New Year in Sydney: What you can see in 96 hours.
- karenconnolly59
- 6 days ago
- 10 min read
'Travel is the only thing you buy which makes you richer!"
(Author Unknown)
When your birthday is at New Year there is often the desire to celebrate in style and you can't get a better New Year's Eve than in Sydney. We were staying in this fabulous city before and after our trip to New Zealand and the highlight was of course the celebrations around the famous harbour.
Researching where to stay and how to find a good place to watch the midnight fireworks was if I'm honest mind blowing if you don't know the areas and there is definitely a FOMO.
The websites all detail the expected crowds and of course the parties in numerous bars or cruises around the harbour and opera house but we wanted something different.
When I was 50 years old we celebrated in Singapore with a fabulous New Year's Eve Dinner in our hotel (Pan Pacific) then headed out to the harbour and OMG it was crowded.
This is now 15 years later and so our vibe was to be more chilled thinking parks and picnics more than bars and all night parties. (Does that make us sound old?)
We found the ideal spot and are happy to share this with you for your next NYE. So lets begin:
Day 1 Our first 24 hours
First where to stay as there is so much choice and of course at New Year prices are at a premium. We opted for AirBnB for the first 4 nights as we were arriving on 30th December after a long flight (we left the UK on 28th) and we thought this would give us the flexibility to relax and recover from any jetlag. There are pluses and minuses to this as you need to shop for essentials or think about where you can eat and it may have been easier to stay in a hotel with say breakfast included.
We stayed in the upmarket area of Balmain in an apartment which we booked in advance thinking there may be a shortage of accommodation nearer the time or that the prices would increase. It was actually the reverse as we checked the local prices for accommodation when we arrived and there was plenty of choice and they were a lot less some up to 50% less per night. Ours cost £400 per night which for AirBnB is pretty hefty!
The location was, however, perfect as we could walk down to the pier in Mort Bay and catch a ferry to Circular Quay and other destinations.
Walking and exploring an area is the best way to get into what's what and the locals are happy to share with you the best places to see etc. We quickly sussed out that by this Quay we had a great view of the firework display but would it be the best view point? There was of course that little matter of Goat Island slightly obscuring the Harbour Bridge and so we were on the hunt for somewhere better.
Eating out during this first 24 hours was no problem as Balmain had lots of eateries especially along Darling Street. We chose an Indian restaurant called Curries N Cocktails and had a tasty dish sat on the pavement watching the world go by.
Day 2: New Years Eve: Secure your spot!
We found the ideal spot still within walking distance from our apartment and it had unobscured views of the famous harbour bridge. This is a little gem of a place and here's what you need to know:
Get there early! We arrived at 8am and the park was already filling up with gazebos and cool boxes
Take food and plenty of fluids with you as you will be there after all for the next 16 hours!
Take sunscreen and hats as this is summer in Australia and there is no shade here
If you arrive a few days before you could consider buying a sun umbrella but these have to be taken down at sunset at the first firework display is at 9pm for the children
At this spot there are some park benches. Grab yours and own it as sitting on a bench may be more comfortable than the floor.
Take regular walks as it is a really long day
Chat to the other visitors, get into the party spirit and watch the cool dudes dive and sumersault into the bay.
There are public toilets located next to The Fenwick restaurant
If you don't have a cool box (we didn't 😩) remember your champagne won't taste so good warm 😂
There is a fab supermarket back up the hill which has a great selection of takeaway chilled items. Its just a drag up a steep hill so stock up before ie on the way down, if you can
If you grab a bench be aware the space in front of you will fill up first near the wall and then the footpath so if you really want to be at the very front set up your space at the wall. You can use a blanket (if you have one) and alternate between the floor and the wall. This may be preferable as every inch fills up from before 9pm onwards. There is no standing on the benches as the people behind you will let you know it's not acceptable.
You can risk not saving any space and walk down to join the crowds later in the evening if you are happy to just muscle in and stand up where you can. Whilst there are police circulating and there is a limit to capacity we didnt see people turned away.
If you have been waiting for hours and others try to block your view you can ask them politely move and most of the time they will.
Ok where is this fab place to enjoy your New Year's Eve?
It's a little park down at the bottom of Darling Street called Thornton Park next to Darling Street Wharf. If you sit to the left of the park away from the ferry terminal you have a clear view of the Harbour Bridge.
So let the fireworks begin in this amazing location!
Day 3: New Years Day: Getting out and about
It's always sad when New Years Eve has been and gone and after a chilled morning on New Year's Day you will feel the need to get out and about in this wonderful city. So here's how you can spend the next 12 hours.
Balmain is an upmarket affluent area with an eclectic mix of properties boasting victorian charm, sandstone heritage properties and huge waterside dwellings all within minutes of Sydney's Central Business District. It's so comfortable walking around this relaxed neighbourhood with plenty of places to eat, chill and watch the world go by. At New Year there were still places open to buy food or have a meal but sometimes the opening times changed so look out for this if you intend to shop or eat out.
Walking from our apartment down to Mort Bay we could get the ferry into Circular Quay and from here all of the surrounding districts of Sydney are accessible.
We chose to explore the city on foot taking in the famous land marks. We had 4 full days in Sydney (including NYE) and so not a lot of time to fit everything in before we flew to New Zealand and so here are a few of our suggestions:
Taking a ferry around the bay is a way to see the harbour bridge and the opera house in their splendour. The ferries can be paid for by tapping on with your credit/debit card but only one card can be used per person. There are Opal cards available which provide concessionary travel fares too.
Climbing the Harbour Bridge is a great activity to do and definitely one for the bucket list. There are a variety of climbs up to the summit and prices start from around £130 per adult up to approx £190 for the Ultimate Climb. I had completed the climb on a previous trip and so didn't chose to do it again but if this is within your budget then I'd say go for it as the achievement is one thing and the views are spectacular. Be warned though there are no insta moments as all photo's are taken by the climbing team and are chargeable, approximately another £25 per person as you are not allowed to take any loose items up with you at all. This is not obvious on the website until you get to confirm your booking.
If you don't want to climb the Harbour Bridge you may prefer an easier ascent and go up the Sydney Sky Tower. This provides you with 360 degree views across Sydney and is even higher than the bridge. There are a variety of options to experience starting with the indoor observation deck costing $37 if you book online in advance or the 60 minute Skywalk tour costing $95. There are packages available to include other attractions eg the zoo and aquarium too.
A guided tour around the Opera House is available with tickets starting at $27. This lasts approximately 1 hour and is a great way to learn about the history of the building. You can book to see events or even stream some for free.
Our plan was to walk as much of the city as we could and really get into the atmosphere and the heritage of this city.
We started at Circular Quay walking through the CBD up towards the Sky Tower then Haymarket, Darling Harbour and The Rocks.
Haymarket doesnt always pop up on places to see in Sydney as there is so much competition for so many tourist attractions but if you get chance we would say go and walk around this vast place known as Chinatown, Thaitown and Koreatown. This is a metropolis of Asian food places, shops, bars and entertainment. Haymarket is known as a vibrant urban village with a mix of cultures and community dating back 200+ years. It sounds mad but we stumbled on the old victorian vegetable market building and then realised we were in Chinatown a collection of over 3,000 businesses. The number of food outlets was staggering and if you like Asian inspired food this is the place for you. We struggled to be honest being vegan as this was definitely not part of their culture.
Outside of the Haymarket building though there were a number of places we could have eaten at so we didn't feel like there were no options. You pass through the Chinese Garden of Friendship, the Tumbalong Park and past the International Conference Centre as you make your way to Darling Harbour.
Darling Harbour is a gorgeous waterside area which is really family friendly and beautiful to walk around. It houses the wild life Sydney Zoo and the Sea Life Centre. As you make your way along the King Street Wharf you finally get to The Rocks
Settlers first arrived into Sydney at The Rocks but this was an area traditionally inhabited for thousands of years by the Gadigal People. The arrival of new people devastated the local population through violence and disease. Colonisation continued and the Rocks became Australia's first town centre but was described as a 'rough tough area frequented by the underbelly of society!'
The local sandstone was used to construct the buildings and when the government decided to take over the ownership of the area in the 1900's they cleared many of the buildings, erected Sydney Harbour Bridge and then planned to build high rise buildings. Fortunately this was prevented by citizens, lobbyists and unions and the buildings were ultimately preserved being available today for us to explore. Taking a walk around here you are transported back in time but in truth what you see hides much more history and this can be seen in the free to enter Discovery Museum
Walking around The Rocks you come upon a smallish sign highlighting Nurses Walk. As a previous nurse and midwife this fascinated me as the nurses in the two Sydney Hospitals were selected from convicts! These healthcare professionals worked for free being kept by the public purse. The hospitals were located in this area between 1788 and 1816 with the second one being a portable hospital erected within a week. It was immediately filled with patients and within a month had almost 500 patients. A garden at the rear of the roughly constructed buildings was used to grow exotic and native herbs used to supplement the shortage of drugs.
After an appeal from Sir Henry Parkes, Colonial Treasurer NSW, in 1868 Lucy Osburn arrived in NSW with 5 trained nurses from the Florence Nightingale School of Nurses, St Thomas Hospital London. Lucy Osburn went on to establish nurse education in Australia on a professional basis. This is such a small area but very significant in the development of healthcare.
This was a big walking day and we covered a lot of steps but great to take in the atmosphere and there's always room for more.
Day 4 Before we moved on: Bondi to Coogee Walk
Bondi to Coogee Walk is a decent hike and not to be missed. We got the bus to Coogee so we could walk towards Bondi as you see things slightly differently depending where you start and we wanted the bay of Bondi with its surfers to open up to us as we approached. The weather was glorious if not a tad warm to be climbing the undulating walk way along the coastline. This was approximately 6-7km and definitely doable if you take your time and keep hydrated. The views of the crashing waves and rock formations together with the cliff side cemetery and natural swimming pools are superb. Both towns are vibrant with lots of places to eat and relax with a cold one. Surfers paradise for sure.
We hope you have found this post, 'New Year in Sydney: What you can see in 96 hours' useful. 96 hours is definitely not long enough to see the many places in and around Sydney but if you want to get your steps in there are a few hills to keep your heart pumping and lots of attractions within walking distance or a short bus or ferry ride away. This is a city we would definitely visit again as there is so much we haven't seen. This was part of our New Zealand Tour but in no way considered a stopover. If you want to see Sydney allocate at least 4-5 days especially at New Year when 1 day is spent marking your spot!
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Thank you for reading
Karen and Michael
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