Winnie Stubbs

When it comes to special places to stay, NSW boasts a dizzying range of options. You can stay in boutique hotels and reimagined motels, beachside villas and winery thrillers, cute campgrounds and flashy glampgrounds, five-star resorts and places with tennis courts. What we’re trying to say is, you’re spoilt for choice.  But what if you’re looking for a more out-of-the-ordinary place to lay your head? We’re here to help. Here's our carefully curated selection of the kookiest, coolest, most whimsically odd places you can stay in NSW – from a pimped-out treehouse to a bonafide movie set. So, where will you book first? Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, things to do and travel inspo, straight to your inbox. RECOMMENDED: Ready to flash some cash on your next trip? Head to one of the most luxurious places to stay in NSW.Want to get cosy? These are the best cabins and tiny homes in NSW. On a budget? These are the best coastal campsites in NSW.

Winter is well and truly here, and there are plenty of ways to lean into the seasonal spirit in Sydney this weekend – with festivals, music pop-ups and magical winter markets all listed below.There are also a heap of excellent exhibitions live at our city’s galleries – our top picks include the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prize exhibition, the first solo museum exhibition by Kamilaroi artist Warraba Weatherall and the incredible Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition. Looking for some Friday evening entertainment? Beloved zero-alc beer brand Heaps Normal is debuting its epic new mobile sound system with a night of dance music at The Bat and Ball (our current favourite casual drinking venue in the city). Counting down the Hottest 100 on Saturday? Head to the Taphouse for a countdown party complete with Cantonese snacks and $10 schooners of Australia's favourite craft beer. If you're ready to send it well into the night, head to one of these late night bars of one of the city's best dancefloors. Need somewhere to recover? These are the best pubs with fireplaces in the city, these are Sydney’s best Sunday roasts, and these are the best day spas and bathhouses if you’re keen to get steamy.If you want some air this weekend, our lists of the best day hikes close to Sydndey, the city's best beer gardens and the best places to camp close to the city should help. And if you’re keen to stock up on fresh produce to fuel you for the weekend, check out our round-up of Sydney’s best

Ah, the sunrise – a gentle, daily reminder that the days start coming and they simply do not stop coming. It’s as certain as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. That being said, Australia is a wonderland for sensational cracks of dawn along the eastern and western seaboards alike.  Peep Brisbane’s Mount Coot-tha for altitudinous urban views, take Pinky Beach in the west for ground-floor spectaculars or even watch the sunrise from a kayak on Sydney Harbour. Wherever you may be, these are the best sunrises in Australia that'll have you saying ‘top of the mornin’ to ya’, indubitably. 🌅 The best sunsets in Australia😍 The most beautiful places in Australia✨ Where to go stargazing in Australia

We might be a little biased, but in our humble opinion, Sydney's got it all. Can you think of many other cities in the world that rival its natural beauty, rich heritage and history that dates back thousands of years, and its creative, culinary and cultural offerings by world-class pros. In fact, there's so much to see, do, sip and ponder here, you could be forgiven for feeling a little overwhelmed. Worry not, dear reader – we're making it simple for you. Our team (including Food & Drink Editor Avril Treasure, Lifestyle Writer Winnie Stubbs and Editor in Chief Alice Ellis) sifted through every good time the Big Smoke has to offer and put together a Sydney bucket list for the ages. The activities we've chosen will give you a super varied experience of the city – everything from the tourist attractions that are actually worth your time to secret swimming spots that locals know and love.Whether you're a new arrival or a born-and-bred local, this 2025 Time Out Sydney round-up of the city's must-do activities will help you experience Sydney from every angle. After all those great activities you're bound to be thirsty. We suggest you head to one of the best pubs in Sydney right now, or save your cash at one of the best happy hours in the city. Need somewhere to stay? Check in to one of Sydney's best hotels. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, travel inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox.

There’s a lot of fun to be had in the Harbour City this week – with major winter exhibitions now live at galleries and museums across the city and some excellent plays lighting up our theatres.  Looking for a special spot for dinner this week? These are the best restaurants in the city right now, and these are our favourite underground bars. If you’re low on funds but still want to find some fun, we’d suggest catching happy hour, then settling in for a free show – there’s free jazz in The Rocks this Thursday night and live shows at these bars and pubs most nights.Keen to keep moving? These are the best running routes in Sydney, these are our favourite hiking trails in Sydney, and these are the city’s best gyms if you’d rather work out in the warm.  Scroll on for our full list of the best things to do in Sydney this week. Wether not looking so hot? These are the best indoor activities in the city. Mapping out your weekend? These are the best things to do in Sydney this weekend. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, straight to your inbox.

We might be a little biased, but we don't believe there's a better place on earth to spend a day than in our beautiful waterside city. And while Sydney shines in the summertime, there's a lot of delight to be found in the colder months.From coastal walking tracks to secret swim spots to swanky sky-high bars, Sydney is home to the kinds of settings that play host to magical memories every day of the year – from ordinary Wednesdays to the most important days of your life. Want to witness some world-class creativity? These are the city's best galleries, and these are the best plays and musicals on in Sydney right now. Feel like a spa day? These are the best day spas in Sydney. Want to get moving? This list of our favourite walks should help, and these are the best running routes in Sydney if you want to pick up the pace. Scroll on for our full list of the best things to do in Sydney today. Want to get your weekend plans in order, right now? Check out our pick of the best things to do in Sydney this weekend.Rain putting a dampner on your plans? These are the best things to do indoors. On a budget? These are the Time Out team’s pick of 25 things to do in Sydney for under $25. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, straight to your inbox. 

A visit to the beachside neighbourhoods of Bronte and Tamarama is about as quintessential a Sydney experience as you could ever hope to find. Sun, sand and surf – the holy trinity of life in the Harbour City – are perhaps the biggest draws. The ever-popular Bondi to Coogee Coastal Path make the Bronte to Tama clifftops some of the most-strolled in the city, and the ridiculously beautiful Bronte Baths offer one of the best saltwater lap pools (and sunrise spots) in the city. But there’s more to this corner of Sydney than just a day at the beach. Among the residential streets, you’ll find some of the city’s most charmingly stress-free brunch spots and a handful of lowkey drinking holes for a sundowner as dusk moves in from the west.  Recommended: A local's guide to Bondi. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. 

As Sydney's weather cools down, Europe heats up – and sometimes it can seem, from looking at our Instagram feeds, like every second Sydneysider heads O/S for summer in the Northern Hemisphere. That said, Sydney winters ain't so bad. Enviable water views and outdoor hospitality are some of the things Sydney does best, all year round. So polish the lens on your smartphone and charge a cocktail glass to Instagrammable days and nights that are worthy of a place on anyone’s feed. Here are our picks of the Sydney spots that deliver a sense of Europe’s summer.  Want to dine like a European? These are the best late-night eats in the city. Still keen to travel somewhere, even if it can't be Greece? Head out of town on one of these amazing roadtrips you can take from Sydney.  Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, travel inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox.

Aside from boasting Sydney’s most famous beach, Bondi offers an unusual combination of laid back coastal lifestyle and cosmopolitan buzz. Once a working class suburb with a large community of European Jewish immigrants, these days it’s more glamorous and upscale – but still immensely popular with budget travellers. The beach and surrounding streets reveal a fascinating cross-section of humanity: botox and thongs, prams and surfboards, billionaires and backpackers. These strange bedfellows cross paths constantly throughout the day, from the early risers who surf, exercise and hit the cafes for breakfast, to the night owls who throng the bars and restaurants along Hall Street, Bondi Road and Campbell Parade. EAT DRINK COFFEE THINGS TO DO SHOPPING What is it known for? There’s a joke that Bondi Beach is famous for being famous, and in some ways it’s true. Deservedly or not, the one-kilometre stretch of sand has become an epicentre of Australian beach culture, drawing locals and international visitors alike. It’s beautiful for sure, a wide semicircle of golden sand punctuated by cliffs at either end. Some of those cliffs feature Aboriginal rock carvings, including one of a shark attack, left by the traditional inhabitants (either from the Eora or Darug language group, depending on who you ask).  Bondi is only seven kilometres from the CBD, and within a century of European settlement it had become an extremely popular recreational spot. In the 1880’s it officially became a public

Sydney has no shortage of luxury hotels. In fact, according to renowned travel media company Travel and Leisure, five of the top ten city hotels in Australia for 2025 are right here in Sydney. But when you’re heading out of the city, finding a reliable high-end stay has traditionally been a little more difficult. That was true until a few years ago, when roadside motels across the state began transforming into luxury hotels – bringing a new level of luxe to NSW beach towns and mountain villages. We’ve rounded up seven of our favourites – happy travels. Ready for a road trip? These are the best routes in NSW, according to a travel expert. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, travel inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. RECOMMENDED:These are the best glamping sites in NSW. And these are the best tiny homes and cabins close to Sydney.

When city life feels a little too full-on, it’s natural to crave a moment in nature. To drink a glass of wine from a bath beneath the stars and wake up to the sound of birdsong. The tiny home movement is responding to that need, with architecturally beautiful tiny homes and cabins popping up all across the state – waiting to welcome you for a weekend (or weekday) reset. From six-person cabins on the outskirts of the city to cosy retreats for two hidden in the mountains, we’ve rounded up the most beautiful tiny homes and cabins close (and close-ish) to Sydney. Most are home to alfresco hot tubs or baths, and many are pet-friendly, so you can bring your doggo to frolic with you in the fields.  Want more? Check out our list of the best winter getaways you can take from Sydney. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, event listings and travel inspo, straight to your inbox.

There are plenty of exciting new restaurant openings to add to your hit list. My current favourites include a glamerous new Negroni bar and restaurant called Conte Sydney, Newtown’s charming new fisherman’s den, Mister Grotto; a fire-powered Mediterranean diner from the Bar Copains team called Bessie’s; and dreamy new waterfront Greek diner called Akti. Plus, Canvas – the fine diner atop Sydney's MCA – has a fab new chef. Hungry? I am too. Let’s dig in. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. Looking for something to wash it all down with? These are our favourite bars in Sydney right now. Keen to eat your way around the city? These are the best restaurants in Sydney, from hot newcomers to the OGs.

There’s always a lot going on at Sydney’s favourite house. So much so that it can be hard to keep track – with new headliners dropping every other week, and huge events taking over the various venues seemingly out of nowhere.  Keen to go to a show under the sails over the next few months? We’ve rounded up a few top picks in the Sydney Opera House winter to spring season:  Badu Gili: Healing Spirit, a stunning illumination of the sails This dynamic projection will light up the Eastern Bennelong sails with First Nations artwork five times a night, every night until Friday, December 12. Backstage tours, a peek behind the curtain Explore the inner workings of Australia's most famous buildings on one of these expert-led tours. Dates: DailyTickets: From $48 The Play That Goes Wrong, a beloved piece of slapstick theatre Celebrating ten years of dominating the West End, this slapstick masterwork is bringing big giggles to the Drama Theatre this winter.Dates: Thursday, July 24 - Sunday, August 3 Tickets: From $89 Emily Sun and Slava Grigoryan, an intimate classical performance Internationally acclaimed violinist Emily Sun and multi-ARIA-winning guitarist Slava Grigoryan will perform a magical, serene showcase of mesmerising classical pieces as part of the Opera House’s intimate Utzon Music series.  Dates: Sunday, August 3Tickets: From $69.90 + booking fee.  Generations and Dynasties, a celebration of First Nations storytelling These intimate events (held in the Utzon room, a gorgeo

Calling all arts enthusiasts. This September, Sydney’s multidisciplinary arts hub is opening up its doors to the largest and most diverse art fair in the country. Back for its ninth iteration, Sydney Contemporary is popping up at Carriageworks from Thursday, September 11 until Sunday, September 14 2025. There’s a full four-day program of installations, performances, talks and panels, plus – naturally – a whole lot of incredible art ready to be claimed. As the largest fair to date, this year’s event will also feature a brand new ‘Photo Sydney’ sector, a whole program dedicated to aspiring young artists (appropriately titled ‘Kid Contemporary') and works by more than 500 artists.  First things first: art. As always, Sydney Contemporary will bring together some of Australia and New Zealand’s best galleries, with gallerists and individual artists putting forward a curation of works that speak to the festival’s bold, creative spirit. This year’s booth highlights will include a surreal, grocery store-inspired solo exhibition by New Zealand based installation artist Mike Hewson (presented by Michael Lett), a kooky, thought-provoking installation by Shen Shaomin (featuring 2,000 mechanical carps, with canned carps available for purchase) and the first solo Sydney exhibition of acclaimed Melbourne-based artist Julia Ciccarone. Other top picks on the gallery front include Neon Parc, Ames Yavuz, EG Projects and Sydney’s own Olsen Gallery. The debut of ‘Photo Sydney’ will bring a curatio

August isn’t always the easiest month in the Harbour City, so to inject a little light to one of Sydney’s darker months, Barangaroo is bringing a heap of wellness-inspired activities to the waterside precinct for four nourishing weeks. ‘Barangaroo You Wellness Month’ will run from Friday, August 1 until Sunday, August 31, with a line-up of free activities centred around health, movement and mindfulness ranging from sound baths to HYROX-style training sessions. Plus, they're giving away 20 free Scandi-style sauna sessions. Keen? Read on.One of the key pillars of Barangaroo’s wellness month program is ‘Wellness on the Water’. For the month of August, Sydney’s sauna on wheels Cedar and Salt will be in residence at Marrinawi Cove, so you can book in for an icy swim in the harbour followed by a Scandi-style sweat session. Don’t have the cash to splash? Barangaroo will be giving away 30 free sauna sessions – you’ll need to sign up to their newsletter and be online when free sessions go live at 9am on Wednesday, July 23. If you miss out on scoring a free sauna session, you can still score a free coffee if you head down to Marrinawi for a dip between 7am and 11am on Friday, August 1.  Other highlights of the program include weekly yoga sessions every Wednesday lunchtime led by Jacqui Jarrett, a proud Dharawal and Gumbaynggirr woman, elder and a traditional owner of the Sydney Basin, weekly talks (also on Wednesday lunchtimes) from experts in the wellness space including founder of Bo

In early 2023, the curtains came down around Manly Pacific: a stunning, design-forward reimagining of a huge, 200+ room hotel on the shores of one of Sydney’s most famous beaches. The $30-million renovation project, led by Australian designers Coco Republic, has transformed the sprawling site into one of Sydney’s most lusted-after luxury stays, complete with a beautiful rooftop pool, a sophisticated cocktail bar, a playful all-day diner and an Italian restaurant that’s quickly securing its position among the city’s best. It’s every bit a luxury hotel, but with a distinctly Manly energy – calm, confident, and focused more on wellness than indulgence. Here, you’ll find detox shots at the breakfast table, massage therapists and personal trainers on hand for private sessions, and a friendly team who are more than happy to bring a Peleton bike up to your room, or sub it out for a bottle of chilled rosé. Why stay at Manly Pacific? If this hotel was hidden in a dark, urban backstreet, it would still be worth a stay. The rooms are divine, the facilities are impeccable and the flagship restaurant (Cibraria) has firmly secured its position as one of the best Italian restaurants in the city. As it happens though, the location is one of its main drawcards – steps away from one of Sydney’s very best beaches, with incredible views across the sparkling ocean and super easy access to the best restaurants in the area.  What are the rooms like at Manly Pacific? With 213 rooms, nine suites and

There’s a lot of foodie fun to be found in Sydney, but if you’re craving a gourmet escape from the city – one that will let you really connect with what you’re eating and where it’s come from – we’ve got just the ticket. This spring, Meet the Makers South Coast Festival will pop up in and around the charming market town of Milton in the magical Shoalhaven region – offering visitors the chance to eat, drink, connect and create with some of the region’s top chefs, providores and artisans. Although food is the key focus, there’s so much more in store – here’s everything you need to know about this celebration of creativity just south of Sydney. Kicking off on Saturday, September 6 with a magical long lunch at Barn on the Ridge (a gorgeous, rustic venue with sweeping views of the rolling hills), the festival will come to life every weekend throughout September – with a super diverse program spanning wine-blending workshops to a natural beauty masterclass. The first Saturday of the fest will start with a mushroom foraging walk through beautiful coastal bushland. Once you’ve foraged, head to the opening lunch which will bring together more than 10 local producers, with a stacked canape station, a decadent dessert bar, wine tastings and live musicians soundtracking the afternoon. From there, head to Bannisters by the Sea which is hosting a series of pool bar pop-ups throughout the festival (Bannisters is the official hotel partner, so this is where you’ll want to situate yourself fo

Flower fiends, your time is approaching. As spring beckons in the Southern Highlands, the charming Corbett Gardens will transform into a tulip-adorned wonderland – with Tulip Time Festival showcasing a breathtaking display of 80,000 hand-planted tulips in a dreamy garden in the heart of Bowral. The flower-themed festival will run from Friday, September 12 until Monday, October 6 – with so much more than just tulip-based delights on offer. Alongside the tulip displays (80,000 of the beautiful colourful plants will be lighting up the gardens), guests can expect market stalls, daily entertainment and delicious foodie options.  Back for its 65th year, Tulip Time Festival will welcome guests between 9.30am and 4.30pm every Sunday to Friday, and until 6pm on Saturdays – giving you plenty of time to stroll among the flowers and find a spot to set up a picnic in the gardens.A visit to Tulip Time Festival is the perfect excuse to explore the rest of what the region has to offer, with the Southern Highlands home to some of the most beautiful gardens, quaint towns and adorable cellar doors in NSW. Tulip Time Festival tickets for adults cost $18.50 when booked online ($20 at the gate), with youth and concession tickets costing $12.50 when booked online and $13.50 at the gate. Carers and kids under 12 visit for free. You can learn more and book your tickets over here, but if you rock up on the day, you should be able to score a ticket at the gate (card payments only).  Stay in the loop: s

The state’s largest independent arts festival, Sydney Fringe Festival, is back for 2025 – with more than 460 events hitting our stages for one very entertaining month. Presented across the city throughout September 2025, the dynamic program spans theatre, music, comedy, visual art, film, musical theatre, dance, circus, street festivals, literature and poetry – and it's looking fun. This year, Sydney Fringe Festival is presenting a city-wide playground of entertainment, with ten key hubs hosting immersive theatre shows, boundary-pushing cabaret, comedy galas, dance shows, live music performances and so much more. Time Out's picks: 10 of the best shows to see at Sydney Fringe Festival 2025Spanning a full four weeks from September 1 - 30 (with some select events occurring in the lead-up), the Sydney Fringe program includes a heap of interactive, community-focused events, including a free street party taking over The Rocks on Thursday, September 4 and a child-friendly ‘Kids Fringe’ popping up in The Entertainment Quarter for the school holidays.  You can learn more and plan your Sydney Fringe experience over here. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, straight to your inbox. RECOMMENDED:  Want fun now? Here’s what’s on in Sydney this weekend. In the mood for a show? Here’s our list of the best theatre to see in Sydney this month.

Back in 2023, the doors to the world’s largest LEGO store opened in the centre of Sydney, and LEGO fans across the city went wild. Set across two floors in Pitt Street Mall, the 900 square metre space is a veritable mecca of play – complete with a minifigure factory, storytelling table, pick and build wall, and some pretty next-level LEGO structures (built by Ryan ‘the Brickman’ McNaught – the only LEGO certified professional in the Southern Hemisphere). Among the masterpieces is a model of the Sydney Harbour Bridge built from 278,964 bricks, and a 303,719-brick Opera House mosaic which took 1,058 hours to build.LEGO passport holders (yes, that’s a thing) can add the largest Lego stamp to their collection, and shop brand new releases, collectable sets and unique minifigures.Inside the mega-colourful LEGO universe, you’ll be just as likely to see children crafting their perfect figurine friend at Australia’s first LEGO minifigure factory as you are to come across a middle-aged architect taking notes on the epic building structures that line the store.  “Every new store contributes to the LEGO Group’s global mission of inspiring and developing the builders of tomorrow,” explains Troy Taylor, vice president and general manager, LEGO Australia and New Zealand. The store itself is inspired by the brand's signature aesthetic: screens showing playful clips from Legoland line the walls, and between shelves stacked with LEGO-laden boxes, you’ll find koalas and kookaburras formed from

Choosing a hotel for your Melbourne staycation can be overwhelming. From charming boutique gems to spectacular sky-high towers, there’s a ridiculously extensive range of hotels to choose from. With that in mind, it’s good to narrow down your options, and decide what’s most important to you. If location is priority number one, we’ve got a contender. Situated right in the heart of the city’s buzzing Southbank, you’ll find Mercure Melbourne Southbank: a towering 275-room hotel a stone’s throw from the action. Why stay at Mercure Melbourne Southbank?    The main drawcard here is the location – overlooking the Yarra River, perfectly positioned between Southbank and the CBD. But as well as being incredibly well situated for all of your staycation needs, it’s also a super comfy place to rest your head – with relatively spacious, super well sound-proofed rooms for a solid night’s sleep just steps from some of Melbourne’s top attractions. What are the rooms like at Mercure Melbourne Southbank? The 275 rooms at the hotel range from ‘standard’ to ‘deluxe’ depending on your budget, with the ‘deluxe king rooms’ your most high-end option. While the vibe here isn’t luxury, each room has everything you need: a kitchenette, air conditioning, free Wi-Fi, tea and coffee facilities and bathroom amenities. Large, picture box windows look out over the river, and locally-inspired art and photography adds pops of colour. Staying with a big group? Interconnected rooms can be easily reserved when you

Looking for a rainy day activity in Sydney? We’ve got just the ticket. In the heart of Surry Hills, one of Sydney’s most vibrant inner-city suburbs, you’ll find The Pottery Shed: a huge, warehouse-style mecca of creativity just steps away from some of the city’s best restaurants. Founded in 2010 by American-born pottery teacher Joe Darling, The Pottery Shed welcomes budding ceramicists of all skill levels. It’s designed to be a collaborative, inspiring space where pottery enthusiasts can connect and create. On a rainy winter afternoon, the Time Out Sydney team visited to try out a class for ourselves. Over the two-hour session, we each sat behind our very own pottery wheel and were guided through the craft by Joe and his team of instructors. As well as offering in-depth demonstrations, Joe and the team provided helpful hands-on guidance when we missed the mark – meaning we each finished the session with a masterpiece. Generally, Joe recommends booking a series of three classes so you can be involved with every stage of the process: creating, trimming, and glazing. If you only have time for a one-off class like us, the team will finish your ceramic treasure for you and let you know when it’s ready to collect. So, what do you need to know for a class? As a total novice, I can confirm: very little. Arrive in comfy pants, with your hair tied back and a positive attitude, and you’ll leave with a new creative outlet and a cute piece of crockery (you’ll need to wait for your piece t

Winter is well and truly here. The shortest day of the year has come and gone, and temperatures are oscillating between beach-worthy and sub-Antarctic. If you want to embrace festive energy this winter, we’ve got just the thing.  Sydney’s beloved Christmas in July Festival will be coming back to The Rocks this July, this time with a magical alfresco cinema, more than 80 twinkling Christmas trees, a European-style winter market and a laneway with real falling snow. The Rocks Christmas in July Festival has transformed the harbour-side precinct in the past, but this year, the program is stepping up its game – with the beloved winter markets back and better than ever, and some super special new additions. The key addition to the festival for this year is the Fire Pit Cinema, a first-of-its-kind winter open-air cinema experience. Here, guests will get to watch classic Christmas movies next to cosy private fire pits while roasting marshmallows and getting giddy on mulled wine and festive vibes. Book a fire pit for yourself and your friends and snuggle up under the blankets with a steaming hot chocolate for a cinematic night under the stars.  On the food front, the market will be home to more than 20 pop-up restaurants serving up your favourite European winter fare: everything from melted raclette to golden schnitzels and sugar-dusted crêpes.  Alongside the cinema and markets, Sydneysiders can expect to find a laneway laced with falling snow, and The Rocks will be illuminated by kil

Australia’s most famous beach is welcoming back its big winter festival, this time with the biggest program to date. Running from Friday, July 4 until Sunday, July 20, Bondi Festival 2025 will bring 17 days of world-class music, theatre, comedy, visual arts and interactive performances to the beachside suburb – as well as a huge ice-skating rink and the beloved ‘Bondi Vista Ferris Wheel’. This year’s fest will also see a welcome focus on foodie offerings, with the festival’s ‘Blue Sky Markets’ making their debut at Bondi Park over three big Saturdays, hosting stallholders from across Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs. Festivities will begin with the 2025 Waverley Art Prize winners’ announcement at Bondi Pavilion Art Gallery – a prize that’s now in its 39th year. After the announcement, festival goers can get their giggle on at the opening night Bondi Festival Comedy Gala, which will take over Bondi Pavilion Theatre for two laughter-filled nights. The first Saturday of the fest also sees the return of two fan favourites: the Pavilion Paw Parade, and Sydney’s beloved inclusive art class, Gladdy Drawing Club.  Other highlights from the first week include an incredible showcase of First Nations talent, an on-stage film-making spectacle by POV by re:group, the Sydney premiere of Alternative Facts’ unexpectedly intimate new theatrical experience Sincere Apologies and the Bondi Festival debut of the award-winning comedian and disability advocate, Madeleine Stewart. The second week of the fes

No matter how hard you try, you’ll never run out of things to do in Sydney. Whether you’re into gallery-hopping and museum-exploring, then hopping from underground bar to world-class restaurant, or you prefer to spend your days hiking and soaking in the sun, this city’s got it all. But picking the absolute best thing to do? That’s the hard part. Personally, I’d choose an icy swim in an ocean pool or a long hike through the mountains. Meanwhile, my mates reckon nothing beats ferrying from Sydney Harbour to Manly and snorkelling at Shelly Beach. We like to think we’re the experts, but if you’re looking for the most universally loved attractions, Tripadvisor’s annual Travellers’ Choice Awards are a great place to start. Already this year, Tripadvisor has revealed the highly-anticipated winners for the world’s best beaches, hotels and destinations. And now, they’ve just unveiled the Top Attractions for 2025, which celebrate tourism operators that have achieved the highest volume of above-and-beyond reviews over the past 12 months. With more than 8 million listings across their site, landing a spot in the top ten is a pretty epic achievement – and four Sydney attractions made the cut.It’s no huge surprise that Sydney Opera House made the top 10, with our city’s most famous house ranking as the third-best attraction in Australia. Keen to get involved? These are the best things to see and do at Opera House this season. The iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge came in sixth place (as an attr

When the latest stretch of Sydney Metro opened back in August, Bella Vista – the leafy suburb in Sydney’s Hills Shire – became a whole lot more accessible, with a direct metro line zipping straight there from Martin Place in just under 45 minutes. Now, there’s a new reason to catch the metro out to the Hills, with Bella Vista set to welcome a huge new entertainment venue ready to host everything from techno-soundtracked club nights to major sporting events. Intrigued? Us too. With the telling name ‘Bella Live’, the multifunction new venue is dedicated to hosting live events, with the aim of becoming “the beating heart of entertainment in the Hills.” Occupying a massive 1,029m² former warehouse, it’s been engineered to host major touring acts – with three main rooms kitted out with custom audio systems, LED stage lighting, projection-style immersive lighting, and an AV system integrated throughout. Photograph: Supplied | David Griffen Sydney-based architecture firm Archebiosis Architects was tasked with the design – bringing to life a warehouse-style space that combines an edgy, industrial aesthetic with sleek, modern design features. The result is a vast, super-club-style space complete with a 17.5-metre bar and a huge 10 x 8-metre stage flanked by VIP booths. Wondering what’s coming up? At this stage, the program (which will kick off with a huge opening night on Saturday, August 9) features weekly Friday club nights, an Oktoberfest celebration on Sunday, September 28, and

Back in early 2024, Transport for NSW confirmed that they’d begun working on the long-awaited (and debated) Oxford Street cycleway. Today, the first stretch has officially opened to cyclists. The one-kilometre stretch of cycleway runs along the northern edge of Oxford Street and partly along Liverpool Street, connecting Hyde Park (on the edge of the CBD) to Taylor Square in the heart of Darlinghurst. The dedicated two-way cycle path connects cyclists to the existing Bourke Street, Liverpool Street, and College Street cycle paths, which is expected to benefit the city’s cycling population. According to the City of Sydney, around 3,000 cyclists travel along Oxford Street every day—a number that’s expected to double now that the first stage of the cycle route is open. When the project was announced, Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore described Oxford Street as the most dangerous road for cyclists in the entire city, citing the fact that it’s home to the highest number of bike accidents. Photograph: James Lauritz | Copyright State of New South Wales (Transport for NSW) The cost of the first stretch of the project has been estimated at $18.5 million, with the extension along the rest of Oxford Street (for a further 1.8 kilometres as far as Centennial Park) yet to be officially confirmed. Opinions on the cycleway are mixed, with cyclists thrilled they no longer have to navigate buses and cars along the busy throughline into the city, but some residents and business owners are opposed

There are a few events that reliably punctuate Sydney's annual calendar, and bring a uniting kind of energy to the city every year. The City2Surf – the 55-year-old fun run that takes over Sydney for one Sunday every August – is one of them. The annual event (currently officially titled the Voltaren City2Surf) sees runners of all abilities take on a 14-kilometre race through the city, winding up on the world-famous shores of Bondi Beach for what inevitably unfolds into a gloriously sweaty pub crawl. If you’ve signed up and are wondering what to do next, we’re here to help. When is City2Surf 2025? This year’s race will take place on Sunday, August 10, 2025, with runners leaving the starting line at staggered intervals between 7.35am and 9.55am. Where does the City2Surf go? The fun run takes athletes (and non-athletes, no slow-shaming here) on a 14-kilometre route through the city’s east: starting in Hyde Park in Sydney’s CBD, then running along William Street through Kings Cross, along New South Head Road through Rushcutters Bay, Double Bay and Rose Bay, up the infamous ‘Heartbreak Hill’ (a two-kilometre incline into Vaucluse), along Old South Head Road past Dover Heights, then along Military Road and Campbell Parade to the finish line in Bondi Beach. Photograph: Supplied | Brendon Thorne Can you still register for City2Surf 2025?  Entries for the 2025 City2Surf opened at 11am AEDT on Wednesday, March 26 and are now closed. That being said, you can still participate if you're

Thrift shoppers of the Harbour City, we’ve got good news. After opening their first Sydney store in Western Sydney’s Hoxton Park back in May 2024, the global thrift superstore Savers has announced two additional Sydney store openings. Camperdown in Sydney’s Inner West will be the next lucky suburb, with a big Savers store due to open on July 31. Two weeks later, Savers Marsden Park will open its doors – bringing Sydney’s total Savers store count up to five. Keen to cash in? Read on. Since their first Sydney store opened in Hoxton Park in May of 2024, Savers has gone on to open a further two stores in the city: a first-of-its-kind “thrift boutique” in Darlinghurst and another huge hub in Auburn. The announcement of the additional two stores shows some pretty remarkable expansion for the brand – with five stores opening in the space of 12 months. Photograph: Supplied | Savers As with the other Savers stores across the city, the Camperdown and Marsden Park stores will be home to thousands of pre-loved items at super affordable prices, with most items listed for less than $10. Due to their size, both stores qualify for the Savers title of "thrift superstore", with thousands of new items arriving every day. Spanning 2,000 square metres, the Camperdown Store will be Savers’ first-ever three level site in Australia, and it’s likely to become a go-to for students – just a short walk from the heart of Newtown and from the University of Sydney.  Savers’ fifth Sydney store will open i

Think Sydney drivers are the pits? You’re not alone. A new survey from family safety app Life360 has just dropped, revealing what Aussies think of drivers around the country. The survey asked Australians to share which state they think is home to the worst drivers, and NSW copped the most flak – with NSW drivers ranking as the worst in the country.  The survey asked more than 2,000 Australian drivers to assess their own driving ability, reveal the most annoying driving behaviours, and decide which state they think is home to the country’s worst drivers. According to the study, 89 per cent of Australian drivers think they’re “excellent” behind the wheel, but only 7 per cent of us trust other people on the road – something here isn’t adding up. The results show that 43 per cent of Aussie drivers judge other drivers based on their number plates, with NSW assumed to be home to the worst drivers, followed by Victoria, then Queensland, then the Northern Territory.  So, what are NSW drivers doing to grind everyone's gears? Drivers here in NSW were called out for aggressive driving (51 per cent), habitual speeding (47 per cent), and plain rudeness (37 per cent). Here’s the leaderboard for worst drivers, according to Australian drivers: NSW (34%)  VIC (22%)  QLD (17%) NT (10%) WA (8%) SA (4%) ACT (3%) TAS (2%) Ready for the plot twist? Despite NSW being the national scapegoat, Life360 app data revealed that the highest proportion of dodgy drivers are, in fact, based in ACT – with t

We had just been thinking out loud that ginger pop star Ed Sheeran was due for a visit Down Under – after all, it's been more than two years since he played to crowds of 110,000 and 108,000 over two nights at the MCG in March 2023. Well, after teasing a return to "Oz" during performances in Europe, Sheeran has officially confirmed the details of his 2026 Aussie tour. And yep, he'll be coming to Melbourne. The beloved singer-songwriter will bring his Loop Tour to Marvel Stadium in February – and we're looking forward to hearing fresh tracks from his new album Play, like ‘Sapphire’ and ‘Old Phone’, along with all the classics (we’re manifesting ‘Shape of You’ and ‘Give Me Love’). So if you're keen to grab tickets, here's everything you need to know.   When is Ed Sheeran playing in Melbourne? Sheeran will take to the stage at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium on Thursday, February 26 and again the following night on Friday, February 27. So far, those are the only dates that have been announced, but we’ve got a feeling that additional shows could be added. We’ll keep you posted if and when extra dates are announced. When do Ed Sheeran Melbourne tickets go on sale? General release tickets for his Melbourne shows go on sale at 3pm local time on Tuesday, July 29 via Ticketek. Is there an Ed Sheeran pre-sale? Absolutely. Telstra Plus Members can access presale tickets for Sheeran’s Melbourne shows from Friday, July 25 at 11am. Frontier Members can access presale tickets from 12pm on Monday

Residents of Sydney’s West, your commute is about to get a whole lot easier. After closing its gates back in October 2024, Bankstown Station is almost ready to re-open—this time, as a super-speedy metro line. The Bankstown to Sydenham train line conversion was initially estimated to take just over twelve months, with the opening date slated for late 2025. After what Transport for NSW described as a “complex and difficult project” (with industrial action impacting the timeline), it was confirmed that the Sydenham to Bankstown metro extension won’t be open until 2026. Now, we’ve got good news – with the NSW Government today announcing that Bankstown Metro Station (which will become the first major metro-train interchange in South West Sydney) has entered “the final straight to completion.” According to the NSW Government, work on Bankstown Station is now 80 per cent complete – with new metro platforms lined by 36 safety screen doors installed, and the station on track (pardon the pun) to open in 2026. The work has involved rebuilding the 115-year-old former train station to create an interchange connecting the metro and train networks, with installation of a huge paved concourse and 170 metres of metro platforms. Work on the 90-metre plaza (complete with shops and cafés) that will provide a pedestrian connection between the north and south sides of Bankstown is due to begin soon. Once operational, metro services will run from Bankstown every four minutes at peak times, connecti

Calling all Sheerios! The rumours are true. After teasing a return to “Oz” during his tour of Europe, beloved singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has officially confirmed the details for his 2026 tour of Australia and New Zealand. He’ll be bringing his sweet, heart-wrenching melodies to Sydney’s Accor Stadium for two huge shows this coming February – here’s everything you need to know. When is Ed Sheeran playing in Sydney? Sheeran will take to the stage at Sydney’s Accor Stadium on Friday, February 13 and again the following night on Saturday, February 14. So far, those are the only dates that have been announced, but we’ve got a feeling that additional shows could be added. We’ll keep you posted if and when additional dates are announced. When do Ed Sheeran Sydney tickets go on sale? General release tickets for his Sydney shows go on sale at 1pm Sydney time on Tuesday, July 29 via Ticketek. Is there an Ed Sheeran pre-sale? Absolutely. Telstra Plus Members can access presale tickets for Ed Sheeran’s Sydney shows from Friday, July 25 at 11am Sydney time. Frontier Members can access presale tickets from 12pm on Monday, July 28. How much are Ed Sheeran tickets? Ticket prices start at $109.90 for D Reserve seating, with Front General Admission standing tickets costing $249.90. Who is the support act for Ed Sheeran’s Sydney show? The support acts haven’t yet been released, but Sheeran’s team are promising that his new live show will be “filled with surprises, new music, as well as his bi

‘Get out of the city. If you can, when you have the chance, get away from the city and dive into the ocean at dusk. Spend your Saturday night talking with a best friend, with nowhere else to be, until you’re too tired to speak and you fall asleep with so much more to say. Wake up to the sound of birdsong and of waves crashing against the rocks. Watch whales breach and blow ocean into the sky and rainbow lorikeets dance between the trees.’ That’s what I wrote in my journal on Sunday morning, the first morning I spent at Norah Head. I made a big pot of coffee and took a blanket onto the verandah that looks out onto the ocean from the south-east side of the peninsula. We were just over an hour from Sydney’s CBD, but the buzz of the city felt like a world away. Though I spend probably one out of four weekends outside of Sydney, the calming effect of time spent in the countryside always feels like a ground-breaking revelation. Like an evangelical message I'm compelled to preach to anyone willing to listen (my own personal, non-sentient diary included). We’d arrived just before sunset the night before, and the evening sky was a picture-perfect palette of pastel pink and baby blue. On the edge of the cliff, the cartoonish silhouette of the lighthouse was etched in Tic Tac white against fairy floss and sherbet. We dropped our bags in the cottage and ran out onto the reserve to watch the lantern blink on, the way it has for more than a century. When the lighthouse first opened in 1903

Finding the right Airbnb for your NSW weekender can be a challenge, and it’s easy to get carried away adding dream stays to your one-day wish list. Keen to know which Airbnbs are the most lusted-after in the state? Us too – so we asked the good people at Airbnb to reveal all. Somewhat surprisingly, it wasn’t the big group homes that are responsible for our wishlist wanderlust. All of the top five most wishlisted stays in NSW are romantic, two-person escapes. The Salty Dog, Newport Suspended in a timeless bubble on Sydney’s Pittwater, this floating tiny house is a dream romantic getaway, just over an hour’s drive from the CBD. With a ladder dropping into the estuary off a beautiful timber deck, and cosy interiors plucked straight from your cottage-core Pinterest board, it’s really no wonder this magical two-person houseboat has taken the crown as NSW’s most wishlisted stay. Photograph: Supplied | Airbnb Tiny House, Foxground Keeping up the cosy theme, this intimate, two-person tiny house is the second-most wishlisted stay in the state. Surrounded by sub-tropical rainforest, this one is a little further afield, located in the mountainous region of Foxground on the NSW South Coast. Inside the house, you’ll find a linen-draped bed beside a picture-box window and a fully-equipped kitchen. Between the trees outside the cabin, you’ll find a firepit and a bathtub for steamy baths under the stars. Photograph: Supplied | Airbnb Gawthorne's Hut, Mudgee This architecturally-stunning

The hiking scene in NSW is on the up and up. Thanks to the Great Walks initiative, new trails are opening up across the state, ranging from epic multi-day mountain routes to small, remote tracks connecting beautiful, secluded beaches. The Grand Cliff Top Walk opened in early 2024 in the Blue Mountains, and in the summer of 2024, the Snowies Alpine Walk was completed – an incredible four-day hike tracing mountain valleys and Australia’s tallest peak. So far this year, we’ve seen an impressive 42-kilometre hike through the Byron hinterland join their ranks, along with a 20-kilometre coastal hike on the NSW South Coast. Now, we’ve got a new hiking story to share – with the Munjip Loop open now, just a few hours south of Sydney. What is the Munjip Trail? The Munjip Trail is a 15-kilometre coastal walk in the NSW South Coast region, tracing stunning coastlines and beautiful native bushland. The project was born way back in 2010, and after the devastating bushfires of 2019 ripped through the region, the Eurobodalla Council (with support from the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund and other local community funding bodies) invested $6.5 million in upgrading the walking trails between Batehaven and McKenzies Beach, allowing locals and visitors the chance to explore the region’s magical coastline. The name ‘Munjip’ reportedly translates to “walking together, let’s go” in the local Dhurga language. To honour the heritage of the area, you’ll find signage, artwork and audio guides alon