Mary's Newtown, NewtownCredit: Destination NSW
Potato and gravy, wine, cheeseburger, fries, fried chicken and a Bloody Burger Mary from Mary's Newtown, Newtown.
#ilovesydney
Inner West resident and 'sausage queen’ Chrissy Flanagan loves the community spirit of Dulwich Hill where she lives.
Your business has always been synonymous with the Inner West. What do you love most about this thriving hub of creativity?
It’s the broad and diverse community that makes it for me. Sydney’s Inner West is where artists start their careers and entrepreneurs open their first business - you can always find someone trying something new.
The Inner West is known for its abundance of eclectic cafes. Where is your go-to for coffee in Sydney’s Inner West?
I’m a non-coffee drinker though I’d have to say Small Talk in Dulwich Hill is a go-to in the area. Also, their house made focaccia is wild.
From Xinjiang noodles to Nigerian jollof, you can find almost any cuisine in the Inner West. What is your favourite restaurant in Sydney’s Inner West and why?
Although heavily biased, it is The Sausage Factory because there’s no place like it. With house made sausages and beer as well as Sydney’s finest and broadest selection of local brews, it can’t be beaten.
Aside from this, my favourite restaurant is Stanbuli – a modern Turkish restaurant in Newtown. I love this place for its carefully crafted food presented joyfully.
The Sausage Factory is Australia’s first ‘sausage cellar door’. Tell us more about the factory and what you offer.
Sausage is Australia’s classic street food; we live for it. Here at The Sausage Factory, our sausages are made from whole cuts of high-quality, certified free-range meat mixed with spices.
We also make our own craft beer called Sausage Queen. Queen beers were originally exclusive to the Sausage Factory on tap, until lockdown forced them into cans in mid-2020. These beers are off the beaten path, with an emphasis on native ingredients and less common varieties.
The Sausage Factory, run by myself on the floor and my partner in the kitchen, is an incredibly intimate experience - we only seat 25 people at a time, so it’s a lot like going over to your mate’s house for dinner.
The Inner West has its own unique identity and flavour. What are your top three must-dos in the neighbourhood?
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Firstly, my sausage making class and lunch is an unparallel experience. Sausage making is very tactile and very few people have ever tried it before. You get stuck in, make a bit of a mess all while sampling Sydney’s finest beers from over 20 local breweries.
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Mary’s in Newtown is an institution. Yes, it’s burgers, chicken and beer but they’ve elevated it to a level of perfection. I have done my research and that is Sydney’s best burger; and we take our burger offerings very seriously around here.
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Another unmissable landmark is Cornersmith in Annandale. Owner Alex Elliott-Howery started out making passata with a mate and it has spun into a stronghold of pickled delights. Their café is sensational, and you can even take a picnic into the park just across the way - get your sourdough, cheese and pickle game on.
There are many fantastic farmers markets all over Sydney; for many locals, it’s part of their weekend routine. Where is your favourite place to enjoy local produce?
Summer Hill Flour Mill Markets are charming in that a lot of stalls there are just starting out and trying something new. It’s wonderful to talk to people new to creating, see what has made them so excited about the produce they’re making and to support their local business as it grows.
Describe your ultimate day out in Sydney’s Inner West.
Start by grabbing a mate and a hot drink for a stroll by the Cooks River Foreshore and greeting all the friendly locals and dogs as you wander. Then a class to learn a new skill like a quilting workshop at The Selvedge Society in Stanmore or a pottery class at Glost Studios in Dulwich Hill. Swing by Made590 in Marrickville for an outrageous new party dress, sneak in a cheeky nap, catch a comedy show at the Enmore Theatre and then late-night dinner at Pepito’s in Marrickville. Perfection.
Do you have a favourite Secret Sydney experience you can reveal?
Secret Sydney is in all the little places where you find Sydneysiders. We’re an incredibly warm bunch, born to chat. I’ll live in Sydney’s Inner West the rest of my life because I’ve never known a place to make you feel so at home.
Inner West Sydney | Taste of Australia with Hayden Quinn: Sydney Edition Credit: Destination NSW
The Sausage Factory, Dulwich Hill
#ilovesydney
Inner West Sydney | Taste of Australia with Hayden Quinn: Sydney Edition Credit: Destination NSW
The Sausage Factory, Dulwich Hill
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.
#feelnewsydney
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.
#feelnewsydney
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.