Will Wood, Grinding EyesCredit: Destination NSW
Will Wood sitting in front of street art in Enmore
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Sandwiched between Newtown and Marrickville in Sydney’s inner west, Enmore is quietly cool – a compact neighbourhood that offers rich rewards. It’s home to excellent coffee, dining options that range from vegan Thai to dependable pub grub and a thriving nightlife scene of cocktail bars and live music venues. Musician Will Wood, of psych rock trio Grinding Eyes, calls the grungy enclave home.
Here, he shares his favourite spots and what he loves most about the Inner West suburb.
One of the best things about Sydney is the sheer variety of what’s on offer – from the stunning coast to the incredible culture and the world-class food scene. What do you personally love most about the city?
There’s a lot to love about Sydney. For me, it’s the bars, cafes, pubs, live music, breweries, markets and the small pockets of communities that just make you feel at home.
Enmore has a reputation for excellent coffee, with a long list of great cafes both on the main strip of Enmore Road as well as in the back streets. What is your go-to caffeine fix in Enmore?
My go-to for a coffee in Enmore has to be Black Market Coffee Roasters on Enmore Road; quick, straight to the point and great tasting. They have a simple menu, but it always hits the spot.
There’s quite a mix of eateries in Enmore, with everything from Malaysian banquets to traditional Turkish and fine dining Italian. Do you have a favourite restaurant in Enmore?
My favourite restaurant in the area is definitely Little Turtle. It’s a fantastic vegan restaurant serving home-style Thai favourites with a playful twist. The baked Tom Yum rice is delicious and they serve one of their curries in a coconut!
What's your ultimate way to spend a night out in Sydney?
My ideal night out in Sydney starts in the late afternoon at The Warren View Hotel for beers and a feed, followed by a visit to a couple of the neighbourhood breweries – Young Henrys up the road in Newtown is a favourite.
After sunset, I like to catch a few live bands at the Enmore Theatre and finish the night off with a nightcap at one of the local bars. Nearby Jacoby’s does great tiki cocktails.
Jacoby’s Tiki Bar, Enmore Credit: Destination NSW
Bartender creating a specialty cocktail at Jacoby’s Tiki Bar, Enmore.
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Jacoby’s Tiki Bar, Enmore Credit: Destination NSW
Bartender creating a specialty cocktail at Jacoby’s Tiki Bar, Enmore.
You've played at venues across Sydney with your band Grinding Eyes. Where is your favourite place to perform a gig in Sydney and why?
Sydney has so many great venues to perform at. For small, more intimate gigs, I enjoy performing at The Vanguard in Newtown or for larger gigs, I like to go for Crowbar in Leichhardt. Then there’s the holy grail of live venues – the iconic Enmore Theatre.
Sydney’s music scene is a tight knit community that always support each other. Where is your favourite place to see a gig in Sydney and why?
Again, there are so many to choose from – starting with the DIY warehouse gigs around Marrickville to the larger theatre gigs in Enmore, plus the dynamic acts at Oxford Arts Factory in the city. I love them all; every live music venue in Sydney has its perks.
What are your top three must-dos in Enmore that you would recommend to a friend who was visiting?
If you are heading to the neighbourhood, be sure to add these to your itinerary:
- Enjoy a delicious pub meal at The Warren View Hotel. They do a mean parmi.
- Taste local brews at the independent breweries like Young Henrys or The Grifter Brewing Co.
- Watch a local live band at The Vanguard while drinking some of the local independent beers.
Do you have a favourite Secret Sydney experience you can tell us about?
I would say Sydney Park; sunny afternoons sitting on the grassy hill watching the world go by is one of the best ways to unwind and take some time to relax from what is generally a very busy lifestyle.
Grinding Eyes performing at The Vanguard Enmore Credit: Destination NSW
Grinding Eyes performing on stage
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Grinding Eyes performing at The Vanguard Enmore Credit: Destination NSW
Grinding Eyes performing on stage
More Inspirational Stories
The Fall Guy Credit: Universal & UPI Media
The Fall Guy in Sydney with a spectacular Glebe Island Silo Stunt
#feelnewsydney
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.
#feelnewsydney
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.
#feelnewsydney
Little National Hotel, Sydney Credit: Little National Hotel
The rooftop lounge at the Little National, in Wynyard in Sydney.