ATC - Racing CarnivalCredit: Paul McMillan
ATC - Racing Carnival
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The thunder of thoroughbreds, the roaring crowd. The earthy scent of fresh turf, the crisp fizz of bubbly. And everywhere you look, bold colours and effortless glamour. Spring racing dazzles every sense and, whether you’re enjoying the Sydney Everest Carnival at Royal Randwick and Rosehill Gardens, or cheering trackside at Warwick Farm, these experiences up the ante on race day and beyond.
Find your own fashions on the field
The style stakes are high on race day, with prizes awarded to the best-dressed fashionistas. Whether you’re hunting for a showstopping designer headpiece or glamming up from top to toe, Sydney’s boutiques offer everything from festive frocks to bespoke menswear. In the city centre, visit the Strand Arcade, Queen Victoria Building and The Galeries for leading labels and vintage accessories, or check out Pitt Street Mall’s 600 specialty stores. Nearby, the Paddington Intersection is a sartorial mecca where Australian designers showcase their artistry, while Newtown’s King Street offers a treasure trove of colourful boutiques. Ready for your photo finish? Pony up for a professional stylist who’ll help you create the perfect race day ensemble.
Score the sunset quinella
As the sun sinks down on your day at the races, move on to a chic bar for a winning quinella of standout sips and inspiring vistas. Close to Randwick, the Coogee Pavilion Rooftop, Royal Hotel Paddington and Brigade Bar all offer stunning sunset viewpoints and tasty tipples. Nearer to Rosehill Gardens and Warwick Farm, Nick & Nora’s has jaw-dropping 26th-floor panoramas and innovative cocktails. Kicking on in the city? Both CIRQ and Zephyr boast grand twilight views over Sydney Harbour and impressive Champagne lists starring Krug, Moet Chandon, Cristal and Veuve Clicquot.
ATC - Racing Carnival Credit: Paul McMillan
ATC - Racing Carnival
#feelnewsydney #ilovesydney
ATC - Racing Carnival Credit: Paul McMillan
ATC - Racing Carnival
The Strand, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoying a day of shopping at The Strand Arcade in Sydney CBD.
#feelnewsydney #ilovesydney
The Strand, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoying a day of shopping at The Strand Arcade in Sydney CBD.
Feast like a winner
Feeling peckish after all that race day adrenaline? Thankfully there’s fine-dining within easy reach. In fact, you don’t need to leave Royal Randwick for a delicious three-course menu crafted by Executive Chef George Mullen at the Grandview Restaurant – and the tables have racetrack vistas. Nearby at Mimi’s, savour new memories with your crew during an elegant private dining experience. Or, venture into the heart of Sydney for sophisticated eats in landmark restaurants like Abode, famous for its five-course degustation; and Infinity, where there’s revolving city views from 81 stories up, and local delicacies like East 33 Sydney Rock Oysters and Hawkesbury Duck Breast.
Hit the hay in style
Sydney’s boutique hotels keep you close to all the trackside fun, in stylish comfort. Moments from Royal Randwick in trendy Paddington, the ultra-cool Oxford House offers tastefully understated suites and a laidback bar with live DJs. Beside the harbour, Ovolo Woolloomooloo pairs contemporary design with luxurious, heritage accents – just a stroll from the Opera House and Potts Point’s lively bar scene. Heading trackside in Western Sydney? Stay at Parramatta’s Park Royal or SKYE Suites – both plush options within easy reach of Rosehill Gardens – or at Warrick Farm’s luxe, horse-themed William Inglis Hotel, just five minutes’ walk from the historic racecourse.
Nick and Nora's, Parramatta Credit: Destination NSW
Bartender creating cocktails at Nick and Nora's bar in Parramatta.
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Nick and Nora's, Parramatta Credit: Destination NSW
Bartender creating cocktails at Nick and Nora's bar in Parramatta.
Oxford House, Paddington Credit: Anson Smart
Taking its cues from the understated and stylish aesthetic of Palm Springs, Oxford House - Paddington’s first lifestyle hotel- recently opened its doors on the iconic inner-city strip of Oxford Street. Featuring all day street level dining, a first level poolside bar, OH! as the hotel is affectionately known, provides an urban oasis just a short stroll from the bustling street and nightlife.
#feelnewsydney #ilovesydney
Oxford House, Paddington Credit: Anson Smart
Taking its cues from the understated and stylish aesthetic of Palm Springs, Oxford House - Paddington’s first lifestyle hotel- recently opened its doors on the iconic inner-city strip of Oxford Street. Featuring all day street level dining, a first level poolside bar, OH! as the hotel is affectionately known, provides an urban oasis just a short stroll from the bustling street and nightlife.
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The Fall Guy Credit: Universal & UPI Media
The Fall Guy in Sydney with a spectacular Glebe Island Silo Stunt
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Action-comedy film The Fall Guy explodes onto Australian screens on 24 April, and along with Hollywood superstars Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, Sydney also plays a starring role. But the city isn’t just a backdrop to many of the action-packed scenes in the film, it also offers real-life action experiences to get your heart pumping. Here’s our guide to high-octane experiences in Sydney.
On-the-water adrenaline
Just like Ryan Gosling blasting around Sydney Harbour in a high-speed boat chase, you too can feel the wind in your hair, the sea spray on your face and your heart in your mouth on an Oz Jet Boating experience. These bright red, shark-faced jetboats fish-tail, spin and slide under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, past Dawes Point Park (where we meet Jean Claude the kelpie in the film) and the iconic Sydney Opera House, leaving you breathless and somewhat damp. Turn it down a notch with a two-, three- or five-day course from EastSail, with classes on the calm shores of Rushcutters Bay, or go five-star by hiring your very own superyacht from the fleet at Sydney Harbour Luxe Charters – Ghost II was featured in the film.
Get locked in an escape room
A bolted door, a countdown clock and a series of fiendish puzzles – outsmart the bad guys and challenge your friends in one of Sydney’s best escape rooms. Award-winning The Cipher Room, with locations in Newtown and St Peters, offers immersive, expertly designed rooms. Choose from a film noir-style hotel, a mysterious abandoned toy shop or a dystopian French bunker. Entermission Sydney has virtual-reality rooms, with themes like Alice in Wonderland, a pirate ship or space station. While not strictly an escape room, the one-of-a-kind Hijinx Hotel is a fun escape-like challenge set inside a quirky 15-room hotel.
Hickson Road Reserve, Dawes Point Credit: Destination NSW
Friends walking along Sydney Harbour in the morning.
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Hickson Road Reserve, Dawes Point Credit: Destination NSW
Friends walking along Sydney Harbour in the morning.
Oz Jet Boating, Sydney Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Experience the incredible speed of the red shark boats as they blast across Sydney harbour at high speed with Oz Jet Boating.
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Oz Jet Boating, Sydney Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Experience the incredible speed of the red shark boats as they blast across Sydney harbour at high speed with Oz Jet Boating.
Find your need for speed
It’s not an action movie without a car chase, and while you can’t speed through the CBD streets like Ryan Gosling and Jean Claude, you can still challenge your friends to race via go kart at Hyper Karting Moore Park. At the 410-metre indoor track, the electric cars offer plenty of exhilarating straights and corners, with a high-speed function to help you overtake your mates. True petrol heads should make a pitstop at Luddenham Raceway in southwest Sydney, where the go karts are fuelled and the 600m outdoor pro circuit offers 12 high-speed corners and even nighttime drives. Want to do the real thing? Trackschool has half-day passenger or driving experiences in a Porsche 911 Carrera also at the raceway.
Have an adventure up high
A high-stakes, sky-high chopper scene is an action flick essential; recreate the experience (minus the stress) on a flight with Sydney HeliTours. The 20- or 30-minute tours take in jaw-dropping views of harbour icons like the Sydney Opera House, Taronga Zoo, Bondi Beach and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Or live out your Hollywood star dreams onboard the luxury Sydney Seaplanes. If free-falling from the sky like Ryan Gosling does jumping from a multi-story building is the heart race you crave, get the thrills without the spills at iFly Downunder: fully accessible, all-ages indoor skydiving that will make you feel like a superhero. Or take a day trip to the Blue Mountains for a ride on Scenic World’s 270m-high glass-cased Beyond Skyway for that soaring feeling while safely enclosed in a cable car.
Luddenham Raceway, Luddenham Credit: Destination NSW
Track Day at Luddenham Raceway Motorsport Park, Luddenham.
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Luddenham Raceway, Luddenham Credit: Destination NSW
Track Day at Luddenham Raceway Motorsport Park, Luddenham.
Sydney Seaplanes, Rose Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Couple ready to enjoy a Sydney Seaplanes flight from Rose Bay, Sydney.
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Sydney Seaplanes, Rose Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Couple ready to enjoy a Sydney Seaplanes flight from Rose Bay, Sydney.
Scale walls and cliffs
Action heroes need to be agile and spider-like; flex your skills scaling rock walls at one of Sydney’s top indoor rock-climbing centres. Climb Fit in St Leonards has beginner and high-tech climbs using augmented reality, while Ledge is a smaller centre in Camperdown perfect for beginners, and BlocHaus in Marrickville focuses solely on bouldering. If you prefer to climb surrounded by waterfalls and forests, make the extra leap to the Blue Mountains, and challenge yourself on an abseil or rock-climb under the expert guidance of the Blue Mountains Adventure Company.
Spots to refuel
After all that adventuring, you’re going to need a spot to refuel and cheers to a big day. Make it a meal with a view at Aster Bar on top of the InterContinental Sydney – with uninterrupted views of the harbour. The rooftop bar featured in the film is the Ivy – which is a local favourite for big nights out. Partake in Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt’s love for spicy margaritas at Centro 86, a new underground tequila bar in the CBD, or taste award-winning cocktails at Dean and Nancy on 22. Finish up with a feast at one of the restaurants located around Jones Bay Wharf (you’ll spot this area in the film as Ryan Gosling hides on his boat from the bad guys) or snack in the late-night dining havens in Chinatown: try Japanese izakaya Nakano Darling, xiao long bao from Nanjing Dumpling or Mamak’s legendary roti.
Rest your head
Even heroes need their beauty sleep. Rest up like an A-lister at the Kimpton Margot, a recently opened CBD hotel with Art Deco touches, and featured in the movie (ask Kevin for the fruit plate). Compact yet comfortable, the Little National Hotel is located in the heart of the city near Wynyard (also a major filming locale for The Fall Guy). And for a boutique hotel suitable for everyone from film stars to stunt crew, stay in the Ace Hotel in Surry Hills, with unique in-room features like guitars, record players and locally made custom robes.
Sydney Adventure Tours, Katoomba Credit: Destination NSW
Sydney Adventure Tours offers private tours to the Blue Mountains. With an experienced tour guide, take a bushwalk through nature and experience the rainforests.
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Sydney Adventure Tours, Katoomba Credit: Destination NSW
Sydney Adventure Tours offers private tours to the Blue Mountains. With an experienced tour guide, take a bushwalk through nature and experience the rainforests.
Little National Hotel, Sydney Credit: Little National Hotel
The rooftop lounge at the Little National, in Wynyard in Sydney.
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Little National Hotel, Sydney Credit: Little National Hotel
The rooftop lounge at the Little National, in Wynyard in Sydney.