Bondi Icebergs, BondiCredit: Destination NSW
Aerial view of Bondi Icebergs and surrounds, Bondi
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Prepare to be dazzled by Sydney at any time of the year, with the winter months heralding some of the city’s most unique experiences. Rug up, step out and enjoy everything a Sydney winter has to offer — including plenty of crisp, clear sunny days.
Be captivated by Vivid
Watch Sydney sparkle in a whole new way as the city lights up during the Vivid festival for three weeks across May and June. The world’s largest festival of light, music and ideas, this annual celebration illuminates Sydney with astonishing artworks projected onto buildings (including the iconic sails of the Sydney Opera House), glowing urban exhibitions and other boundary-pushing creativity, including an innovative Vivid Food program hosted for the first time in 2023. Prepare to be mesmerised by every element of the cutting-edge program.
Celebrate Sydney at more winter festivals
Roll up to a smorgasbord of other fascinating festivals held throughout Sydney during winter. Watch Bondi transform into a winter playground during the Bondi Festival, held over a fortnight from the end of June, and embrace the world’s best filmmaking over 12 days in June at the Sydney Film Festival. Enjoy two weekends of frosty fun at the Darling Harbour Winter Festival in July, with food stalls, firepits, ice-skating and even igloos, or hit the outdoor ice rink at Campbelltown’s ChillFest from the end of June until mid-July.
Vivid Sydney 2022 Credit: Destination NSW
Views of Harbour Lights installations on marine vessels moving across Sydney Harbour during Vivid Sydney 2022.
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Vivid Sydney 2022 Credit: Destination NSW
Views of Harbour Lights installations on marine vessels moving across Sydney Harbour during Vivid Sydney 2022.
Darling Harbour Night Market, Darling Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Family enjoying a night out at the Darling Harbour Night Market in Darling Harbour, Sydney.
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Darling Harbour Night Market, Darling Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Family enjoying a night out at the Darling Harbour Night Market in Darling Harbour, Sydney.
Snuggle up in a cosy bar
Warm up for a big night out at one of Sydney’s cosiest bars. Recline on a leather banquette in front of the fireplace with a gin cocktail in hand at Frank Mac’s in The Rocks, or step back into old London at the Duke Of Clarence in the city centre, which also features a fabulous fireplace surrounded by walls of vintage books. Head underground for a thrillingly clandestine cocktail at Palmer & Co, also centrally located, and sample a tantalising taste of Sicily at subterranean Apollonia, hidden in the moodily lit basement of Hinchcliff House, just behind Circular Quay.
Settle in for a decadent meal
Retreat from the elements to experience Sydney’s renowned culinary creativity at some of the city’s finest restaurants. Feel the warmth of the open kitchen at Firedoor in Surry Hills, where everything from the brussels sprouts to the 184-day dry-aged steak is cooked over fire. Descend the spiral staircase behind a mysterious wooden door on Bligh Street in the city centre to the basement dining room at Hubert, where classic French fine-dining is de rigueur. Imagine you’ve stepped into a friend’s rustic country home as you linger over a long paddock-to-plate lunch at Fred’s in Paddington. Or tuck into one of Sydney’s best Sunday roasts by a crackling fire at the charming Glebe Hotel.
Be mesmerised by migrating whales
Marvel at the majesty of Mother Nature as whales put on a spectacular show in Sydney during the cooler months. Each year from May to November, more than 40,000 humpback and southern right whales make their way along Sydney’s coastline during their annual migration from Antarctica to the warmer waters of the Pacific and back again. Watch in wonder from coastal vantage points such as North Head at Manly and the Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk, which traces the clifftops of the city’s inner eastern beaches. Or get up close to these giants of the deep on an action-packed whale-watching cruise from Circular Quay, Darling Harbour or Manly with the likes of Whale Watching Sydney, Oz Whale Watching, Ocean Extreme and Manly Ocean Adventures.
Palmer and Co., Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Couple ordering cocktails at Palmer and Co., Sydney.
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Palmer and Co., Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Couple ordering cocktails at Palmer and Co., Sydney.
Whale watching, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
A whale breaches out of the water off Sydney waters.
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Whale watching, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
A whale breaches out of the water off Sydney waters.
Seek warmth through wellness
Get a taste of Sydney’s renowned wellness scene via an array of restorative experiences ideal for the winter months. Warm up from the inside out during a calming infrared sauna session at Nimbus & Co or Slow House, both located at Bondi Beach. Try something different and bathe nude at Arisoo, women-only Korean-style bathhouses in Paddington and Chatswood. Float in the 20-metre indoor pool under a canopy of twinkling ‘stars’ following a decadent treatment at the subterranean Day Spa by Chuan at The Langham. Or treat yourself to a decadent day of bespoke facials and body therapies at the new two-storey Spa at Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour.
Spend an unforgettable night at the theatre
Hit the town for an exhilarating night at the theatre during Sydney’s packed 2023 winter season. Take your seat and be entertained by the likes of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, premiering at the Capitol Theatre in June, or be swept away by the drama of Miss Saigon, coming to the Sydney Opera House in August. Get ready to sing along to Mamma Mia! The Musical, returning to the Lyric Theatre for a limited season in May, and catch an all-star cast in the Sydney Theatre Company’s production of Do Not Go Gentle in May and June in Walsh Bay. These are just a few of the fabulous performances to catch at the city’s many entertainment venues in winter and beyond.
Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour Spa Credit: Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour
Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour Spa
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Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour Spa Credit: Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour
Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour Spa
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.