25 things to do for under $25 in Sydney
Sure, Sydney’s hella exxy most of the time, but if you look hard enough you’ll find some great things to do that won’t leave a hole in your bank balance. By Aobh O’Brien-Moody & Rebecca Russo
01 Bounce off the walls and jump for joy at Skyzone Alexandria trampoline park. à www.skyzone.com.au. $18-$20.
02 Connect to country with a 90-minute Indigenous walking tour at Dharawal
National Park in Campbelltown. à www.macarthur.com.au/tours/. $10.
03 Go for a dip at the heritage-listed Wylie’s Baths that sit below the Maroubra to Bondi coastal walkway. à www.wylies.com.au. $2.40-$5.
04 Nab purr-fect coffee and meow-nificent cookies with the Catstronauts at Surry Hills’ Catmosphere Cat Café. à www.catmospherecafe.com/sydney. $20.
05 Take a stretch and ground yourself with a one-hour casual $15 drop-in yoga class
at Pocket City Farms in Camperdown. à www.pocketcityfarms.com.au.
06 Slurp down some super mega ramen noodles at Gumshara in Chinatown’s Eating World. It’s big enough for two. à 25-29 Dixon St, Haymarket 2000. $25.
07 LOL all night long at the Comedy Lounge at Café Lounge every Monday night at 8pm. à www.thecomedylounge.sydney. $10.
08 See the city on two wheels with a Boomerang Bike from multiple bike stations across Sydney for $14 an hour. à boomerangbikes.com.au.
09 Sit beachside on a warm day and eat fresh cod, chippies and mushy peas ($20) at the Traditional Chip Shop in Bondi Junction. à www.thechipshop.com.au.
10 Work up a sweat at No Lights, No Lycra’s weekly dance party in the dark on Mondays. à nolightsnolycra.com. $7.
11 Take a picturesque guided tour of Bare Island Fort, built in 1885 in the La Perouse area of Kamay Botany Bay National Park to guard Sydney from sneak attacks. à www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/venues/bare-islandfort. Sun 1.30pm, 2.30pm & 3.30pm. $10-$15.
12 Eat at Enmore’s favourite Lebanese joint Emma’s Snack Bar, where you can fill up on the likes of Moorish chicken ($20) and pillowy soft bread ($3 per serve). à emmassnackbar.com.au.
13 Get the perfect Insta snap at Pylon Lookout beside the Sydney Harbour Bridge. à www.pylonlookout.com.au. $0-$15.
14 Ditch your inhibitions and get groovin’ at Groove Therapy, a onehour dance class that is designed to make you feel good about yourself. à groovetherapy101.com. $20.
15 Up your cultcha with $20 Monday rush tickets at the Griffin Theatre
Company, available every Monday from noon. à www.griffintheatre.com.au.
16 Practice your strokes at Surry Hills’ impressive 50-metre Prince Alfred
Park Pool (open all year round). à www.princealfred.org. $0-$6.40.
17 Dig into a hefty serve of pad si-ew – stir-fried fat noodles with chicken and Chinese kale in a dark soy sauce – at Chat Thai. à www.chatthai.com.au. $14.
18 Ever wanted to learn how to skate backwards? You can get an aerobic workout on four wheels at RollerFit. à www.rollerfit.com.au. $25.
19 Or if ice is more your speed, head over to the Macquarie Ice Rink where the last hour of the day brings discounted skating. à www.macquarieicerink.com.au.$18-$19.
20 Grab some mates and pig out at Chicken Institute, a Korean restaurant on Fitzroy Street, Surry Hills serving an excellent combo of fried chicken in buckets, bibimbaps and milkshakes. à www.chickeninstitute.com.au. From $22.
21 Put on your Grand Designs cap and stickybeak at the incredible ’50s-era Rose Seidler House in Wahroonga on a Sunday ( see p32). à $0-$12. sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/rose-seidler-house.
22 Explore Manly’s beaches with Manly Kayak Centre, where you can hire an XL stand-up paddleboard for $10 an hour per person. à www.manlykayakcentre.com.au.
23 Find fun for the kids, and the kids-atheart, at the Powerhouse Museum. à maas.museum/powerhouse-museum. $0-$15.
24 Head through the theatre door to Giant Dwarf and take your pick of the performance litter: poetry slams, comedy and improv nights and more for under $25 a ticket. à giantdwarf.com.au.
25 Get the best bang for your buck at Darlo’s Trunk Road, who serve up delicious curry fries and ‘roadies’, which are spicy fillings wrapped up in paratha bread. à www.trunkroad.com.au. $12.