In the days ahead I will ascend the giant arches of the iconic harbour bridge, eat and drink at popular harbour-side restaurants and manage to get hopelessly lost in an interconnected maze of shopping malls that house some of the most desirable stores in the Southern Hemisphere.
And in this chicest of accommodation I will discover lifts that give a running commentary of my life.
It all starts on a sun-filled spring morning as I arrive at the hotel in the middle of bustling downtown Sydney as sharply attired workers emerge, wave upon wave, from underground train stations.
Nestled in the shadow of iconic retail landmarks Queen Victoria Arcade, Myers and David Jones, the hotel's creatively dressed door staff give a hint guests may be in for a something a little different.
Heading for reception inside the refurbished neon-lit lift, I am left in little doubt.
Depending on how many people travel, every movement between floors is musically mimicked with a popular refrain from decades past.
Stuck in the Middle With You breaks the awkward silence in a tiny space packed with strangers but my favourite is a short-lived dance party for one with a short burst of Billy Idol's Dancing With Myself.
Muzak - the tragic form of synthesised background elevator music - has not only been redefined but raised to a whole new level.
This is QT Sydney - a sassy abode boasting 200 guest suites with no two rooms the same - and it's got a swag of recent awards to boot, including being named in the "Hot List 2013" of esteemed travel mag, Conde Nast Traveller.
The hotel also has a restaurant, bar and a floor devoted to personal grooming - the luxury spa for women and old school barber for men.
I'm treated to a fruit acid facial - it's meant to be the tonic for tired, dehydrated, sun-damaged, ageing skin. My face ticks every box. This is my first full facial and I am a tad nervous. The New Zealand consultant helping organise my trip says it sounds scary. I secretly agree but, as this Sydney escape is about enjoying new experiences, I am prepared to chance my arm.
Besides, in just a few hours I will be towering above the city atop the Sydney Harbour Bridge with nothing but a lead attached to a guiding rail between me and disaster. It turns out there is no need for trepidation. I am pampered within an inch of my life. I spend one of the most relaxing hours of the year receiving a beauty treatment that leaves me feeling like a star.
As I leave, I meet a Sydney woman about to have her hour of bliss. She visits the spa three times a year with her best friend. It's their new treat.
It seems QT is something of a local hotspot. We are warned the restaurant is so popular at the weekend we will need to book for breakfast.
A room and the guest lounge at the QT Hotel in Sydney.
Sydneysiders love eating out. Wherever we dine, the restaurants are packed, whether it's the upmarket wharfside China Doll at Woolloomooloo or Mr Wong, a large Cantonese Chinese restaurant in a building hidden down a couple of back alleys in the northern end of the business district.
On a second gorgeous spring day I find myself sitting at a pop-up restaurant underneath Sydney Opera House. Sour-faced bridesmaids hobble past in stilettos following a photographer intent on getting to the perfect spot to capture the bridal party framed by the harbour bridge.
At the same time, another photo shoot is taking place high atop the upper spans of the bridge. Hands are raised in triumph, the Opera House in the background.
Several hours later I am standing on top of the bridge, arm outstretched, Opera House over my shoulder. The Blue Mountains, ravaged by fire not many years ago, flank the city to the west. The water is sparkling in the harbour metres below. Ferries and pleasure craft pass beneath the towering structure linking the northern suburbs to the south.
Throughout our 1348-step climb (someone else counted) our guide talks about the heroic feats of the bridge builders.
From our harnessed position attached to a railed walkway we pause to look at some of the more perilous positions on exposed steel beams the men and boys worked.
It doesn't pay to look down until you're at the top. With a rail corridor, six-lane highway, footpath and cycle way and the harbour underneath you feel quite vulnerable.
There are easier ways to cross the bridge but this is certainly the most memorable and easily the most picturesque.
We awake to match day to find the weather has taken a turn for the worse. Record rainfall in surrounding areas is marching towards Sydney.
We join the thousands of spectators travelling by public transport from the CBD to Olympic Park, 17km away.
It is daunting to be in a crowd with so many supporters wearing the gold jersey.
Being at the near-capacity stadium for the first Bledisloe clash is special. I find myself sitting beside a fellow All Black supporter. We cheer just a few times. Tonight the cauldron has cast a spell; the best the All Blacks can come away with is a draw.
Celebrations are muted as we head to the station where fans are packed like automatons into trains and sent back to the city centre.
But on return to the hotel lobby a tonic is near at hand.
Perhaps QT management just know there is something uplifting about a solo disco between the eighth floor and reception when the national rugby team doesn't quite get over the line.
While you're in Sydney
• Visit The Rugby Club and see the birthplace of the William Webb Ellis Trophy.
• Take a Sydney Detour in a restored EH Holden around the wealthy eastern suburbs for harbour views and learn about local history.
• You can fly from Auckland to Sydney daily with Qantas on their full service schedule. Visit qantas.co.nz for details.
Further information:
• visitnsw.com
• qtsydney.com.au
• merivale.com.au
• sydneyoperahouse.com
• chinadoll.com.au
• mysydneydetour.com
• qantas.co.nz
Lynley Bilby travelled to Sydney courtesy of Qantas and Destination NSW.
