One of the things I love about Bondi Beach is checking out all the awesome graffiti along the legal…read moregraffiti wall next to the beach. Artists submit applications to Waverley council in order to be allowed to paint here. You can always find lots of high level, interesting artworks by different artists and you'll usually find more than one you really like. Its also great on your return trip to the beach when you occassionally get to see new works that've appeared on the legal graffiti wall or the permanent ones that remain like the anzac mural. An interesting point to note is that the history of aerosol art here dates back to the 1960s.

I am so glad to have caught a show inside the opera house! The acoustics were amazing…read more I watched the Sydney symphony orchestra perform Beethoven's Symphony No 5. It was so good! To enter, start from the left bottom of the stairs and follow the crowd. (Don't go up the stairs expecting to be seated, like I did.) Then you go through security with bag check. Once inside, backpacks must be deposited at the coat check. This is where the toilets and concessions are. Then you get your tickets scanned, one ticket per person. Then you should head to whichever door is written on your ticket. They start exactly on time, so be prepared to arrive early. I feel like this is a must-do whilst in Sydney. I highly recommend!

I would say this is the most recognized opera house in the world... easily. It is gorgeous,…read moreespecially when there are special occasions where it may be lit up in colorful displays. What really surprised me was that the exterior consists of small tiles... who knew. One drawback is that it is not easily accessible. Loads of stairs to climb and the distance from any transportation option to the entrance is huge. Once inside you will still be walking quite a distance and many many stairs. You will not be able to enter here without staff assistance if you are not walking perfectly well. The inside is as gorgeous as the outside, there are several bars and restaurants inside and out and serivce is great. I came here for my very first opera and even so I could only afford the 'cheap' seats, I must say that my view of the stage was great and the sound quality was excellent. A great help were the small screens on which the translation of the opera followed along. Sort of like closed captioning for the happenings on stage. Helped me tremendously as I tried to follow along, but do not understand a lick of Italian. What else can be said that hasn't been said a million times? Oh yeah, don't forget to visit Benny the seal who hangs out on some stairs in back of the building facing the water of course.

Sydney Winter Festival has been running for three years now and it is a wonderful addition to the…read morecity. In Sydney it seems that when the weather gets cooler, people tend to hibernate. They go out way less than Melbournians who seem to have Winter socialising perfected. This festival is a fab way to celebrate life even when its freezing. A huge ice skating rink is situated first in Bondi and then in the middle of the city, during July and August. Reminiscent of New York or Amsterdam, it gets people experiencing Winter activities rather than only the usual Summer beauty of the beaches. The rink is surrounded by food stalls from around the globe and a traditional European winter feast isn't complete without a warm mug of Glühwein, Mulled Wine. Step off the ice rink and succumb to the wafting scent of woodfired pizza and there is pasta made from scratch and Italian desserts as well. Dutch Poffertjes, similar to a pikelet and about the size of an Aussie 50 cent piece.Traditionally Poffertjes are served hot with butter and icing sugar. Or you can decide between maple & golden syrup, honey, lemon, jam, chocolate sauce and fresh cream and cinnamon. French Crêpes, sweet or savoury, are cooked to order. Argentinean BBQ, Swiss Gourmet food, Waffles, German food, the list goes on. What ever you do step off the rink and get yourself a free Chai Latte. There are some wonderful events to behold during the Winter Festival so check updates on the website. Last Winter they had Ice hockey games and Figure skating. Until then, get ready to get your skates on!

Sydney is a summer city but thankfully the Winter Festival is bringing us a bit of joy too! Set up…read moreat Cathedral Square the ice skating rink is hugely popular for people of all ages and stages. The rink is dominated by bright orange skates - people nervously putting one foot in front of the other. Avoid going at 6PM when families are out in masses so you won't be able to move. If you go later in the evening you can make a night of it - grab a drink at the bar and some hot food from one of the market stalls. It really makes a great night out, even in the freezing cold.

What a great spot in Sydney. You can take a nice, short ferry ride from Circular Quay to get there…read more There's something for everyone, including the kids. Unlike the US, the food prices here, while a bit higher than areas outside, are not the high gouging prices you see in the US. You can buy an unlimited ride pass (which is a bit pricey), or you can buy single rides for certain rides. Most rides require a pass which is a downside if you want to try certain rides. We rode the ferris wheel which was a lot of fun and gave us some great sites of Sydney Harbour. We loved that the lines aren't long at all, certainly not by US theme park standards. If you have time, swing by to try a ride or two or three and some theme park food.

From 1924 onwards, the future site of Luna Park Sydney was used extensively by the Dorman Long firm…read moreto fabricate and assemble steel components for the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which officially opened in 1932. Once the bridge was completed, North Sydney Council opened up applications for tenders to develop the site. Consequently, the owners of Luna Park Glenelg won the tender for the North Sydney site and began a 20-year lease on September 11, 1935, forming Luna Park (NSW) Ltd. The rides from Glenelg were dismantled and transported to Sydney over a three-month period. Construction of the park employed almost 1,000 engineers, structural workers, fitters, and artists. Less than one month later, it opened. The park's signature entrance face, designed by Rupert Browne, was placed between two Art Deco-style towers with spires imitating New York's Chrysler Building. The Big Dipper roller coaster was an instantly popular attraction. After a successful opening season, the park closed down for the winter months so that rides and attractions could be overhauled and repainted, and new ones could be added. In 1936, the North Sydney Olympic Pool was also opened on an adjacent site. During WWII, as non-essential uses of electricity were curtailed in wartime, the park's neon lights were disconnected and many ride facades were dimmed. The park's external lights were also 'browned out' in case of a Japanese sneak attack on Sydney. In the 1950s and 1960s, the park changed hands and also management style, not allowing for the routine maintenance the park needed in the off season. As a result, it almost became a site for several high rises but was rejected by the then Governor. Instead, in the 1970s, the park went through transformations and renovations, trying to find its "identity" among the ever-changing taste of its customers. Unfortunately, this led to drastic measures in the 1980s of tearing down the old park and rebuilding it, after which there were several disputes over its name and elements of the park that were saved and put into storage. It wasn't until the 1990s that a historic trust was established to finally bring the park back to life, though still riddled with lawsuits, it had a hard time staying open. As of today, it is open with new rides to enjoy! Our Experience: The park is still struggling, though continues to operate year-round with it being reduced to a limited experience in the winter, which means just three rides are open and a couple of food stands and games. At night, it takes on a more eerie feeling - the lights are on but everything is closed, yet you can still walk through it.

Glebe Street Fair is a one-day annual event in Glebe that brings the immediate and surrounding…read morecommunities together. Glebe Point Road comes alive with music, a live stage, food stalls, craft markets, entertainers and miscellaneous market stalls. You will find everything at a typical weekend market but on a much grander scale.There is something here for everyone. Glebe Street Fair is very kid friendly with many activities on offer to keep the younger generation entertained - a great day of family fun. Being in November, it is also the perfect place to pick up some Christmas gifts. And when you're done, why not reward yourself with a drink at one of the nearby pubs. Ah, what a perfect Sunday!

On November 20th, Glebe Point Road was closed down to traffic for some odd reason. I had no idea…read morewhat for. Was it construction? Did something explode? No, Paul, you're ridiculous (I say to myself in retrospect), it's to host the Glebe Street Fair! Taking place once per annum, it's an exciting event where dozens of vendors set up stalls in the middle of the street. There's over a kilometer of different stalls with ethnic food, handmade crafts, and nifty activities. I, along with hundreds of other people, descended into the street to check out the buzz. The fair has entertainment all day long, including attractions for kids, live music, and street performances. I was so intrigued by the amount of stalls here that sold practical and quirky things; I ended up making friends with a hammock salesman. Who'd have guessed? The performance I was most looking forward to was the unicyclist riding a super tall unicycle. Unfortunately, it started belting rain in the late afternoon, so I ran back home, disappointed once again at Mother Nature.

Aussie Music Festival! This was such an amazing time! Heaps…read moreof fun! The Newtown area took over one of their local parks, set up music stages and food trucks and rocked out! I absolutely had a great time! For a mere 5 bucks, you get a full day of entertainment and fun in the sun! There were a huge sampling of food trucks, beer booths, and beverage carts. They sold stuff that was much fancier than the regular fair fare. There were merchant booths selling everything from raunchy patches to Nepalese jewelry to boomerangs. They had lots of political activist groups educating the public on the dangers of fracking, the police, groups advocating for looser pub laws, and field hockey! You can even take classes on mulching and recycling! Restrooms were plentiful and clean. Drinking water was supplied for free as well. There was plenty of security and things felt safe. They sold plenty of beer- all locally made in the 'hood! There was a bag check at the gates, but they hardly did a good job of checking. After the festival was over, the party spills out on to the streets where the fun continues! If you're around for this festival, I highly recommend it.

Newtown Festival always seems to fall on the most humid day of November, year after year. Thus, a…read moreday at the festival involves a tonne of cold drinks, plenty of sunscreen (thankfully available from one stall every 50 metres), plenty of sunburn (no matter how you've tried to combat it) and oftena mild case of sunstroke. Plus, you may end up getting rained on at some point. But more often than not, it's worth it. Basically, Newtown festival is a giant market that takes up Newtown's iconic Camperdown Memorial Rest Park. At least 280 stalls stand shoulder to shoulder, selling and promoting everything from food and drinks (both alcoholic and non - I advise sticking to the non alcoholic early in the day to avoid the evil repercussions of the alcohol-heat combo) to skin cancer awareness stands (apt), hula hoop workshops, political activists, face painting, hula hooping, musical instruments, henna tattoos and plumbing services, as well as martial arts demonstrations, live theatre and street art, a writers' area and a huge kids contingent. Weaving your way through all these stalls will take hours - it's a slow and concerted effort making your way down the rows of stalls, each foot being placed carefully so as to not tread on someone elses as the entire population of the markets move as one like a slow motion school of fish. But once you've made your way to the end, you're rewarded with an open green in which to sit and listen to the line-up of local live bands on one of three stages and from experience, these bands are usually pretty good. The festival is free and it's a great way to sample what Newtown stands for whilst supporting the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre. Sunday 13th November 9:30am - 5:30pm

Once a year, thousands of people gather from all walks of life, to sit in a park together to watch…read morefilms made by 16 talented filmmakers.... this event is free, its fun and it's called Tropfest. This unique cultural event is the brainchild of John Polson. He created the festival which is now the largest film festival in the world! Basically filmmakers are given a key word which they have to incorporate into a 7 minute film - the top 16 get screened on the night and the filmmakers win awesome prizes and accolades... The films start in the evening and the program runs for about 3 hours... it's super fun and a wonderful way to spend the night.... Now there can be a fifty thousand people in the park - so may I offer a few suggestions to get the most out of the expereince. 1. Get public transport 2, Get there early if you want a good seat 3, Go with friends 4. Bring a picnic blanket 5. Bring clothes for changing weather incl for rain 6. Bring your own food because it's expensive 7. Bring a sense of adventure... Tropfest is one of my favourite times of the year and its a wonderful way to bring people together..... FUN FUN FUN...

As a film maker, I'm not much of a fan of Tropfest, but as a spectator and lover of entertainment,…read morethis is one of those must-go-to events of the year. Heading into its 20th year, the event has now spread to the US, Asia and the Middle East, having started as a one short-film showing in the Tropicana Café in Darlinghurst. It now attracts around 150,000 to The Domain in the middle of February (next years festival will take place over 3 days, but the main showing takes place on the Sunday), so be sure to get there early to make sure you can get yourself a decent patch of grass. It's free to enter and if you get there early enough you'll also get to see the Mobile Screenfest and Junior Tropfest entries. The films have to be under 7 minutes long, so if you've got a poor concentration span, you should be ok with these. The 16 films are shown over around 3 hours, so it's a full evenings entertainment.

Darling harbour is definitely attractive and one of the best vantage points is at the Cape Bowling…read moreGreen lighthouse located at the end of Maritime Museum in Darling harbour. The long winding staircases that lead to magnificent views is a must see for any tourist or local. The lighthouse is now converted into a museum and the guide offers deep history and information about the lighthouse. You can stay up there for a while as it surprisingly uncrowded. It's as if no one is interested in the lighthouse and I'm hoping this review will change that. The submarine nearby is definitely stealing the light! The white lighthouse is in mint condition or has been very well restored. I loved how the guides communicate from down to someone up informing them about your visit and journey upwards. It's as if they are preparing for your visit and ready to welcome you. Even though I was the only tourist up there, the guide highlighted all the features of the lighthouse and how it works and the history and physics behind it. Even if you're not interested in all that, it's worth getting up there just for the view.

Chilling in Darling Harbour, nice Restaurants, very nice waterfront and a fantastic fireworks on…read moreSaturday two weeks ago. Sydney rocks! But because it is Winter and humid and a little bit cold I am looking foreward to spent some weeks in Germany in July to enjoy European Summer!