Lifestyle Charters' boat Enigma on Sydney Harbour. For Travel.Photo / Lifestyle Charters, Supplied
Neil Porten checks out what's on in the Harbour City ahead of a (hopefully) golden summer
"Surfing is feeling, not thinking. Try not to think."
Manly Surf School instructor Thomas' reassuring advice, delivered calmly with a smile 20 minutes into my first surfing attempt, could be the mantra for my recent adventure in Sydney. Arts and icons, arenas and aeroplanes, glamorous gluttony, the surf and the turf: all come at you faster than the next breaker on an incoming tide. There are moments to snatch a breath if you must, but otherwise, jump up and ride the wave for as long as you can this summer.
Out of a basement shed at North Steyne Surf Club, the Manly Surf School is already busy ahead of summer. The rest of my group has opted for bike riding, so my first attempt at riding the waves is courtesy of a one-on-one lesson with Thomas, an 11-year resident of Sydney from Italy. Wetsuit donned, I'm soon lying flat on my softboard practising the deceptively simple art of standing up - a necessary requirement to actually be surfing. Turns out I'm goofy (who knew?): left foot back, leading with the right. Thomas's final advice before we enter the water: look forward, weight forward, fall backwards. And, of course: feeling, not thinking.
I feel that mouthfuls of seawater on the first two wipeouts is not ideal; I think keeping my mouth shut is not a goofy idea.
Thomas holds the tail of the surfboard, timing the arrival of the right waves. I get up on the fourth attempt. My best attempt is the next one, a few exhilarating seconds standing facing the beach before a backwards dunking. An hour is gone in a flash. If surfing is feeling, then now I feel just a little bit Australian.
manlysurfschool.com
In 1938, flying boats on the London to Sydney route brought the golden age of international aviation to Australia, touching down in the calm waters of Rose Bay. The harbour's biggest bay is now the base of Sydney Seaplanes, whose scenic flights are a thrilling way to see the city.
Our pilot Gus gives us a quick safety briefing on the pontoon before we strap lifejackets around our waists and climb aboard the nine-seater Cessna Caravan. Taxiing beyond the moored yachts, the gutsy turboprop lifts the floats out of the water and we're soon circling the heart of Sydney so every passenger gets a bird's-eye view. And what a view it is from just 1000ft!
Our destination is Newport, a 15-minute flight over the northern beaches, where bays of white sand merge into a turquoise sea. Brief, squally rain hits the windshield before Gus drops us down on to the surface of Pittwater. We hop out into a water taxi that ferries us to the Newport wharf. For lunch, Bert's Bar & Brasserie recalls the golden age of pre-War elegance and easy luxury.
seaplanes.com.au
You might be surprised by the answer to the question asked most often by Sydney Harbour Bridge climbers: how many people died building the bridge? And those of you contemplating popping another very important question 134m above the water will be fascinated by how - when no item is allowed to be untethered at any point - the hopeful proposer gets to slip the ring on to their intended's finger.
Intriguing details indeed, but they're nothing compared to the sheer thrill of clambering along narrow timbered walkways, ducking and stepping over intersecting girders, knobbly rivets felt underfoot, to emerge beside the bridge's roaring roadway. Our sparky guide Kate led us to the summit, shot video and pictures and regaled us with tales of the bridge's opening day dramas 90 years ago. Over summer, Bridgeclimb Sydney's sunrise walks can start around 3am, and the last climbers of the day will finish their adventure after midnight, so whether you're an early bird or a night owl, it's a great way to extend a day's sightseeing.
bridgeclimb.com
On Everest Day this spring, when sunny skies and the world's richest race on turf pulled in over 46,000 punters - the biggest crowd in over 50 years - Sydney's Royal Randwick radiated a rainbow of colours: baby blue and white pennants at full flutter; silked jockeys receiving last instructions in the Theatre of the Horse; veiled black fascinators, pink stiletto heels, gold clutch purses. Everyone, even the blokes with the most gauche mullets and moustaches looked beautiful - at least that's the way it appeared from the excellent hospitality tent through rose Champagne-tinted glasses. And there's a form book full of events and race days ahead throughout the summer season - check the website for a race to suit your visit.
australianturfclub.com.au/racecourses/royal-randwick
Is there a more recognisable building in the world? A tour of Sydney Opera House was a bucket-list item ticked off for me, and years of renovations have it looking gorgeous ahead of the 50th anniversary of its opening in October 2023. There's a full calendar of events over summer and beyond leading up to the half-century celebrations.
On your walk around Circular Quay to Bennelong Point, pause for a drink at Opera Bar to admire the southern aspect of this masterpiece of expressionist architecture. On your tour, look out for the Le Corbusier tapestry in the Western Foyers. Contrasting the concrete and glass, colour is the star of the interiors: expanses of purple-carpeted staircases, white birchwood and tangerine seats in the otherwise black Joan Sutherland Theatre, 18 new magenta acoustic 'petal' reflectors - to match the seat upholstery - above the stage in the upgraded Concert Hall.
sydneyoperahouse.com
Getting out on Sydney Harbour is obligatory, be it on a cream-and-green ferry, a friendly Aussie's yacht, or a kayak. A ferry to Cockatoo Island is worth it for the convict history tour or to experience the rock 'n' roll grit of Opera Australia's Carmen in an open-air industrial setting. But it's hard to beat the luxury of a lunchtime cruise aboard Lifestyle Charters' launch, Enigma. We got the highlights - under the bridge into Darling Harbour, out past the island of Fort Denison to anchor beneath the Point Piper mansions in Rose Bay, skirting a flotilla of classic sailing boats to check out seals sunning themselves in Chowder Bay.
cockatooisland.gov.au; opera.org.au/productions/carmen-on-cockatoo-island; lifestylecharters.com.au
Art Gallery NSW's Sydney Modern Project, a new precinct of spaces and galleries maximising the site's harbour outlook, opens in December 2022. Two of the nine new site-specific commissions are by New Zealand artists: giant sculptures by Francis Upritchard greet visitors in the Welcome Plaza, while the central atrium will be overlooked by a huge moving image mural by Lisa Reihana.
artgallery.nsw.gov.au
New South Wales spent a large fortune demolishing the Sydney Football Stadium and building another rectangular sports and entertainment venue, with about the same capacity, on the same site. But if the renamed Allianz Stadium's first concert is anything to go by - Bruno Mars blasted through a supernova set in front of an ecstatic crowd of 40,000 laser-lit fans - it's money well spent. In the coming months there'll be a feast of football too: A-League soccer, Super Rugby, and a concert by some fan, or honorary life president, or something, of Watford FC…Sir Elton John.
allianzstadium.com.au
Sydney's proudest summer moment may well come at the end of the golden weather. First staged in 2000, global LGBTQIA+ festival WorldPride finally comes to the southern hemisphere in late February-March 2023. Entertainment includes an opening concert in the Domain featuring Kylie Minogue and a giant dance party on Bondi Beach. Central to the event is a three-day human rights conference focusing on issues in the Asia Pacific region. Visitors and Sydneysiders alike will get a rare opportunity to walk across the Harbour Bridge on the closing day as part of the Pride March; a ballot will allocate 50,000 free tickets.
sydneyworldpride.com
In the meantime, or if your Sydney trip dates don't match up, a walking tour of Oxford St by The Fabulous Wonder Mama offers a colourful, enlightening and sobering insight into the LGBTQIA+ history of this part of the city.
We popped into the shops: racks of skimpiness - clubwear, swimwear, party wear - have been sold to the body beautifuls for decades at Aussie Boys; The Bookshop Darlinghurst is still going strong after 40 years; my mind chooses to only remember the rolls of pink duct tape at Sax Fetish, one of the last remaining leather fetish shops.
I was particularly fascinated by the stories of Taylor Square, where Sydney's first LGBTQIA+ museum is planned, and the symbolism of the shattered pink triangle Gay and Lesbian Holocaust Memorial in Green Park. Feel your spirits lift posing for a selfie with Wonder Mama, in all her superhero glory, on the rainbow pedestrian crossing on Campbell St. Fabulous.
fabulouswondermama.com.au/walking-tour
Checklist
SYDNEY
GETTING THERE
Air New Zealand, Qantas, Jetstar and LATAM fly direct from Auckland to Sydney.
DETAILS
For more things to see and do in Sydney, go to sydney.com
If you need a break from the slopes or don’t fancy a ski, there’s still a lot to do this.