The gorgeous autumn sunshine shone brightly across Sydney Harbour.  The views from the Sydney Harbour Bridge walkway were of a city at play, both on the water and out and about to make the most of the beautiful weekend weather.

After relocating back to Sydney, we had been waiting for the right weekend to revisit some old haunts in the city of Sydney.  After a couple of weekends of poor weather, we finally came up with trumps and decided we were ready.

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Taking advantage of the amazingly cheap Sydney ‘Sunday Funday’ public transport fares, we caught an early train to Milsons Point on the northern end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, ready to walk across the iconic Australian landmark.  Upon arrival, we unexpectedly discovered that the Kirribilli Markets were in full swing, necessitating a quick stop for some cosmopolitan brunch.  After snacking upon a combination of Vietnamese, Italian and Turkish delicacies, we enjoyed browsing the eclectic stalls of the market.

Sydney Harbour Bridge Walk

We then climbed the steps to the start of the Sydney Harbour Bridge walk on the side closest to the Sydney Opera House.  We gently ambled along the route, regularly stopping to take photos and enjoy the day.  Our children happily strolled with us and asked lots of questions, which was great!

Sydney Harbour Bridge Pylon Lookout, New South Wales Australia

When we reached the Sydney Harbour Bridge Pylon Lookout, we went in to have a closer look at how the Sydney Harbour Bridge was constructed, which was a fascinating journey.  The museum houses many remnants of the bridge construction, including descriptions and photos of how the two halves of the bridge were constructed independently from each side until they were finally close enough to be joined.  Imagine being in charge that day and hoping it would all work as planned!  The history of how the bridge was funded and the design selected was also fascinating.

A great aspect of the Pylon Lookout is that you can climb the tower all the way to the top (only a couple of hundred steps…), where you go outside and take in the views in all directions.  Of interest is that you can have a close look at the people doing the BridgeClimb activity and have a better look at the upper level of the bridge itself.

The Rocks, Sydney, New South Wales Australia

We then continued the walkthrough to The Rocks exit, traversing the 100 or so steps down to street level.  We then walked back underneath the bridge until we reached Dawes Point Park, where we sat and ate our packed lunch, looking out over Sydney Harbour while our children played in the park and climbed all over the old cannons on display.  We then walked around the foreshore before returning to The Rocks Market, which offers a great selection of unique Australian souvenirs and food options.

Exploring Sydney City

After exploring the market, we did the less interesting walk along George St. to the Sydney city area.  As the monorail was about to shut down, we wanted one last ride, although we quickly discovered that many other people had the same idea.  After squishing into the monorail like sardines, we did two loops before finally getting off in the Chinatown area.

We have a long tradition of visiting the BBQ King shop to purchase Chinese-style BBQ pork and duck to take home for dinner.  We finally walked with our now less energetic children to the train station to head home.  And the Chinese duck and BBQ pork were a lovely way to finish our big day out in Sydney!

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Australia Travel Planning Facebook Group

Check out our Australia Travel Planning Facebook Group – you are welcome to join and it is a great resource to enable you to ask questions about your Australian trip!