Even if you don't attend University of Sydney, you should definitely check out the Quadrangle!…read more The gothic revival architecture is a visual marble worth admiring on its own merit. You might think you've been transported to a scene from Harry Potter. The view is impressive both from the outside and inside. The heritage sandstone buildings are worth the admiration. The place is so wonderful, you can simply enjoy a picnic here or spend hours taking pictures and admiring the architecture. The photo ops are endless if you are into that type of thing. Overall, if you are a fan of architecture or a fan of Harry Potter style buildings, you'll definitely enjoy this place.

Stopped by the University of Sydney Quadrangle while exploring around town and it's a beautiful…read morequad. Not particularly large but surrounded by a beautifully architectured building. Note that there were quite a few other tourists as it seems like tourist buses drop off tourists here for photos.

St. Aloysius' College has probably one of the best locations for any elementary or high school in…read morethe world. Located in Kiribilli/Milson's Point, the school is located by the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Two main campuses constitute the school. One is for junior school (grades 3-6), the other is for the senior school (grades 7-12). From certain vantage points in the school, you can see the entire bay with global iconic structures such as the Sydney Opera House, the Center Pointe Tower, and of course the Sydney Harbour bridge. When viewed from Circular Quay, you can see a giant white cross on the side of the building. Like many of Sydney's private schools, the school has a long and rich history. All students wear two types of uniforms. A summer semester uniform and a winter semester uniform. The school is an all boys Jesuit day school. The Jesuit educational philosophy is to develop all aspects of a student versus specifically focusing on mere academics. Many students are well rounded with good academics and heavy involvement in extracurriculars such as sports or volunteer services. The school is generous with providing financial assistance or scholarships to its students. In terms of demographics, the school has many students of various ethnic and socio-economic background. This enables students to learn and understand that each student is valuable despite his personal differences. The school's motto is Ad Majora Natus, which is Latin for "Born for greater things." The expectation for the students is that they will contribute to society in ways greater than they expected. The school has a beautiful chapel with beautiful stained glass windows. The main images of the stained glass windows include Jesus Christ and St. Aloysius Gonzaga, the namesake of the school. Surrounding him are the four main Saints that constitute the institutions' houses. For non-Australians or British, the houses are similar to that of the houses in Harry Potter. The houses are Owen House (Green), Southwell House (Blue), Campion House (Red) and Olgivie House (Yellow). They are named after St. Nicholas Owen, St. Robert Southwell, St. Edmund Campion, and St. John Olgivie. All were Roman Catholic Jesuits executed by Protestants for their faith. The statue of St. Aloysius Gonzaga was moved from the corner of the senior school and place into the center of the senior school campus. The statue is painted in white and the sword of St. Aloysius was broken off years ago. It's funny that it was never repaired. The school is walking distance, unfortunately uphill, to the Milson's Point train station. If you go north, you can go to North Sydney, if you go south, you will go into the Central Business District and across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Close by to the school is a great fish and chips shop. Your fish and chips will be freshly cooked and wrapped in newspaper (old school style). Don't forget to add chicken salt or vinegar to your order for a delicious kick to it. Once you get your order, spend some time eating it under the Sydney Harbour Bridge at Bradley Park.

They are a pain to work with. Not approachable and does not care about their students at all.read more

I am thrilled to be part of this amazing community! I am studying my Bachelor of Business with…read moreaccounting here and couldnt be more happier! The teachers are well knowledged, the campus is clean and the staff goes out of their way to make this place our home away from home. Most of the students are international students so its nice to feel welcomed. I highly recomend this amazing campus for all your higher education needs!

My original campus so I always have a soft spot for this place…read more It has the usual mod con's as any other university except no bar which I think is good I mean your here to get an education not to get drunk! Since last year they have renovated a lot buildings with the addition of building 17. Lots of parking space but if you get here at peak hour you will probably be driving around the car lot for at least 20 minutes waiting for people to leave! Coffee can be up and down depends on which Barista you get it from. I like this campus coz it's not as big as Parramatta yet people seem more talkative and friendly here.

The people who built this building were definitely drunk. The design is so trippy and weird, and I…read morewas pretty mesmerized by it. It's originally part of the business school, but it's open to the public. So I waltzed right in, got a coffee on the ground floor, stood in front of the metallic staircase, walked up, exited, and just stared at the building for a good thirty minutes from all angles. It's truly a sight for sore eyes. Afterwards, I walked the Goods Line for some more cool buildings and then was on my way to the train station. This building is definitely not your typical tourist spot, but is in the touristy area of Darling Harbour, so go check it out after the Chinese Garden or Paddy's Market.

Frank Ghery's Paper Bag is in fact the Dr Chau Chak Wing Building at the UTS Business School but it…read moredoesn't quite have same ring to it. It's named after the magnificent philanthropist who donated $20 million to the project, Dr Chau Chak Wing. 'Paper Bag' rolls off the tongue a lot more readily and it's obvious on approach from any angle, why the building has received this nickname. It really doesn't matter where you stand, there is something to wonder at. Sharp lines, curved lines, reflections and gravity defying architecture. This building has it all. It contains 320 000 custom designed bricks which were no doubt a huge headache for the masons who were following Gehry's plan. The building is actually designed to represent the folds in skin or clothing, rather than a paper bag, and the bricks are a nod to the famous Sydney sandstone. It's the first time Frank Gehry has created a building in Australia. And it is a creation - how could it be anything else? It's best viewed from afar so that you can take in the full splendour of the uneven folds and curves. My photos don't do the scale justice so the next time I am in Sydney, I will go back to get a shot from further afield. It's certainly impossible not to keep taking photos as you wander around it. When you are up close, there is something very Guadi-esque about the way the building leans onto itself. Whilst part of the UTS campus, the general public are welcome to explore the public spaces inside the building. Huge chunks of skewed wood and topsy-turvy mirroring means it is just as unique on the inside. I also counted four coffee shops and countless lounge spaces. Those lucky students! The Dr Chau Chak Wing Building adjoins the reclaimed Goods Line, now a 'NYC High Line' style pedestrian walkway that takes you from Central through to Pyrmont. You can easily while away an hour here, admiring the interior, exterior and surrounds. Make sure you include it in your next visit to Sydney.

Hankerin' to do some larnin'? The WEA centre no doubt has a course for you- there are so many on…read moreoffer that reading the programme always inspires me to a bit of an "if I had more time and money" kind of fantasy. Like, "Hmmm I've always wanted to study Ancient Mandarin calligraphy and how to speak in wing-dings, maybe I'll sign up for those next year". Sadly, the courses I have partaken in have been a bit more practical- a Responsible Service of Alcohol refresher, basic Word & Excel, and a car maintenance course that I couldn't finish as I was diagnosed with whooping cough after the first class. But for most courses they offer different levels so you can go onto advanced Ancient Mandarin Calligraphy next time the programme comes out. There are venues scattered all around Sydney but the centre of it all is right in the city.

I've had the opportunity to take a watercolor class here with Fiona and really enjoyed it! Prices…read morefor the courses are affordable and I found the instructor knowledgable and helpful. I enjoyed the way each session focused on a new skill set and that the instructor provided detailed handouts and instruction throughout the course.

The Mosman Community College has a fantastic range of classes from learning to cook and sew to…read moremastering the art of languages. Their classes make great birthday gifts. I signed up and paid for a Thai cooking class with my Dad for his birthday. We had a great time cooking and learning about Thai ingredients. We made traditional and modern dishes that tasted absolutely delectable! All the ingredients and cooking utensils are provided and the lady who runs the class provides you with a copy of the recipe to take home. We now regularly cook from these recipes and everything has an abundance of flavour. The lady who runs the workshop is a little difficult to understand but is very friendly and knows how to cook! She is also very encouraging and tells you a bit about each of the ingredients and where to buy them from. I would definitely recommend this class to anyone who has a love of Thai food. There are a lot of ingredients to each recipe but the end result is simply delicious. And yes, you do get to eat everything you got to cook! There is ample parking out the front and is free of charge. See their website for more details on the range of classes available!

In my search for an evening Italian language class, Mosman Community Collage found me. The time/day…read moreworked perfectly so I signed up. The 'Italian for beginners level 1' ran for 8 weeks, Thursday evenings 6-8PM ($180). The classes are held at Mosman Public School which is very accessible, plus parking on-site makes it very easy to get to class. My teacher, Valentina was excellent - patient, kind and fun. Overall I really enjoyed the course and I'll be back for Term 1 next year - 'Italian beginners level 2'! Molto bene!

The event which rekindles my love-hate relationship with Sydney, the same way "date night" keeps…read morecouples together/honest (the biggest Sydney hate: prices of just about everything). I particularly look forward to the first night every year where parts of the city is transformed into a mini street party where everyone is in good spirits, and all the shows that are on. Oh and the yellow rubber duck that we saw in 2013 is back (It's been following me around the world all throughout 2013 haha)

The Sydney Festival held every January, transforms the city of Sydney into a sea of colour and…read moreculture. Over 1000 artists from Australia and overseas perform, covering everything from dance, theatre and music to visual arts. Some of the highlights of the festival are: * Day 1 There may be no 'Festival First Night' this year, but 'Day 1 has plenty to offer. Comprising of 3 Acts - Act 1 - a Fun Run in Hyde Park, Act 2 - The Arrival at Darling Harbour, Act 3 - Daptone Super Soul Revival at The Domain. A day full of fun, fun, fun is sure to be had! * Honda Festival Garden The Spiegeltent is back, turning Hyde Park into an oasis for the over 18s every evening. What a great way to enjoy the balmy summer nights. * About an Hour Held over the long weekend at Carriageworks in Eveleigh, you can see 45 performances of theatre, storytelling, movement and music. * Paradiso at Town Hall See 10 back to back nights of international and national bands and DJs in Sydney's iconic Town Hall. Late night after parties finish at 2am. * Fast Festival Feasts Some of Sydney's best restaurants participate in the Fast Festival Feast Program. For either $30 or $55 for a one or two course menu, it's a great deal. Click here for the Fast Festival Feast Program. Be sure to also check out the Big Night Out Bar Program for all the special offers with participating venues. There's also a handy app you can download for all your Festival info on the go. Check out the website for further information. So make the most of the month of January and introduce a little culture to your life!