Sydney Day One — Harbour Views, Historic Pubs and a Vivid Finale
After yesterday’s marathon drive into Sydney, complete with GPS misadventures, public holiday traffic and the world’s most frustrating car park, we were ready for a much more relaxed day.
Today’s plan was simple: enjoy a bit of sightseeing, take plenty of photos, revisit some favourite pubs and finish the evening with a wander around Vivid Sydney.
And, of course, there was bound to be food and refreshments involved. We are The Thirsty Tourists, after all!
Breakfast at City Extra
We enjoyed a lazy sleep-in — although, by our standards, that still meant getting up reasonably early!
Our first stop was City Extra at Circular Quay, one of our favourite breakfast spots when staying around The Rocks.
There’s something special about starting the day with breakfast near the harbour. You can enjoy a good feed while watching the world go by, with ferries, commuters and tourists all getting on with their day.
After breakfast, we were fuelled up and ready to explore. Cameras at the ready, it was time to see what photo opportunities Sydney had waiting for us.
Exploring Sydney on Foot
We spent the morning wandering around the city, capturing photos of the Sydney Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, historic pubs and some of the old staircases tucked away around The Rocks.
One of the things we love about this part of Sydney is the mix of old and new. You’ve got world-famous landmarks sitting alongside historic buildings, narrow laneways and staircases that look as though they’ve been there for generations.
It’s a photographer’s dream, and you don’t necessarily need a detailed itinerary to find something interesting. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of turning down another street, looking up at an old building or spotting a view you haven’t photographed before.
Of course, all that wandering can be thirsty work. Fortunately, we knew exactly where to head!
Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel — Time for a Beer
Being a public holiday, we decided it was the perfect opportunity to revisit the Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel.
This historic Sydney pub is one of our favourites, combining plenty of old-world character with its own brewery and a selection of beers to enjoy.
We settled in for a couple of beers and a snack, taking a break from sightseeing and enjoying the atmosphere.
There’s something satisfying about finding a good pub while travelling. You can sit back, take a breather and watch the world go by without having to worry about traffic, parking or a GPS trying to send you on an unscheduled tour of the city.
After yesterday’s adventures, this was much more our style!
With refreshments sorted, it was time to get back out onto the streets and hunt for a few more photos.
The Glenmore Hotel — Another Classic Rocks Pub
Our next stop was the Glenmore Hotel, another favourite of ours in The Rocks.
We settled in for another beer and a light snack for lunch. The Glenmore is well known for its rooftop, which offers impressive views across the harbour towards the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.
It’s one of those places where the surroundings are almost as enjoyable as the refreshments. Whether you’re visiting for the views, the atmosphere or simply a cold drink, it’s an excellent spot to take a break while exploring Sydney.
By this stage, we’d enjoyed a decent amount of walking, taken plenty of photos and visited two of our favourite pubs. Not a bad day’s work!
An Afternoon Recharge
After lunch, we headed back to our room for a relaxing afternoon.
Sometimes you need to give the feet a rest and recharge the batteries before heading out again. There’s no point trying to squeeze every possible activity into a day if you end up too tired to enjoy the evening.
Besides, we had dinner plans, and there was still Vivid Sydney to explore after dark.
A little downtime was definitely in order before our next adventure.
Dinner at The Spice Room
That evening, we headed to The Spice Room for what we hoped would be a curry feast.
We’d enjoyed the restaurant on a previous visit, so we were keen to return and see how it stacked up this time.
The meal was enjoyable, although I have to admit that, when it comes to a good Beef Vindaloo and naan bread, our local Indian restaurant back in Yeppoon still has the edge.
It’s funny how travelling can remind you just how good some of your local favourites are. You can dine in a big city and enjoy a meal out, but sometimes the place down the road at home still gets the nod!
Still, we were happy to have dinner sorted and were ready for the main event of the evening.
Vivid Sydney — A City of Light
With dinner finished, we headed out to experience Vivid Sydney.
After the chaos of arriving in Sydney the previous evening, it was good to finally enjoy the festival properly rather than seeing it as the reason for the traffic and parking nightmare!
Vivid transforms parts of Sydney with spectacular light installations and projections, creating a colourful nighttime experience around some of the city’s most recognisable landmarks.
We wandered through the displays, taking in the impressive lighting, creative installations and the atmosphere created by the crowds exploring the city after dark.
The event was very impressive and well laid out. It was great to see the way the displays brought the city to life and gave familiar buildings and locations a completely different look.
We also captured our Vivid experience on video, which is linked at the top of this page if you’d like to see more of what we experienced.
After a day filled with harbour views, historic pubs, photography, curry and colourful lights, we wandered back towards our accommodation, satisfied with how the day had turned out.
One Down, One to Go!
Our first full day exploring Sydney was a success. We’d revisited some old favourites, discovered a few more photo opportunities, enjoyed some well-earned refreshments and finally experienced Vivid without being trapped in traffic!
Tomorrow, we’d have another day to explore Sydney, enjoy more of the city’s pubs and restaurants, and make the most of our time in The Rocks before the next leg of our adventure.
After yesterday’s drive, it was good to be back doing what we enjoy most — exploring at our own pace, finding interesting places and enjoying a few stops along the way.
Stay tuned for another day of Sydney adventures with The Thirsty Tourists!
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