10 days in Sydney

I recently had the pleasure of house-sitting in the northern beaches in Avalon with my mum. Sydney is one of Australia’s largest and most iconic cities, located on the East Coast of Australia. Avalon is a little over an hour drive north from Sydney’s CBD. It’s probably one of my favourite places in New South Wales (along with Byron Bay)

Week one:

Day One - Murrumbateman

Mum and I decided to drive up from Melbourne and turn it into a fun road trip. From Melbourne to Avalon being a 10 hour drive for us we decided to drive it over two days. On our first night we stopped in Murrumbateman, a small town located just outside of Yass which is home to some amazing wineries. We stayed at a small hotel called Abode and had dinner at a nearby winery called Olleyville. The food and wine was amazing and out of all our dishes I highly recommend the fig salad with toasted walnuts.

Day Two - Sydney

We then left early the next morning at 10am to arrive in Sydney around lunch time. That night I went out for dinner with a friend to a local wine bar in Avalon called Bar Elvina. Where the menu is focused around fresh seafood, wine and cocktails. All the dishes were beautiful but a stand out would be the kingfish tartar, green chilli kosho, elvina herbs, sesame and potato crisps. For cocktails I highly recommend trying the native ginger.

Day Three - Palm Beach

The first week we were blessed with the most amazing weather and spent most of our mornings on the beach. We’d leave around 9am to make the most of the sunshine and headed home around 1pm.

Day Four - Avalon

On the mornings when the weather wasn’t so pleasant we’d spend our time exploring nearby towns. Avalon is home to some amazing stores and boutiques, including a bookstore called Bookoccino which consisted of a bookstore and cafe all in one. Here you had the pleasure of ordering a coffee, purchasing a book and reading it there. It was such a beautiful idea and I came here most days with my mum to discover new books and authors.

Day Five - Newport

The great thing about the northern beaches is there’s always something to do. On the Tuesday morning we decided to head into Newport as there were shops and cafes we were keen to explore. I’m glad we did because we stumbled across this beautiful falafel bar called Queen Ester down a laneway that not only looked beautiful from the inside and out but smelt amazing when you walked in. We decided to have lunch here and it didn’t disappoint. I got the shakshuka bowl and my mum a pita sandwich. both were filled with fresh flavours, herbs and spices.

Day Six - Surry Hills

On the Thursday we decided to head into the city to explore my new city as I’m relocating for work. We mostly wanted to check out Surry Hills and Paddington as this is where my office was based. I love to use broadsheet to explore all the best cafes and restaurants when I’m travelling. On this day I picked Bills since we didn’t have it in Melbourne and so many people had recommended it to us. Owned and founded by Bill Granger - a food writer - he opened his first Sydney Restaurant in 1993. I got the tofu miso bowl and my mum got the crab linguine, both paired with a glass of wine. The atmosphere of this place is welcoming and such a great spot to work in or meet friends.

Day Seven - Palm Beach

Since it was the Easter long weekend my brother and my dad decided to join us for a few nights. Once again the sun decided to stay out so during the day we would go to the beach then head home for the afternoon before dinner. On the Saturday night we decided to check out Barrenjoey House in Palm Beach which is part of The Boathouse Group. This is an iconic restaurant around this area and worth visiting. For entrees we shared the crab toast and a few oysters each, alongside a classic marg then all got our own mains. I decided to have the Barramundi which was paired nicely with pickled vegetables and a fresh tahini sauce.

During the day I decided to book myself in to a local spa called Chakana Day Spa where I got a much needed facial. The entry way reminded me of Bali and I instantly felt grounded by it. On the Sunday night we felt like having a pasta night and during the week mum and I had been eyeing off a shop in town that made fresh pasta and sauces. It was called Spaghetti 75 and was also highly suggested to us. We got the classic fettuccine with a tomato sugo. We added vegetables to this and it was such a simple yet hearty dinner to end our weekend.

Week two:

Day Eight - Oxford St, Paddington

On the Monday everyone was slowly getting ready to head home and back to reality! Of an afternoon we would head up to North Avalon beach to the headlands and watch the surf as the sun set. It was perfect way to reflect on our trip and our time here in Sydney. On the Tuesday morning mum was dropping me off in the city as I had booked an Air bnb for the night to do some inspections of apartments before I left.

This Air bnb was tucked away in Ultimo which is located right next to Glebe. I stayed at the Dunkirk Hotel which essentially was a pub but had accomodation upstairs and it was the perfect place just for one night.

You were central to everything and could walk to most places. I had heard so much about Orchard St in Paddington on Oxford St and have been wanting to try it for a while. I tried to make the most of places we didn’t have in Melbourne. This place was made for me. Full of natural remedies, juices, smoothies, fresh salads, raw treats and homemade mylks. It’s expensive but well worth experiencing once while you’re in Sydney. I spent the rest of the day exploring Oxford St which is known for it’s shopping. Consisting of Zimmerman, Aje, Aesop and so many more beautiful stores. This would be the destination for high street shopping in Sydney.

Day Nine, Bellevue Hill

For lunch that day we went to Indigo cafe after doing some inspections. I got the greens bowl with eggs and avocado. The special thing about this place was our surroundings. Double Bay is such a beautiful spot and has such a calm energy about it. I could’ve spent hours getting lost in book stores there. That night I went to Chin Chin for dinner. Now we do have this is Melbourne but I couldn’t resist trying the Sydney based one. I got the corn Fritters, DIY vegetable spring rolls, kingfish sashimi, poached coconut chicken salad and green beans with burnt chilli and coconut. Everything was amazing but my favourite was the vegetable spring rolls which came with these pancakes, pickled vegetables, hoisin sauce and tofu. You then constructed this yourself, all the flavours mixed so well and I’d go back just for this dish.

Day Ten - Double Bay

On my last day I spent the morning catching up with friends for coffee, exploring more shops and finishing by having a final lunch at Bills. I then went back to my Air bnb, picked up my luggage and made my way to Mascot Airport. Thankfully I got there early because the lines after Easter were crazy. My flight ended up being delayed and by the time I got home I was exhausted. The most beautiful thing I learnt on this trip was the reminder of how nice it is to get lost in a new city.

My time in Sydney is what I needed to realise how much I’m searching for change. I feel it can teach us to adapt and help us develop resilience within ourselves. This has only just started to happen to me and what helped was understanding my own capacity for growth. Change makes me uncomfortable at first but I always come out the other side feeling stronger and motivated to keep chasing the path of the unknown.

Places Mentioned -

Shops -

Spaghetti 75 - Avalon

Bookocinno - Avalon

Oxford St, Paddington (Zimmerman, Aje, Aesop)

Chakana Day Spa - Avalon

Cafes -

Orchard St Love - Paddington

Bills - Surry Hills

Indigo - Double Bay

Queen Ester Falafel Bar - Newtown

Restaurants -

Bar Elvina - Avalon

Chin Chin - Surry Hills

Olleyville - Murrumbateman

Barrenjoey House - Palm Beach