Greater Sydney - Holiday Suggestions for first time visitors

Day 1:   Lots of walking, good shoes required.

Head to the Circular Quay area, northern end of main strip George Street in Sydney CBD.  Soak in the Sydney Opera House and consider to have a guided walk up the arch along Sydney Harbour Bridge (bookings required).  On weekends, you can also explore the Rocks Craft markets and the Rocks hub where the British first settled.  Fridays host the Rocks Foodie Markets.

Jump on to the ferry from Circular Quay to visit the Toranga Zoo at Mosman in the morning and spend an afternoon after catching the jet boat or ferry to Manly Beach, shopping mall, aquarium and restaurants.

Take a cab to the Surry Hills area for pubs, dining and chilling out.

Day 2: More walking -  exploring multiculturalism

Take the free green Sydney Shuttle bus to Chinatown, at the other end of George Street.  Jump on to the light rail to the Sydney Fish Markets and then the Star complex for the food street, upmarket shopping and the casino.

Have yum cha at Eight, on the third floor of Market City which also houses Paddys Matket from Thursdays to Sundays.

Relax at Darling Harbour in the evening and enjoy the chocolate at Guy Lian Belgian Chocolate Cafe.

For late night supper, try Chat Thai at Campbell Street opposite the Capitol Theatre or Bangkok Restaurant in the nearby Capitol Arcade.

There are many food places close late in the hubs known as Koreatown, Thainatown and Chinatown.


Day 3:  Saturday -  Adventure with drive and delight.

Go to the NSW South Coast!  Explore the vantage look out point at Bald Hill at Stanwell Park, this gives you a panoramic view of the Wollongong coast.  Have fish and chips, gelato, barista coffee and modern Aussie salads in trendy cafes Wollongong's coast first past the northern villages and then into North Wollongong Beach.

 Walk along beaches, put your toes in the sand and see Wollongong Harbour's iconic lighthouses.  Drop by the main campus of the University of Wollongong. Visit the largest Buddhist temple complex south of the Equator - Nan Tien, which has its own university as well.  Enjoy an Italian styled dinner in Wollongong CBD or Fairy Meadow before heading back to Sydney CBD.


Day 4:   Sydney suburban transport travel.

Using an Opal transport smart card (On Sundays all public transport is free),  explore nearby suburbs within the Sydney metropolitan area.

Take an early train from Martin Place to Bondi Junction, with a Westfield shopping centre and enjoy breakfast there.  Jump on to the bus to nearby Bondi beach and soak in the iconic sights.  Return to Sydney CBD.

Come back refreshed to your accommodation. From Town Hall station, take the half hour train trip to Chatswood on the upper north shore.  The train crosses the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  Chatswood is a good shopping hub with various department stores, a pedestrain mall and several good restaurants.   There are three major shopping areas along the main strip Victoria Avenue - Chatswood Chase in the east, Westfield in the middle and lemon Grove/ District Dining to the west.  Have dinner at Tim Ho Wan (all day yum cha), Korean stuff at the Pashon Shop or German at the Bavarian Beer Cafe in the District Dining area, next to the rail station.  Take the train back to Town Hall station and walk back to your CBD hotel.


Day 5:  Monday - commercial tours

Book a commercial trip to the Hunter Valley (wines), Newcastle (regional city)  and Central Coast (scenery).  Long day trip.

If you prefer, book a trip to the Blue Mountains - Three Sisters, rustic views.  Long day trip.



Day 6: Other options.

Capitol Theatre Campbell Street Sydney Chinatown and Lyric Theatre Star Complex Darling Harbour - book ahead for live musical performances.

Free walking tours in Sydney CBD meet in front of Town Hall every day from 1030am commencing at Sydney Town Hall, George Street or from 6pm at the waterfront at Cadman's Cottage, the Rocks Sydney.

http://www.imfree.com.au

Whale watching from Circular Quay Sydney Harbour during the southern winter season.

Take a train from the CBD to nearby Newtown, Erskineville and Enmore -  foodies, hipsters, shoppers and alt lifestyle practitioners will love this hub.



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Cuba Street Wellington

Wellington Harbour Front - June 2015

Auckland Winter - In the City

I strongly recall such construction workers even on my first visit in 1988.

New Zealand is after all part of the South Pacific - and can be tropical.

Lest we forget - an over proportionate number of New Zealand diggers sacrificed their lives  in 20th century battles
supporting the Mother Country Britain, when compared to the nation's small population.

Artist rendition of an interesting contraption used in a commercial kitchen.

The walk to the Brittomart Rail and Bus Hub, 8am on a Thursday morning in June 2015.

The Amorphophallus Titanium flowering at the Auckland Wintergarden, June 2015.

The stained ceiling at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

Frontage of a shopping outlet near Auckland Harbour.

A green house.

Greek styled bas relief.

The call for war around a hundred years ago.

Auckland's business district.

Perhaps a rare place in the world displaying volcano rocks in a city plaza, with table tennis facilities provided for free by the Council.

In an Auckland garden.

Old Town Hong Kong Cuisine - Sydney Chinatown

Hong Kong is not just Chinese, this great city echoes traditions and influences from far and near due its entrepôt location, dynamic vibes, its residents being so passionate about business and making money.  It is also subtropical, a hub that is a powerful magnet for immigrants and was a British colony. The Fragrant Harbour has effective transport and international links, is short on land and space, thrives on modern trends and is a foodie heaven.

Old Town in the heart of Sydney's Chinatown provides a plethora of menu dishes that are not merely Cantonese, but also reflect the fusion and intermingling of cooking styles from Hong Kong.  Below is only but a small selection of recommended snacks, before and after you partake the main meals.

Deep fried ice cream, classic with a modern twist, served with slices of kiwifruit and strawberries.

Deep fried egg white topped with a  sprinkling of pink coloured  sugar undefiled with small dashes of custard.

Roast pork, not over fatty, yummy plans and definitely a good crackle.



Smooth on the palate - roast duck slices for your Beijing duck wrap, accompanied by shallot garnishing and  Hoi Sin sauce.

Five of us were ushered upstairs to a lovely table at a strategic corner.  Seated below a reproduction of a dragon head motif, I noticed it was a perfect time for a quiet dinner hour though late, between the family dining earlier and the suppers of youngsters later.  There is a rustic feel inside the Old Town. especially with the unwashed faded bricks.   I loved the roast pork slices and find the deep fried ice cream a cut above the rest.  The staff are efficient, friendly and a pleasure to deal with.

This time we did not get to eat the Tau Fu Fa, steamed soya bean curd for dessert.  There are Yum Cha or Dim Sim offerings from both southern and central China - I particularly like the steamed custard buns and the Shanghai dumplings.  Other starters you can consider are wine poached chicken or pig trotters; jelly fish salad cold dish; and the Tom Yum prawn soup (not really China!).

For mains, I recommend the roasted suckling pig if you have a larger number of people in your party.
On rainy wet days as we experienced recently, the ever reliable congee is worth considering, my group had two versions - the Old Town signature congee and the century egg flavoured version.   If you have steamed rice on the table, try the diced beef stir fried with black pepper sauce; the deep fried flounder in spicy salt; the braised eggplant access;pained with minced pork; and the king prawns served in shell with rice vermicelli; or the mud crab in shell  together with XO sauce and rice vermicelli.

Old Town Hong Kong Cuisine is located along the northern end of Dixon Street, away from the mall and towards Darling Harbour's Cantonese Gardens.
10A Dixon Street, Chinatown Sydney.
Walk from Central or Town Hall City Rail stations.
Opens daily from 11am to 2am, with dinner menu kicking in from 4pm.
Telephone 612 9264 3888