Hubby, the kiddo, and I recently spent a week in Sydney, Australia. Hubby has visited several times for work, but I have never been able to join him. After every trip, I make him promise that I can tag along the next time he goes. That means he had to plan it far enough in advance that I could make affordable travel arrangements and get vacation time from work. Finally, after a half dozen or so work trips to Australia with two different companies, we made his most recent trip work!
Hubby had to work all week, so the kiddo and I were on our own most of the week, but we purposely planned our travel schedule to get some family time as well. We left the US on Thursday night, and arrived in Sydney early Saturday morning. After a quick train ride, we arrived at the Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel at Circular Quay. Hubby is a Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium Elite rewards member, so we primarily stay at a Marriott hotels anyway, but this hotel is in the perfect location for sightseeing, especially with a little one. The train station is two blocks away, as are the ferries, but it is also minutes from the Opera House, The Rocks, and The Royal Botanic Garden. The location was crucial even on the first day because our room wasn’t ready when we arrived at 9am so we needed to entertain ourselves for a few hours despite our travel exhaustion. The hotel had an early arrivals lounge, however, with snacks, televisions, outlets with voltage adapters, and showers, so after a quick refresh and a stop in the executive lounge for breakfast, Hubby, the kiddo, and I headed out to do some sightseeing.
Day 1:
Our first stop was the Sydney Opera House, naturally, because it is perhaps the most iconic Sydney landmark and it was just a ten minute walk (with a toddler) from our hotel. We walked around the exterior of the Opera House, stopping to take a lot of pictures of the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I was immediately struck by the individual tiles that covered the Opera House. Most images I had seen of the Opera House were skyscapes or artist renderings, and I never realized that the shells were covered with individual tiles. I also didn’t realize that the iconic Opera House shape is actually multiple, separate venues.
My kiddo had no interest in the architecture or harbor views, but had a lot of fun “chasing the birdies” that circled the harbor and landed in search of food. He immediately noticed that it wasn’t just seagulls that flew around us.
The Royal Botanic Garden is adjacent to the Opera House so we walked through a small part of the garden, allowing the kiddo to run around and burn off more energy. We didn’t get to explore much before it started drizzling. We decided we were hungry, and went in search of food before we got soaked.
The rain disappeared, as would happen frequently during the week, while we were walking around the harbor to The Rocks, so we found a spot outside to eat lunch. My kiddo isn’t a picky eater, but he is a moody eater so I was relieved to find Ribs & Burgers nearby, knowing that the kiddo liked both ribs and burgers and would likely be willing to eat at least one of those. And, since we are bbq junkies, it was appropriate that our first meal would be some version of “Australian bbq.” Hubby and I split beef ribs, which is Hubby’s favorite. The ribs were tender and the sauce was delicious, but the meat was a bit too fatty for me. The slaw was absolutely delicious. Kiddo wanted a burger, but he ate our ribs instead.
While we were eating, we received notice that our room was ready, so we headed back to the hotel to check in and take a nap. We were lucky enough to get a room overlooking the Opera House and the Sydney Harbor Bridge, a view I marveled at every morning when I awoke, and every afternoon when we would return to the hotel after our daily activities.
After a much-needed nap, we settled into the room and headed out for dinner. We impulsively stopped at a pizza place we had seen while walking around The Rocks earlier in the day, and shared a pizza and salad before our kiddo had had enough of being awake, and we walked back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep. It had been a perfect first day in Sydney, and I couldn’t wait for the rest of our week’s adventures.
Day 2.
Day 2 started at 4am, when the kiddo awoke, ready to start the day. He had managed the 15-hour time change fairly well, but considering his body thought it was time to wake up from his nap, the early days were to be expected. Unfortunately, we had planned to participate in some of the St. Patrick’s Day festivities planned for the day, like the parade, but the weather did not want to cooperate. Instead, we spent a low-key morning in the hotel pool, and had lunch at Four Frogs Creperie in The Gateway Sydney before a much-needed afternoon nap. The Gateway became our go-to place for meals, especially when it was just the kiddo and me, because of the wide variety of food options and cuisines that we could take away or eat in, depending on our plans.
After nap, we headed out for one of the highlights of our trip – a performance at the Sydney Opera House. Watching a performance at the Opera House was definitely a bucket-list activity for me, but I didn’t think I’d be able to do it with a toddler and no babysitter. However, the Opera House has regular performances geared toward families, and we were lucky enough to be there on a weekend of one of those performances. We saw an orchestra performance of “Pictures at an Exhibition” with Andy Dexterity, a “physical communicator” who used a combination of sign language, dance, and pantomime to provide a visual accompaniment to the music. The performance was also educational, with Andy Dexterity and members of the orchestra offering verbal introduction and exposition to the instruments and music selections. Families were encouraged to get up at times and “walk” through the museum to look at the “pictures” the orchestra performed, and it was only an hour-long show, so even my three year old enjoyed the show without getting too restless.
It felt surreal to be sitting in the iconic Concert Hall of the Opera House with my family, but it was an experience that I will always remember. I will remember the expression of wonder and amazement on Hubby’s face, an expression I’m sure my face mirrored. I will remember my kiddo sitting next to me, asking “Do we clap now?” after every song, and grinning as he threw his arms over his head and waved his hands, which is American (and apparently, Australian) sign language for “applause.” I will remember wondering what the music would sound like, and the chills I felt as the orchestra began and the sound of the trumpet on “Promenade I” as it reverberated through the hall, and after three notes recognized the piece and remembered playing it with my own orchestra. I’ll remember the look of confusion when Andy Dexterity transformed into “Baba Yaga” for “The Hut on Hen’s Legs” movement, and leaning over to Hubby and saying, “Baba Yaga, like in Antman and the Wasp,” and chuckling because it was another pop culture reference that he had no idea what I was talking about (I’ve seen that movie a few times, and had watched the movie on the plane ride to Australia). I will remember that afternoon at the Sydney Opera House forever.
Day 3.
Hubby had to go to work, so the kiddo and I were officially on our own for the next five days. Almost all of the activities and transportation options were free for kids under age four, so I bought a Sydney Passfor myself, which gave me discounted admission to all of the attractions I planned to visit during the week, as well as access to some tours and transportation, like the Manly Fast Ferry that I took later in the week. (There are several of these pass options available from different companies, so it’s worth comparing what you want to do in order to find the best option.) Combine that with the refillable Opal Card that gave me access to public transportation (trains, buses, and ferries) and I was good to go!
The kiddo is a huge fan of zoos, and after another 4am start to the day, we boarded the ferry to the Taronga Zoo. The zoo offers a few behind-the-scenes tours and encounters, but we didn’t participate in any of them, and I didn’t feel like I was missing out (except the koala picture, but we planned a koala encounter the following week so I purposely skipped that).
The zoo isn’t very big, and I knew we’d be able to cover it in one day, so armed with the paper map and the zoo app, the kiddo and I meandered through the zoo. The is built into a hill so we entered at the top and slowly worked our way down, and then back up. We immediately got some amazing views of Sydney Harbour and downtown Sydney, and it was pretty cool to see where our trip had originated from earlier in the day.
Our first stop was to see two koalas, which made my day, and the koalas had several homes throughout the zoo. Shortly after, we found ourselves in the reptile area, where two keepers were cleaning the crocodile exhibit (with the crocodiles still in it! Small crocodiles, but still, crocodiles!). They leaned out of the exhibit and asked if we wanted a crocodile tooth, and handed us a small incisor-looking tooth that I would’ve mistaken for a rock. Our visit was off to great start!
The Australian Walkabout with the kangaroos and wallabies was my favorite animal exhibit by far. The exhibit was enclosed, but there was no real barrier between the people and the animals, just a path and a rope barrier in sections to direct visitors on how to move through the exhibit. The animals were just a few feet away, and an emu even crossed our path like it expected us to stop and wait. The kiddo kept asking if he could pet the kangaroos!
My kiddo absolutely loved the seals and the little penguins, and the zoo had a seal show that mesmerized my kiddo. He had never seen trained animals before, and I loved watching his face as he processed watching the animals jump out of the water, wave, or make noises on command. I took some videos of the show, and my kiddo is still obsessed with watching them.
The chimpanzee exhibit was also a favorite, but I think it was just the sheer size of it that was most impressive. There are actually two areas – one that is a wide open landscape with some logs and climbing structures, with a waterfall and river; the other that had more trees for swinging and climbing. The chimps were all in the open landscape when we visited in the morning, and a volunteer was available to answer our questions. The kiddo was obsessed with finding out what all of the animals ate (in captivity – leaves, fruit, tree bark, bugs, some meat). I learned that the chimpanzees share the space but segregate into separate families, and there is one dominant male who negotiates the territories and keeps the peace among the families. I asked the volunteer if she knew which chimpanzee was the dominant male and she didn’t, but after observing them for a few minutes, I decided which one it was. (Because lots of time visiting zoos makes me an expert, right?) In the afternoon, most of the chimps were in the tree area, and they were really active swinging and climbing. As were leaving, we heard a loud commotion and lots of screeching, but I couldn’t tell what it was. I’m assuming there were some territorial issues, but I’m sure my chimp got it sorted out.
One tip if you ever visit the zoo – go to the Tiger Trek fairly early, or keep your eye on the line throughout the day. We saw signage saying they were expecting long lines all day. Tiger Trek is the tiger exhibit, and it’s very cute and well done. Tiger Trek uses a unique crowd control measure of taking a “flight” to get to Sumatra in order to see the tigers, and the exhibit looks like an Indonesian village with three viewing areas to see the tigers. We were lucky to walk up with only a few people in line, with the next “plane” departing in five minutes. When we walked by later, the line was significantly longer, and we probably would’ve had to wait 20 minutes just to see the tigers. There were only two tigers on exhibit that day, but we got to watch the three tiger cubs play on the “Tiger Cam.”
After some time playing on the fantastic playgrounds and “chasing the birdies” at the zoo, we took the Sky Safari (aerial cable car) down to the ferry for our ride back to the hotel.
The kiddo fell asleep on the ferry home, so I took advantage of the “alone” time to take in the amazing views and take a lot of pictures! We cruised by the Opera House, and I reminisced about the previous day as I snapped photo after photo.
The kiddo was still asleep when we got back to the hotel, so I stopped in the executive lounge at the hotel (for a drink and a snack, but the kiddo didn’t wake up. In fact, he didn’t wake uuntil 4am the next day! I watched videos at full volume; transferred him from stroller to bed, back to stroller, and back to bed; and changed him into pajamas, and he barely stirred! The time change and all of our exploring and playing definitely caught up with him! That’s also when I realized how convenient it was to have The Gateway so close, so I could get dinner even though I had a toddler sound asleep in his stroller.
I’m so glad we spent the day at the Taronga Zoo, and I’m sure my kiddo would’ve been happy repeating a trip the zoo every day. Between the ferry ride, the animals, the playgrounds, and the Sky Safari (oh, and the healthy lunch options), he loved every minute of our day. Our first day without Hubby was a success, and I was excited for another adventure!
Day 4.
The weather forecast indicated the possibility of rain mid-day, so I planned an indoor activity for the day. The kiddo asked to go back to the zoo, so I thought the SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium and WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo in Darling Harbour would be perfect for the day.
The walk from Circular Quay to Darling Harbour took about 15 minutes. There are public transportation options, but it wasn’t raining yet, and when I travel, I love to walk to as many places as I can. Plus, Hubby had given me the task of finding a Sydney FC jersey, and I found a place that sold them that was on our route to Darling Harbour.
SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium and WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo are physically in the same location (along with Madame Tussauds), and are designed to be able to see both in the same day. We spent the morning at the aquarium and the afternoon at the zoo, spending about two hours at each. Both are indoors, which is odd for a zoo, but I completely forgot that we weren’t outside at one point, so it is well done. Still, it was odd to think that going to the zoo was a good rainy day activity.
In planning our trip to Sydney, SEA LIFE Aquarium had always been on the list of things to do because the kiddo loves aquariums. He gravitates toward different marine life each time he visits an aquarium, so it is always fun to see what will get him most excited. He’s three, so a little nudge of, “Look at that shark! Do you think that’s a baby shark?” can usually grab his attention, and we’ll spend some time looking for all of the sharks – Baby, Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, and Grandpa. (And lead to singing that whole song, and having it stuck in my head for the rest of the day, but this is a small sacrifice to keep the kiddo entertained.)
I had seen advertisements for the “Penguin Expedition” that involved taking a boat to see the penguins in their exhibit, so I knew I wanted to do that, but otherwise, we just strolled through all of the exhibits at the aquarium.
We played in the rockpool, feeling the sea stars, sea cucumbers, and shells. The kiddo fell in love with the rays, especially the shark rays. I loved the exhibits where the fish could swim above us, especially because I got the best perspective of just how large some of those rays and sharks actually were.
Mostly, I found myself thinking of Finding Nemo quotes, especially when I saw the Moorish Idol fish (“Gill” in Finding Nemo). They were always alone, and I swear they had attitudes, daring all of the other fish to mess with them. And I’m pretty sure they were plotting their escape from the aquarium.
The aquarium had several places to see the penguins aside from the boat, and the penguins were interactive in the normal exhibits. The king penguins waddled right up to the glass, and every time someone lifted their phone for pictures, I swear they would turn and pose. On the other side of the exhibit, the penguins swam around underwater, zipping by the windows and flipping from stomach to back with ease.
The Penguin Expedition in the boat is free, but it’s only five minutes, and the line could be quite long. Thankfully, we were there when it opened at 11am, and didn’t wait at all. The boat takes visitors through the back of the exhibit, but there is still glass between the boat and the exhibit, so the view isn’t much different than walking through the aquarium. We were actually in their enclosure though (read, very cold), so we could hear the penguins squawking. Overall, if we had missed the Penguin Expedition, it would’ve been fine, but the kiddo liked taking the boat.
After a quick lunch at the aquarium, we headed around the corner to WILD LIFE. This zoo is quite small, and designed to highlight the Australian animals – think an Australian exhibit at most American zoos – kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, and crocodiles, along with some of the others that you don’t think about, like the platypus, tazmanian devil, wombat, and lorikeet. After already spending the day at a traditional zoo, I was fine with focusing on the animals that we don’t get to see at home. The Cincinnati Zoo is fundraising for Australian exhibit, but we don’t have any of the big Australian animals yet.
We had a pretty cool experience in the Kangaroo walkabout. Like the Taronga Zoo, the exhibit had no real barrier, just a path and some rope to guide visitors through the exhibit. A zookeeper was in the exhibit with a kangaroo, and the zookeeper said that because it wasn’t busy, she was taking the time to acclimate this new kangaroo to the exhibit. She took the time to answer some questions of some of the other visitors as we walked through the walkabout. At the end of the exhibit was a small fenced-in enclosure with two wallabies. The zookeeper came over and asked if we would like to pet the wallabies. She put on a pouch-type cover (to protect herself, and give the animals a sense of security), and picked up one of the wallabies for us to pet. I thought the kiddo would want me to do it and then refuse to do it himself, but he confidently reached out and pet the wallaby’s tummy. My heart melted. Petting a wallaby is just not an everyday experience for us so that was awesome, but the kiddo willingly and confidently reaching out to pet this strange animal made me so happy and proud.
Once again, kiddo fell asleep in his stroller on the walk home and remained asleep for three hours. This time I was able to wake him up though, and with a recommendation from the concierge, we went out to dinner at Fratelli Fresh, an Italian chain restaurant where kids eat free! I had my favorite pizza, prosciutto topped with fresh arugula, that my hubby refuses to eat. The kiddo had a ham pizza with a “salad” of tomatoes and cucumbers. The restaurant was loud, and the kiddo was tired, so we ate and ran, but it was nice to have an actual dinner and not take away!
I should mention that this fun, indoor-activity themed day was all for naught because it never actually rained. GRRR! Despite “wasting” a good indoor activity, all in all, kiddo and I had another fun and memorable day!
Day 5.
Once again, the forecast called for rain in the morning, but unlike the previous day, it did actually rain a little bit, so we spent the morning playing in the pool at the hotel. Hubby was also working from the hotel that day, so our low-key morning worked out fine so we could have lunch together. He didn’t have much time, so we grabbed take away from an Indian place at The Gateway. Thankfully, the rain had stopped and the sun came out so we had lunch outside.
After lunch, the kiddo took a three-hour nap, and I took advantage of the time to read. When we lived in Italy, I discovered and read all of Liane Moriarty’s books. She’s an Australian author, so I purposely saved her most recent book, Nine Perfect Strangers, for this trip. I felt a bit guilty sitting in the hotel room reading since the weather cleared up and it was sunny and warm outside, and I really wanted to visit the beaches on the Bondi to Coogee Walk, but sometimes when you travel with a toddler, getting a decent nap trumps everything else.
Hubby finished working just as the kiddo woke up from his nap, so we went for a stroll around Circular Quay and stopped for dinner at Searock Grill, one of the many restaurants with outdoor seating next to Sydney Harbour. It was still happy hour, so we enjoyed a small discount on the otherwise really expensive food (because Australia is expensive, but eating in the super touristy area means the food is extra expensive while not necessarily tasting better). We caught Hubby up on the activities of the last few days since we hadn’t seen him, and the kiddo told off all of the seagulls who tried to eat our food (“Go away, birdies!”). Hubby tried to talk me into eating a kangaroo burger, but I couldn’t do it! After dinner, we bought gelato for the kiddo and walked around a little bit more before heading back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep.
Day 6.
Rain, rain, go away! The daily morning threats of rain came to fruition with a few hours of thunderstorms, so we once again spent the morning at the pool, had lunch at The Gateway, and went back to the hotel for nap. After two days of rain, however, I was ready to explore again!
The sun finally shone brightly, and I desperately wanted to go to the beach, so we slathered on the sunscreen and boarded the fast ferry to Manly Beach. Before we left for our trip to Australia, I bought these sunblock chino shorts and sunblock tee for the kiddo that were absolutely perfect for the occasion. The clothes are designed to be worn as normal clothes, but are also designed for casual water play. I wouldn’t have kiddo wear them in the pool, but they were perfect for going in and out of the water at the beach, or for playing outside with the water table when we get home. (Not a paid advertisement, just love them!)
The beach was just a few blocks from the ferry terminal, so after a quick walk, we arrived at the beach. The kiddo immediately noticed all of the surfers and watched them intently for a few minutes before noticing all of the birds, which meant he had to chase them. I convinced him to leave the birds alone long enough for him to walk to the water with me. He liked the sand, and the water on his feet, but he was scared of the waves coming above his knee. I had done some research though, and we followed the path to Shelly Beach, which was more of a cove that didn’t have the waves and was more of the kiddo’s speed. Unfortunately, Shelly Beach is called that for a reason, because the sand was mostly crushed shells. Thankfully, we were prepared with water shoes! Even with the calmer waters, the kiddo wasn’t all that excited to play on the beach, and started asking for dinner.
Manly Beach 
Shelly Beach
I had hoped to try one of the ocean pools, but the one we walked by from Manly to Shelly Beach was closed for cleaning on that day. Fail! Oh well.
We ate dinner at the ferry terminal before heading back to the hotel, so it was late by the time we returned to the hotel. As we settled down and talked about our day, I realized that with all of the activities and attractions to see and do, and all of the plans I had made, swimming in the hotel pool and a fast boat ride ranked as high as petting a wallaby in the eyes of the kiddo.
Day 7.
Last full day in Sydney! No rain in the forecast!
I was ready for some fun and excitement after a couple of days cooped up in the hotel, so we spent the day at Luna Park. Luna Park reminds me of Coney Island, with an old-timey amusement park vibe. Admission to the park is free, but the rides are not. Based on the ride guide online, there were a few rides the kiddo could ride alone, but a few that we could ride together. I had a pass for four rides with my Sydney Pass, so I bought the kiddo an unlimited ride pass. We were given bracelets with a bar code to scan at every ride, and off we went!
The kiddo loved Luna Park. He loves rides, and immediately wanted to go on all of the rides he was not tall enough to ride (“But I’m big!”). Still, he had fun on the ferris wheel (a huge sacrifice for me because, while I love rides too, I HATE ferris wheels) and loved the bumper cars. He came to life, though, when he got to go on the rides by himself.
There were four kiddie rides lined up in the back of the park – U-Drive, Crazy Cars, a mini-pirate ship, and Whirly Wheel. There were only two ride operators in the kiddie area, which was fine because it was empty! During the busiest time, there was just one operator for a little while, but she herded the kids from one ride to the next, and if a kid didn’t want to ride the one that was going, they just waited for the next one! Because they were just operating one or two rides at a time, the operators made sure that every kid who wanted to ride was able to get on the ride, so the kiddo made friends. One of the older kids helped the kiddo in and out of the pirate ship every time. So cute.
Wasn’t sure how the kiddo would feel about the Whirly Wheel, but he loved it!
The kiddo loved all of the rides, especially U-Drive. It was just a car or fire truck or ambulance on a track that the kiddos got to “drive” in a circle. He wanted to drive every car they had (and I think he may have!).
U-Drive was definitely a favorite!
We were having so much fun that I didn’t want to leave, but we were meeting Hubby for dinner with his co-workers, and we needed to change clothes. I hoped that the kiddo would fall asleep on the ferry ride back to the hotel, but no luck, and he was still so wound up that he wouldn’t nap either. Instead, we read books and relaxed until it was time for us to leave for dinner.
Instead of walking to Darling Harbour, I opted to take the ferry one last time. We road on the top of the boat for the first time, and enjoyed our last beautiful night in Sydney as we took the 15 minute cruise under the bridge and around the point, past Luna Park again.
We met Hubby and his co-workers for dinner at Hunter and Barrel. I had found the restaurant in a search for family-friendly restaurants, so I was happy when Hubby told me that’s where we would be eating. We ordered several entrees and sides for the table so we could try everything, which is how I prefer to eat. We had pork ribs, beef ribs, rib eye, and kangaroo filet, with chargrilled pumpkin, pickled red cabbage, and salad. This time, I tried the kangaroo! It was gamey, but our hosts told me to try it with the butter compound, and they were right – it was delicious (once I got over the fact I was eating kangaroo)! Really, everything was delicious!
We ordered meatballs for the kiddo (his favorite), and they served him right away. He took about three bites and then fell asleep at the table! We reclined the back of his stroller, situated it next to the table, and he slept through our whole meal. Realistically, that was probably the best-case-scenario. We had a delicious meal with great adult conversation, and the kiddo got the sleep he needed after a fun and busy day!
Hubby and I walked back to the hotel with the kiddo in the stroller, and immediately went up to the room to finish packing and get a good night’s sleep. We were leaving early the next day for the second part of our trip to the Gold Coast. This time, though, Hubby would be joining in the fun!
At times, the trip was challenging to manage with a 3 year old, and the weather could have been better of course, but I wouldn’t trade our week in Sydney for anything. The people were friendly, kind, and helpful. Sydney itself was easy to navigate, there was plenty to do to keep us entertained, and I never worried about my safety or the safety of my kiddo. Most of all, I loved having special time with my kiddo doing different and fun activities, and I felt empowered as a mom to tackle a major city in a foreign country with my kiddo.
