I'd done a few of the staple Sydney tourist things on my trip twelve years back, like a tour of the Opera House, a dinner cruise around Sydney Harbor, going to the top of the CN-Tower like building they have for a meal. That's not to say there is no need to repeat these things - particularly I wanted to do the Opera House again, but I looked for tickets too late as it gets booked quite a bit in advance. But I awoke on my last full non-travel day of the vacation without much of a particular plan of what to do in the afternoon. I specify afternoon because i had a plan for the morning - to see to Taronga Zoo.
I'm generally not a Zoo person, because they normally showcase African animals - so in a sense seeing a giraffe in Sydney is no different than seeing a giraffe in Philadelphia, and both are less good than when I saw a giraffe in Botswana in the wild. But the exception in that sense is the Taronga Zoo gives most of its grounds to Australian fauna. Granted, they have an Africa section, and some Asian animals, and are building a second Africa area, but even once that is complete, the Australian parts will still be quite a bit larger.
The Tarongo Zoo is in North Sydney (most of what we call Sydney is South of the harbor), but traffic hasn't really been an issue in Australia overall, adn within about 20 minutes I was at the entrance. It was a windy day, with a stated temperature of about 58 degrees, so it was definitely a bit chilly. That probably had an impact on some of the animals you would imagine, especially again the Africa areas. That said, I did still see some giraffes, a lot of lions, some meerkats adn what not as i raced through the Africa part.
The Taronga Zoo is built basically into teh cliffs so from ground level where you enter, it goes down quite a bit to the bay (you can technically take a ferry to the grounds). You also get an amazing view of Sydney from the Zoo - honestly I would say the best view of the city is from the Zoo. From the Africa area, I went lower towards the seal and penguin areas, which were adorable. And then back up to the large Australia section which was a delight - more koalas, many kangaroos, a really nice nocturnal section with various billbys and platapuses (a first!). I left the Taronga Zoo feeling it was a super worthwhile trip, but also a sense of sadness that I won't see koalas anymore. They are just too cute.
Back in Sydney, I headed to Porkfat for lunch, which is a fairly trendy Thai restaurant. I will say, the food was very good, but also pretty standard, in a sense that this restaurant could easily be a Thai restaurant in New York. It would also be popular there as well, but there was nothing more unique about it. My starter of a fried pork belly was nice, if a bit too fatty, and the main of a braised beef penang curry was awesone. Again, the restaurant is really good, but unlike the coolness of the pot pie rendang for instance the day earlier, this was a bit too traditional.
After lunch, my idea was just to wander and wander. First was a long loop starting from the edge of the Art Museums, through the Botanical Gardens which on the other end spits you out at the Opera House. The gardens were lovely, including getting to drop by what looked like a great wedding at a picturesque area. The gardens and the city in general were setting up for the Sydney marathon which is tomorrow (and could really make my exiting the city a lot trickier.
The Opera House was gleaming, it really is such a unique building, and a cloud-free Saturday, the area around it was buzzing with life - locals and tourists alike. As was the whole Cirle Quay area - with just great angles of the Harbor Bridge, the Opera House, the series of skyscapers in the other direction. It's all just a great scene.
My last bit of wandering was at Bondi Beach, a famous beach east of the city, which starts a series of beaches that crop up between cliffs southward. Bondi is beautiful, and was packed, despite the cold weather. Many surfer, many people just lazing around. People just enjoying the world that they're in. I took the trail from Bondi, past two other beaches and a series of cliffs and whatnot. I went for about 30 minutes, but it goes far beyond as well.
From there, I headed past town back to the Newton suburb, to try one last brewery, Batch Brewing - and I'm glad I did, because this one was great. The beer choices were excellent, their milk stout was divine, enough so taht I took a four pack to take home. The crowd was great, the energy was great. They had free wifi (which I'm increasingly learning is very much not normal for Australia). Batch Brewing, I wish more breweries in Australia were like you.
Dinner was at Saint Peter, one of Sydney's most notable restaurants, for a few different reasons. Firstly, their seafood only menu, second for how creatively they use seafood. For instance, their first course is called "fish charcuterie" which literally is what looks like a charcuterie plate of sausages, hams, salamis and two terrines all made from fish. It's a mindplay, it's crazy, but it's perfect. The meal was great, probably my favorite of my time in Australia - which given ti was also the most expensive, is probably a good thing.
Also good were my final go around at PS40, trying out three more of their cocktails, and Oxford Art Factory, catching a great show in their main stage. PS40 is just a really good spot - the bartenders are great, the cocktails are interesting, not too strong, not too sweet, and fun to watch be made. Oxford Art Factory had a local notable DJ who was just on fire - a perfect level of house/EDM, just a great time. The crowd was fully into it, with probably 60% of them (me included) staying for the follow-up act that started at 2:30am. I left around 3:15am, the place still about 40% full. Oxford Art Factory still being a great spot, every bit as good as my memory (if not better) is one of the true joys of this vacation, and a perfect way to effectively end my time in Sydney.
