Sydney Harbour Bridge, SydneyCredit: Destination NSW
Morning sun rising over Sydney Harbour.
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Happy New Year! Now’s the time to plan a year’s worth of adventures – and all the perspective-changing moments that’ll make every day feel new. The celebrations continue as Sydney was crowned the second top travel destination by Airbnb and the only Australian city to make the world’s most beautiful cities by Travel + Leisure.
Prepare to be dazzled by Sydney’s incredible array of natural, cultural and architectural attractions. Renew your sense of adventure and soar to new heights, discover the storytelling power of dance at a transcendent live performance, or unwind on an unforgettable coastal walk. Embrace these awe-inspiring wonders on your next visit to the harbour city.
Touch the sublime at Sydney Opera House
Feel your jaw drop as you approach the distinctive white ‘shells’ of the Sydney Opera House and take in the iconic building’s striking location beside the deep-blue waters of the harbour. Ascend the banked front stairs — used as a stage for artists over the years — and step inside to discover the world’s busiest performing arts centres, hosting shows ranging from opera and ballet to comedy and rock. Explore the hidden side of the working venue on an early-morning backstage tour, while away the late afternoon sipping cocktails and watching the sun light up the Sydney Harbour Bridge at the Opera Bar, or savour fine dining with incredible views at Sydney Opera House’s Bennelong restaurant.
Sydney Opera House, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
The sails of The Sydney Opera House
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Sydney Opera House, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
The sails of The Sydney Opera House
Cruise to Taronga Zoo Sydney
Thrill at the sight of Australia’s unique native wildlife while taking in the million-dollar views over Sydney Harbour to the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge at Taronga Zoo Sydney. Enjoy a mini harbour cruise on the 12-minute ferry ride from Circular Quay in central Sydney to the wharf below the hillside zoo. Feel a sense of amazement as you encounter iconic native animals such as koalas and kangaroos alongside creatures from around the world — the zoo is home to more than 5,000 animals from around 350 species. Immerse in the animal world overnight at Taronga’s luxurious Wildlife Retreat or drift off to sleep in a safari-style tent on a Roar and Snore experience.
Taronga Zoo, Mosman Credit: Destination NSW
Resident giraffes at Taronga Zoo, Mosman in Sydney.
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Taronga Zoo, Mosman Credit: Destination NSW
Resident giraffes at Taronga Zoo, Mosman in Sydney.
Climb Sydney Harbour Bridge
Absorb the dazzling views of the harbour city from another legendary landmark, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, affectionately known as the ‘coat hanger’ by locals. Scale the heights of the immense steel arches on a guided walk with BridgeClimb Sydney to drink in an incredible panorama. Enrich the experience as you learn about the city’s Aboriginal history and culture from an Indigenous Storyteller guide on BridgeClimb’s Burrawa Indigenous Experience. Or feel the sea breeze in your face as you walk along the protected pedestrian path between the city centre and North Sydney.
BridgeClimb Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoying a twilight BridgeClimb Sydney experience overlooking Sydney Harbour.
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BridgeClimb Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoying a twilight BridgeClimb Sydney experience overlooking Sydney Harbour.
Explore Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
Feel yourself unwind as you reconnect with nature’s astonishing diversity while strolling through the harbourside Royal Botanic Garden, right next to the Sydney Opera House. Lose yourself for a moment in the oldest botanic garden in Australia, a haven for more than 27,000 plants from around the world, including a significant section dedicated to Australian natives. See the harbour foreshore from a new perspective on an Aboriginal Harbour Heritage Tour, discover new flavours on an Aboriginal Bush Tucker Tour, and savour modern Asian cuisine at celebrity chef Luke Nguyen’s Botanic House restaurant.
Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoying a walk through Royal Botanic Garden Sydney.
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Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoying a walk through Royal Botanic Garden Sydney.
Go glamping on Cockatoo Island
Let your imagination run wild as you roam across UNESCO World Heritage-listed Cockatoo Island, a short ferry ride from Circular Quay. Wander through the relics of this former convict prison and naval dockyard, take in the harbour views over a drink at Societé Overboard bar, or feel your skin tingle on an adults-only after-dark ghost tour as you learn of the grisly past of Sydney’s largest harbour island. Soak up the unique atmosphere as you spend the night in a charming heritage cottage or glamp in the waterfront camping ground, backdropped by the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Camping, Cockatoo Island Credit: Destination NSW
Cockatoo Island camping at sunset.
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Camping, Cockatoo Island Credit: Destination NSW
Cockatoo Island camping at sunset.
Be stirred by Bangarra Dance Theatre
Feel yourself moved by the powerful storytelling and dynamic contemporary choreography at an unforgettable performance by critically acclaimed Aboriginal dance company Bangarra Dance Theatre. Journey into a world brought to life by a team of choreographers and classically trained artists with proud Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds, all drawing on tens of thousands of years of Indigenous culture. Join the buzzing crowd at the Sydney Opera House for Bangarra premieres or head to the company’s intimate Studio Theatre in the Walsh Bay arts precinct for occasional emerging works.
Bangarra Dance Theatre, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Bangarra Dance Theatre performance, Sydney. For media use only in Australian markets to promote NSW.
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Bangarra Dance Theatre, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Bangarra Dance Theatre performance, Sydney. For media use only in Australian markets to promote NSW.
Learn to surf at Bondi Beach
Feel part of a special community when you grab a surfboard and paddle out through the white-water at Bondi, Sydney’s most legendary beach. Rent a board and join the locals riding the swell before they head off to work in the morning — then follow the sandy footprints to the surfing tribe’s favoured cafés for a post-surf breakfast. Or get tips on paddling, catching waves and maintaining your balance as well as learn the sport’s essential safety rules from the experienced instructors at Let’s Go Surfing, and you’ll be chasing breaks in no time.
Bondi Beach, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Surfers catching a morning wave at Bondi Beach in Sydney's eastern suburbs.
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Bondi Beach, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Surfers catching a morning wave at Bondi Beach in Sydney's eastern suburbs.
Lace up your shoes for a coastal walk
Stir your senses as well as your heart rate as you follow one of Sydney’s spectacular coastal walks, enjoying uninterrupted ocean and harbour views as you walk from rugged headlands to secluded bays and beaches. Follow delightful trails through national parkland and along clifftops all across the city. Join local joggers on the 6km Bondi to Coogee coastal walk, snaking from the Bondi Icebergs ocean pool to the golden shores of Coogee in the eastern suburbs. Closer to the city, plunge into the netted harbour pool at Vaucluse’s Nielsen Park for a refreshing swim after tackling the Hermitage Foreshore Track, a hidden gem offering up views of Shark Island and Sydney Harbour Bridge. Weave through rainforest and past lighthouses with Sydney Harbour views on the 10km Spit Bridge to Manly Walk on the North Shore. Or get your pulse racing on the steep track to Barrenjoey Lighthouse at Palm Beach, on the northern tip of the Sydney coastline.
Bondi to Manly Walk, Bondi Beach Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying a walk along Bondi Beach, Sydney.
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Bondi to Manly Walk, Bondi Beach Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying a walk along Bondi Beach, Sydney.
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.