Travel Reference
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Hotel, does the best lunchtime business. The food is healthy and good quality.
The menu includes 11 different vegetarian burgers, vegetable curries and noo-
dle dishes, patties and salads, soups, smoothies, and wraps. They serve some
exceptionally nice cakes here, too, which despite being incredibly wholesome are
still surprisingly tasty. On a nice day you can sit outside.
1-3 Sydney Rd., Manly. & 02/9977 1904. Menu items A$1.20-A$7.40 (US80¢-US$4.80). No credit cards.
Daily 8am-7pm. Ferry or JetCat: Manly.
5 What to See & Do in Sydney
The only problem with visiting Sydney is fitting in everything you want to do
and see. Of course, you won't want to miss the iconic attractions: the Opera
House and the Harbour Bridge. Everyone seems to be climbing over the arch
of the bridge these days on the Bridge Climb Tour, so look up for the tiny dots
of people waving to the ferry passengers below.
You should also check out the native wildlife in Taronga Zoo and the Syd-
ney Aquarium, stroll around the tourist precinct of Darling Harbour, and get
a dose of Down Under culture at the not-too-large Australian Museum. Also
try to take time out to visit one of the nearby national parks for a taste of the
Australian bush, and if it's hot take your “cozzie” (swimming suit) and towel to
Bondi Beach or Manly.
I also recommend a quick trip out of town. Go bushwalking in the Blue
Mountains, wine tasting in the Hunter Valley, or dolphin spotting at Port
Stephens (see chapter 4 for details on all three).
Whatever you decide to do, you won't have enough time. Don't be surprised
if you start planning ahead for your next visit before your first is even finished.
THE OPERA HOUSE & SYDNEY HARBOUR
Officially called Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour is the focal point of Sydney and
one of the features—along with the beaches and easy access to surrounding
national parks—that makes this city so special. It's entered through the Heads,
two bush-topped outcrops (you'll see them if you take a ferry or JetCat to
Manly), beyond which the harbor laps at some 240km (149 miles) of shoreline
before stretching out into the Parramatta River. Visitors are often awestruck by
the harbor's beauty, especially at night when the sails of the Opera House and
the girders of the Harbour Bridge are lit up, and the waters are swirling with the
reflection of lights from the abutting high-rises—reds, greens, blues, yellows,
and oranges. During the day, it buzzes with green-and-yellow ferries pulling in
and out of busy Circular Quay, sleek tourist craft, fully-rigged tall ships, giant
container vessels making their way to and from the wharves of Darling Harbour,
and hundreds of white-sailed yachts.
The greenery along the harbor's edges is a surprising feature, and thanks to
the Sydney Harbour National Park, a haven for native trees and plants, and a
feeding and breeding ground for lorikeets and other nectar-eating bird life. In
the center of the harbor is a series of islands, the most impressive is the tiny isle
supporting Fort Denison, which once housed convicts and acted as part of the
city's defense.
THE HARBOUR ON THE CHEAP The best way to see Sydney Harbour, of
course, is from the water. Several companies operate tourist craft for fare-paying
customers (see “Harbor Cruises & Organized Tours,” later in this chapter), but
it's easy enough just to hop on a regular passenger ferry (see “Getting Around,”
earlier in this chapter). The best ferry excursions are over to the beachside suburb
 
 
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