Sydney Travel Blog

The Queen Mary 2 Returns to Sydney

01 Mar 17

A decade on from when luxury cruise line Cunard first sailed its flagship through the heads of Sydney Harbour on her maiden world cruise, the Queen Mary 2 returned to Sydney on the weekend amid much fanfare. Her arrival also served as a reminder of just how much the cruise industry has changed since her first sailing from Sydney.
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Sub-Antarctic Speed Dating in Sydney

15 Feb 17

For some people, the 14th of February can be a wonderful hallmark holiday full of love hearts and sappy cards while for others it's a reminder of the commercial-driven modern world in which we live. Valentine's Day can be a cringe-fest of snap-happy loved up couples flaunting their happiness all over social media. For some it can be a lonely time, while for others it can simply mean over-priced flowers and packed restaurants. However for 12 single Sydneysiders, the fire of love has been stoked this Valentine's Day with Sydney SEA LIFE Aquarium the coolest place to be.
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What's On: A Guide To Sydney Events

01 Feb 17

Sydney is a sparkling modern city that boasts busy nightlife and vibrant culture. From its swanky hotels to trendy bars and clubs, fine dining restaurants and exciting theatre productions, there truly is something for everyone. Although Sydney is known to really come alive when the sun goes down, it's not just the sparkling lights of the city that dazzle, there are also plenty of daytime events to keep you busy. Let's take a look at what's on in Sydney with a guide to events in February and beyond.
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Underwater Wonderland: Surprising Dive Sites In Sydney

18 Jan 17

When you think of Sydney holidays, you think of Australian icons like the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. You think of ferries around Circular Key, the smiling mouth of Luna Park and long lunches at Darling Harbour. What you probably don't think of is glorious dive sites brimming with colourful fish, sea sponges, stingrays and even turtles. It might come as a surprise to interstate and international visitors, and even some Sydney locals, that there are some fantastic dives to be had around Sydney.
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New Year's Eve Goes Off With A Bang In Sydney

04 Jan 17

Millions of people packed Sydney city on Sunday to ring in the new year with the famous fireworks display. Barges loaded with 120 tonnes of fireworks floated in Sydney Harbour ready to light up the sky with tributes to a number of the entertainment legends that sadly passed away in 2016. Songs by some of the late stars including Prince and David Bowie were incorporated into the soundtrack with a tribute also going out to Gene Wilder. Inspiring never-before-seen pyrotechnic effects, tributes were included in both the 9pm and midnight fireworks shows.
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Sunny Christmas Day Forecasted For Sydney

21 Dec 16

It looks like it's going to be a true Aussie Christmas this year in Sydney with an 80% chance of sunshine forecasted for Sunday, Christmas Day. While icicled ornaments hang on snow dusted Christmas trees and carols croon about a white Christmas, Sydneysiders will be swapping thermals for thongs on what is predicted to be a warm and sunny Christmas Day.
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Sydney Announced As Host of 2018 Invictus Games

16 Nov 16

Prince Harry has announced Sydney will host the 2018 Invictus Games, a sporting event in which wounded servicemen and women competed in a variety of athletic games. An international event, Australian veterans are excited to have the event on home soil in Sydney. Although other Aussie cities were vying for hosting rights, including Townsville and the Gold Coast, it was ultimately Sydney that won out.
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Sydney International Art Series Announces Acclaimed International Artists

02 Nov 16

Bringing some of the most outstanding art exhibitions in the world to Australia, the Sydney International Art Series showcases exclusive art exhibitions in Sydney every summer. The 2016-2017 series brings two extraordinary exhibitions for opposite ends of the globe, bringing together past and present. Showcasing works by Auguste Rodin, Picasso and Tatsuo Miyajima, this summer's art series promises to be particularly powerful.
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Hunter Valley Celebrates Culture At Riverlights Festival

19 Oct 16

Saturday 8 October 2016 saw the Riverlights Festival return to the Hunter Valley to celebrate the colour and diversity of culture in the community. Held at The Levee in Central Maitland, the festival used music, dance, arts, food and interactive stalls to shine a light on the Hunter Valley as a connected global space.
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Homer Simpson Pays a Visit to the Sydney Opera House

05 Oct 16

TV's most famous yellow animated father has visited the Sydney Opera House to celebrate Matt Groening's upcoming appearance at Sydney's Graphic Festival. Creator of The Simpsons and the charmingly slovenly character of Homer Simpson, Groening will deliver a talk at the Sydney Opera House as part of the Graphic Festival taking place 4-5 November.
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World Record Breaking Sydney Marathon

21 Sept 16

Last Sunday 18 September, Guinness World Records were broken at the Blackmores Sydney Running Festival. One of the world's most spectacular courses, the festival offers runners the unique opportunity to take in some of Sydney's most iconic landmarks on foot and cross the Harbour Bridge completely traffic free. That's a feat that any Sydneysider will tell you is extremely rare.
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Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Awards 2017 Winners

07 Sept 16

Considered the 'gourmet bible' for dedicated NSW foodies, the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide is a compendium of the state's best cuisine. Edited by Myffy Rigby, one of the most respected food writers in Sydney and with contributions from restaurant reviewer Terry Durack, the Good Food Guide highlights some of New South Wales and Sydney's best places to eat and drink.
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Tourists Swap Hunter St for the Hunter Valley

24 Aug 16

Although New South Wales, and Sydney in particular, has always been a popular holiday destination with Australians, new research has been released suggesting domestic travel is switching from major cities in favour of exploring regional areas. Data released by Roy Morgan Research has shown that 40.7% of the Australian population would prefer to visit New South Wales on holiday over the next two years, however the demand to visit Sydney on holidays has decreased.
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Ideal Conditions Set For City2Surf

10 Aug 16

Australia is seeing no signs of rain this week as a large high-pressure system dominates most of the country. This is good news for Sydney as conditions are shaping up to be ideal for the 2016 Sun-Herald City2Surf, presented by Westpac. The largest fun run in the world, the course starts in Hyde Park before winding its way along 14km of Sydney coastline passing through the Eastern Suburbs and ending at world famous Bondi Beach.
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UberEATS Launches In Sydney

27 Jul 16

First they offered car rides, then they delivered ice cream and then it was adorable kittens and puppies but ridesharing platform Uber has now launched a food delivery service in Sydney. Known as UberEATS, the Sydney food delivery service was launched this week and is the second Australian city to receive access to the app following Melbourne.
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Sydney Gamers Celebrate Launch of Pokemon GO

13 Jul 16

Sydney's streets have become overrun with small cartoon monsters and people glued to their phones as they try to catch them. But what is this strange group of adventurers? They're Pokemon 'trainers' and they're on a Pokemon GO walk to try and catch as many of these little monsters as possible. It's the latest app to hit our screens and it's taking over the internet and people's lives. Pokemon GO is a battle of Pokemon trainers to 'catch em all'.
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Sydney Shivers Through Coldest Weather in 21 Years

29 Jun 16

This week Sydney shivered through its coldest day in June in more than 20 years. On Monday, Sydney's maximum temperature reached just 11 degrees, making I the coldest day of any month in 21 years. The 'feels like' temperature was even colder, remaining in single digits all day.
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Royal Botanic Garden celebrates 200th Birthday with New Exhibition Centre

15 Jun 16

To mark the 200th birthday of the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney, a permanent exhibition space has just been opened. Named The Calyx, the centre cost $17 million dollars and will showcase different exhibits every nine months or so. Home to the southern hemisphere's largest living green wall, the birthday gift is a celebration of science, beauty and people.
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Vivid Sydney

25 May 16

Vivid Sydney will be lighting up the night sky in key locations around the city for its eighth year this year, in what is proving to be the biggest and best yet. Beginning May 27, the 23-day festival will run until June 18 and will feature a program jam-packed with large scale light installations, music, creative ideas and collaborations.
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Historic Sydney Hotel Sells for $5 Million

27 Apr 16

Having laid dormant for the last 30 years, Pyrmont's historic Terminus Hotel has just been sold to a private developer who intends to bring the property back to life. The $5 million deal was done by another private developer, Auswin TWT, who bought the property just a year ago from the extensive Sydney property portfolio of the private Wakil Family.
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Sydney's Powerhouse Museum Goes West

13 Apr 16

This week the New South Wales government announced its plans to relocate Sydney's Powerhouse Museum. One of the biggest cultural institutions in the city, the museum is set to move to the banks of the Parramatta River, in the former David Jones car park. Despite opposition from the community, Premier Mike Baird makes no apologies for the decision to build a new Powerhouse Museum in the new location.
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Dressed-down Scarlett Johansson blends in at Sydney Airport

30 Mar 16

Lauded as a modern-day sex symbol of the Hollywood silver screen and one of the biggest movie stars in the world, it would seem that blending in with the crowd would be difficult for Scarlett Johansson, however the movie star was able to slip through Sydney Airport unnoticed over the Easter long weekend.
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Giant Dragon Descends on Sydney Opera

16 Mar 16

If you've been down to Sydney Harbour recently you could be forgiven for fleeing for your life. After all, the sight of a massive dragon with sharp teeth and claws bigger than a human would be enough to do that to you. However never fear, this fire-breathing dragon is harmless and is just one of the stars of Handa Opera's outdoor Sydney production of Giacomo Puccini's Turandot.
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Sydney Transforms: Rainbows & Glitter Rain Down

24 Feb 16

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is one of the most popular and iconic attractions of the famous harbour city. One of the most unique and exciting ways to see Sydney and the Harbour is to abseil the heights of the Harbour Bridge on a Sydney Bridgeclimb. However from19 February - 5 March 2016, visitors getting up close and personal with one of Australia's iconic landmarks will see it from a different and rather more colourful perspective when the bridge goes rainbow for the famous Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival.
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Ground Control to Demolition Robots

10 Feb 16

Sydney Harbour's famous skyline is set to change with the demolition of the Sydney Harbour Control Tower. However the tower will be destroyed quietly rather than dramatically. In fact, no wrecking balls or dynamite will be used. Instead, two remote controlled robots will gnaw away at the structure over a period of 10 months. The 87m tall tower has cut an imposing outline into the Sydney sky for almost 40 years, however at the end of March it will be slowly and steadily wiped from Barangaroo's headland.
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Insider Tips for Sailing Sydney Harbour

20 Jan 16

Every year Sydney Harbour sees around 15 million people travel on its waters. From interstate and international visitors to regular local travellers, there is still much to learn about the best way to navigate the waters of this iconic harbour. Transport crew and ferry masters have weighed in on what excites passengers including the obvious landmarks of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House as well as stunning foreshore, harbour islands, gleaming boats, bays, parks and beaches. Join us for a look into the most scenic public transport system in the world.
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Sydney Harbour: The Place To Be New Year's Eve 2015

30 Dec 15

The annual New Year's Eve party held on Sydney Harbour is as famous all over the world as the city itself. Boasting one of the world's best New Year's Eve fireworks displays, Sydney Harbour on NYE is our answer to New York's Times Square ball drop. Each year features a new theme and more than a billion people agree that this incredible pyrotechnic feat is the only way to see in the New Year. Over 1.6 million spectators line the Sydney Harbour foreshore in addition to the 2.3 million people across the country and millions more around the world who tune into the festivities via radio simulcasts and television broadcasts, making it the party of the year.
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HMAS Tobruk Makes Final Sail of Sydney Harbour

25 June 2015

Today marks the final voyage of HMAS Tobruk, after a long and illustrious career in the Royal Australian Navy. One of the longest serving warships in the Navy, today HMAS Tobruk sailed into Sydney Harbour on her final voyage to retire in her home port. Throughout her 35 year career in the Royal Australian Navy, HMAS Tobruk has sailed nearly one million nautical miles all over the world.
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Times Square Sydney, Australia?

18 Mar 2015

Sydney's nightlife hub of Kings Cross is set to receive its own kind of Times Square following a design competition held by the council. The area, which had a reputation for being one of the more questionable parts of town is undergoing a literal and figurative redevelopment to spruce up the appearance and attitudes of the area.
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Lions Roam The Streets of Sydney

03 Feb 2015

Don't be surprised over the following weeks if you find lions roaming the Sydney streets. From the 13 February, Sydney-siders will be celebrating Chinese New Year. One of the biggest attractions of Sydney festivities is the fact that it is one of the largest Chinese New Year festivals to be held outside of China. Despite possible sightings of lions and dragons, residents and visitors will come together for a month-long program of events to celebrate the Year of the Sheep.
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AFC Asian Cup Comes To Sydney

20 Jan 2015

Things are hotting up in Sydney and we're not just talking about the heat. World class football has come to Australia as 16 of Asia's best teams compete for the most sought-after trophy in Asian football. The biggest football tournament to ever take place in Australia, the AFC Asian Cup sees legions of fans coming from all over Australia and indeed the world to see these dynamos battle it out.
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10 Things You Need To Know About Visiting Sydney

16 Sept 2014

So you've booked a trip to Sydney and are eagerly awaiting your departure date. Great! So now what? Well, if you're visiting from overseas there are a few things you should know about visiting Sydney that will make your time in the Harbour City easier and safer. However if you're an Aussie who's also planning a trip don't skip over this post because we have some handy hints for you too.
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Harbour City Bundle

09 July 14

What do you get when you cross a koala with a bridge, a famous house, fashion, fine dining and historic attractions? A Sydney holiday package! It's not a joke, these packages are the real deal and make a holiday to Sydney both easy and affordable. From The Rocks to Taronga Zoo, the Sydney Opera House to Luna Park, the Sydney Harbour Bridge to Circular Quay, these harbour city holiday packages offer the ultimate Sydney experience.
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Weather winter in the Hunter Valley

15 May 2014

Whether the weather be fine or whether the weather be not, whether the weather be cold or whether the weather be hot, we have to weather the weather whether we like it or not. Or so the old saying goes. Be that as it may, there's no reason why we can't find the best place to weather the weather and when it comes to the falling temperatures and frosty mornings of winter, there's no better place to weather the colder weather than the Hunter Valley.
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Sydney - More Than Just a City

02 May 2014

When you think of Sydney, most people think of the Opera House, Circular Quay and Harbour Bridge and although these are certainly some of the most iconic sights in Sydney, there is much more to Sydney than just its harbour. In fact, there are a number of regions of Sydney that offer their own unique character and experiences. From the city to the Eastern suburbs and Parramatta to Manly, there's something for everyone in Sydney.
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Cave in to a Trip to the Mountains

28 Mar 2014

When you think of a visit to Sydney, you think of the city and the Harbour and the Bridge and the Opera House and maybe even Taronga Zoo. Of course there're very good reason for that, these are the amazing attractions synonymous with Sydney. These popular landmarks are easily seen in a day or two, meaning a holiday to Sydney doesn't have to consist solely of city slicking. In fact, breathtaking natural attractions like the Blue Mountains and Jenolan Caves are just as easily accessible from the city.
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The House That Jorn Built

21 Feb 2014

Having recently celebrated its 40th birthday, the Sydney Opera House is the most famous house in Australia. Except it's not really a house, it's an iconic performing arts venue situated on Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour, in the shade of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
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Rhinocerart

07 Feb 2014

Right now, the citizens of Sydney and New South Wales are being sieged by a herd of wild Rhinos. Colourful, wild rhino sculptures that is.
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Somewhere Over The Rainbow Sydney Harbour Bridge

06 Jan 14

The Sydney Bridgeclimb is one of Sydney's most popular attractions and allows visitors to abseil the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge. However from 17 February - 6 March 2014 the bridge goes rainbow exclusively for the famous Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival.
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New Year's Eve Sydney 2013

24 Dec 13

Sydney's New Year's Eve party is as famous the world over as the city itself and its New Year's Eve fireworks display is the best in the world - after all, one billion people can't be wrong.
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