Recreation

Sydney is one of the largest cities in the world but most of its fascinating attractions are concentrated in a fairly compact area around one of the finest urban harbors in the world, which provide a fun filled experience. It has numerous cultural sites and institutions and is bursting with distinctive attractions to keep the tourists occupied all through their trip.

You can experience Sydney's summer on the white-sand beaches that are strung along the city's Pacific oceanfront between Hawkesbury River in the north and the Royal National Park in the south, giving you a tough time to decide where to go. Early evenings between sprig and autumn (September to May) is a good time to visit. Some of the famous beaches are Bondi, Tamarama beach, Bronte and Manly beach.

There are several museums and art galleries in Sydney, which make up for a worthwhile visit. The biggest of the museums are the Australian Museum of natural history and anthropology, the Powerhouse Museum of science, technology and design, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australian National Maritime Museum and the museum of Contemporary Art.

Darling Harbour is one of Sydney's most happening places for the young and old alike. It is all the more abuzz because of the outstanding Sydney Aquarium, many children attractions, the Cockle Wharf restaurant and café complex. For the gourmet tour of Sydney's Modern Australian cooking style, you can visit the many restaurants, which comprise of the best spices from Asia and exotic essences from the Mediterranean.

Apart from all this you can visit the cliffs of the Blue Mountains, which are a part of the Great Dividing Range stretching from Gippsland region of Victoria in the south to the tropical rainforests of north Queensland. Amongst other important places are the wineries of the Hunter Valley, which are Australia's oldest wine producing province and the cellar doors have been joined by a large number of restaurants making it the most visited wine region. For nature lovers, the Dolphin and whale watching around Port Stephens is the ideal getaway. It is the residence of almost 165 bottlenose Dolphins and a major migration ground for humpback whales. Several charter boats offer visitors diving and fishing options in and around the island along with the sightseeing trips.

Sydney provides excellent dining, world-class accommodation, non-stop shopping, heart racing adventure and an assortment of activities related to entertainment. Some of the major attractions are listed below:

Opera House

The Opera House figuring amongst the Seven Wonders of the World has regular work of art, ballet, theatre and opera performances. Jorn Utzon did its architecture but he could not finish the interiors completely due to his resignation, which was brought about by construction delays and political issues. A venue named The Studio, screens Contemporary art events for the art lovers.

The Aquarium at Darling Harbor

One of the largest aquarium in the world, it is well worth a visit to witness almost 5000 different fishes in their natural locale. You can take a ferry to reach the Aquarium from almost all locations around the city. The place is open from 9:30am to 9:00pm with entry allowed till 8:00pm only.

Sporting Activities include -

Runners and Walkers

You can head straight to Centennial Park, Sydney's Central park, which is located at the top of Paddington and near Bondi Junction. Numerous walks staged around the Coastal Ocean Beaches and the Sydney Harbour provide visitors with a beautiful scenic view of the city and its great bird life and interesting geological sights. Furthermore, the Queen's Park allows people to rent bikes or roller blades incase they get tired of walking. Paddington also comprises of the largest Antiquarian, new and secondhand bookstores specializing in field of literature, history, arts, travel, juvenilia and much more.

Swimmers

Ocean pools for free lap swimming are put up at few of the beaches including Bondi's Iceberg club, Wylie's Baths, Bronte, Clovelly and Manly. Many pools around the harbour such as the Charleton pool in the Domain, Nielsen Park pool, Dawn Fraser pool in Balmain and the new Cook and Phillip pool near Hyde park, allow visitors to take a cool dip.

Yoga

During summer you can opt to go for Yoga in the most idyllic surroundings of the Royal Botanic Gardens. Karma Yoga classes are held at 7am on Tuesday and Thursday Mornings and Saturdays at 8.30am on the Bawd lawn.

Surfing

You can take a session down at Bondi beach and experience a thorough lesson in surfing.

At Picnic Point, among the towering gum trees and the river, you can plan a family picnic and also organize a delicious barbecue with steaks, bangers and beer. It offers boat ramps, areas for water skiing and jetskiing while children can play on the grass lawns. Apart from that there are walking tracks for those who would enjoy a nice evening stroll while observing the variety of fauna and the birds, which folk the place in large numbers.

For other recreational activities:

? To watch what goes behind making a movie, head straight to Fox Studios which is now "The Entertainment Quarter" in the Eastern Suburbs. You can also visit the IMAX Theater, which apart from being the largest screen in the world, offers a fine combination of 2D and 3D animated films. It also lodges an espresso café, popcorn and confectionary, candy bar serving soft drinks and the Mezzanine Bar, which overlooks the Harbour.

- Visit the home of NSW Cricket Association and AFL Sydney swans, the Sydney Cricket ground, which provides an insight into the sports history of the place.

- Go to a football match held between August and February where Sydney FC are currently the reigning champions in the A-League, starring Dwight Yorke (ex Man U) and David Carney (ex Everton).

- Walk the foreshore of central Sydney from underneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge past The Rocks, Circular Quay, the Sydney Opera House, the National Botanical Gardens and Lady Macquarie's Chair.

- A great alternative to the standard bus, boat or walking tour is a guided bicycle tour.