Road Trip Sydney Part 1: Sydney City

Sydney Fish Market is famous for its fresh seafood, and there is nowhere else in Sydney where you can get seafood any fresher. Besides being a port for fishing boats to unload the day’s catch, the Market also contains a few large stalls that cook the seafood that they sell. To get here, take the Light Rail to the Fish Market station. If you are driving, head towards 151 Bank Street.

Aim to be here at around 10.30am as any later and there will be a huge crowd. Needless to say, this place is popular amongst tourists, especially Asians, who love a good seafood meal anytime. Check out Doyle’s, located just on your right as you enter the main building. They have excellent beer battered Barramundi, and the oysters done in Kilpatrick style are succulent and tasty. Try out the fresh sashimi, which is cut when you order. It doesn’t get any fresher than that! The green mussels are also another delicacy to try out, with each piece full of flavor and a great firm texture!

After having your fill, head down to Birkenhead Point. If you drive, take Victoria Road, then turn left to Thornley Street, and left to Formosta Street, then left again to Henley Marine Drive. Proceed to Renwick Street, then Roseby Street. Look out for the carpark on your left. All 500-series buses stop you on Victoria Road, immediately after you cross the bridge. Follow the signs and proceed to Birkenhead Point Factory Outlet Centre on foot.

Birkenhead Point Factory Outlet Centre is Sydney's largest factory outlet centre and offers the very best of Sydney's fashion, food and homewares. Experience convenient shopping with spectacular waterfront views and the best brand names at the lowest prices. This is another popular place to get quality apparel at fabulous prices. For example, a pair of Levi’s jeans cost around AUD50, which works out to be around SGD65.

Aim to finish your shopping by 4pm then take a bus back to Circular Quay to catch a ferry to Manly Beach. Manly Beach is a beach situated in Sydney's Northern Beaches. From north to south, the three main sections are Queenscliff, North Steyne, and South Steyne. Travelling to Manly from Sydney's main ferry terminal, Circular Quay takes 30 minutes by ferry. The ferry ride is a great experience, bringing you past the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House. It also gives you a spectacular view of Sydney’s waterfront.

Once out of the terminal at Manly, walk straight down to the beach via The Corso. Catch the sunset from this fabulous stretch of beach, as you relax and unwind from a long day of shopping. Have your dinner at Manly then take the ferry back to Circular Quay at night for a different view of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.

Cockle Bay is one of the bays in Darling Harbour, which opens into the much larger Sydney Harbour. The locality around the bay is also known as Darling Harbour. The bay is primarily known for Cockle Bay Wharf, a waterfront entertainment area that includes a wide variety of restaurants, pubs, clubs, cafes and function venues. Harbourside Shopping Centre, similar to Singapore’s Vivocity, is also found here. There is a Pancakes On The Rocks here at Harbourside, and you can opt to have breakfast here. Else, there are many cafes in Harbourside and the surrounding Cockle Bay area where you can have breakfast and inhale the crisp morning air laced with saltwater.

After breakfast, head over to the Sydney Aquarium via the Pyrmont Bridge. The bridge stretches over Cockle Bay and gives you a clear view of the wharf, and is a good place to take photographs. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is also visible in the distance.

The Sydney Aquarium showcases over 12,000 aquatic animals from 650 species in spectacular habitat displays, including the world's largest Great Barrier Reef exhibit and amazing underwater viewing tunnels. The Aquarium has one of the world's largest and most impressive collections of sharks, dugongs, platypus, seahorses, giant turtles, jellyfish, thousands of tropical fish, gigantic stingrays, and much, much more. Singapore’s Underwater World pales in comparison to the sheer variety of animals found here. In addition, the Aquarium displays freshwater creatures such as crayfish and fishes.

The Aquarium also offers a glass-bottomed boat ride where you get the chance to view the fish from above, as well as feed them and encounter them up close. The aquatic fauna is given a totally different perspective, and adds to your sense of marvel at the underwater world. The Aquarium is bound to be very well received by the children, and even the adults will be wowed by the sight of so many different animals that live in the water.

After the educational experience at the Aquarium, which should finish in the early evening, consider having dinner at the Bay. Hurricane's Grill & Bar is highly recommended and is located on the second level of the Harbourside Shopping Centre. The restaurant is famous for its ribs and steak, and has excellent views of Cockle Bay and the city skyline.

After dinner, take a short walk to World Square Shopping Centre, located at the corner of George Street and Liverpool Street. Coles, the Australian hypermarket, has an outlet here. It is the best time to stock up on supplies and snacks for the drive up to and the stay in the Blue Mountains.

Read about .

Credits: Road Trip Sydney Part 1: Sydney City