Yaaaayyy! Our eldest child finally turned 15 so we can take the family out together kayaking at…read moreMiddle Harbour ... children under 15 need to be accompanied by an adult, so the maths simply never worked out for this to be a family event until now. What a great spot. Pick up your craft at the southern end of the bridge - complete with all the safety gear - and head out for some fun and exercise up the harbour. Some sleek and sporty kayaks are on display at the site - one of which is now in our garage! - but for rentals the options are a little less ambitious: plastic or composite. Fine for family fun though, and probably a lot safer for the kids than the less stable alternatives. We're happy to rent on our own, but you can also join classes or group paddling tours, learning the basics or up-grading your skills to get out on a touring or sea kayak. In fact some of the tours almost work our cheaper than straightforward rentals, but you're dependent on moving at other people's pace.

I feel like paddle boarding has been trendy for a while now, and it took me until now to try it for…read morethe first time. Since I spent the afternoon last week on the Spit to Manly walk, I wanted to have my first time paddle boarding on the calm waters of the area by Clontarf beach. So I chose to rent my paddleboard from Sydney Harbour Kayaks. Another plus of renting from here is that they are the least expensive when compared to other rental outlets around the city. It's $20 for a one-hour rental and $30 for two hours. I decided to take advantage of the sunny weather as much as possible by choosing two hours. I was given a very short introduction by the kind staff about how to paddle and then I was on my way. The wind was actually really strong that day, making paddling a more arduous task than usual. Blowing against the direction I wanted to go, the wind constantly pushed me towards the shore and pushing me off the board twice. Finally I made my way to the beach and chilled there for a while. Right before they closed, I struggled to paddle myself back to shore. Though my struggles at sea weren't their fault, I kind of hoped that I would have been briefed more thoroughly on how to maneuver the board in strong winds. I'll definitely be hiring a kayak next time.

This is one of a few boatsheds that enable you to have a boating trip in nature, while you're still…read morein the city! Lane Cove has some gorgeous mansions each with their own boatshed and lush front gardens you can peak at from your hired vessel. Take care though-the river has its sharks and stingers :)

A very safe place to try out Kayaking is at Lane Cove National Park as the river is very calm and…read morestill. It is a hidden gem in the inner west. The water is generally easy to row in and there are only a few people kayaking. The Boatshed is a blessing to the park. It offers Kayaks, Canoes and Paddle boats to explore the water. You can hire in half hour blocks or for the whole day. The kayaks are in very good condition and the compulsory life vests come in a range of sizes. I came back earlier than my scheduled time and was offered a Bike ride for the remaining 15 mins. That gesture offered by the owner has made this a 5 star review. I realised my love for mountain biking again and the road to ride on is not too bad.. Quite a fun day. Oh, the boat shed also sells ice-creams and crisps and non-alcoholic beverages. Not to much variety, but enough to keep you refreshed if you forgot to pack your picnic basket.

I booked the twilight bridge climb and I am still not quite sure what possessed me. Let me explain,…read moreI am in my mid sixties, fat, out of shape and deadly afraid oof heights. It didn't look so bad on pictures, but once I saw the bridge in person and in particular how tiny the climbers looked on top of the bridge, that was the moment fear set in. And it got worse during the preparations. You don't just walk in and climb on up there. You need to have instructions, pass a breathalyzer test, change into a special suit, get a radio, headphones, attach your glasses, hat, jacket and whatnot all to your suit and step into a heavy harness. By that time you'll start to sweat because this suit is like a plastic bag and hold in the heat. You also get to practice a climb up some ladders... oh yay. As a scaredy cat in regards of heights, I was placed up front so our guide could keep an eye on me. Good thing too. The rest of my group consisted of 20-30 year old athletic types... great. So you step on out of the building onto a catwalk and get hooked onto the safety line. This already made me regret things as I looked down onto the street below. Then our guide starts to run, yes run on this narrow catwalk... aaarggghhh... I did finally catch up with her but only because she was waiting for our group. Surprise, let's climb up 4 ladders with 25 steps each back to back... man I was huffing and puffing. Thank goodness you get to wait until everybody is up. Then you climb and climb and climb on up the stairs. I did my best and did keep up, but I was really trying hard. I gave it my all. At about 3/4 of the way, my legs were turning into jello, almost to the summit I thought I was going to throw up, but luckily we stopped to take pictures as a group and then as individuals. I recovered during this little rest. We had climbed up during daylight, by the time we reached the summit the sun was setting and the the view was spectacular. Unforgettable. Recovered due to the short rest and with the promise of no further climbing, but rather descending from here on, I was feeling much better. Thirsty, drenched in sweat and wishing I had used the restroom before the climb, but otherwise ok. Well now we had to cross from one side of the bridge to the other... at the summit, over several lanes of traffic and railroad tracks, and you can see straight down... for me, the scariest part. Then finally the descent. By now it was getting quite dark and we needed to turn on our lamps. The descent was much quicker than the climb of course and I was eager to get out of this hot suit, get a drink of water and use the rest room... no such luck. Now one has to painstakingly unbuckle all the equipment from the suit. Eventually you get to change back into your regular clothes. And just when you think you are done, you have to stand in line for the photo purchases. I had prepaid for the pictures, but still had to wait because the staff will pick out the pictures that feature you and put those with the group and scenery pictures. I do have to say our guide took fabulous pictures and they were worth the wait. Yes, I know I don't describe this adventure as a wonderful experience, it was quite strenuous, but also exciting and the view alone is absolutely worth it. Also the staff was very encouraging and if you have fear or physical concerns let them know so they can help you along the way.

My family and I did the sunset bridge climb and it was a fantastic experience. First, I sincerely…read moreappreciate how seriously they take safety. They take you through a series of procedures to make sure that you are prepared to do the climb as well check all of your equipment and that you aren't bringing anything you shouldn't onto the bridge. The attitude is still very positive and the employees do an excellent job balancing checking safety with a jovial attitude and maintaining the excitement of the adventure. Our bridge guide was Rhys and I cannot say enough good things about him. He did an excellent job sharing the history and fun facts about the bridge and Sydney while taking very good care of our group. We bought our nine and 11 year old sons with us and he was incredible with them answering their many questions and encouraging their enthusiasm. I have wanted to do the bridge climb for several years now and this experience surpassed all expectations. Anticipation can oversell the actual experience, but not this time. Thanks to Rhys and crew, we had a great experience.

Just a stunning experience. I was extremely lucky to be given this as a reward from one of my…read moreclients. Went on their twilight sailing experience recently with a great, small group who I occasionally work with. Stunning (despite the cold weather) and the skipper was talented and passionate about sailing. Went on the Colorado boat, and you would be forgiven for thinking that it might be too squishy, yet many of us were content to just sit down (wearing ponchos), eat and chat the night away with glorious Sydney Harbour as the stunning backdrop. Nice. I ended up driving the boat for around half of the trip, and it was a real buzz to drive a sailboat right underneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Something I will never forget for a long time. Highly recommended experience if you love Sydney; our stunning harbour and you are a water baby at heart. Rejoice and have heaps of fun!

Do NOT book with Sydney By Sail Hunter and Salona Yachts Australia. Staff are incredibly rude. They…read morewere planning to make us sail in terrible weather. Apparently "no postponements unless it's gale force winds". After 4 phone calls + calling another more reputable sailing company that verified that they'd canceled all of their sails for the day and offered fee-free reschedules - the "owner" offered to reschedule us for a $100 fee. He then called us back 5 minutes ago to say that "he'd changed his mind" and we can reschedule in the next 2 months without a fee.

Love this place!! Great place to rent kayaks, due to lovely staff, fun equipment to rent and…read moreperfect place to paddle away the afternoon.

Audley Boatshed is located in Sydney's Royal National Park, about 30kms south of Sydney's CBD…read more Surrounded by thick rainforest, and enchanting bush land, it is the perfect place to hire a canoe and paddle along the breathtakingly still Kangaroo Creek and Hacking River. If you don't feel adventurous enough to take to the water, why not grab a rug and enjoy lunch at the picnic pavilion, or on the ample lawns surrounding the boatshed. I make the trek down to Audley once a year (around Christmas time) with my nephew, and he absolutely loves it. Once you hire a canoe and hit the water, you can go one of two ways. Left or right! If there is a child in your company, I suggest you go right along Kangaroo Creek. After about 2kms the river tapers out and you cannot go any further by canoe. It leads you to the perfect spot for a swim or bushwalk exploration. But be careful, it can be a little dangerous. I once slipped off a rock while exploring the bush land at the end of Kangaroo Creek and cut my knee open. Not such a big deal, but considering mobile phone reception is nonexistent in this part of the National Park, if something does go wrong, you may have a long, painful canoe ride ahead of you. Audley Boatshed offers a truly unique way to enjoy the vast natural beauty of the Royal National Park. As you sail down the still waters of Kangaroo Creek, engulfed by the music of the rainforest, it will be hard to believe that one of the liveliest cities in the world bustles and pulsates only 30km away.

It's a speed boat ride with some fun stunts! I had heard a lot about the ride from a friend and was…read morepretty excited to experience it myself. It starts at darling harbour and takes a round in the cockle bay wharf itself. I had expected the stunts to be very exciting but I was a little disappointed to be honest. Nonetheless you may like it if you are not that much of an adrenaline junkie! The driver is very friendly and tries to involve everyone while performing the stunts; he even asks the preference of stunts from the riders which I think is great as mostly tourists like to try such attractions and it gives them a welcoming feeling.They even have gift vouchers that can be used to gift on a special occasion. Its best to check the website for when they are operating as mostly do not operate on weekdays.

For some reason I've always thought the Jetboat ride as a tourist thing but when I was given a…read morevoucher for it, I didn't complain. There are a few options to choose from in regards to how long you spend on the boat (or ride?!) but I'm sure they all do similar things and go around similar areas. I guess I should of asked but with my voucher I didn't really have an option! It was a bit of a chilly day and we were all warned that we might get wet. Well that was an understatement to say the least. Drenched might be a better term! It was worth it though. Jetting around at high speeds, stopping to a halt in a split second, doing 360's (ok maybe 180s) adds up to plenty of water splashing all over you. Really good fun though and definitely not just a tourist thing.

Dishonest. Do your self a favour and avoid these clowns. I spent over $10,000 dollars at this…read morestore. The vtx dive computer that I purchased didn't work from the start. They refused to exchange or refund and now just lie about the details of the purchase. Disgusting people and service.

My experience at Abyss learning how to scuba was fantastic.. small group, great and knowledgeable…read moreinstructors who are patient and explain things very clearly and always have an answer to all your questions. The photographs and videos taken during the course were also really cool to have as a memento of an incredible underwater experience! The course is very well structured and I really got the best value for cost. Keep up I highly recommend this school to anyone looking to get their Open Water dive certification. Thanks once again to my amazing instructors Jarrad, Honeron, and also thanks to Rosa for the pictures! If I lived in Sydney I would definitely sign up to do more dive courses and join the dive club... Sadly I live on the other side of the world!

At just $25 per hour for a single kayak (paddle board is the same price). This is a great way to…read morenot only get fit, but spend a lovely sunny day exploring Sydney Harbour. At a regular pace, you can make it around Shark Island and back. No, I didn't see any sharks. Phew! If you want to do something romantic, or just chill with a special someone. My suggestion is to stop off and have a relaxing picnic on Shark Island, which has harbour views to die for. But you will need to book and pay landing fees beforehand. Call 13000 PARKS Rent the Kayaks for a few hours and take the views in. It's worth it.