Home › Travel Guides › Oceania Travel Guide › Australia › New South Wales › Sydney › Things to do in Sydney
Image gallery
Video gallery

Sydney Opera House

© 123rf.com / Rorem

++1100
Sydney Local time

Weather in Sydney
Occ Light Rain
2
8
°C
Australia

Things to do in Sydney

Kayaking

To see Sydney at its best, don your life jacket and hit the water. Sea kayaking is the perfect way to explore the awe-inspiring array of natural beauty that the city has to offer - from its myriad harbours and beaches to its Robinson Crusoe-esque secluded islands. Suitable for beginners or advanced kayakers, a three or four hour experience at Life’s an Adventure includes kayaking tuition, professional guides and a gourmet picnic lunch.

Tel: (02) 9913 8939
Website: www.lifesanadventure.com.au

Surfing

If you’re in Australia for any length of time then throwing yourself at the waves for at least one surfing lesson is a must. And what better place to break your surfing virginity than the iconic Bondi Beach? The award winning Lets Go Surfing is Bondi’s only licensed surfing school. Whether you’re a first-timer or surfing pro looking to catch to ride a big one, the surf school has a range of instructors, boards and equipment for all.

Tel: (02) 9365 1800
Website: www.letsgosurfing.com.au

Beaches

Sydney is spoilt for choice when it comes to beaches - (94 of them, in fact). It’s easy to find ‘secret’ beaches, like Store Beach, even during the height of summer. Store Beach isn’t in the guidebooks, and most locals haven’t even heard of it, let alone been there. This bush-backed stretch is barely populated (aside from a colony of local little penguins) making it desert-island perfection. However, there is a catch - you can’t reach it by land and you need to hire a kayak from Manly and paddle half an hour to get there. Well worth it.

Trekking

If you want to understand why Sydney has the reputation of being one of the world's most beautiful cities, don your hiking boots and stick to its great outdoors. Eschew the Bondie to Bronte walk and instead head north to Lane Cove National Park. Along the bluegum tree-lined river bushwalk, spot a wealth of flora and fauna, from egrets and kookaburras to delicate ferns and flowers.

Diving

Explore the awesome underwater aquarium that is Sydney harbour – complete with its historic shipwrecks, pristine reefs and bounty of marine life, including Port Jackson sharks, huge Blue Gropers and giant cuttlefish. Dive Centre Manly is a multi-award winning PADI 5 Star Instructor training facility offering a complete range of dive courses, from basic discovery to instructor level. Diving courses are available on both weekdays and weekends and the centre offers both shore, wreck and boat dives.

Tel: (02) 9977 4355
Website: www.divesydney.com.au

Sky diving

Whether it’s your first time or your fifth, tandem skydiving is the ideal way to experience the thrill of freefall. And, thanks to the area’s natural beauty, getting up to 14,000ft above the beach will be a sensory feast in itself. Securely attached to a professional tandem instructor, you exit the plane for over 60 seconds of freefall before serenely soaring under the parachute for five minutes – even taking control of the steering if you’re up for it. Minimum age for a Tandem Skydive in Australia is 14 years old and no experience is necessary. Inclusive CBD pick-ups to Wollongong (one hour away) are available.

Tel: (02) 4225 8444.
Website: www.skydivethebeach.com.au

Red Baron fliying

Adrenaline-racing aerobatics 2000ft in the air above Sydney – and you’ve got the controls? Not an experience for the faint of heart, but an adventure activity to end all adventure activities, a flight with Red Baron is a must for thrill-seekers. Flying from Bankstown Airport to Sydney Harbour, the Northern Beaches and the Blue Mountains, Red Baron offers front-seat birds-eye views of one of the best vistas in the world. With the ‘Hands On Aerobatic’ flight you’ll learn how to manoeuvre the aircraft through level flight, a loop and a roll. There’s also more basic harbour and blue mountain tour flights.

Tel: (02) 9791 0643.
Website: www.redbaron.com.au

Yoga

Fancy doing your downward dog and sun salutations to the backdrop of stunning sea views, and frequent dolphin and whale sightings in the fresh ocean breeze? Situated by the iconic Icebergs outdoor swimming pool in Bondi, the Yoga by the Sea school holds a mixture of Yin and Yang classes for all abilities.

Tel: (04) 11336 476.
Website: www.yogabythesea.com.au

Recommended Sites:

Protect yourself from malaria
Before you travel, find out if your holiday destination is in a malaria zone.
(An educational initiative organised and funded by GlaxoSmithKline Travel Health. UK/MARK/0173/10 September 2010)
Travel insurance
For residents of over 150 countries. High levels of medical, evacuation, emergency & most adventure activities covered.