you plan to visit different locations on the East Coast.
