Winter in Sydney '09 -Royal Botanical Gardens, Bondi-Coogee Beach Coastal Walk, Manly Beach Ferry+ Bavarian Bier Cafe,.. 悉尼冬09..冬のシドニー０９..

There are 3 things and places you must visit whilst in Sydney. I visited all three during this winter which is a good weather to do anything in Sydney as its not too hot in winter to be outdoors and yet during daytime, its not too cold as well as winters in Sydney are very mild.

I've been to these places often and so i shall introduce them to my fellow readers living in Sydney whom may not have gone before or those whom may want to consider visiting them if ever in Sydney.

Below are as follows, in no particular order:

1) Royal Botanical Gardens.

This is quite possibly the best garden and quaint area in the Sydney CBD area which has the best vantage point for taking the backdrop of the Opera House. I love this place as its quite big and tranquil (unlike Hyde Park which is much smaller and always pretty busy with people, although i love Hyde Park too!) and also you can walk along the waterfront with the Sydney Harbour waterfront on one side and the Royal Botanic Gardens on the other side. So you can get both water and land sceneries whilst walking. Also, it has arguably the best vantage point for taking photos of you/friends/relatives with the Sydney Opera House as a backdrop. Its superb and free really! There are two suggested routes. You can either walk from the Wooloomooloo Wharf area with all the high-end restaurants and walk over to the RBG and then follow the path towards the Sydney Opera House exit and then have a nice dinner over at the Rocks or you can walk from the Sydney Opera House entrance, and head towards the Wooloomooloo Wharf area for a nice expensive dinner. Along the way from Sydney Opera House entrance/exit to Wooloomooloo Wharf area, be sure to stop by Mrs Macquarie's Chair as well as the Sydney Conservatorium of Music which are wonderful places to stop by.
Above: View of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House from the Royal Botanical Gardens.

2) Bondi-Coogee Beach Coastal Walk.

This is a good walk to do and a must for all Sydney tourists and residents alike! I did this walk for the first time with my cousin whom visited in August last yr (as i went online to research where to take him, haha, funny how as residents, we may not know so many places to go within your city or town until you need to take someone to visit right??) and loved it...i revisited again one year later this month as well..after one yr, it was still such a great experience with the ocean, and the deep blue sea seemingly like it wasn't Sydney i was in, but some far-away coastal town in Europe...haha..i love this walk..highly recommended...you can stop by Bronte or Tamarama Beach on the way for a cuppa tea or snacks,etc..reaching Coogee, there are an array of restaurants/cafes to choose from for dinner/lunch. Time for Walk: Approx 2. hrs. 6-7km.

Above: Bondi Beach and the Ice-Bergs Restaurant/Bar at Bondi Beach...you can see a guy sun-tanning there..haha...usually that pose is reserved for women but he's doing it too...
Above; Scenery along the way of the coastal walk including interesting architecture and the foodie pic below is Spanish rice with shrimps along with iced-lemon tea along the Coogee beachfront restaurants..

3) Manly Beach Ferry.

Below: Bavarian Bier Cafe Tasting Platter at BBC Manly Branch. Love the German sausages. Tasty!

This is simply one of the best experiences of living in Sydney and a MUST-DO for ALL TOURISTS to Sydney. Its quite a famous experience i believe and many tourists do take the ferry to Manly. Unlike the Bondi-Coogee walk which requires one to walk for 2 hours, the Manly Ferry taken from Circular Quay to Manly Beach only takes 30 minutes one way and you can enjoy the amazing view to and from Manly Beach. It should be taken at dawn around 5pm before sunset so you get a view of Sydney Harbour/CBD during sunlight hours and you arrive at around 5 30pm. One can then wander around and explore Manly Beach and take a walk,etc...have dinner at any of the plentiful restaurants in the area such as thai, japanese, western, brazilian,chinese,etc. and then take the ferry back. By then it would have been dark already after your dinner at Manly and so you can see an AMAZING SIGHT as Sydney Opera House and CBD citylights come into view on your way bck. I love visiting/taking the ferry during winter time as i love the cold wind brushing against my face and body..hehehe..so one should always visit Sydney during winter...i think taking the ferry during summer is just not as nice due to the lack of coldness at night..also you should definitely sit on the deck area on the second level..never sit inside the ferry (theres' a deck outside on 2nd level) as you get a poor view...so always rem to sit outside on deck on 2nd level..

Another nice ferry ride is from Circular Quay to Parramatta along the Parramatta river as this is another unique experience:-)

Anyone have their own suggestions for their favourite or recommended places to visit in Sydney, for residents and tourists alike? Do share; I'd love to know:-)