Strewth or dare
Thrill to sights of Sydney from on high
Go up and over while you’re Down Under… Clambering up Sydney Harbour Bridge is just one of city’s highlights
Standing 440ft above the ground, tethered by a wire and wearing the nattiest of blue and grey boiler suits, I realised the view spread out around me was nothing short of spectacular.
I had just climbed the 1,332 steps to the very highest point of Sydney Harbour Bridge – known affectionately to locals as “the coathanger”.
From here I was looking over the rooftops of skyscrapers, and across the sparkling blue harbour to where a smiling, if slightly scary, giant clown face looms over the entrance to Luna Park amusements. And dominating it
as best it can, the iconic Sydney Opera House. The climb is not terribly difficult, and our entertaining guide not only gave us snippets about the bridge’s construction, we learned a little about the city’s history too.
The bridge took seven years to build and was completed in 1930, with 1,400 workers enlisted to construct one of the world’s most recognisable structures.
Our guide was happy to take photos of us at the very best vantage points – and even a short video of me doing the Charleston on the struts.
It may not be the best of showreels, but it’s certainly in keeping as we head back to my base, the Paramount House Hotel in Sydney’s up and coming Surry Hills area.
With its striking copper-clad roof, this former HQ of Paramount Picture Studios has been lovingly converted into a boutique hotel, a fabulous blend of the old and the new.
Along with its bare brick walls and neon lights, there is a lift so pink and glitzy it feels as if you’ve stepped into a Barbie doll house.
For down time, there’s the Golden Age Cinema and Bar, which shares the same building, where you can sip a cocktail and watch classic movies in beautiful art deco surroundings.
Retreat to your tastefully decorated loft-style bedroom and you can relax in a wooden bathtub, then drop the blackout blinds and lose yourself in the super-soft linen sheets.
And in the morning you can take a leisurely breakfast on the roof terrace, or just grab a coffee on the way out at the Paramount Coffee Project, found in the same complex.
Surry Hills has a fab food scene. We had a memorable brunch at Cuckoo Callay, where huge portions of avocado and eggs on toast – along with pimpedup mac and cheese burgers – proved just the thing in the morning sun as we watched the world go by.
Wanting to walk off our 2,000 calorie start to the day meant the coastal walk was a given.
We began at pretty Bronte beach, home to the oldest lifesaving club in the world, and followed the coastline, taking in sensational clifftop views as we passed adorable bays, secret rock pools and perfect beaches.
We got our first glimpse of Bondi Beach as we passed the famous Icebergs Club, with its beautiful
outdoor swimming pool overlooking the ocean. In Bondi itself there is some great street art to view, and Campbell Parade has a great selection of independent shops and cafes.
Grab an ice cream, sit on the beach and watch the surfers tackle the waves under the careful eye of the red and yellow-hatted lifeguards.
Finally, head to the beach’s northern end, where you will find North Bondi Fish. The relaxed vibe of this beachfronted restaurant is just what you need after all that walking. The oysters with seaweed, Tasmanian scallops and crispy zucchini flowers were a real hit.
For a different take on Sydney, I recommend a walking tour with Culture Scouts.
We joined them through the Chippendale and Redfern areas, which at the beginning of the 20th century were characterised by slums, breweries and gangsters. Nowadays, they are known
Surry Hills has a fab food scene, and plenty of places to walk it off Grab an ice cream, sit on the beach and watch as the surfers ride in on the waves
for their architecture, contemporary art galleries and food scene.
Nearby is the weekly Carriageworks Farmers Market, where artisan breads, newly-harvested honey, freshly cut flowers and local farmers nestle alongside biodynamic wines and coffee trucks. If there’s one thing Sydneysiders love, it’s their coffee.
For a more contemporary view of Sydney we headed towards Darling
Harbour and the Barangaroo area. At one time a bustling container ship terminal, this suburb has been treated to vast levels of urban renewal. The
Barangaroo Reserve has a landscaped park at one end, leading to a modern promenade along the harbour front that is now home to a wide and varied selection of shops and restaurants. It is here that we finish our day, on the terrace of Banksii Vermouth Bar & Bistro – named after the first English botanist to document the plants and botanicals of Australia. It’s just one more example of how this buzzing and dynamic city draws on its history as it endlessly redraws its future.