Sydney short holiday break – Britney + Matthew 15.03.24

The Sydney short holiday break was taken by our passengers from Adelaide SA. They decided a trike tour was the way to have fun, do something different and memorable. Our trike rider picked them up from their hotel the Rocks.

Opera House

Firstly, they rode past the Sydney Opera House. We can’t get very close but we know some good angles which give some great scenic views. Even as “forever Sydneyites” we never get tired of looking at the Opera House.

Woolloomooloo, Harry’s and Garden Island

Then they headed east through the city, to the inner eastern suburb of Woolloomoolloo. Woolloomooloo is known for Finger Wharf, an old cargo dock that attracts a trendy clientele with fine dining, hip bars and water views on all sides. It also has the famous Harry Cafe De Wheels which has been serving customers for over 80 years. They make delicious pies, hotdogs and more. Lots of interesting photos are on the walls, mostly of famous celebrities who have visited over the years.

They rode past Garden Island which is the location of a major Royal Australian Navy base. Then it was up the hill and into Potts Point.

Kings Cross

Continuing on, they rode through the infamous Kings Cross, though it has calmed down a lot since it’s heyday – home of the famous and huge Coca Cola sign. Kings Cross is also home to nightclubs and ladies of the night though it is not nearly as raunchy as it was in the 1970s (apparently).

Eastern suburbs

They headed east through the posh suburbs of the eastern suburbs of Sydney, including the Bays: Rose Bay, Double Bay and Rushcutters Bay. Already, the Sydney short holiday break trike tour experience has shown our passengers so much of the interesting areas of eastern Sydney.

Watsons Bay and The Gap

Heading North through some upper class suburbs, such as Vaucluse, they rode to “The Gap” and stopped for photos. The view towards North Head and out to the South Pacific Ocean. Watsons Bay sits on the end of the South Head peninsula. The Gap is an ocean cliff which faces the Tasman Sea, is located in the suburb of Watsons Bay. Although the cliff is a popular tourist destination, it is infamous for suicides. It’s where this photo was taken.

Bondi Beach

Next, they rode south and past the world famous Bondi Beach to the south side. Here, there is a lovely view overlooking the whole of Bondi Beach. When in Sydney it is one of the places you should visit. The beach was made extra famous by the TV series “Bondi Rescue”. Bondi Beach is one of the most visited tourist sites in Australia. Bondi Beach is recorded by the Australian Museum that Bondi means place where a fight using boondi sticks (nullas nullas or fighting sticks) took place. This is where the photo was taken.

Tamarama + Bronte

Riding further south, along more beautiful, though possibly less well known, beaches. The suburb of Tamarama has a small ocean beach about 1 kilometre south of Bondi Beach and a couple of hundred metres north of Bronte Beach. It is an extremely narrow beach and deceptive for its size. Tamarama Beach is often referred to as Glamarama (or Glamourama), owing to the alleged abundance of glamorous people who sunbathe (often topless), on what must be one of the smallest strips of sand in the state (Wikipedia).

Bronte Beach sits on Nelson Bay, surrounded by Bronte Park. Bronte offers scenic cliff-top walking paths south to Coogee via the Waverley Cemetery and north to Tamarama and Bondi Beach.

Queens Park

However, time was almost up so Fred turned west and past Queens Park. It is a 26-hectare urban park, set in a natural amphitheatre at the foot of dramatic sandstone cliffs, with panoramic views of the Sydney region. It’s right next to the famous Centennial Park so they rode through it.

Centennial Park

Next, they rode past Centennial Park. It is a lovely experience, to ride through and to stop for a short break, or photos but we’d run out of time.

With 120 fields and venues, 35+ different sports are played in the Centennial Parklands. It is the largest community sports precinct in Australia! The history is also interesting: “Originally a swamp and then set aside as land for the water source for Sydney. Centennial Park was reconstructed as a public park and opened in 1888. Sir Henry Parkes’ vision was to create a ‘People’s Park’ in which the citizens of Sydney could ‘take in the air’ away from the Sydney town centre.”

Oxford Street

There was enough time to ride down the famous Oxford Street. The western section of Oxford Street, which runs through the suburbs of Paddington and Darlinghurst, is widely recognised as Sydney’s main gay district and Oxford Street is closed to traffic once a year in early March for the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

Barangaroo

Then, they rode off the bridge and past the comparatively new development of Barangaroo. A spectacular transformation from a disused container terminal on the edge of Sydney’s CBD into a spectacular 22-hectare waterfront precinct.

The Rocks

Famously, the most historic place in Australia is the Rocks. So they rode around part of it. It is a neighbourhood of historic laneways in the shadow of Sydney Harbour Bridge. The Rocks became established shortly after the colony’s formation in 1788 so it is the oldest residential, developed area in Australia – the birthplace of modern Sydney. With the arrival of European settlers in 1788, it was here that the convicts first set up house and shop.

Harbour Bridge Southern Side

Finally, it was along Hickson Road and under the southern end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. What a wonderful view! However, the 1.5 hours was up, so the trike rider took them back to their hotel.

Sydney short holiday break trike tour experience was fun, memorable and showed them so much of Sydney in a short time. Check out the Tours & Prices page for ideas.