City insider: Spring into Sydney

Winter in Sydney is a drag. As a city very much about its coastlines, sunshine and outdoor activities, the rain and cold make Sydney – and Sydney-siders – quite inhospitable. While there are certainly blindingly bright sunny days to be had in the middle of August, these are far outnumbered by stretches of miserable rain, cold grey mornings and blustery, tomb-dark evenings that begin as early as 5pm.

Thus, when the bitter gales whipping off the harbor finally begin to mellow and the sun warms and intensifies, Sydney starts its annual metamorphosis from cranky old crone to frolicking party pal. Full revelry won't begin until December, when three months of music festivals, open air cinemas, cultural fairs, cricket matches, food fests and beach parties ensue, but the shoulder season is great time to travel because hotels are cheaper and the beaches are far less crowded.

Every year, spring in Sydney brings with it a full schedule of special events. So, aside from the general enjoyment of outdoor touristic waterfronts such as Cockle Bay, Sydney Fish Markets, Manly Beach and Circular Quay, there are some specific events on that can enhance visitors' cultural understanding of what makes this stunning city tick.

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Australia: Luna Park Sydney

You can see the eerie smiling face from Circular Quay, on the other side of the harbor. The face is enshrined at the entrance to that sprawling Sydney fun house, Luna Park.

Dizzyingly weird, Luna Park gives that better-known Circular Quay attraction, the Opera House, a run for its money. Hence the repeated interest of filmmakers, documentary makers and TV directors. For instance, an episode of the iconic Aussie TV series Skippy the Bush Kangaroo was filmed there.

Learn more about the retro attraction set at Milsons Point on Sydney’s elegant North Shore. The attraction, which dates back to 1935, has a rich, dark past that should mean it is haunted, if ghosts exist.

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australia: sydney 5 great cruises

Since the 2000 Olympics, Sydney city has climbed in cost and faded from fashion. Still, the Australian city retains some formidable attractions – not least the world’ most attractive harbour network. 

Any ride on a chunky green ferry integrated into the public transport system beats the bus by a mile. 

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sydney: taronga zoo

The story of Australia's most famous zoo begins with a scene straight from Noah's Ark. Many of Taronga Zoo's original animals – including elephants – were shipped across Sydney Harbour. The animals arrived aboard a flat-top barge, herded from Billy Goat Swamp: the zoo's makeshift birthplace set amid the grounds of that sun-bleached eastern Sydney paradise, Moore Park. 

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sydney: 5 great cruises

Since the 2000 Olympics, Sydney city has climbed in cost and faded from fashion. Still, the Australian city retains some formidable attractions – not least the world’ most attractive harbour network.Any ride on a chunky green ferry integrated into the public transport system beats the bus by a mile.

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worldwide club guide: sydney

Being a Sydney boy, all of my earliest clubbing experiences took place in Australia’s party capital. Sydney is a city that loves a party (although it stops to recover on Monday/Tuesday nights when it’s a ghost town after dark) and while the coolest, underground clubs come and go there are some mainstays which all visitors should check out.

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life's a beach: bondi beach

This one kilometer stretch of golden sand loved by all of Sydney is undeniably one of the country’s most famous beaches. The first thing that strikes you as you wind down the busy main road that connects Bondi Beach to the Eastern suburbs of Australia’s biggest city, is the improbability of seeing such a postcard perfect beach, literally fifteen minutes away from the downtown of Sydney, and surrounded by densely populated suburbia.

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