Backpacking in Sydney – 3 Great Places to Visit
Sydney is a backpacker’s paradise. You can spend years exploring this city, and still want to see more. You’ll also see why the locals love the place, and see a lot more than postcards. There’s a lot to see and do in Sydney, and it’s all fun. Hostels in Sydney are pretty cheap, ranging from good to very good. The backpacker hostels are also centered in the city area, excellent for getting around and seeing everything.
Photo: CxOxS
Deciding where to visit
The main problem for visitors to Sydney is trying to decide what to visit. The range of things to see and do is surprising, and Sydney is a very big place, stretching 50k in all directions.
Here are a few suggestions:
Circular Quay, George Street and the Rocks
This is old Sydney, dressed up, with the atmosphere it’s had since it became a boom town in the 1890s. This area has the Sydney Harbor Bridge, the Opera House, and the famous Rocks, a shopping area in its own right, built to include everything anyone could think of in terms of souvenirs and Australiana. Many Aussies go to The Rocks to get these things themselves. The Rocks are named after the big sandstone areas you’ll see everywhere. Sydney is built on, and in many cases with, sandstone.
George Street is the original main street of Australia. At the Quay end, it’s full of hotels, businesses, pubs, the Museum of Contemporary Art, souvenirs and opal sellers. If you want to be dazzled, check out some of the huge opals. These beautiful rocks are the real thing, and so are the price tags. These shops will show you what real opals look like, and what they’re worth, so you know what you’re buying. Shopping in George Street will give you a great sense of good prices for souvenirs, so take your time.
Note: George Street’s also a good navigational reference for finding your way around the city. It’s impossible to get lost, when you know your way around George Street.
Photo: GoGap
Sydney Harbor
Sydney Harbor is one of the world’s greatest, and according to Aussies, most beautiful, harbors. Despite the hype, it really is a beautiful place to explore, and you can spend hours on the water, sailing up the river to Balmain by ferry, or even taking some of the tourist trips on a tall ship. There are simply too many options to fit into one article, so see what’s available. Whatever you pick, you won’t be disappointed.
Chinatown
Chinatown is one of Sydney’s great places. It contains old Dixon Street, the original Chinatown, with some of the original buildings and back lanes of the past mixed with modern Sydney. Chinatown is also a good place for exploring many other parts of Sydney city, including Darling Harbor, just across the road, the Powerhouse Museum, on the other side of Darling Harbor, and lower George Street, which includes the cinema area, World Square, and lower Pitt Street shopping.
You’ll have a ball in Sydney. If you don’t want to leave, people will understand.
