Gordons Bay, CoogeeCredit: Destination NSW
Woman practising yoga at Gordons Bay, Coogee.
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Reconnect with yourself (and your travelling companions) as you revive and rejuvenate in the city’s sleek wellness centres and refuel at mindful eateries, all while soaking up Sydney’s beautiful natural surrounds.
Transform yourself before breakfast
Feel like your very best self by starting the day with a session in a hyperbaric chamber at Bionik in the hip inner-city suburb of Surry Hills, breathing in oxygen-rich air to help reduce inflammation and boost muscle recovery. Or get your glow on in an infrared sauna studio at Nimbus, in the wellness hotspot of Bondi, before an invigorating dip in the ocean at Bondi Beach.
Nurture your holistic health with a wholesome breakfast at Kawa Cafe, on Crown Street in Surry Hills — eat heartily knowing the food and drinks Kawa serves up are all ethically sourced and accredited by Choose Wisely. Or add fuel to your inner fire with a warm salad bowl of super-fresh seasonal goodness in the leafy courtyard at Daily Greens in Paddington, a few minutes’ drive from Surry Hills.
Indulge in some retail therapy after your leisurely breakfast: wander along Surry Hills’s Crown Street to discover beautiful boutiques and local lifestyle products such as Elms Store, where you can lose yourself in a great selection of wellness books and homewares. Pamper your skin with naturopathic potions and oils at Luna Beauty & Apothecary and set yourself up for future happiness with ethical and sustainable products for slow living at Provider Store.
Clear your mind as you relax in a zero-gravity lightless, soundless float pod at Sydney Float Centre in Darlinghurst. Or unwind while developing your flexibility and awareness of your body in space in a Sky-Lab Aerial Yoga Stretch class in Surry Hills.
Restore energy with a leisurely lunch
Nourish your body after a memorable morning with a delicious plant-based lunch. On weekends, indulge in a long lunch by ordering the tasting menu at award-winning vegan restaurant Yellow in Potts Point, just down the road from Kings Cross.
Still digesting a big vegan breakfast and want something much lighter? Savour a herbal elixir, nourishing raw food treat or organic juice to tide you over until dinner at Orchard St.’s Elixir Bar on Glenmore Road in Paddington. And find something fabulous to match the new you at Glenmore Road’s The Intersection, a cluster of Australian fashion designer boutiques.
Feel yourself drawn to the soothing sounds of waves crashing onto sandy shores and settle in to dine on elevated plant-based share plates in the courtyard garden each weekend at Eden Bondi, across the road from Bondi Beach and next to quirky designer hotel QT Bondi.
Bondi Beach, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Swimmers heading out into the ocean from Bondi Beach, Sydney.
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Bondi Beach, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Swimmers heading out into the ocean from Bondi Beach, Sydney.
Enjoy some ‘me time’ in the afternoon
Wash away your everyday concerns with an indulgent afternoon at The Day Spa by Chuan at The Langham, Sydney near Barangaroo in the city centre. Refresh with dip in the Langham’s 20-metre heated indoor swimming pool under a dome painted as a star-filled evening sky, then relax and recharge with a one-hour, full-body Nourishing Wellness Massage that will leave every inch of your skin feeling moisturised and strengthened.
Share your wellness journey with your loved one in an exclusive couples spa suite at The Darling hotel at The Star in Pyrmont, across a pedestrian bridge from Barangaroo. Relax into a Dihlbi facial, which uses powerful serums, created using ancient Aboriginal knowledge of native botanicals by Australian brand Li’Tya, to leave your skin looking its best.
Settle in for the long haul with Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour’s Urban Wellness Escape package, which includes a stay in a luxe suite (complete with a Peloton bike), three-hour in-suite spa treatments for two, wellness dinners, private sunrise yoga and more.
Welcome Australian native botanicals into your wellness regimen at Chi, The Spa at the Shangri-La Hotel in The Rocks. Luxuriate with a wattleseed scrub and pink clay wrap as well as a massage and cleansing facial over more than three glorious hours during a Journey Down Under treatment featuring products by renowned local brand Sodashi.
Bask in the restorative powers of a hammam-inspired steam room during SpaQ’s epic six-hour Metamorphosis treatment, which includes a body wrap, massage, lunch and a facial, at QT Sydney, in the very heart of the city.
Or set up base at Paramount House Hotel, which occupies the former Paramount Studios building in Surry Hills, and stretch out with locals in the know at the rooftop Paramount Recreation Club, which features a fitness pavilion and treatment rooms.
Wind down with a nourishing dinner
Pacify any carnivores in your travelling group while you relish plant-based fare at Alibi Bar & Dining at the Ovolo Woolloomooloo hotel, which presents Mediterranean-style vegetarian dishes alongside more carnivorous choices.
Wash down flavour-packed vegan Mexican with a glass of natural wine at Bad Hombres in Surry Hills, where sour cream is swapped out for pureed cashews and the tacos feature miso eggplant and mushrooms.
Or savour deceptively simple farm-to-table cooking at Fred’s, on Paddington’s Oxford Street, complemented by a selection of organic and biodynamic wines in the beautifully styled restaurant. After dinner, head downstairs to Charlie Parker’s for a nightcap, or head back to your hotel to get your beauty sleep.
Dine thoughtfully on sustainably caught fresh seafood dishes such as Sydney rock oysters and char-grilled Clarence River octopus at Love.fish, overlooking Darling Harbour in Barangaroo. End the evening with a nightcap of non-alcoholic wine or cocktail at the Untied rooftop bar, also in Barangaroo — the Nogroni cocktail, made with alcohol-free Lyre’s Dry London Spirit, is practically a health drink.
The Day Spa by Chuan, at The Langham, Sydney Credit: The Langham
Set underground at The Langham, Sydney, The Day Spa by Chuan boasts a 20m heated pool.
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The Day Spa by Chuan, at The Langham, Sydney Credit: The Langham
Set underground at The Langham, Sydney, The Day Spa by Chuan boasts a 20m heated pool.
More Inspirational Stories
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.