Sydney Harbour

Getting there

Up to this moment I have been to Sydney thrice. Twice while visiting mates and once while road tripping from Sydney to Brisbane. I will be simply talking about my first experience as I reckon it would be the most useful for those travelling for the first time to Sydney. When I first planned to go to Sydney it had been to visit a group of mates of mine. I had been staying in Adelaide at the time before I made my way there.

Before the party could start I had my first, last and only hiccup of the trip. I had been flying with Tigerair (basically Ryanair in its business model) where you can find the cheapest fares. I highly recommend you look into this if you are travelling around Australia and want to keep it under the budget. This is especially useful for those living for the relatively long term through a semester or year exchange.

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I recall how I made my way to the Adelaide airport. It's a relatively small airport that takes barely any time to get through security. So if you find yourself late then rest assured that you will have a chance of a second chance due to how fast you can get through the whole process. However, I always recommend that you arrive at least two hours before to this airport.

Once you make it inside you can choose to snack at Hungry Jacks or one of the few restaurants or bars located around. As is most of the cases with budget airlines you will have to walk to the very end of the terminal to get to your gates. Luckily, the airport is pretty small so you won't have to walk for much time. By the end of it I finally reached my gate and waited. The delay of my flight to arrive went from forty to two hours of nonstop waiting. The experience wasn’t too fun. Then, we were told that the flight was cancelled and that we will need to come back early tomorrow. This already lost me a day from my weekend of Sydney which was quite frustrating.

This experience isn’t particularly unique. I reckon that in more than 50% of my Tigerair flights I had experienced delays to my flight. I reckon that if you aren’t in a rush or are really tight for budget then take Tigerair. Else, I would recommend another budget airlines such as Jetstar or a decent airlines such as Qantas. Regardless, the next day I experienced a forty minute delay before making my way to Sydney.

From the airport to the city

The airport I ended up in can be found in the southern part of the city. It's the closest one and the one most flights will take you to. From here you have a few options to get to the city. There is the bus, a taxi, a shuttle bus or the trains. I recall how the train was the fastest way to get to the heart of the city. It costs 14. 30AUD to get from the airport to the city. The ride didn’t take too long and I was deposited at the train station next to the iconic Hyde Park.

Hyde Park

What's special about this park is not simply its grandiose beauty and ancient trees but also the fact that this is the oldest public parkland in all of Australia. The park began its ascent to life in 1810 when it was authorised to its creation. The New South Wales supreme court borders this beautiful park.

While I waited for my mate to show up I decided to have a walk around. One unfortunate fact I realised while walking through the train station to get above ground is that the homeless population is unfortunately large. You will likely see tents set up in the area that holds a human and all his world possessions.

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Touring around

I had visited Sydney during Autumn. It had been a marvelously beautiful day with a lot of sun. Nothing makes me happier than travelling on a sunny day. After awhile my mate finally makes it and we say our hellos. The first thing we do is check out the iconic bay where the Sydney Opera House can be found. The Darling harbour should be your first destination if you're in this area. I recall how it was so lively by the time I got here. Many of the restaurants were full. There were also crowds of tourists walking back and forth the harbour area. We decided to grab one of the ferries rather than sitting down for a snack. Right from the harbour you can spot some beautiful ships that are tied to the nearby piers. Across the body of water to the west there is the Australian National Maritime museum and the Maritime Heritage Centre. Both are worth a visit if you have the time.

We grabbed the ferry which had only cost a few dollars and we set off. The ferry was relatively large and allowed great views of the harbour around us. As we went through, we spotted a group of houses to the north of us. My mate explained that these seaside houses housed many of Australia’s multi-millionaires. He also mentioned in a matter of fact tone that the Prime Minister’s residence can be found in that area just by the sea. Apparently you could spot it while in the ferry but I didn’t manage to see it.

As you keep on going by you will stop just by the Sydney Luna Park to pick up more individuals from the pier. Luna Park is an amusement park aged at over 8 decades old. My mate explained that it is also one of the only amusement parks protected by government legislation. After our stop we continued on our way to the Sydney Opera House stop. At this point you should be able to see the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge. It's a breathtaking view to witness this architectural beauty from the ferry’s angle. I was also there as the sun was setting so I was afforded a spectacular photo as the orange sunlight licked the sky and the bridge.

A few minutes later we passed some very high quality restaurants that were set on large piers. My mate explained how there had been a famous chef working there although I can’t recall who exactly. After we passed these piers we finally made it to the Sydney Opera house. The iconic wave design of the Opera house stuck out with its white hue complimented by the bright orange of the setting sun. We decided to make a round-about trip to spot the nearby area before ending it at the Sydney Opera house. We first made our way to the Customs House as my mate said they had a beautiful interior design piece worth checking out.

Around the Sydney Opera house

The exterior itself is very pretty and worth a look at. Its situated in Circular Quay and that's popular with tourists due to all the different restaurants and bars. Some ranging from high quality drinks and high dining to the more affordable McDonald's. The Customs House is a short walk from this area. Once you walk through the lavish entrance then you will enter the lobby. It really felt like being in another world due to how well it is setup and designed. The pillars supporting the top floors shot high into the air. As you walk further into the lobby you may feel the ground below your feet change consistency. From hard mason to hollow glass. If you look down then you will face a massive replica of the city of Sydney. You will be able to spot the difference harbours, Opera House and different high rise buildings towering over their counterparts.

I marvelled at the detail of all the buildings, windows and even tiny restaurants sprawled in this underground replica city. My mate explained how many important individuals from politics to films have come through these doors. That fact didn’t move me as much as the fact that the replica city would look great in my own home. I smiled at the idea and we soon headed off. We beelined it straight towards the Opera House. My chest was beating with excitement. This iconic architectural beauty has been on my bucket list since I got to Australia.

It is worth noting that during this time we were having the Pokemon Go craze gripping many of the world’s denizens. As it darkened, the usually green background of the app shone a green light to the faces of smiling young adults, teens and kids as they chased around looking for Pokemon. What made this place particularly popular, apparently, was the fact that the Opera house is next to water and has many ‘spawn’ points where Pokemons can be found. This is genuinely worth noting as I could say with confidence that a third of people (and groups) that were roaming around the Opera house in the fast approaching evening where Pokemon app users.

It kind of made me happy. It's a great way for people to bond and friendships to begin. Although, at times it gets extreme. For example, I recall a time when I read a story where a man had quit work simply to play Pokemon Go. The boss even fully supported him to go on this quest (The boss was probably glad to finally get rid of him perhaps. Although, we’ll never know for sure).

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We fast approached the Opera house and made our way up the stairs. It felt like being in a fairyland walking inside the Opera house. There were many splendidly dressed individuals with fantastic dresses and jet black suits. I definitely felt out of place in my casual attire. However, that did not impede me from having a thorough look around in the areas that are not out of bounds for non-ticket holders. After enjoying my fair share of looking around, we then exited the Opera house and walked westwards. From here you have a spectacular view of the northern part of Sydney and the Sydney Harbour bridge. It was absolutely spectacular. From there you should be able to spot stairs that will take you to the lower levels.

The lower levels of the harbour is right at sea level with restaurants and bars found just about flooding danger (there never really is any danger). Here, you can get a seaside view of much of what’s around you. It’s pretty refreshing to feel the seabreeze and smell of the ocean wash over you while sitting by the side. If you’re looking to enjoy a drink or a nice meal then there are plenty of options to choose from. Keep in mind that this is not the most budget friendly place to eat at all. If you’re looking to save a dollar then I would run the other way quickly.

However, there are still a few nice places to eat to grab snacks even though you’re low on the budget area. Around the Sydney area they have some moderately priced ice-cream shops. One of the ones we passed was pretty much a luxury ice-cream shop. So you can’t exactly eat there if you’re on a budget. It was quite amazing. It was a beautifully designed high-dining-esque looking place with the waiters and waitresses wearing very neat black and white tie uniform. It was a bit excessive now that I think about it as they only predominantly sold desserts. Their main displays showed ice-creams of different types. With all due credit the place did look pretty delicious. The things people were eating looked out of this world. However, the majority of those eating there were in suits so I imagined it was nowhere near being affordable. However, there is a place nearby that sells ice-cream cups and scoops that were actually pretty good.

I recall how my mates and I would eat at the cheaper spot during another visit to Sydney. Another thing worth noting is that there is a small restaurant next to the piers. This restaurant looks more like a takeaway shop more than anything. However, it looked pretty hipster-esque inside. I grabbed a few vietnamese rolls as I was keen to eat something light before the buffet. They were absolutely tasty. The rolls were very thin so you mostly got the taste of the vegetables that were placed in the centre. They were actually pretty good and did not taste as though they were frozen vegetables from a local supermarket. I definitely would recommend eating at some of the places here. Although, you may need to do some exploring to find the affordable places. It's surprising to even find affordable places to eat close to the Sydney Harbour.

Also, located nearby are a couple of souvenir shops. They have plenty of different things on offer to take home back to the family or for yourself. I ended up getting a small steel replica of multiple iconic monuments in Sydney that was only the size of my fist. This made it quite easy to carry around throughout the day until I got home.

You could have a mini picnic by the seaside with supermarket food or relatively cheap rolls and sandwiches. My mate and I had a drink to commemorate finally coming to Sydney and visiting the group. The plan originally was to meet the group although most were either working or at university except the mate that came with me. After that we decided to quickly grab McDonald's before the main event of tonight: ‘all you can eat’ South Korean BBQ. This McDonalds trip would be the first time I will be introduced to ‘loaded fries’. I ended up grabbing something small as I wanted to save as much room as possible for all the food I was about to eat.

South Korean barbecue buffet

After, we made our way to the bus stop. Unlike Adelaide, which is relatively flat, Sydney is quite hilly. Expect to walk up and down the city. So pack light and wear comfortably. However, while I was walking the streets of Sydney I did not see many ‘comfortably dressed’ individuals. Rather, I saw many dresses, expensive watches and lamborghinis prowling the inner part of Sydney. Apparently we passed by a stock exchange on the way to our bus stop. We continued our way to the stop and grabbed a bus ticket to where we had to go. My mate was unfortunately not tagging along for the all you can eat so he decided to drop me off with the other mates who were outside work.

The bus trip was long. I quickly recalled how large Sydney actually was. Most people would be living over an hour's drive simply to get to work. That was an existence I don’t think I would ever grow accustomed to. Spending more than an hour in transit to work and another hour back seemed very excessive. Regardless, we all have to make a living. Often enough we don’t have much of a choice. Let’s not think about that, we’re travelling or on Erasmus. We leave those thoughts for way later.

After about thirty minutes into the busride I was dropped off by two awaiting jeeps. I met several of my mates for the first time in person and we all said our introductions. I was pumping with excitement. We quickly got into our cars as we were all hungry and made our way to our eatery. I unfortunately cannot recall the name of the place as we had been busy chatting away. Rest assured, apparently there are many all you can eat South Korean buffets located all around Sydney.

Also to add, there are also a few South Korean towns located within Sydney. I recalled how on a later date I returned and the first thing we did was head to one of these Korea towns. I was amazed to find so many different fried chicken eateries. I was pretty sure that it was not specifically South Korean in origin. I didn’t really question it and enjoyed my questionably organic garlic chicken box. Also to add, one great thing about Korea towns in Sydney is that some of them stock high quality butcheries. There had been a time where my mates and I bought a few kilograms of meat and Wagyu beef to cook over a hot pot at one of our mate’s house. We also stopped by a Korean supermarket to grab the sauces and frozen goods we needed. I was surprised to see the wide selection of goods and stuff that can be found here.

Anyway, let’s return to our story. We finally made it to the South Korean eatery. We walked up the stairs to the main dining area where the fragrance of frying meats and vegetables hit my senses. We quickly made our way to the table we reserved and dropped off our stuff. After our mates arrived late we were about eight people total. The way these eateries usually work is that on the table you will have between one to two hotpots built into said table. We had one large table so we had one hot pot on each side. We were able to control the heat and intensity with dials that were also built into the table. We walked up to the counter area where they had a wide selection of chicken, fish, beef, pork and many more. You could choose marinated options. There was also a wide selection of friable veggies waiting for us. We grabbed what we wanted and also some sauces to enjoy with our meal (dipping sauces ranging from soy sauce to wasabi). We oiled up our hot pots and started the frying process.

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I recalled eating Wagyu beef for the first time here. It may not have been the highest quality due to the pricing of the place (roughly 30 dollars which is considered a good price for a half decent buffet), although the taste was pretty divine. I ate and ate until I could eat no more. Then I ate some more after. It was a great experience and I highly recommend you go to one of these Korean all you can eats. There was also an added satisfaction in your meal when you’re frying it yourself.

By the end of it I was almost gasping for air. I had some of the dessert ice-cream on display before calling it a night. This was a great highlight to my Sydney experience. I will be concluding this story here as the rest of my trip had been mostly about hanging out with friends. Hopefully this gives you a bit of inspiration to check out Sydney whether you are on Erasmus in another Australian city or have yet to visit this striking country. Happy Adventuring!