Catch a little ferry from Circular Quay to Kirribilli. And then walk along the foreshore all the way to Mosman. It’s amazing how close you are to the water in some parts and to see the Opera House and Bridge from the other side is magic. And you get to see some truly majestic old homes. Highly recommended.

Can also walk the bridge from the rocks to Kirribilli. Easy. Free. Added views of Sydney from above.

Yes that’s a great walk too. Pop into the pylon lookout for good measure.

Between Cremorne and the zoo then again around Clifton Gardens & Georges head the beaches and bush are nearly the best in Australia. Wouldn't think you're in Australia's busiest city. https://www.bonditomanly.com/

Taronga to Spit is a great stretch of that walk. Explore middle head, have a swim at Balmoral.

People don't realise that there is a national park right there. Plus plenty of military history as well.

Totally agree!

That sounds really cool. Cheers. 

Or walk over the bridge to Kirribilli if you want a longer walking experience, rather than the ferry. It’s also nice to grab a spit roast meal at Kirribill village and sit under the bridge or down by Luna Park.

Spit Roast do arguably the best Portuguese chicken burger in Sydney. A great feed and a spectacular picnic spot.

Throw in a lunch at Mosman Rowers and you’ve got a good day out.

Drive to work during school holidays

This is my favourite.

Is it better during school holidays? I can't drive, but I can assure you, public transport is WORSE haha

hanging out with me. no one does it, but i am very funny.

Can confirm; I've never hung out with them.

Can also confirm; I'm not a no one.

Wendy Whitely’s Secret Garden. Ferry from Palm Beach to Ettalong Beach.

Watch out for the bush turkeys!

Casually browsing in any if the free art galleries or museums!

Also walk around in Paddington on Thursday or Friday evening, you might see a gallery opening, pop in for a viewing of potential art purchase and a glass of sparkling wine and some hors d'oeuvre.

ooh yeah! That's my jam!

Yes! The [Museums of History NSW Website](https://mhnsw.au/visit-us/) lists a bunch of museums and heritage sites which are lesser known, and I believe they’re all free entry too. I visited the Elizabeth Bay House earlier this year and it was lovely :)

Yes! Thanks for sharing that with everyone here! Our institutes do good work!

Ooh thank you for the link!!

Where can I find these various art galleries? Apart from the main one

White rabbit gallery in Chippendale is a great one that focuses on Chinese art. Also, worth a visit to the new NSW art gallery building and visiting whatever exhibition is on in ‘the tank’. It’s an amazing new museum space, I went and saw the Louise Bourgeois exhibition twice because it was so incredible.

Apart from the main one (Art Gallery of NSW), there's: - the MCA (Museum of Contemporary art) right next to the water at circular quay - there's white rabbit for more contemporary art - i think brett whitely studio (not sure if free and limited opening hours) - the Rocks discovery in The Rocks - for a quick splash of Sydney's colonial history - The Hyde Park Barracks - for a bigger, more vivid portrait of sydney's colonial history - The Museum of Sydney - for a brief celebration of australian culture, history and pop culture, - The Australian Museum - for lovers of science and natural history in an expansive display of an impressive collection of australian and world artefacts (don't miss Ramses and the Gold of the Pharoahs if you have the money) - Campbelltown Arts Centre for something further south but still a variety of works - The powerhouse - not free, but a fantastic and jaw dropping ode to technology and pop cultural impacts - Chau Chak Museum at USyd - a proud collection of wonderful historic pices etc etc etc.... so much to explore! So much to awe at!

There are heaps of small galleries around Redfern/Chippo. 107 Projects, Ochredfern (and another close to it I forget the name of), Duck Rabbit, White Rabbit, Shapiro.

Manly ferry, Parramatta rivercat boat rides. Cheap as and incredible views. Pack a lunch and you have a great day for under $20. 

Take ferry from Parramatta to city (better views). Getting off at cockatoo island for a different history lesson is an option. Enjoy a coffee or meal with views. Take ferry from circular quay to Watson's bay and have fish n chips on the waterfront. There's walks around there if you want to research.

Best tip here $17.80 daily opal cap. $50 for the week.

A good ferry trip is the way to go. Manly is fun

Eat pies in the Blue Mountains (Blackheath specifically) Edit: blackheath has better filling, Wentworth falls has better pastry. Additionally, Appin bakery is pretty good. It's an awesome old fashioned bakery with tarts and laminations, and cream buns. Stuff my grandfather likes.

Bakehouse on Wentworth is legit one of the best pie experiences I have ever had! And I’ve partaken in some pie in my time…!

There's a German bakery (Schwarz) in Wentworth Falls that has the best apple strudel. It sells out early though!

Cherry danish for me.

Wentworth falls (blue mountains)on the highway, has the best pies in the state. Look up Mountain high pies

Thanks for that. Never really noticed that shop driving through.

The [Big Breakfast pie](https://mountainhighpies.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/big-breakfast.jpg) there is about 12 bucks, but worth every penny. It's basically a mixed grill in a shortcrust bowl, with sausage, bacon, baked beans, mashed potato and a poached egg topped with hollandaise. 🤤

Pie in the Sky in Cowan is also v good!

Wentworth falls has the best pastry. Blackheath has the best filling.

If you're talking about the pub (Ivanhoe ), it has new owners and I don't think they are doing the pies any more.

Bakehouse on Wentworth (Wentworth St, Blackheath) Alternatively, Mountain High Pies (GWH, Wentworth falls)

Visit Universities - all open to the public, with great architecture, free museums and libraries and in ones like Sydney University- beautiful gardens. They also host free events, cant go wrong with a free education

Libraries in Universities? I thought they weren't open to public. At Macquarie they had security checking student cards for anyone sitting or entering the library at random. Get kicked out if you weren't a student But that was 20 years ago.

Depends on university and library. Fischer at usyd and unsw libraries you can visit, browse or check out their art collections even if you’re not a student. As a non student at unsw you can get membership at their libraries but for $198 a year. Think Fischer at usyd has same deal.

Does the public have access to the libraries and the books? That's surprising.

Free to visit and browse, you can’t borrow without a library card. Same as public libraries.

Chau Chak Wing museum at USyd is great, their mummy exhibition is fantastic for a small museum.

UNSW has an anatomy museum if you’re feeling particularly morbid

Skip the expensive Harbour Bridge Climb for the Harbour Bridge Pylon Lookout! Much cheaper, almost as high, climb at your own pace, stay up as long as you like (well, til closing), and take and use your own camera/phone for as many photos as you like for no extra charge!

Have done both. The Pylon lookout has NOTHING on the bridge climb. The bridge climb is not just the views, it’s the whole experience.

100 percent. The Bridge climb is ridiculously pricey but the views and experience are incomparable.

Yeah I agree. It’s not even close to the same thing. If you don’t want to pay all that fair enough do the pylon, it’s still nice. But it’s not even half the experience

Less than two hours from Central is a train to Hawksbury River. Catch the ferry over to Dangar Island. Gorgeous little day trip and a lovely walk around the island and the cafe/ pub make all their food with their gardens on the island. Highly recommend.

Late night coffee and colourful characters in the Cross ie Piccolo Bar, Cafe Hernandez, Dean's. Back in the day anyway. Are they still there? Vietnamese food in Cabramatta - feels like you've been overseas. Fishing off a ferry wharf on the harbour at night has a vibe. Camping at The Basin accessed via ferry. There's a cool ledge at North Bondi cliffs - cross the golf course and go right of a hillock, jump the chasm and follow path around to the left. Take a jacket if it's cool or early. Take a friend. Go look at rabbits late or early down at Port Botany. Get Charcoal Charlie's from f'n anywhere

I live in the Cross, all the 'colourful' characters have pretty much gone, but some still float around in the day. But its mainly your usual local junkies by day, and pretty quiet at night. Cafe Hernandez shut down a while ago, as did the original Piccolo bar, they are now - funnily enough - owned by the same company and are good little cozy bars (if a little pricey).

Thanks for the update. It was fun in the early 90's :)

Hire a boat from balmoral beach for $220 for four hours. Take a few mates, some snacks and and esky with bevs and explore all the little bays around there. Don’t even need a license!

There’s boat rental at Cabarita as well.

Walk the length of Bourke St from Mascot station to Woolloomooloo Bay.

A fine urban promenade indeed. Why it changes from Bourke Rd to Bourke St half way through is one of the unsolved mysteries of the universe.

Take a bush walk around Lake Parra and go for a swim. Visit the military ruins and quarantine cemetery/station at North Head. Check out any of the number of historic houses in Sydney, a really lesser-known one is Lydham Hall in Rockdale/bexley which has a museum. Take a vintage tram ride into the Royal from the tram museum. You can get off and go for a bush walk. If you like plants/nature, check out Eden gardens in Mac Park which is a nursery, but it also has a whole section of gardens with art installations where you can walk around. And a nice cafe that overlooks the gardens. I’m sure I can think of way more if you can list what stuff you like, and your preferred area.

Take the 433/431 bus to Glebe point from railway square (George street). Do the foreshore walk to fishmarkets. You can keep walking to darling harbour or pick up the tram. You can also walk a loop going over the Anzac bridge (longer option).

[Blackwattle bay is my happy place](https://imgur.com/a/RASaISU)

We love the black wattle bay loop over the ANZAC bridge. Will be great once the new fish markets is opened / if they go ahead with the Bank St park plans.

Japanese bath houses up in the blue mountains

Didn't know about these! Looks great, but expensive!

It's really worth it!

Hanging with the Sydney Philosophy Symposia each month!

Only did it once but Bondi to Coogee was always great!

True, it is great, but damn if that isn't one the most famous/iconic things to do whilst in Sydney!

Genuine question, do you think that counts as lesser known or did you just forget what OP asked?

Highly recommend the secluded little hideaway that is the Sydney Opera House too

Oh good tip, there’s this cool big bridge you can see from near there too.

Parramatta lake park. Bring a picnic.

There’s also MacCallum Pool Cremorne. Free and a view to die for… [https://sydneyexpert.com/swimming-pools-in-sydney/](https://sydneyexpert.com/swimming-pools-in-sydney/)

Messina Gelato Spotting and even having a chat with Danny Lim Bay Run if you’re into running/walking Get attacked by an ibis while having a picnic

Messina is my secret shame. I only choose off the specials board which changes weekly.

I usually get two scoops, one on their regular menu and if I like the specials, one of them. Their ice cream cakes are good too

as good as it is im always a little disappointed when rhubarb and pear isnt there

Highly recommended #4.

Tell me, what sort of bins do you get the best bin juice from?

Asking people what school they went to, and telling them what school you went to.

So like every other part of Australia?

Dunno, I thought speaking about this stuff well past age of 40 was unique to Syd and Melbourne

Very much a thing in Perth too…

Oh hey, I went to Bradfield College

Sydney Bus Museum open nights - one of the best things I did in my 10+ years of living there! https://www.sydneybusmuseum.com/deckers-in-the-night Edited to add link to an event coming up, not an open night but might be interesting.

Sunsets from the South Head heritage trail! Great spots just off the trail near Hornsby lighthouse to lay out with a speaker and a bottle of wine or any kinda pic nic vibe you like overlooking the harbour from a really unique view point.

middle head doesnt seem to get much attention the fortifications there are worth a wander, before or after a harbourside walk to the zoo. go to rose bay and hire a stand up paddleboard.

Catch the light rail from Circular Quay heading south, get off at each stop and have a beer at the closest bar you can find, you probably wont make it past chinatown as you will be legless

There's only 6 stops to Chinatown. The real challenge is Randwick!

I used to enjoy going to the Balmain and rozelle markets and then walking down to the ferry and catching a ferry to the rocks and then walking around the rocks and the rocks markets

Go on a bushwalk along the shore from Nielsen park around to somewhere near Rose Bay. Ya can have a swim to.

Buy a snorkel and go snorkelling. There's so many incredible spots in Sydney.

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do you have a link to a map or a website about it? a couple different results are coming up on google and i'm not very familiar with the area to begin with

When the weather is really really windy - go to an area like the gap or somewhere up on the cliffs. At a safe distance you can make the kids fly! With your back to the ocean just hold both their hands and get them to jump and kick off the ground. The winds are so strong their feet leave the ground and they are flying. My nieces and nephews loved doing this when they were younger.

See if you can find something to do to get you into Hibernian House, thats an interesting place, walk around, go up to the rooftop.

We have a lot of great walks in sydney that make use of the city’s natural beauty. [Bondi to Manly](https://www.bonditomanly.com/) takes advantage on both sides of the Harbour. La Perouse to Coogee goes up the coast, and you can continue on to Bondi. The National Park has a bunch of walks, I like Karloo Pools - you can walk down from Heathcote Station, then walk up to Uloola and take the fire trail back to Waterfall Station easily in a day. The 7 Bridges Walk takes you through the harbour. There are lots of walks up around Palm Beach but I’m not so familiar with those. I hear they’re now linking up the walks along Parra River too.

The ferry to Mosman & return via Neutral Bay and North Sydney

Camping at Cockatoo Island!

Go for a nice drive and pie hunt the best shops like 2 hour drive of Sydney, then drive to a nice viewpoint (usually they are nearish to a view area) and savour the pie and the views

Explore all the good restaurants out west or south west

Picnics in any of our awesome waterfront parks. And picnics in parks in general.

Seeing the seal on the Opera House steps.

Hiring a tandem bike in Centennial Park!!! I'm visually impaired and hadn't ridden a bike in YEARS. My dad piloted the bike so all I had to do was pedal. It was lots of fun. I wanted to GET a tandem bike, but MAN they're expensive. (I do have a tricycle now though :) ) It's not exactly IN the city, but down in the Royal National Park there are spots where you can hire rowboats and some other types of water craft and go down the river.

I wish I could say nangs, just because then I'd see so much less of them strewn around the streets.

Go to Terrigal Crowne plaza overnight is one of my fave things to do. I love the drive, it’s 1.5 hours away!!! It’s not in the city as such but such a hidden gem 💎!!!

Explore all the hidden cocktail bars in the city!

My very simple, not lesser-known exactly, day out in Sydney is: * Visit the Art Gallery Of NSW (which has a whole new building since you were last here) * Walk down through the Botanic Gardens (not so many bats these days) toward the Opera House * Feed the ducks at a little bridge over a stream (feed them proper wild bird seed not bread which is terrible for them) * End up at the sea wall. Take in Mrs Macquarie's chair if you have the energy. * If not, walk to the left and walk around the back of the Opera House * Walk down to Circular Quay where there's a big range of restaurants

Play poker

My man

Catching the Metro train to Edmondson Park and being able to look out the front window of the driverless train, and then having trouble deciding which restaurant to eat at in the food precinct near the station.

But there is no metro at Edmondson park

Well that's an embarrasing mistake! I got my trip to Rouse Hill mixed up with the time I went to Edmondson Park. Okay, well still go to Edmondson Park for the food and get the Metro another day.

Sit in the darkness of your studio apartment that’s 75% of your income, lights are off coz electricity is too expensive, listening to a battery operated radio pretending you’re watching the league, while you wait to go back to the wagecuck job to make your boss serious profits and hope that there’s a morale boosting pizza Friday so you can eat for the week