Australia 2025 Part 1: Sydney
- Howie Chia
- Dec 23, 2025
- 11 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Preamble
Australia. The last time I was here, I was only 6 years old. Back after thirteen years, I can hardly recall any memories about this place. Back as a teenager, Australia is a huge country. This trip only covers Sydney and Melbourne. I look forward to documenting my family’s annual holidays. Helps the whole family enjoy it a second time when they read about this months or years later. I’ve included some tips and hyperlinks to some of the more interesting places. We start off with Part 1 in Sydney, and end our adventure with Part 2 in Melbourne.
Part 1: Sydney
Day 1
This year’s family trip was mainly planned by my mother. My dad, sister and I helped where we could but most of the credit goes to mom. From flights, food to accommodations, she covered everything. She strategically planned a midnight flight so that by the time we arrived in Sydney, it was the start of a new day.
After landing at Sydney international airport, we took an Uber to our accommodation at Central Studio Hotel. My parents' reasoning is that after an 8-hour flight, we were all tired and an Uber would also save us the effort of carrying our heavy luggage. Our hotel was situated next to the Chinatown of Sydney. Once we settled our stuff into the hotel, we explored the nearby vicinity. We were hungry and lunch was at Paddy’s Haymarket. Along the way, we saw the buildings and it reminded me of Singapore’s lucky plaza. There was even a roadside store selling Singapore Bak Kwa (not mei zhen xiang)!
At Haymarket, I explored a bit while waiting for our food. This place was like an integrated mall. The ground floor had a wet market, eateries and something similar to a pasar malam.
The upper floor was a mini shopping mall. There were many bakeries and food stalls but I was shocked that the food here is much more expensive compared to Singapore. On average 2.5 times the price of an equivalent meal in Singapore! Fortunately, my mom already did the research and we ate delicious steak that was bought from the butcher “Love me Tender” and prepared right in front of us. Surprisingly for me, beef in Sydney is cheaper than Singapore, one of the few things that were cheaper.
Tummies full we took a long 40 min walk to the famous Sydney Opera house. Along the way, we saw the different buildings in Sydney’s CBD area. Some of the buildings were classy and old-school, juxtaposing with the modern high-rise structures. Some of these new building were shopping malls, much to the delight of mom and sis.
For me, what stood out was trying out the famous Yo-chi yogurt. When I first tried it in Singapore, my friends and I waited for 2 hours to get in. Yes, its tasty but IMO it's mostly hype. Taste wise it's similar to Yolé, there were about 7 different bases for you to choose from. I recommend the Sea-salt flavour. When we were done with the yogurt, we helped ourselves to the free flow sparkling water. It helped to cleanse our palette after indulging in all the sweet toppings.
Soon, we reached the harbour. Sydney Opera House was just a stone throw away. We would be visiting it tomorrow, so we just stayed at this side of the harbour and enjoyed the view and sea breeze as we snacked on some finger food and watched our first sun set in Sydney.
Going back to our accommodation was easy. We just took a tram. These trams coexist with the cars, with tracks cutting through the roads. It was convenient for us to get from point to point as tram stations were scattered everywhere in the city.
Pro tip: Very easy to take the tram. Just need to tap in and out (at the kiosk outside the station) with a credit card! Your journey will be charged via the distance you travelled. The penalty for not tapping in and out of the tram is a fine of AU$400!
Day 2
Have you ever tried a Wagyu flavoured toast bread? Well, check out Toasties, Darling Square if you are keen to try. The sweetness of the beef complimented the soft scrambled eggs and crusty bread surface. It was a match made in heaven… but AU$80 for 4 sets of toast bread is a bit pricey IMO.
Since yesterday, I noticed that the cost of food is much higher than in Singapore. E.g. an average bowl of fish noodles cost AU$10! Even a Mixue ice-cream here costs AU$2.50. That's 2.5x higher compared to Singapore! A stick of youtiao is AU$4.50.
After breakfast, my dad noticed a large crowd nearby and went to investigate. He came back smiling, wearing a pikachu yellow hat and excitedly explained that there was an exclusive Pokémon GO! City Safari event happening there right now. I have been playing Pokemon on and off for about 10 years… so I quickly joined the crowd to get the Pikachu hat!
From Darling Square, we headed to our main attraction for today, i.e. the infamous Thunderjets. Before getting into the boat, mom insisted that we wear double ponchos. Yes, we brought along our own yellow poncho and wore an extra purple poncho (provided by the tour operator) over it. Alas, double poncho would be useless.
Once the boat took off, my vision became blurry. It was like a bat out of hell. The speed boat spun around wildly and I had to hold on tightly to the handle to prevent myself from being flung out of the speed boat. As the speed boat went against the choppy waters, waves after waves of water splashed into the boat. It did not help that my family sat in the last row. The splashes were most intense in the last row. By the time we returned to harbour, all four of us were completely drenched. Wet socks and all. So much for the double ponchos. I expected my sister to be mad but was pleasantly surprised that she was a good sport about it. It was indeed fun. Dad saw a decathlon store on the way here and suggested we buy some slippers. That way, we don’t have to walk in our wet shoes back to our accommodation. It was the right choice as these slippers would come in handy when we visit the beaches in the next few days.
Pro tip: Do wear slippers and an extra set of clothes when taking Thunderjets. If you want to experience the full experience of the speed boat, take the last row!
After changing to a fresh set of clothes, we were ready to explore Sydney again. We returned to the Sydney Opera house. On the way, we had an early dinner again at Haymarket, but tonight was fish and chips at “Fish Chippery”. I enjoyed the night view as we walked back to Darling Harbour. The streets were not too crowded. There were Christmas lights hanging along the streets, accompanied with festive music and joyous laughter. We saw a giant xmas tree and a group of people singing xmas carol… it is beginning to look (and sound) a lot like Christmas… :)
After walking for a long time, we eventually stopped by a Cole’s super market on the way back to our hotel. We were in the mood for supper, so mom bought a roasted chicken, instant noodles and chips at half-price!
Pro tip: Food in Australia is a little pricey. Purchasing food after 8pm is sometimes sold at a discount, so delay your dinner a short while and get the discount, be it at a restaurant or grocery stores.
Day 3
Today’s itinerary was to visit Bondi beach. With the sun shining brightly, it was perfect.
Part of the plan was to experience all the modes of transport available. Yesterday we tried out the trams, so today we took the train to Bondi beach. Our hotel was conveniently located within a 5-mins walk to Central train station. Using Google Maps, we made our way there and looked for T2, platform 19.
First impression of the train station: classy. A dove top, wooden surfaces, a clock tower in the middle and man in suits walking down the halls. It felt like a page out of a Harry Potter book.
I like taking trains. The last train ride I had was in Sa pa, Vietnam. Old school but cool. But this was the first time I saw a double decker train. It was spacious and clean. The only flaw for me is that its cushion was the furry type, which could be itchy for people wearing shorts. Switching to the bus was easy. And within an hour we were at Bondi beach.
As we walked towards the beach, I could see why this was a popular tourist destination. The gentle waves were very inviting, and the sun gave a nice warm sensation. The brilliant blue sea water sparkled under the sunlight. On the beach, dozens of people were lying down suntanning. Dad and I brought our flip flops so we quickly changed and put our feet into the sea. For a 37 degree celsius (hot day!) sunny day, the water was ice cold. How could this happen, I don’t know and didn’t care. I just enjoyed the cool sensation as I waddled through the water. I then saw some life guards on duty and chatted with them. They shared how much Australians love this beach. They were also in the festive spirit, recommending us to visit the popular Hanuka festival down the beach.
Pro tip: Even when it is not sunny, the UV index in Australia is extremely high! It is important to apply sunscreen at all times and wear sun glasses if you can.
Our next stop was at DFO, Homebush. We spent about 2 hours here and bought some shoes and a discount. But, I would not recommend coming here. Its only 2 floors of shops and a bit underwhelming. Definitely better shopping options elsewhere. The main reason we came is because my dad’s cousin stays nearby. Uncle Kee would pick us up later and drive us to his favorite restaurant, i.e. the Oceanic View restaurant which specialises in Cantonese cuisine. After an enjoyable meal, he brought us to tour his home. It was a large landed property. Uncle Kee joked that a 4-room HDB flat in Singapore would cost even more.
On the way back to our hotel, Uncle Kee detoured to a neighbourhood where all the houses had elaborate Christmas decorations. Every house was covered in neon lights, signs with festive greetings. One even had a giant Santa Claus inflatable! Even the local fire department that was in the neighbourhood had transformed itself into a gingerbread house. What a treat!
Day 4
After 3 days of exploring the city, our next stop was a 2-night stay at a wine yard. My parents rented a car (Mazda 5 from AVIS) and began our 3-hour drive to Dryridge sunrise lodge. Once the car was out of the city area, things became quieter. The high rise buildings changed to single story houses spread out across large patches of grassland. Even the temperature felt cooler. It was a nice change of environment.
Along the way, my parents stopped by Scenic world. There we explored the terrain using a combination of cable car, and tram. From the cable car one sees breathtaking views of the valleys in Blue mountain, with a glimpse of the famous 3 sisters rock formation.
Additional fun facts:
At 270m above Jamison valley, scenic world cable car is the highest in Australia
Scenic world tram is the steepest in the world. Passengers can choose between 44° to 64° (really steep)!
Once the cable car transported us to the other side of the valley, there was a 2.4km hiking trail that led you to a lookout area where you can see the 3 sisters rock formation clearly. Scenic World also has another attraction, i.e. the Dinosaur park. Using a combination of animatronics and natural flora, it made visitors feel like you were walking with the dinosaurs. There were many ancient trees scattered, and I saw 2 gum trees that are 131 years old!
Our final pit-stop was a Woolworths supermarket in Megalong Valley, to buy groceries to tide us over the next 2 days. The final stretch leading to our accommodation was interesting. I saw several cattle, sheep and even a few Kangaroos. Eventually, we would see a house on the top of a hill, like the one shown in Ponyo. That was our accommodation, Sunrise Lodge.
My breath was taken away with the beauty of this place. Vast patches of greenery and undulating hills. Low hanging clouds covered the top of the hills. The sound of birds chirping and sheep bleating as they roamed around freely. My sweater flapped along the breezy winds as I breathed in the fresh air. It felt like I was living in a postcard.
While my mother and sister cooked up a scrumptious dinner, my father and I examined the fireplace and gathered firewood. It was my first experience starting a fire in a chimney. Our host had provided matches and some dry logs, so it was not difficult. Around this time, the sun set and the temperature dropped drastically. The fireplace’s dancing flames kept us warm as we began our dinner. I played some Christmas music that matched the mood and everything was perfect.
Even a little friend came to enjoy the fireplace...
Day 5
I woke up and saw an adult kangaroo eating grass right in front of our law. I quickly alerted my parents but they weren’t interested. So, I made a bowl of cereal and sat by the glass door to have breakfast with the majestic marsupial. Shiok.
Enjoying breakfast with a kangaroo
After my parents and sister woke up, we walked around the area surrounding the sunrise lodge. We entered the huge vineyard and saw how tiny the grapes were. Not yet ready for harvesting.
So many grapes!
Afterwards, we viewed the tallest waterfall in Blue Mountain at Govetts Leap Falls. Even though the path to the waterfall was under construction, we could still access a short path to enjoy it's beauty. We were lucky we went early. Because mere minutes after we returned to our car, rain began to fall and soon clouds engulfed the entire area, blocking any view of the waterfall. Many of the other visitors were disappointed.
We then returned to our accommodation and enjoyed the rest of the day in our comfortable house. Mom and sis prepared dinner earlier today, while dad and I explored the estate a bit more. After dinner, we had fun bonding over the fireplace after dinner…
Day 6
After a light breakfast, it was time to leave this beautiful valley.
My parents take great pride in keeping the accommodation as clean as when we first received it. As Dad and I took out the trash, we saw one of the estate caretakers, Mr. Mike. We chatted a bit and I learnt of the incredible back story of when sunrise lodge was built (12 years ago) and how the water is pumped from a central storage nearby and piped to the various nearby houses. The water here is also cleaner than Sydney city water because they have their own special filter. The grapes are harvested only once a year, around May. The sheep, cows, horses, kangaroos and wombats don't eat the grapes. But the birds do, and they have to start netting before the birds get to the grapes... And the adult Kangaroo I saw was one of 2 Alphas in the area... Mike was even able to tell me where each male's territory was... it was a short conversation but so fascinating. We thanked Mike for the great sharing and left for the airport. This stay made me more appreciative of nature and I enjoyed the peace and tranquillity. The drive back to Sydney Airport took about 2.5 hours.
Pro tip: If you are driving, factor in buffer time for refuel and also possibility of missing a turn. It happened to us! We took an extra 45 mins to reach the airport, but did not miss our flight.
End of Part 1
Chia Howie
17 December 2025
TLDR:
Part 1 of our trip to Australia, Sydney! Indulged in delicious Australian steak, witnessed jaw dropping sceneries and made friends with a few Aussies.
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