Manly’s long crescent of famous sand is the reason people flock to the suburb and the beach offers plenty of fine spots for swimming, surfing and sunbathing. The beach is patrolled year-round and there are a number of safe areas for a dip. Surfers and bodyboarders will also find plenty of good breaks, while novices can learn the tricks of the trade at one of the many surf schools which operate from the beach.

The Steyne promenade runs along the beachfront and is a favourite haunt of joggers, walkers, skaters and dog-walkers. Towering Norfolk Island Pines rise above the promenade and create many pleasant shaded areas ideal for seaside fish and chips or simply taking in the views.

Shelly Beach is another must-see and is a beautiful wedge of sand that proves popular with swimmers, snorkellers and scuba divers. One of New South Wales’ rare north-facing beaches, Shelly Beach is a picturesque oceanfront area made all the better by its surrounding park and spectacular views back towards Manly Beach. Shelly Beach is accessible from the southern end of Manly Beach via a coastal walkway.

Not only blessed with gorgeous ocean beaches, Manly also enjoys frontage along the calm waters of Sydney Harbour. A swimming beach exists adjacent to the ferry wharf and has a netted area popular with families with children. Oceanworld Manly is also a short hop from the ferry wharf and remains one of the area’s best-loved attractions. Visitors can travel through the Oceanarium and come face to face with sharks, stingrays and turtles.

A number of other attractive harbour bays and beaches are also within reach. Little Manly and Store beaches are secluded coves great for a dip. Fairlight Beach is another pretty swimming spot and boasts a large swimming pool. The Manly to Spit Walk begins at the ferry wharf and is one of Sydney’s best hiking trails. The walk guides visitors along the high cliffs and pockets of bushland that hug the harbour foreshore, revealing hidden beaches and glorious harbour vistas.

Manly’s Corso is a long pedestrian mall that links the ferry wharf with the beach. Lined with shops, restaurants and pubs, the street is a tourist favourite and is perfect for an amble. Many restaurants operate along the Corso, as do a similarly large number of takeaways and cafes. Pubs and bars are plentiful along the northern reaches of the Corso and the beachfront Steyne, and offer a great setting for a sundowner or nightcap.

The famous Manly ferry from Circular Quay takes around half an hour to cross the harbour and is a major tourist attraction in its own right, offering visitors close-up views of the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and North Head. Manly is also linked to the city and surrounding suburbs by bus services.

Coogee Beach is one of the eastern suburbs safest ocean swimming spots. Protected by large rocky headlands at either end and shielded by Wedding Cake Island which sits 400-metres offshore, Coogee Beach offers calm conditions and is patrolled year-round by lifeguards. Surfers and bodyboarders can tackle the breaks that form just off the sand in large swells, while sunbathers can take to the sand for a relaxing day in the sun.

Goldstein Reserve sits behind the beach and is a large reserve popular with picnickers and sunseekers. Large trees offer shady spots in the heat of the day, while the beachfront promenade buzzes at all hours with joggers, walkers and idlers. Just to the south, Grant Reserve is another popular attraction and has one of the largest and best children’s playgrounds in the area. McIver’s Baths, an ocean swimming pool open to women and children only, is close by and remains one of the area’s quirkiest landmarks. Wylie Baths is next-door and is a great venue for swimming laps.

Dunningham Reserve is another highlight and protects the beach’s northern headland. A sloping grassy area with beautiful views of the water, the reserve is a perfect spot for a picnic or for reading a book in the sun. The coastal walkway which eventually reaches Bondi Beach, passing Clovelly, Bronte and Tamarama, also starts at Dunningham Reserve and ranks as one of Sydney’s best coastal trails.

Clovelly is a short distance to the north and is a unique combination of beach and swimming pool. The long stretch of water formed by the narrow bay offers a terrific place for a swim. Clovelly is also a popular spot for snorkellers and scuba divers with the rocky headlands creating many interesting underwater areas. Surrounding parks and reserves offer picnic tables and stunning ocean views.

Arden Street is Coogee’s beachfront thoroughfare and is home to cafes, shops, bars and pubs. The large Coogee Bay Hotel occupies a prime beachfront site and is favourite gathering spot for locals and visitors. Its beer garden is huge and one of the best places to meet up with friends on a warm day. The Beach Palace Hotel sits at the northern end of the sand and is a similarly popular venue that enjoys a pleasant outlook over the water.

Coogee Bay Road links the beach with neighbouring Randwick and is the suburb’s commercial hub. Sidewalk cafes buzz with coffee lovers from the early hours of the morning, while restaurants and bistros come alive at lunchtime. The strip has recently seen fashion boutiques and trendy designer shops move in and browsing their wares is a  popular pastime for visitors once they’ve finished at the beach.

Coogee is ten kilometres from Sydney’s CBD or a twenty minute drive. A number of bus services link Sydney’s CBD with Coogee and surrounding suburbs.

Sydney Entertainment Centre

There are many entertainment venues in Sydney and the surrounding suburbs but none is as impressive as the uniquely recognisable Sydney Opera House, with its roof designed to resemble sails in full wind, it stands out as one of the world’s most iconic buildings, along with the Eiffel Tower and The Empire State Building.

The Sydney Opera House holds over 3000 events per year and contains 1000 rooms. It took many years to design as Jorn Utzon, the designer, had created something that couldn’t be fully engineered without some reworking of the original design which took several more years.

Although it was on the drawing board and under construction since the late 1950s and the original designer even pulled out of the project in 1966, it wasn’t completed by others and then officially opened by Queen Elizabeth 2^nd until 1973 and it cost $102 million to build.

The Sydney Entertainment Centre hosts lots of major theatre, concert and sporting events and can seat 12,500 people. Some of the acts that have performed there include: Coldplay, Kylie Minogue, Pink and Metallica. It has also hosted Olympic volleyball and indoor motocross and used to be the proud home to the Sydney Kings basketball team.

Although it was first used in 1854 as a recreation field by British troops housed at Victoria Barracks, the Sydney Cricket Ground really rose to the fore in 1878 when it  became the official home of cricket. It now also hosts AFL games and can seat 47,000 people. Whether you love cricket, football or both, every game is electrifying when you join the crowds in this world class stadium.

Star City Casino is a versatile venue where you can play the tables or try your luck on the pokies. The Lyric Theatre stages lots of live theatre and concerts and has hosted such well-known shows as ‘Phantom of the Opera,’ ‘Oliver’ and ‘Mamma Mia.’ The Casino also houses five restaurants to suit every taste.

The Capitol Theatre is Sydney’s oldest theatre, having been constructed in 1892. It has undergone extensive reconstruction to modernise it. Many shows have been performed there including ‘Barry Humphries,’ ‘The Lion King’ and numerous ballet performances

The Enmore Theatre has been one of Sydney’s longest running venues and, although smaller than many others, has hosted some huge acts including: KISS, The Rolling Stones, Silverchair and great Australian comedians Wil Anderson and Rove McManus.

If it’s Dance Music you want, then Home is the best choice, being Sydney’s largest dance club, as it hosts many of the world’s best DJs. Home has fantastic food and drinks, great views, three floors of heart-stopping music and a high- tech lighting and sound system unparalleled in any other club. Home is where it’s at!

If you want to know what’s going on in Sydney, your favourite search engine will reveal all. Whether it’s music, theatre, ballet, dance clubs, restaurants or sport, entertainment is what you make of it. Everyone has different tastes and Sydney caters for them all. From the mild to the wild, you can’t find a better place than Sydney to meet all your entertainment needs.

If you’re holidaying in Sydney and you have kids, it’s essential that you find activities they’ll enjoy because kids get bored much faster than adults. Do your research first so you don’t have to spend time planning once you arrive. Searching the internet will give you loads of activities to choose from including the ones listed below.

What kid doesn’t like amusement parks? Luna Park is one of the best Australian places for kids. They can spend hours on the wide variety of rides from the mild ones such as the Ferris wheel and the dodgem cars to the wild rides such as the roller coasters and other hair-raising rides almost guaranteed to separate you from your lunch if you have a weak stomach.

Most kids love animals of all shapes and sizes so a visit to Taronga Zoo is also a must for the family with over 2900 exotic and local species for you to see. Lions, chimpanzees, Asian elephants, penguins, giraffes, snow leopards and Kodiak bears are just some of the creatures you’ll discover while enjoying your day out at the zoo.

You can feed some of the animals if you wish. There’s a fantastic seal show and also the Free Flight Bird Show which is held in the zoo’s amphitheatre. You can ride on the Sky Safari cable car and look down on the enclosures from above for a different viewpoint.

Apart from Taronga Zoo, there are lots of other venues to check out if the kids really love seeing creatures of all kinds. Wildlife World has a vast assortment of creatures including snakes, wallabies, birds and an immense butterfly habitat with thousands of butterflies of different sizes and colours.

If the kids like sea creatures, they can visit the Aquarium in Sydney or Oceanworld in Manly. Both of these exciting venues allow you to get up close to exotic, and sometimes dangerous, underwater creatures to see them in their natural habitat without any fear thanks to the glass enclosures and tunnels.

Everyone loves movies and what better way to enjoy them than by viewing them in Darling Harbour’s IMAX Cinema with the world’s largest screen. 2D and 3D movies are shown here and some of the views are spectacular as you really feel like you’re part of the action, no matter whether it’s Mt. Everest, outer space or anywhere else on our planet.

Sydney’s Observatory is the oldest one in Australia and you can check out over 150 years of meteorology and astronomy. Gaze at the stars and planets through the use of amazing technology in the 3D Space Theatre. Learn how the Aborigines used to navigate by the stars and see the original chronometer used by Matthew Flinders to map out Australia.

Go up to the top of Sydney Tower for breath-taking 360 degree views, enjoy an amazing 3D virtual reality ride across Australia and walk out onto the Skywalk, where you walk on glass floors and can look down at the city beneath you where real life goes on as normal.

With so much to see and do in Sydney, you’ll never be bored and you can come back again and again and still find new things to do for the whole family.

Here are some ideas for you and your family these school holidays.

Winterfest Medieval Fair – Parramatta Park – 2nd July to 3rd July

This sounds like a load of fun and will surely keep your kids entertained. Go back in time at Parramatta park as you watch knights in combat, marvel at the accurary of the archers (have a go yourself), and lets your kids immerse themselves in other traditional medieval activities.

Activities include medieval music, court jesters, food & drink, Arts and Crafts, Full Flights’ Falconry display, jousting, Traditional Archery (open for all), Sword displays, Craft Markets & Stalls, Kids Games & activities, the Full Flight Birds of Prey Display.

Take out that old medieval costume that you have in the back of the wardrobe as there are prizes for the best medieval costume.

Admission is as follows:
Adults – $15
Children – $10
Under 5 – Free
Pensioner/Senior Discounts
Group and School Rates

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Drive in Cinema at Randwick

Forgot thoroughbred racing, the Randwick Racecourse has been transformed into a perfect night out for the family. Bringing back the days of old, when the drive-in was an institution and a way of life. Now you can relive those days and enjoy the magic from the comfort of your own car.

Pack some food and dont forget the blankets and pillows. The Sydney Racecourse drive-in is the perfect entertainment for families as well as couples and groups of friends. It makes for a memorable night out.

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Power House Museum – Play at the Playhouse Winter School Holiday Program:

Oikodome: Building Architects 2nd -18th July, 10am-4pm

If you’re child likes building stuff, Oikodome (pronounced EE-KO-DO-MA) is an experience guaranteed to delight. Budding engineers, builders and architects will love the ability to build their own designs from cardboard rolls and flexible nodes made especially for this project. There are endless possible structures with this system.Oikodome is aimed at children aged four and over.

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City of Sydney Libraries

The city of sydney is trying to dispel the myth that libraries are not fun. Check them out as they always have activities for kids.

There are 10 libraries that are linked to the City of Sydney libraries. These are as are:

• Customs House Library
• Glebe Library
• Green Square Library
• Haymarket Library
• Kings Cross Library
• Newtown Library
• Paddington Library
• Surry Hills Library
• Ultimo Library
• Waterloo Library

With this many libraries, you are sure to find something to please the kids!

You can go on a Fashion Secrets tour of the popular parts of Paddington. These upmarket, trendy boutiques, Australian iconic shops and independent stores will tantalise you with their unique treasures. You’ll see items from big names and newcomers alike, all sharing space in many of these stores. The tour runs for 2 hours and will cover stores that also sell jewellery, lingerie, bags and shoes, vintage and recycled fashion and much more. You’ll visit over 30 retailers along the way.

One of the most popular attractions, also in Oxford Street, is the Paddington open-air Markets which are found in the grounds of the Paddington Uniting Church, a heritage-listed building. The Markets are well-known for being a serious springboard for the Australian Fashion Industry. Some of the more recognised labels who had their humble beginnings at the Paddington Markets include: Lisa Ho, Sarah Jane, Black Vanity, Third Millennium, Von Troska, Braceweil, Yoshi Jones and Pablo Nevada.

The Markets are open every Saturday morning from 10am, regardless of what the weather decides to do. More than 200 stalls offer a fantastic range of Australian made merchandise. You can sit and enjoy lunch or a light snack either inside or outside. You can choose from Aussie BBQ, Thai and Himalayan, coffee, tea, fresh juices, cakes and home made soups.

The Markets flourish under the church banner and provide support to assist the church in carrying out its various welfare and community programs. Among them are the Paddington Children’s Centre, Eastside Arts and The Eddie Dixon Centre. You can also check out the Aussie made products in the Emerging Designers section in the courtyard.

Eastside Arts offers a range of visual arts and performance events all staged within the historic United Church Buildings. Audiences can relax and enjoy a diverse range of different cultural activities.

Victoria Barracks is famous for its military architecture. The barracks was originally constructed between 1841 and 1850. British troops occupied these Barracks until 1870 and then were replaced by the colonial forces of New South Wales. The Sudan contingent were also recruited and trained at the Barracks.

When Federation took place in 1901, the barracks continued to be the main point for military activity in NSW. Victoria Barracks housed the Royal Military College of Australia from 1931 – 1936. It was at Victoria Barracks that the first NSW forces were recruited for both world wars. Today, Victoria Barracks is home to Headquarters Training Command and Headquarters Land Command.

The Paddington Reservoir was constructed between 1866 and 1878 and was an integral part of Sydney’s early water supply system. In 1899 it was decommissioned and became the workshop and garage for the Metropolitan Drainage, Sewerage and Water Board and then, much later, a service station. In 1934 it was used as a commercial garage until 1991 when part of the roof collapsed and it was closed down.

The park above the reservoir was named, after a former mayor, the Walter Read Reserve. The John Thompson Reserve, adjacent, was named after a journalist and poet who was one of the founders of the Paddington Society.

The Paddington Town Hall was built in the late 1800’s for a wide variety of different events. Its European architecture is impressive and makes it perfect for this flexible venue. It’s next to the Victoria Barracks and sits on the highest part of the Oxford Street Ridge with its 32 metre clock tower looming above. This clock was created to commemorate the crowning of King Edward VII in 1905.

The Grand Hall has a fantastic 9 metre high ceiling, excellent acoustics and polished timber floorboards. It has a chic reception and bar area and a huge commercial kitchen along with a Green Room and superb backstage facilities. Access to lighting rigging and an external banner rigging platform are accessible to people who hire the venue.

Centennial Park was dedicated in 1888 by Sir Henry Parkes, a man destined to play a major role in the inauguration of Federation. The park was designed in the Victorian style with wide paths for horse-drawn carriages and buggies. It also had plenty of ponds, statues and formal gardens. You can enjoy activities such as picnics, walks, horse riding or rent a bicycle. The park is great for the whole family.

Paddington has a diverse range of hotspots for your dining and drinking pleasure. The popular Irish pub, Durty Nelly’s and its in-house restaurant – the Print Room – offers patrons a unique blend of homeliness and style for everyone.

Enjoy fresh Australian produce with a European and Irish influence in the upstairs restaurant or have a few drinks in the downstairs bar. Durty Nelly’s caters for functions of every imaginable kind and up to 100 people at any one time in its exclusive function rooms.

The Eastside Music Café is a fantastic venue to enjoy food and drink while being entertained by some top class performers. It can seat 150 people comfortably and you’ll enjoy a mixture of local and international talent, depending on when you go.

Another popular haunt is the London Tavern with its two levels of wining and dining as well as an exterior courtyard. With a plush modern interior and a few odd quirky touches, it’s a great place to enjoy a quiet brew or two with friends.

If French cuisine is your taste, you can’t go past the Four In Hand Hotel. It serves up a varied assortment of unusual dishes for your enjoyment. They’re open Tuesday to Sunday and, as they’re always busy, you should book if you want to check them out for yourself.

Paddington is an amazing place to visit. We have only just breached the surface of the huge assortment of goodies that Paddington has to offer. It’s a place with plenty to see and do for everyone, no matter who you are. Add it to the list when you’re visiting Sydney so you don’t miss out.

You can go for a leisurely stroll across the Sydney Harbour Bridge and take in the sites and views while you walk. There’s a specific walking path so you’re not in any danger from the vast numbers of vehicles that travel the Bridge on a daily basis.

The Rocks is another great place to walk. You can go on your own or participate in an organised walk with a tour guide but that will cost you money. Either way, there’s plenty to do as you check out some of the historic pubs, churches and buildings along the route. The Rocks also hosts the market on the weekend and the Farmers’ Market on Fridays.

In the summer months, you can also check out the Rocks Markets by Moonlight that starts at 5.30pm and offer a wide range of free entertainment, food and music and quality goods on offer to browse or make your purchases.

Darling Harbour is a popular free hotspot for visitors and locals with its variety of free entertainment including outdoor shows, buskers and various annual events including concerts and fireworks displays. Of course, you can simply pick a spot, sit and relax and enjoy the water and activities going on around you as well.

Feel free to explore the long-running Paddy’s markets in two city locations. You can simply browse or snap up some bargains while checking out the assortment of goods on offer. The markets are only open on the weekends but you could easily spend all day going from stand to stand to see everything on offer. From the ordinary to the bizarre, Paddy’s Markets have everything for you to enjoy.

If you want to feel like you’re in Las Vegas, check out Star City’s Casino. Entry is free and you don’t have to spend money to have fun. You can watch others gamble their hard earned dollars on the exciting games of chance and win or lose vast sums of money in an instant. Of course, if you’re tempted to spend a little money…well that’s another story entirely.

Sydney has lots of terrific galleries and museums you can check out for free. Some also have free guided tours. You can choose from The Museum of Contemporary Art, the Art Gallery of New South Wales or the Australian National Maritime Museum just to name a few.

Of course, no visit would be complete without checking out the Sydney Opera House. It may cost you money to see a show there but you can simply walk around the exterior, climb the 182 steps for a little exercise, enjoy a picnic lunch while sitting on the grass nearby and enjoy the spectacular views at the same time.

Sydney is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. You don‘t have to spend money to enjoy yourself. So if you’re on a tight budget, consider some of these offerings as well as the many others available to you while visiting this amazing city

No matter what your taste or budget, you can be sure there are lots of places to choose from for any meal. You might be looking for breakfast, lunch, dinner, a daytime snack or a late night snack after a night of hard partying. Your wallet doesn’t have to suffer just because you’re hungry.

There are so many places that offer food at cheap prices that it’s impossible to list them all here. There have been countless surveys done with different results. Here are just some of the leading results of these surveys.

Guzman y Gomez in Newtown offers the most authentic Mexican food in Sydney and won its particular vote by a landslide. However, Mad Mex in Surry Hills also offers some amazing Mexican cuisine and runs special food offers right through May just to tantalise your tastebuds.

If it’s burgers that you crave, then try Burgerman or The Burger Joint, both in Darlinghurst, Counter Burger in Crow’s Nest, or Paul’s Burgers (the oldest Burger establishment) in Sylvania. There are many different kinds of burgers on offer for your enjoyment.

If you love the beach, you’ll find plenty of cheap eats in Cronulla, Bondi, Manly, Avalon and Dee Why. If you’re shopping in the Pitt St. Mall, check out the food courts for plenty of international cuisine. There’s sure to be something that takes your fancy from some of the many stores here.

If you have a huge appetite, an all you can eat buffet might be more your style. Choose from Churasco’s choice cuts of Brazilian barbequed meat in Coogee, Sushi Choo’s seafood feast at lunch times in the heart of Sydney’s CBD or Govinda’s vegetarian Indian buffet in Darlinghurst, where you can also relax and enjoy a movie in the beanbags or on cushions while letting your food fully digest.

If you want to fill up on steak, then you have plenty of places to choose from. Coogee’s Five Os offer tantalising meals for only $5 and that includes all your sides as well as the steak. The Chelsea Hotel in Chatswood serves lunch and dinner services and offers a delicious rump steak for only $8.

If good old Aussie food is your thing, then check out Darlinghurst’s Bean Temple for delicious subs and sandwiches or Café Cz in Potts Point for good Aussie soups and other yummy tucker.

Although he may not offer cheap food, no food guide would be complete without mentioning the world-renowned Adriano Zumbo and his magnificent patisserie. Adriano creates the most amazing desserts you could ever hope to find. If you watched Master Chef, you would have seen his famous
towering profiterole creation known as the
croquembouche. It would be well worth a few extra dollars just to taste some of his delicious desserts.

Regardless of the type of cuisine you enjoy, you’re sure to find plenty of cheap options in Sydney and the surrounding suburbs. Cheap food doesn’t have to mean that it’s horrible. In fact, these places pride themselves in providing top quality food at bargain prices so why not enjoy the food on offer and save your money for other entertainment events while visiting Sydney.

One of the many things to do in Sydney is shopping. Whether you have expensive tastes or prefer the cheaper places such as the markets, everyone is catered for with a vast range of shopping precincts where vendors are eager to relieve you of your hard-earned money.

The Pitt Street Mall has a lot of fashionable boutiques for the more trendy shoppers. You’ll find a mix of well-known labels and brilliant new creations to choose from as you browse the many shops along the Mall. You can also find a similar mix of high fashion and new designers in shops in Bondi, Newtown, Paddington and the heart of Sydney itself.

If you love the factory outlets, then you can choose from stores in Birkenhead Point such as Marcs, Brands United and Fcuk. DFO has a great mix of shops to suit all tastes and budgets as well. Many brand names at bargain prices all under the one roof so make sure you’re wearing your most comfortable walking shoes if you plan a visit there.

The largest market is Paddy’s Market which has a huge range of bargains sure to tantalise shoppers of every kind. The Market is open from Thursday to Sunday and should be on the list of every shopper visiting Sydney because there are plenty of fantastic bargains.

If you love foraging through the markets, then you can also check out the Glebe, Rozelle and The Rocks Markets. Apart from clothing, you can find souvenirs, homewares, food, jewellery, antiques, books, plants and just about anything else you could name.

Pay a visit to Alexandria where you’ll find loads of factories and factory outlets where you can buy name brands such as I Love Rima Shoes, Irregular Jeans Warehouse and much more, all direct from the manufacturers at bargain basement prices.

If you go to the Queen Victoria Building or the Strand Arcade, you’ll find lots of big name fashion houses, jewellers, antique dealers, gifts and much more. Centrepoint and Castlereagh Street have stores such as Myer, David Jones and other major department stores.

Oxford Street is where to go if you have plenty of money. Collette Dinnigan, Morrissey and other top designers began their illustrious careers here and many newcomers strut their stuff, eager to impress the chic, blue rinse crowd. Double Bay and Woollahra are the places to go for those stylish dresses and accessories the ladies enjoy wearing out to various events where appearances are everything.

There are plenty of Westfield shopping centres around the suburbs of Sydney. The largest one is the Moore Park Super Centre where you can buy all your big ticket items. You can also head over to Ikea’s largest store in the Southern hemisphere in Homebush for other goodies.

Shopping in Sydney is like anywhere else. If you live there, you know where to go for all your shopping needs. If you’re a visitor, it’s essential that you do your research first so you can go to the right places to make your purchases. Sydney can be a complicated place to get around if you’re a tourist and you should factor that into your plans.