Watsons Bay is privy to many firsts and is situated at the southern tip from where you enter the Sydney Harbor. The Tasman Sea is to its east and the Harbor itself to its west presents a wonderful view of Sydney in all its glory. The vantage point from the Harbor is a real treat and covers the city of Sydney in a wide range.

Watsons Bay is the place where the Governor of Sydney Mr. Phillip initially set foot on and this is also where the most ancient fishing settlement made its bow. As mentioned earlier, Watson’s Bay has a distinguished history of firsts to its credit.

This Bay is where the first Doyles Restaurant was set up and the current site has been a witness to the first sale of fish by Doyle way back in 1845. You can stop buy for a good meal at this place or better still, pick up a quick one from the Doyles outlet just next to the wharf and savor it feeding some seagulls. There can be nothing more relaxing than that for a visitor to soak in the beauty of the Bay.

To cove the area around the wharf, you have a number of routes that you can take. One route is where you cross the nude beach called Lady Bay and proceed till the Hornsby Lighthouse at the Southern tip. You can also take the more circuitous route via The Gap and pass Signal Station and the majestic Macquarie Lighthouse to visit the Dunbar wreckage site.

Getting to Watsons Bay is not a problem with all options of driving down by car, taking a bus or the ferry being open to you.

If you plan to drive down, you need to get out of the city and take the route by Oxford Street, which will lead you to Old South Head Road before taking you to Watsons Bay.

Bus No.324 from Circular Quay takes you directly to Watsons Bay and you can also choose the ferry from the Quay to take you there. This will be a good diversion from the usual rail and bus travel that one is normally exposed to in other cities.

There is enough culinary variety at Watsons Bay to cater to a wide taste and the number of eateries is a testimony to this fact. You need to allot the better part of a day to have a good look at what Watsons Bay has in store for visitors and only then you can have an unhurried leisurely time at this spot.

You can on the way back take the car by the Old South Head Road and go to Bondi Beach via Military Road

http://www.sydney.com.au/watsons-bay.htm

The hills and the surrounding beach areas of Illawarra have a scenic view to offer. There are lengthy ocean drives and beautiful beaches on the way.

Bulli lookout which is along the way to Sydney gives a magnificent view of this exotic city Wollongong. The long stretch of sea and sand reach far even beyond your eye’s reach.
Places of Interest

Some of the places worth visiting at Sydney and a must see for every tourist is the sea cave of Kiama Blowhole, the Seven mile beach, the rainforest of Minnamurra, Wollongong and the much talked about Jervis Bay. The Royal National Parks of Stanwell Tops is worth seeing and it is not worth a miss.

Wollongong

Wollongong is a developed and modern city, bordered by the picturesque beauty of Illawara westwards and the natural beauty of the National Park northwards.

A lover of sea would have all the fun and merriment at these beaches and surfing is a great activity here. You could go swimming and have a ball at these beaches. Southwards is the Lake Illawarra which is worth exploring and it offers a variety of water sports like kayaking and windsurfing. Lovers of watersports would have a ball at these places. Swimming is an enjoyable activity. Kayaking another adventurous sport can be enjoyed at this place.

The city of Wollongong is a cute, well planned and well maintained miniature Sydney. It has very clean and luxury restaurants, shopping malls. Clean beaches are an attraction in Sydney. The hotels and cafes are very neat and the food served is very hygienic. All the beaches here are situated at a walkable distance that is they are closer to the town centre.

Kiama

Kiama is a very old town and is situated on the coast. Kiama is endowed with Blowhole which occurs naturally. Kiama is also very charming and pretty city. If you travel about 14 kms from Kiama, you would be able to view the beautiful and eyecatching beauty of the Minnamurra rainforest. Visitors never leave the city without catching a glimpse of this well endowed rainforest.

Tours

There are train services which are quite comfortable as well easy on your pockets. You could take your bicycle along with you and discover places in and around Sydney. You are on your own. Make sure you carry the sunscreen along with you because you would require them at the beaches. Sydney is well endowed with beautiful and picturesque beaches. A sunscreen is a must have in your travel hamper.

Accommodation

There are many lodges and boarding facilities in and around Sydney for tourists wishing to prolong their stay for more than a day. Most of the inns are reasonably priced. Sydney also has some very old and ancient hotels, inns and apartments which are rented out to tourists. All these are not very expensive. The feel tourists get from staying at these historic places is amazing. These places have the capacity to transport the tourists back to another era. There are also five star luxury hotels for people who would not mind spending that extra money for luxury and comfort.

Dining and Eateries

The hotels and restaurants have a wide range of cuisines and fresh seafood is one of the delights here. Coffee lovers would love to sip their coffee at these cafes enjoying the marine delight.

Darlo is named in memory of the NSW Governor. Ralph Darling was the then Governor. Darlo is the place for gay scene. Darlinghurst as it was namely previously was known for 1841 gaol. In the year 1835, it was rebuilt and stands tall as the National School for Arts.

East Sydney was once a land of dairy animals and it also boasted of a rich garden. It is now known for its pubs and fine dine restaurants. The rich Australian Museum is one of the attractions here.

Leisure activities:

Tourists can make bookings for these parks and open spaces.

Cook + Phillip Park

The Cook and Phillip Park has lot of open space and is fully of greenery. It is located at the centre of the city. It is a vast open area covering about 3.4 hectares. The Garden has 400 plus trees, there are also many beautiful flowering plants and shrubs.

Green Park

This is a Victorian park and it has the classic Change Memorial. The Gay and Lesbian memorial is also a characteristic of this place. There is also a superb café where people can chill out.

Cycling

There are more than 200 bicycle rings. Tourists can go in for long bicycle rides at these cycling rings.

Swimming pools

There are also many swimming pools in and around Sydney. There are also beautiful aquatic parks, which also has fitness centre. Tourists can contact at the numbers 02 9326 0444.

It is open to public on weekdays that is from Monday to Friday from 0600 hrs to 2200 hrs.

On weekends, tourists can visit these parks from 0700 hrs to 2000 hrs. Parks are not open on Christmas Day. It is also closed on Good Friday.

There are many gymnasiums, tennis courts; places of entertainment include galleries and museums. Other places of entertainment are tennis courts and museums. Some of the well known museums are the Australian museum and the Jewish museum. There are very good movie theatres like the Palace Academy Cinemas.

Tourist would love to shop here at the Oxford Street and the Darlinghurst which extends from Hyde Park. It goes up to the South Dowling Street. You could find everything from shopping malls to small shops. There are shops which sell exquisite clothing. This street has everything from restaurants and eateries to gift shops. It is open day and night. There are quite a few pubs here and the nightlife is superb and visitors could have a ball here.

There are also shops selling antique arts and crafts items. Many galleries also display these arts and artifacts. Shopping at this street is a real delight.

Dining

Oxford Street has many economical restaurants and eateries. Some of the cuisines available here are Indian, Thai and Spanish. There are also a variety of Italian restaurants.

The Victorian Street at Darlinghurst is famous for coffee cafes. Coffee lovers would love this place to the fullest.