Three days in Sydney, celebrating 30 fabulous years

Our youngest daughter Kate recently turned 30. As a gift she asked if we could spend a few days together. So we set sail for Sydney. Hopefully, this action packed itinerary will give you inspiration to do the same with a loved one.

We based ourselves at the Sofitel at Darling Harbour. When you’re in a big city like Sydney I think it’s uplifting and soulful to be by the water as it provides some calm from the city’s hustle and bustle. And it’s just a 10 minute easy walk to Pitt Street and David Jones.

Sydney’s Sofitel overlooking Darling Harbour

Dropping our bags at the hotel, we were keen for a little shopping so we headed into town and stocked up with affordable winter woollies for Kate’s two little girls at Uniqlo and some great cashmere bargains for us.

Our next stop was at David Jones. Sadly, the store seemed to lack vitality, showcasing only a small selection from some of our favourite designers, and there were very few assistants on the floor to help. So, we decided it was preferable to seek out the boutiques we liked as they have the full seasons range and the service promised to be much better.

In the late afternoon we headed to Woolloomooloo Wharf, enjoying a drink at Otto Ristorante relaxing in the sun. As the light faded we moved up the wharf to China Doll Restaurant where we dined. The restaurant was lovely. We sat outside under a heater, on a chilly autumn evening. Prawn dumplings and delicious wedges of rare duck in pancakes were the highlights.

Woolloomooloo Wharf is a great place to enjoy a drink or meal

The duck at China Doll was next level

Strolling around Darling Harbour early the next morning was a great way to start our second day, en route to a Pilates class. I’m slightly addicted to Pilates and while the class was good, its not as good as Reform Pilates in Auckland, where Kate teaches.

Hard not to have a weekend without a pilates class

After the class we walked to the NSW Art Gallery. The recent opening of the ‘Sydney Modern’ building, next to the original gallery has created a world class art gallery.

I was keen to show Kate ‘The Tank,’ a favouite exhibition space of mine in the new ‘Sydney Modern’ building.

During WWII two oil tanks were built, but have not been used for decades, unitl now. One of these oil tanks has been incorporated into the ‘Sydney Modern’ building, and is called ‘The Tank,’ an astonishing gallery space, underground. When visiting ‘The Tank’ you are in no doubt it was once an oil tank as the distinct smell of gasoline is strong.

When I was in Sydney a few months back I saw the inaugural Tank exhibition, The end of Imagination by artist Villar Rojas.

However, on this visit to Sydney, an equally impressive and thought provoking exhibition entitled, Has the Day invaded the Night or Has the Night Invaded the Day? by Louise Bourgeois was showing. Upstairs in the Sydney Modern building was a chronological collection of her multi-media art, in the light representing the day. Then, downstairs in the deathly dark of the tank were artworks from many periods, representing the night. The exhibition is definitely worth visiting.

Louise Bourgeois’s exhibition at the NSW Art Gallery is worth a visit

This installation in Louise Bourgeois exhibition describes her factured family. The five glass spheres represent her parents, sibling and her tutor who was her father’s mistress

Leaving the art gallery, we headed for a foodie’s tour Taste of Sydney–Barangaroo and The Rocks. We started at Wild Sage Restaurant in Barangaroo where we ate a scrumptious crayfish taco. Starting with such a delicacy, I had high hopes for the calibre of food, but sadly, this was the best dish we had. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the Barangaroo area which is Sydney’s newest and buzziest waterside precinct. An ambitious urban renewal project transformed this former container terminal into a hub with beautiful parkland, great shopping, restaurants and innovative architecture, including the recently completed Crown Towers Sydney.

The crayfish taco at Wild and Sage Restaurant at Barangaroo was excellent

Barangaroo is s lovely part of Sydney, well worth a wander around

Leaving the Rocks with very full bellies we headed to Double Bay to pursue our favourite boutiques including Scanlan, Theodore, Bianca Spender, Annie Bing, and Mode Sportif. We experienced exceptional service at Bianca Spender, with Val, who really knew her stock. We both left feeling well-served with exciting purchases.

We had booked at Margaret in Double Bay for dinner, but first had a cocktail, sitting out on the pavement, across the road, feeling the Friday evening buzz.

Margaret seemed like a bit of an institution, full of well-to-do locals, including an eccentric old lady, sitting next to us. She was very glam for someone well into her 80s. She was obviously a Friday night regular and her plus one, sitting on the chair next to her, was her pooch. This small, feisty white Maltese was dressed in a pink silk outfit with a bow in her hair. She wasn’t the most friendly and nearly took my hand off when I tried to went to pat her. The elderly lady started her meal with a dozen oysters, not a bad effort.

The food at Margaret was excellent, with the highlight being a shared starter of burrata, poached pears and roasted hazelnuts. The flavours melded together as did the textures, with the crunch of the hazelnuts and the softness of the burrata.

The food at Margaret restaurant in Double Bay was excellent -well worth a visit

A weekend visit to Bondi isn’t complete without enjoying the cliff top, coastal walk from Bondi Beach to Bronte Beach. As we climbed above the ocean the vista of the coastline was spectacular. The rocks create an exciting sceptical as waves smash into them. For every surfer taking risks in the ocean, there’s a life saver waiting in the wings. Their presence on all these beaches is huge.

Walking from Bondi Beach to Bronte beach

Bondi was pumping, as you would image on a beautiful Saturday morning. The queues for brunch, the surfers, the early morning swimmers and the walkers all created a vibrant mood.

Brunch in Double Bay’s Indigo’s was delicious, but predictable, but what was more fascinating were the people eating there. Sydney’s young women certainly know about botox and fillers and how to look glam even when they’re not trying.

My autumn salad at Indigos in Double Bay

Our hotel was beautiful, but we had barely spent any time there, so we thought we would head back and enjoy the infinity pool overlooking Darling Harbour. We had been lucky all weekend with the weather, so it was lovely to spend our last afternoon lying in the sun with a little Verve to celebrate life.

We finished our lovely weekend, poolside, at the Sofitel overlooking Darling Harbour

Our last night started at Dean and Nancy 22 for a cocktail on the 22^nd floor. This Cocktail and Piano Bar is a beautiful place to begin an evening and watch the sun go down while listening to piano music. We then moved onto Bar Totti’s, a delightful, casual Italian restaurant. The winning dish was their wood fired bread, hot from the oven with a selection of our own choice toppings. We devoured the bread with burrata, prosciutto and zucchini, like wolves who hadn’t eaten all weekend.