I timed my visit to Sydney for this event in November 2014 and I did not regret one bit of it…read more The coastal walk was simply awesome and as we actually started walking from Coogee to Bondi, we should be tired by the time we got to Tamarama but we were not. I did not realize Tamarama was considered the end of the exhibition but I felt it did not matter much which side you started from. The 2 km stretch of exhibits between Bondi and Taramara was over very quickly as you marveled at the sculptures. Set against the clear blue sea with frothing waves (at some parts) and beautiful blue sky dotted with some clouds, it was just quite breathtaking. Just take your time and bask in the beauty all around the place. No rush, no hurry and you will not feel like you are being hemmed in by the crowd. Some parts can be more packed but as long as you are not in a rush, people do give way or move on after a while. We went on a Friday afternoon so maybe it was not that crowded compared to the weekend.

To go along with my list of reasons why I love the eastern burbs coast line... this really adds to…read moreit. In November, when it starts getting nice and warm (and hopefully the rain is far away), you can see some amazing sculptures while enjoying the walk between Bondi and Bronte. The only issue I can see is that there are way too many people who do not understand the idea of "DO NOT TOUCH THE ARTWORK". So parents, please control your kids as some people spent lots of time and money to create the art and make it a yearly activity in Sydney that I look forwards to.

I took the evening tour as a solo traveler and it did not disappoint. I had grown use to my norther…read morehemisphere skies but was delighted to view life from the southern side. The tour was small and personal giving everyone a chance to look through the vintage telescopes. Located high above the city, it made for a beautiful evening of sightseeing.

Visiting the Sydney Observatory for the World Record Stargazing event was an unexpected surprise…read more Located in an out-of-the-way part of Sydney (due to the hill and the Harbour Bridge approach), I'd never been there before. The buildings are impressive, mainly built between 1857 and 1859 from beautiful Sydney sandstone. I also found it was free to enter the grounds and view the exhibits inside (I went back later to see the buildings during daylight). At the moment there is a wonderful exhibits of astronomical photography on. It does however cost for a tour during the day or evening ($10 for adults during the day, $18 in the evening), which includes entry to the planetarium and viewing through the telescopes - best done during the evening of course. The highlight for me was viewing the rings of Saturn through a telescope for the first time, plus taking part in my first world record!

Putting aside the headache it is to try and drive to this area and find parking during this crazy…read moreevent, Vivid was pretty damn cool. We went on the Starship Sydney, which despite the amount of people on board, still had plenty of space for great views of all lights. I'm especially impressed how Sydney coordinates all the different displays, especially the bridge which baffles my mind. Overall, it was just an awesome experience for a reasonable price. And loved having a couple drinks during the cruise as well.

I cannot believe any of these reviews are less than 5 stars!…read moreWe stayed a week in Sydney and went out for Vivid almost every night. There was always something new to see. The city is lit with gorgeous lights. There is music and lots of different interactive experiences. The streets are full of children laughing and people looking up in awe. Yes, there are crowds and yes it may get a bit chilly but throw on a jumper and quit complaining! This is a FREE event! And one that brings together the community and gives people the opportunity to share in beautiful, magical experiences. I would recommend this to any and everyone. You can see what will be offered on the website but honestly, we were in Circular Quay and we saw and explored so much within walking distance. Plan ahead or have an adventure. Either way, you can't go wrong with this event!

Free entrance to this museum about the history of Sydney, and The Rocks area in general…read more There's sooo much history and information to read about the Aboriginals and the British colonialism, and several artifacts as well. Learned a lot about this historical place. I wish that the voices and documentary playing were lower in volume, because that, along with the screaming kids everywhere, were distracting while we were reading all the tablets. Otherwise, it's a good spot to pop your head in for an hour. No WiFi, and bathrooms right across the street.

We stopped in here while walking around the Rocks and were happy we did! Admission is free, so we…read morefigured we had nothing to lose! It turned out to be a really nice exhibit covering the history of the area from early days to closer to the present. I appreciated that there was an emphasis on stories about people who lived in the area during different time periods rather than just a collection of labelled artifacts. Take a break from shopping and stop in! Be kind and leave a donation as well, since they rely on this!

Glebe Street Fair is a one-day annual event in Glebe that brings the immediate and surrounding…read morecommunities together. Glebe Point Road comes alive with music, a live stage, food stalls, craft markets, entertainers and miscellaneous market stalls. You will find everything at a typical weekend market but on a much grander scale.There is something here for everyone. Glebe Street Fair is very kid friendly with many activities on offer to keep the younger generation entertained - a great day of family fun. Being in November, it is also the perfect place to pick up some Christmas gifts. And when you're done, why not reward yourself with a drink at one of the nearby pubs. Ah, what a perfect Sunday!

On November 20th, Glebe Point Road was closed down to traffic for some odd reason. I had no idea…read morewhat for. Was it construction? Did something explode? No, Paul, you're ridiculous (I say to myself in retrospect), it's to host the Glebe Street Fair! Taking place once per annum, it's an exciting event where dozens of vendors set up stalls in the middle of the street. There's over a kilometer of different stalls with ethnic food, handmade crafts, and nifty activities. I, along with hundreds of other people, descended into the street to check out the buzz. The fair has entertainment all day long, including attractions for kids, live music, and street performances. I was so intrigued by the amount of stalls here that sold practical and quirky things; I ended up making friends with a hammock salesman. Who'd have guessed? The performance I was most looking forward to was the unicyclist riding a super tall unicycle. Unfortunately, it started belting rain in the late afternoon, so I ran back home, disappointed once again at Mother Nature.

Really good experience you will have for spending your afternoon at Leichhardt…read more So many food stall, from ribs, bangers, burgers, gelato and coffee. Oh, that's right, I forget the juices for adult, wine and alcohol! They are promoting Peroni, since this us Italian village festival. Bangers are nice, you guys can check from social media #the fancy banger. Gelato are nice too $4.50 for the single scoop. The beef ribs are cook to perfection, fall of the bones. Sauce is deep and rich so delicate. Come and check them out, the are finishing at 5 pm this afternoon.

While visiting Sydney my friend wanted to come to this museum. Initially we found the hours online…read moreto be 7 days a week; however, when we arrived they are only open on weekends (Sat & Sun). It was interesting to see that it was the old jailhouse along with the cells from inmates. It seemed like it was lacking information or just didn't have enough information to satisfy any historian. On the plus side, it was free admission as it appears all Sydney museums are gratis. Employees were very friendly as well.

The museum is on the smaller side, and there isn't a days full of things to see or do, but for the…read moreprice of admission, what there is there to see, and the location to other things in the area, it's a great place to go for 2-3 hours on a weekend. There are three different tours/activities that are lead by the staff and I would highly recommend taking the time out to do that to really get the full experience. One of them (my favorite) is an overview of facilities/history with a few famous crime stories tossed in. The guide will give you a history lesson of the station and court house and walk you through most of the areas of the museum, such as the cells, court house, and booking area and explain the significants of some of the artifacts that are on display. Another thing they do is put on a reenactment of a court case and use guests to fill the roles needed. As another reviewer pointed out, it probably not the best place for younger children. Some of the photos was really graphic. I was actually surprised at it. You would think they would post a warning before walking into a room with photos on the wall/slideshow playing of murders and dead bodies. If you've been there before, and knew your way around, you could navigate around those if you were with young children, or someone uncomfortable with seeing graphic material. There is a room full of old weapons in glass cases, which was interesting to see. Some of the old stories of how they preserved evidence really puts into perspective how far we have come with science and technology and collecting/preserving evidence. The one real quirky thing about the place is the sideshow that is playing with old photos. Some great historical photos, but several of them they have no idea why the photo was taken, who is in the photo, or even where exactly it was taken. The narrator is literally saying things like " no idea who this is", "photo of a man on a corner seems to be looking down the street", "group standing outside a store; something must have happened here", "no idea why this person was photographed". Just bizarre. It's not like they were amazing photos that needed to be displayed. Just random unknown photos. Overall great time. Worth the price of admission. History buff or just a law enforcement/justice fan you will enjoy your time here.

We went to Old Government House in Parramatta to soak in the local history. I knew that a lot of…read moreinvestment went into the suburb, and was curious about the train stop on the way to the CBD. Did not realize the significant history Parramatta played in the survival of the original colony. This house was the seat of major agricultural work that produced food that fed Sydney. We paid for the volunteer led tour ($14?) and was pleased by the quality of information provided. Our guide was kind enough to allow the young boy in our group unlock the tour with the large key and ring the bell :) You can see the care that this group has put towards preserving this space. If you like history, and don't mind a trip to the Western suburbs, I would definitely recommend the visit to Parramatta Park and Old Government House.