Choose from 130 Fun Things to Do in Sydney
Melbourne Aquarium
Creatures from around Australia swim in the River to the Reef exhibit, while Weird and Wonderful highlights nature’s variety – from Nemo clownfish to scuttling crabs and UV-lit transparent sea jellies. Another star attraction is the creepy Oceanarium, with its viewing fishbowl filled with gray nurse sharks, stingrays and turtles.
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Milsons Point
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Platypus House
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Pitt Street Mall
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James Craig Tall Ship
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Moonlit Sanctuary Conservation Park
Your wildlife encounter may include patting koalas, feeding wallabies and watching for dingos and snakes by day, before searching for quolls, owls and sugar gliders in the moonlight.
Sprawled across 10 hectares of bushland at the top of the picturesque Mornington Peninsula, the Moonlit Sanctuary Conservation Park is just outside of Melbourne and makes an easy daytrip for groups, tourists and locals alike. Best of all, you can leave feeling like you’ve not only encountered Australian wildlife in natural environments, but also helped to support the conservation and education programs run by Moonlit Sanctuary.
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Other transport options include taking a tour, or catching a train between Melbourne and Frankston, then the 776 bus service between Frankston Railway Station and Pearcedale Shopping Centre.
Daytime admission is from 10am to 5pm daily, except Christmas Day. Adult day admission costs $17, or is included in the Mornington Peninsula Attraction Pass offered by local tourism organisation, EMMP. Night tour times vary and must be booked in advance at a cost of $40 for adults.
Cheaper admission for both day and night sessions is available for concession holders, kids, aged between four and 15 years, and little ones under four years old.
Nurses Walk
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National Library of Australia
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Museum of Sydney
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Perisher and Thredbo Ski Resorts
Perisher is the largest ski resort in the southern hemisphere, amalgamating four villages and their surrounding ski fields. Accessible by road and Australia’s only underground rack railway, Skitube, the resort caters well to intermediate skiers but also has plenty of tracks suitable for beginners and advanced skiers. Most accommodation options here are ski lodge or hotel style.
Thredbo has the longest ski runs in Australia, including the famous ‘Funnelweb,’ which is over 3km long, and some of the country’s steepest trails. Several terrain parks cater to everyone from beginners to the more advanced. Thredbo Village, at the foot of Mount Crackenback, has the feel of a European Alpine Village and has plenty of amenities, accommodations and year-round outdoor activities should you wish to visit outside of snow season.
The Australian snow season runs from mid June until early October.
Kings Cross
The focal point of Kings Cross is the gaudy neon Coca-Cola sign crowning William St, which leads east from Hyde Park. Take a walk along the area’s leafy streets, lined with double-story terrace houses fringed with lace ironwork balconies, and stop off for a coffee or refreshing drink at this vibrant area’s many cafes and pubs. If you follow Macleay St north, you’ll catch panoramic views of the harbor and Woolloomooloo; steps lead down to the water and the famous Harry’s Cafe de Wheels pie cart.
When the sun goes down, Kings Cross transforms, with adult entertainment at the fore. The area is busy and well policed, but leave your inhibitions at the door.
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Jenolan Caves
- There is a minimum age of 6 or 10 years for some cave tours, which are graded according to their difficulty level.
- Temperatures in the cave average 60°F (16°C) year-round, so bring warm clothing. Sturdy, enclosed shoes and comfortable clothing are also essential.
- Most caves are not wheelchair accessible, but visits to Orient Cave can be arranged with prior notice. For those with reduced mobility, Imperial Cave is the most easily accessible.
- The Jenolan Caves complex has a number of hotels, restaurants, cafés, and on-site facilities for visitors.
National Carillon
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Queen Victoria Building (QVB)
Sumptuously decorated and timelessly elegant, central Sydney’s Queen Victoria Building is an unforgettable shopping destination. Built in High Victorian Romanesque style in 1898, and now meticulously restored, it stands on the site of the original Sydney markets.
The QVB's soaring central dome boasts translucent stained-glass clad in copper on the outside, and the shopping area takes up several balconied floors linked by grand staircases. Tiled floors, pillars, colonnades, balustrades, and arches. Chiming clocks and interesting historical displays complete the QVB’s flamboyant decor.
Originally the shops included tailors and florists; today there’s a wide range of specialist stores, from stationers to couturiers, cafes and coffee shops.
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Sydney’s grandest shopping mall, the Queen Victoria Building takes up an entire city block, bound by George, Market, York and Druitt streets.
Town Hall Station is adjacent to the QVB on George Street, just over Druitt St. You can walk here from Circular Quay in around 10 minutes – just head south down George St.