locals trike ride tour – Carol + Richard 06.09.26

Our locals are actually from the Blue Mountains, approx 100km west of Sydney – though it depends on where in the Blue Mountains, it’s a huge area! They wanted to do a fun experience and yes, we could help with that on the locals trike ride tour in Sydney! We picked them up from Circular Quay, map and precise instructions were sent when we were finalising the tour details.

Circular Quay

Often referred to as the “gateway to Sydney”, the Circular Quay precinct has views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House and is a common location for viewing Sydney New Year’s Eve fireworks. It hosts a number of ferry wharves, bus stops, and a railway station.

St Mary’s Cathedral

They rode through parts of the city and past St Mary’s Cathedral which is very impressive, even when riding past. It’s a Gothic Revival architectural building which opened in 1928. It took from 1866 to 1928 to build and has a height of 75m.

Art Gallery of NSW

Further on they turned left, along Mrs Macquaries Road. The Art Gallery of NSW has beautiful historic sandstone buildings which were built between 1896 and 1909. The Art Gallery of New South Wales began without a collection and without a building on 24 April 1871 when a group of 30 art-loving citizens established a society to support artists and promote knowledge and enjoyment of art in the wider community. In 1874 they secured government support for their project and by 1880 they had their own dedicated building, the first of its kind in Australia.

Domain

Also, this road goes through the Domain. The Domain is a heritage-listed 34-hectare (84-acre) area of open space located on the eastern fringe of the Sydney CBD. As usual, the locals trike ride tour in Sydney was showing some beautiful sights and icons of Sydney.

Mrs Macquaries Chair / Point

This leads to Mrs Macquarie’s Point. This peninsula was named in 1810 after Elizabeth, Governor Macquarie’s wife, who ordered a seat to be chiselled into the rock from which she could view the harbour. Mrs Macquaries Chair, as it’s known, is still there today. It’s in the Domain but is effectively an extension of the Botanic Gardens. They had a quick stop here to check it out and take photos.

Woolloomooloo, Harry’s and Garden Island

Further on, 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).

Coca-Cola billboard

Look up to see the famous “Coke Sign”. It is an advertising billboard erected in 1974 by the Coca-Cola Company. More often regarded as an iconic landmark than as an advertisement. The new Coca-Cola sign was officially turned on, on 15 September 2016, and uses a lot less power. It is the single largest controllable LED sign in the Southern Hemisphere and can change colour.

Rushcutters Bay

Into the inner eastern suburb of Rushcutters Bay. After British settlement, the area was first known as ‘Rush Cutting Bay’ because the swampy land was covered in tall rushes used by early settlers for thatching houses. In 1878, 2 hectares (6 acres) were reserved for recreation; and, after reclamation work was completed, Rushcutters Bay Park was created.

Double Bay

The next eastern suburb is Double Bay, it is a harbourside eastern suburb 4 km east of Sydney CBD.

It takes its name from the bay of Sydney Harbour and refers to the two geographical formations between Point Piper and Darling Point, which are interrupted by a miniature point in between. It has some of the most expensive real-estate in Australia and is colloquially often referred to as “Double Pay”, a term coined due to the high income of people living there, and the nature of the shopping area which features high-end fashion labels.

Rose Bay

Even further east is Rose Bay. It is a harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney, located seven km east of the CBD.

The name Rose Bay was used as early as 1788 by Captain John Hunter. HMAS Tingira, named after an Aboriginal word for ‘open sea’ was moored in Rose Bay from 1912 to 1927. It was used to train over 3,000 Australian sailors, many for service in World War I. There is a small park on the Rose Bay waterfront which commemorates Tingira.

Macquarie Lightstation

Then, they headed north and stopped at Macquarie Lightstation / lighthouse for a photo (or four). Completed in 1818, Macquarie Lighthouse was designed by convict architect Francis Greenway for Lachlan Macquarie, the Governor of NSW. Owing to crumbling foundations, it was reconstructed in the 1880s. Standing at 26 metres tall, the replacement tower was designed by the state’s Colonial Architect, James Barnet, to closely resemble Greenway’s original.

Watsons Bay

Even further north to Watsons Bay. It sits on the end of the South Head peninsula and takes its name from the sheltered bay and anchorage on its western side, in Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour). Fabulous views across the harbour to the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Already, the locals trike ride tour in eastern Sydney has shown a fun perspective to our beautiful city.

The Gap

Opposite is “The Gap” . The view is towards North Head and out to the South Pacific Ocean. The Gap is an ocean cliff which faces the Tasman Sea, and is located in the suburb of Watsons Bay. Although the cliff is a popular tourist destination, it is infamous for suicides.

Gap Park is located on a coastal escarpment on Sydney Harbour’s South Head. It has spectacular views of both the harbour and the ocean. A weather worn memorial to an officer killed in the Boer War, is at the entrance to Gap Park.

Bondi Beach

Next, they rode south to the world famous Bondi Beach. This is the beach where Bondi Lifeguards of the Bondi Rescue TV series is filmed. When in Sydney it is one of the places you should visit. The beach is seriously nice (but not our favourite) but it’s good to say you have seen it. 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.

They stopped near the Lifeguard Tower to have a look and take photos. It’s where this photo was taken.

Centennial Park

There was time for an interesting ride through the huge Centennial Park is a lovely experience. 120 fields and venues, and 35+ different sports 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.”

The remarkable eels of Sydney’s Centennial Park is worth some research. We can’t guarantee you will see any, but you will still know they are there. Richard decided the best way to see the park is on the back of a trike, not pedalling 🙂

Oxford Street

They came out one of the many gates of the Parklands to ride down the famous Oxford Street. The western section of Oxford Street, which runs through the suburb of 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.

Macquarie Street

Lastly, they rode along Macquarie St. This street, is the location of the main governmental institutions of NSW: Parliament House, Government House, and the Law Courts Building (which houses the Supreme Court of New South Wales). There is so much history behind Macquarie St. and the buildings that front it.

In the years since its founding in 1788, Sydney had developed organically, and by the early 1800s was lacking in major public buildings, and had a complex network of narrow streets. The supply of drinking water and waste management was also becoming an issue. Governor Macquarie initiated the construction of Sydney’s first public buildings of any real permanence and set the boundaries of Sydney’s grid of streets, laying out the street in 1810.

However, the 1.5 hrs was up so the trike rider dropped them back at Circular Quay. In conclusion, the locals trike ride tour in Sydney was a definitely fun, unique and memorable experience.

Feel the Freedom!

or just email trevor@trolltours.com.au and tell us what you would like to do.