Rough Guides - Sydney and around

The Aussie city par excellence, Sydney stands head and shoulders above any other in Australia. Taken together with its surrounds, its in many ways a microcosm of the country as a whole if only in its ability to defy your expectations and prejudices as often as it confirms them. A thrusting, high-rise business centre, a clutch of fascinating museums, vibrant art galleries, a high-profile gay community and inner-city deprivation of unexpected harshness are as much part of the scene as the beaches, the bodies and the sparkling harbour. Its sophistication, cosmopolitan population and exuberant nightlife are a long way from the Outback, and yet Sydney has the highest Aboriginal population of any Australian city, and bushfires are an annual threat.

It might seem surprising that Sydney is not Australias capital : the creation of Canberra in 1927 intended to stem the intense rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne has not affected the view of many Sydneysiders that their city remains the countrys true capital, and certainly in many ways it feels like it. The city has a tangible sense of history : the old stone walls and well-worn steps in the backstreets around The Rocks are an evocative reminder that Sydney has more than two hundred years of white history behind it.

Youll need at least five days in this unique city to ensure you see not only its glorious harbourside but also its wider treasures. Delving into the inner-city areas of Paddington, Surry Hills and Glebe reveal more of the Sydney psyche. And no trip to the city would be complete without at least one visit to the eastern-suburb beaches for a true taste of Sydney, take a long afternoon stroll along the coastal path that stretches from Bondi to Coogee.

The surrounding areas all the places covered in this chapter are within day-trip distance offer a taste of virtually everything youll find in the rest of the country, with the exception of desert. There are magnificent national parks Ku-ring-gai Chase and Royal being the best known and native wildlife within an hours drive from the centre of town; while further north stretch endless ocean beaches , great for surfers, and more enclosed waters for safer swimming and sailing. Inland, the gorgeous Blue Mountains UNESCO World Heritage-listed offer isolated bushwalking and scenic viewpoints. On the way are historic colonial towns that were among the earliest foundations in the country Sydney itself was the very first. The commercial and industrial heart of the state of New South Wales, especially the central coastal region, is bordered by Wollongong in the south and much more enticing Newcastle in the north. Both were synonymous with coal and steel, but the smokestack industries that supported them for decades are now in severe decline. This is far from an industrial wasteland, though: the heart of the coal-mining country is the Hunter Valley , northwest of Newcastle, but to visit it youd never guess, because this is also Australias oldest, and arguably its best-known, wine-growing region, where you can not only sample the fine wines but enjoy some of the best food in the state.

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HUNTER VALLEY VINEYARDS