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.

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.

So, pretty much any creative repurposing of an old wrought-iron, tin-roofed train station is gonna…read moreget 5 stars from me. They're just so damn cool, and anything you put in them - art galleries, farmers markets, banging parties - is cool by association. Went to a mad sick MINI warehouse banger here last night, if you've got the cash to splash the venue can't be beat. And if that repurposing revives tired old Redfern, with its old streets and checkered past? So much the better. Cue hipsters running in and lousing the place up. I can't paint, but if I could, I'd have a show here, and I'd invite everyone and their mums.

I attended the White Ribbon Gala event at Carriageworks…read more Venue was amazing. Still has that rail yard feel but with a modern refurbished look to it. The main event room was very spacious. Felt like a big nightclub with a circular bar in the middle. Drinks were great but the canapés were appalling. Some canapés you would've thought would be hot were served cold. Wtf indeed! For those thinking of booking Carriageworks as a party venue, be careful with the catering or you will end up with a drunken bunch of unhappy guests!

Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games!…read more Quality/Quantity - Wow, all of my pictures did not get uploaded here either... What a cool place to hang out, even at night; there were families here at the playgrounds. 430 hectares of parklands with 7 sporting venues. And they are continuing to add/improve and grow this space. Events such as concerts, comedy, sporting, exhibitions, etc - See website. Atmosphere - They have the following centres here - Aquatic, Archery, Athletic, Sports Hall, Guaycentre (Gymnastics), Hockey, etc. Bike friendly. Spaces available for rent. Service - N/A, as we came late at night. We drove by and stopped after dinner and on the way home. Price - N/A. Owner Comment - Thanks again Sydney for such a beautiful place to visit. Next time we will come back during the day.

Created for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Sydney Olympic Park remains quiet most of the year round -…read morewith venues catering for swimming, hockey, athletics and more. The place is quite big and popular with tourists and music festivals all year round. Acer Arena and ANZ stadium easily get the biggest crowds and are within walking distance of the train station. They have fast food outlets up near the Novotel like MacDonald's, Subway and a Gloria Jeans. They also have The Brewery open til late that has live entertainment. Conveniently, the train runs from Lidcombe station with the special Olympic Park sprint platform, otherwise you can catch a direct bus from Strathfield station (525, 526 buses). On event days they even have special bus services running to make life all that more convenient.

Price was amazing!! And it's not timed, place is open till late also so can have dinner and kids…read morecan go play... climb, slide or jump!

Never have I been so appalled at the lack of organisation, helpfulness and sheer friendliness of a…read moreparty venue. I had my daughters 2nd birthday party at Ultimate today, and the rudeness started from the moment we entered the building. I arrived early (15 minutes) to set up (arranged previously and apparently not an issue).. But instead of being greeted with good morning, the staff member grunted, "we don't open until 10". I was eventually directed to our party area, which was clearly in a shambles from a party the previous day. I had to rearrange the tables and chairs and rip down all the banners and signs from the previous party. All my guests arrived and the party got underway. 1 hour 20mins after the party started I was still waiting on the water/cordial (included with party) to arrive. The kids were thirsty from running around, and getting my hands on water seemed like the most difficult task of the day thus far. After asking 3 times, I attended the cafe counter to chase it up, only to be rudely advised that I should ask my party host. I had a party host??? Nobody introduced themselves as my party host, nobody introduced themselves full stop. We were pointed in the direction of our party area and that was the end of the interaction with staff. I had also ordered adult platters for the party. I had a large amount of adults due to it being a toddler party, and kids requiring adult supervision. I only received the cheese platter, which I was absolutely gobsmacked at how small it was for $40! Certainly not what I envisioned. I had also ordered wraps, but no idea what the actual story was behind their failure to be delivered to my party, as I received 4 different stories (excuses) from 3 different staff members. 1. We are Making the wraps now and they'll be out shortly. 2. The cafe that delivers our wraps didn't turn up 3. We ran out of wraps 4. (This is the clincher) I've been on the coffee machine all day and didn't have time to make your wraps!!!!!! So I book in a party 3 months in advance, pay per head and pay for adult platters as I'm STRICLY NOT ALLOWED to bring food into the venue, and your staff member/s were too busy making coffee (coffee?) to provide the pre-ordered food to my party!!!??? Absolutely atrocious!! Furthermore, no one bothered to advise me that the wraps weren't coming, we had to chase them up 20 minutes before the party was over as we wanted to cut the cake and have everyone fed beforehand. I didn't receive an apology, not a smile, nothing. Just a too bad and here's your platter refund. And just to top off an already fabulous day, a staff member came to shoo us out of the party area (fair enough as it was past 12pm), but instead of a nice, "hey guys, just letting you know your party is over could you please vacate the area," I was told we needed to get out as another party was starting in 10 minutes. Well let me tell you, when I finally drove off from the venue over an hour later, there was no party happening in that room. A little bit of plain old honesty would have done the trick. Unfortunately I had to apologise to my guests for the lack of food and organisation. It reflected really poorly on me when the kids were all asking for water and no amount of asking your staff, could get drinking water for toddlers. I understand there can be hiccups, But today was simply a joke. I spent the whole party completely stressed out, which is ironic considering I chose to have the party at ultimate so it would be easy and stress-free. The kids had a great time playing (of course) but that's where the fun ended. Renee

Crown Dragon Yum Cha…read more 1) great variety of dishes 2) prompt and friendly trolley service (yes, it's possible) 3) excellent Peking duck and shandong chicken specialties 4) quiet and comfortable room 5) not pressured to buy what you don't want or leave when you are not ready I've formally been a Marigold hold out but I've found my new fav yum Cha in Sydney! You can even making a booking so as not to wait in hanger and over order at the get go. City slickers. This place is worth the time and effort.

This is not the place for Rooster's supporters to be seen, especially after the 2010 NRL grand…read morefinal win - not that you'd find them within miles of this place. Home of the St George Illawarra Dragons, St George Leagues has that awesome lively home team atmosphere - but maybe that's just my opinion. In all seriousness, St George Leagues is a great place for casual family dinners. We bring our extended family over here for dinner at the bistro all the time. The food isn't fantastic, but it's standard bistro fare and quite filling. We always leave here feeling full and satisfied. For something a little more fulfilling, they've just opened a brand spanking new Chinese restaurant, the Crown Dragon upstairs. This place is perfect for large groups with their big tables, countless seats and lazy susan in the middle of the table - all decorated in those bold red and white colours.

Went to Shelly Beach for their snorkeling tour. The guide (Nigel) was friendly and knowledgeable…read more It took a long time of rescheduling because of weather and injuries, but it was definitely worth it! So glad we took the time to do this. We were taken for a short walk around the area before the snorkeling and it was fascinating to learn about the history or the area. We went on a seriously amazing day for the tour. The weather was perfectly warm and the water was clear. We saw plenty of wildlife during the tour. VERY grateful for the pool noodles provided for the tour. Made it a million times easier - all we had to do was lie there and enjoy the surroundings.

If you're gonna get married, you should probably do it in style. Unless you're only marrying him…read morefor his money, in which case the aesthetics don't matter as much as the means to the end I suppose. Dunbar House is a corker, it overlooks the beach at Watson's Bay next to Nielsen Park, and is a short wobble from Watto Bay Hotel which is about as good a venue for pre-reception drinks as you'll ever get. The venue is stunning but also pretty intimate, around a 100-person capacity and the tables are laden with flowers and glassware and silverware and champagne flutes and it's mad fancy, is what I'm getting at, it really makes you feel like you're a better class of person than you probably are, it did for me anyway, and there's a separate dance floor area where you can cut shapes while the rest of the people heff into dessert that you don't know has been served and when you get back to your seat someone has eaten yours and life is unfair like that sometimes.

Came here on a Sunday morning around 10:30. This place has a great view! I ordered a chai latte…read moreand it took a while to get. It was just okay but chai lattes are hit or miss. My friend said that the eggs benedict was great so I tried it with ham, he got the salmon. While it was good, the hollandaise was a bit too creamy, kind of overpowered the dish. We also shared the hash brown, which was a more circular version but was really tasty. I'm sure the other things on the menu are good, but my chai was average and my eggs were just okay. View is great, good service. Overall a decent place.