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Sydney With Contiki: Crab Racing and Other Adventures

July 10, 2014 by Arianwen Morris 15 Comments

Living in Sydney for a year enabled me to experience what it’s like as a local. Most of my friends were Australian and they welcomed me into their lives, introducing me to hidden beaches, trivia nights and local events across the city. While I’ve always said that the best way to see a place is with the people who know it best, I was to discover that sometimes you also have to see a city as a tourist in order to experience the full range of activities on offer, and I chose to see Sydney with Contiki before joining them on an epic adventure up the east coast.

Sydney with Contiki - Manly Beach

The Contiki BEACHES AND REEFS tour to Cairns includes surfing, sea kayaking, jetpacking, bungy jumping, a 4WD safari, sailing, snorkelling, scuba diving, rock slides, an unbelievable array of beautiful scenery, some interesting local wildlife, a Dracula cabaret and an unhealthy amount of partying.

SEE SYDNEY WITH CONTIKI…


AND CONTINUE YOUR ADVENTURE UP THE COAST!

–

The first two days of the Beaches and Reefs tour are spent in Sydney, and here’s a taster of what you can expect.

BLUE MOUNTAINS

Sydney with Contiki - Blue Mountains

Not only had I visited the Blue Mountains within the past few weeks, but we’d actually done exactly the same itinerary – a walk down to Wentworth Falls and a stop at Echo Point to see the Three Sisters.

I could have been a stick in the mud and chosen to sit this one out, but in my experience, you can do the same thing one hundred times and still get something different out of it.

Hiking along the footpaths was a great opportunity to chat to other people in the group and form some early friendships. When we arrived at Echo Point, the sun was shining and the views were clear, unlike my first trip when fog had descended over the entire valley.

VIEWPOINTS, STEAKS AND TEAPOTS

Sydney with Contiki - Opera House Views

We were staying at the Holiday Inn in King’s Cross and this happened to be one area of Sydney I’d never been to. On our drive back from the Blue Mountains, we also toured parts of the harbour I’d never seen before, as Trys, our tour manager, pointed out the homes of Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe.

We stopped at Mrs Macquarie’s Point for simultaneous views of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House and, in the evening, we discovered Stacks Taverna, where you can cook your own steak, as well as The World Bar, where cocktails are served in teapots.

VIVID

Sydney with Contiki - Vivid

Sydney’s Vivid festival takes place in late May/early June. This included light displays on some of the most iconic buildings in the city, many of which were interactive. I’d explored some of these already, but the first official night of our Contiki tour provided the opportunity for some of us to head to Darling Harbour for the big light display.

CRAB RACING

Sydney with Contiki - Crab Racing

Sometimes it takes a group of people with a different perspective (or an equally odd sense of fun) to discover the slightly quirkier sides to a city.

Within 10 minutes of leaving Darling Harbour, we met a dog wearing glasses, witnessed a massive street brawl and arrived at Scubar just in time for the first round of crab racing.

MANLY

Sydney with Contiki

By far the weirdest part of our weekend in Sydney was visiting Manly. If wandering through the city as a tourist had been weird, then rocking up in the very suburb in which I’d lived – on a very conspicuous Contiki bus – felt extremely strange.

Despite the past week having seen nothing but torrential rain, the sun shone brightly over Manly beach. After some souvenir shopping and a final goodbye to a few local friends, I caught the Manly ferry to the city for the last time. As Manly disappeared behind the headland, a spectacular rainbow appeared, some big waves splashed over the side of the boat and Titanic reenactments took place.

AWESOME START TO AN EAST COAST ADVENTURE

I couldn’t have imagined a better farewell to my new favourite city. Our two days in Sydney with Contiki were packed with interesting and exciting experiences and I was laughing so hard with the amazing people on our tour that I barely had a chance to feel emotional about leaving. My tour group enabled me to see a place I thought I knew well from a whole new perspective and I’d encourage everyone to do the same in their home town.

MORE ACTIVITIES IN SYDNEY

Before you see Sydney with Contiki, why not consider spending some time there by yourself? Some other fantastic activities in and around Sydney include a day trip to the Hunter Valley to sample wine and vodka, hiking in the Blue Mountains, running the coastal track from Otford to Bundeena and kayaking to some of the Northern Beaches’ best hidden coves.

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My Beaches and Reefs Tour was sponsored by Contiki. While they requested that I write about my trip, the choice of topics has been left entirely up to me. Any opinions expressed are a genuine reflection on how I felt about the experience. 

Thanks to Emma Thornton (aka Kate Winslet) for letting me hijack some of her photos!

Comments

  1. picadaisy says

    July 13, 2014 at 3:50 am

    Sydney looks amazing. Definitely going to have to check out some of these places at some point in the near future!
    picadaisy recently posted..First Night in ParisMy Profile

    Reply
    • Arianwen Morris says

      July 14, 2014 at 9:57 pm

      It’s a really great city. I’m very sad to have left it behind and I hope I can go back one day. If it wasn’t for visa restrictions I’d be heading back in a few months!

      Reply
  2. yvonnelaura says

    July 13, 2014 at 9:41 am

    it looks amazing!

    http://www.thetouristoflife.com

    Reply
    • Arianwen Morris says

      July 14, 2014 at 9:57 pm

      Yes, it’s a great place!

      Reply
  3. Izy Berry - The Wrong Way Home says

    July 13, 2014 at 10:09 am

    I’ve been to Vivid festival once before and REALLY enjoyed it. They do well, don’t they? I think it’s so cool that you took the time to see Sydney as a tourist, although I would’ve felt REALLY weird rocking up to my old suburb on a tour. Definitely an experience!!!
    Izy Berry – The Wrong Way Home recently posted..Our Current Travel PlansMy Profile

    Reply
    • Arianwen Morris says

      July 14, 2014 at 10:00 pm

      I’d heard about VIVID before I came to Sydney, but I was still surprised by how massive it is. The light displays are really impressive and I wasn’t prepared for how crowded it would get. And yes, getting off the Contiki bus in Manly I was feeling a bit silly!

      Reply
  4. Ken Kai says

    July 15, 2014 at 3:47 pm

    I’ll never forget one of my more Sydney city trips. I normally just go to see the family in the outskirts of Sydney, but this particular weekend we were in the city staying at the Mariott Hote on Oxford street. I was kind of surprised by the amount of gay clubs and bars that were in that street, until I found out that I was on Sydney’s gay street! It actually was pretty cool – A lot of great food and interesting personalities.
    Ken Kai recently posted..What To Do In Port Douglas For An Amazing TimeMy Profile

    Reply
    • Arianwen Morris says

      July 16, 2014 at 2:10 am

      Yes, Sydney has a large gay and lesbian community and there is definitely a focus on Oxford Street. It’s a very vibrant and fun place to go out! When I first moved there, I was working in Darlinghurst and walked along Oxford Street to get to work. It’s so colourful and there always seemed to be something going on.

      Reply
  5. Marisol@TravelingSolemates says

    July 16, 2014 at 3:13 am

    Hi Arianwen, your photos and narratives brought back lovely memories of my visit in Sydney. I can just imagine how sad it is to leave a beautiful place that has been home to you for several months. Your post has inspired me to be a tourist in my own city. There’s so much in New York City that has to be explored. I wish you the very best in your next adventure.
    Marisol@TravelingSolemates recently posted..Beautiful, Romantic Bora BoraMy Profile

    Reply
    • Arianwen Morris says

      July 16, 2014 at 9:39 pm

      Sydney really is a fantastic city. So is New York! I definitely saw that as a tourist! We did so much in just one day that even our hosts, who’d lived there for many years, hadn’t seen as much! I’m going to be much more of a tourist when I get back to the UK. I think I’ll finally feel like I’ve been away long enough to be considered one!

      Reply
  6. Lucy says

    July 24, 2014 at 6:48 pm

    Vivid Festival looks amazing – I was just in Strasbourg and they do a similar thing with lights projected on the cathedral and dam but this is a much more impressive backdrop!
    Lucy recently posted..Myths and mountains: Climbing Bergen’s Fløibanen funicular railwayMy Profile

    Reply
    • Arianwen Morris says

      July 24, 2014 at 10:22 pm

      That sounds cool. I’d like to see how the Strasbourg one compares!

      Reply
  7. Sarah says

    May 9, 2016 at 11:00 am

    I went to the last Vivid show in Sydney – A must do. This was a sensational and well instrumented display of light, colour and movement. We were so touched by exploring another beautiful way of sightseeing in Sydney.
    Sarah recently posted..See 10 Of The Best Camping Spots In Sydney Right HereMy Profile

    Reply
    • Arianwen Morris says

      May 9, 2016 at 12:37 pm

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much. I miss that city more than any other and hope that I’ll have the chance to return one day. I’d really love to move there if visas weren’t an issue!

      Reply

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