Sydney 2
Australia

Sydney's wonderfully relaxed and sqwawking Botanic Gardens, just a step away from the Opera House.
But on the other side of the harbour, a short and breezy ferry-ride away lies Manly, also relaxed, but energised...

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An aerial view of the harbour and Sydney's best surfburb, Manly.

Sydney Beaches: The city's water is not particularly warm, even in midsummer (Dec-Feb), and in winter you'd definitely need a wetsuit , a good chunky layer of subcutaneous fat or Russian-style anti-freeze in your veins.

There's swimming at a couple of beaches inside the harbour and lots of sailing but most of the action goes on outside where the South Pacific throws steady surf onto some superb beaches.

Bondi Beach, Sydney suburbs, Australia

Bondi and Manly are the closest suburbs for a good Sydney beach experience, with Bondi accessible from the centre by car or train/bus and Manly by ferry from Circular Quay.

Both trips would take in the region of an hour, but south of Bondi and north of Manly there are plenty more fine strands of sand with increasingly few users.

Manly has a small inner-harbour beach devoid of surf for those with toddlers not ready for a pounding or lap-swimmers who don't want to go out beyond the surf line.

Manly Beach, just 5 minutes walk from the cross-harbour ferry terminal.

The Bugcrew preferred the larger and lower-key Manly beaches to Bondi. Manly has a small but well-supplied village feel to it, with plenty of bars and eateries, not to mention a lot of low cost accommodation near the beach and good surf gear rental places adjacent.

Then there's the lovely ferry ride through the harbour to Manly from the city centre vs. the not very pretty urban train/bus ride to Bondi. On the other Bondi's beach folk are arguably more glamorous and the coastal path south is stunning, while Manly's walks are not so inspiring...Visit both but stay in Manly if you have the time?

Surfing Manly; not big waves but regular, well-monitored by lifeguards and pretty, lively environment. Next, Melbourne Pictures.

Sydney Cuisine: This is a fairly Asia-oriented city with an extensive area in the centre where Anglo-Saxon features are rare and sushi is menu du jour though in other areas rat coffins (meat pies) are an Australian quick-eat tradition. Generally seafood is big and white wine with oysters scoffed beside Circular Quay are a must, though Darling Harbour, a rebuilt-for-tourists dock area is where many travellers end up spending their dollars.

Outside the city and away from the surf-smashed beaches lie a good few National Parks though the #1 tourist target is the cool Blue Mountains with its canyons, cliffs, dense forests, waterfalls, good bushwalks and mad activities. A train from Central Station takes a couple of hours to travel the 109kms to the Blue Mountains' staging point, chilly and attractive Katoomba. But don't expect to see any 'roos leaping around!

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