It’s been 2 years and more living in Sydney. One of the great things of living in one place for long is that you can familiarise yourself with the region, surrounded by places you like. You can’t take a place with you, so when you move to new city, you will need explorations and trials until you find ‘your place’ there.
What I learnt about my self is, I am a type of person who get influenced by the environment a lot. So one of the biggest self-retreatment for me is to locate myself in a place I like. Certainly, some place has its own atmosphere that induce certain emotions and energy, just like meeting people. I befriend with those places and visit there, just like friendship.
Finally becoming to have ideas of ‘where to go when’ in Sydney is therefore means a lot to me; actually one of the nicest achievement in 2018. It added depth and taste to my life in Sydney.
So here are the places that I want to share:
1. Carriageworks & Redfern area
https://goo.gl/maps/7JuLAuYxWa92
http://carriageworks.com.au
Sydney.come explains, “Carriageworks is the larget(5,000 square meters) most significant contemporary multi-arts centre of its kind in Australia”. When I feel like exposing myself to large-scale immersive art exhibition, Carriageworks has been always a good option. I went two exhibitions in Carriageworks and both were very impressive and enchanting.(Nick Cave — Until & Katharina Gorsse — The Horse Trotted Another Couple of Meters, Then It Stopped)
This place historically used to be a railyards as you could guess from the word ‘Carriage’ that contains the history of Australia’s major rail connection (wikipedia).
Near Carriageworks, there are also nice cafes that will make your visiting pleasant and fulfilling.
2. Black Star Pastry & Newtown area
If you like quirky, creative, buzzing, arty vibe, newtown is the place for you. It has vibrant local shops & restaurants with full diversity all around the world. I love shopping accessories or small households there. Different alley leads me to different experiences.
Please do not miss water melon cake in Black Start Pastry. Usually I don’t like sweeties, but their watermelon cake is far beyond ‘just sweet-stuff’.
3. Glebe market
https://goo.gl/maps/ZYEACGxhJvt
Glebe market describe themselves as ‘Cultrue on Fringe’ and I couldn’t agree more with that. I’ve tried few Saturday markets and Glebe market turns out to be my favorite so far. It has cool, chaotic, laid back bohemian atmosphere. Its massive variety of crafts and second hand clothes gives me a great alternatives to Sydney’s expensive product costs. I love ‘digging and hunting’ rare gems in there.
4. Chippendale & Spicy Alley
Chippendale’s keyword is ‘free walking art tour’. Since its inception in 2010, the Chippendale Creative Precinct (CCP), which has rebranded to Destination Chippendale, has operated as a non-profit organisation with the primary goal of promoting the Chippendale area in Sydney’s inner suburbs as a vibrant, innovative and thriving creative hub (source: https://www.art-almanac.com.au/explore-chippendale-free-gallery-walking-tour/).
You will meet many nice free galleries there, but my favorite gallery in Chippendale is “White Rabbit Gallery — Chinese contemporary art gallery”.
It has great aesthetic balance between urban nature and city transformation so you will enjoy walking around.Plus Chippendale is a culinary scene of Sydney, so there are so many cafes that I would love to try & already in love with. (Brickfields, Something for Jess, etc..)
What makes Chippendale fun is its hidden food court “Spice Alley”, where you can have street-food style asian foods with friends and also have your own drinks that you brought.
5. Pitt water
Pitt water is a perfect place for weekend getaway, only 20 mins drive away from Sydney city yet still gives you absolute getaway feeling, locating in long lining coastal area.
Palm beach is the best place to do a track walk all the way up to light house to see its iconic view, and walk back to dine near water with sunset after. If you want to be unwinded being away from the crowd, Lovett bay is my recommendation. The beautiful wild life and harmonious life style is very distintive and remarkable so there are such books like ‘A Life on Pittwater — Susan Duncan’.
This place is so tranquil and unreal so I’m still hesitating to share it! One of my dream is, one day, build a house in Pitt water area in my late years.
6. Wollongong Light house & Kiosk cafe
I love Wollongong! Wollongong was the first suburb that I visited in Australia, back in 2008 when I came to Australia for the first time. I went to Wollongong Univ as an exchange student and at that time, Wollongong was all & every part of Australia to me since I had zero mobility back then.
After, I’ve travelled to many other places in Australia, but I still find Wollongong is the best. I truly feel lucky that I met my husband there and we could makes so many beautiful memories together. Wollongong’s sun and breeze brought so many magical things, inspiring me to learn swimming, surfing, loving and finally enticing me to marry with current husband and move to Australia. It thoroughly changed my life forever and I will be forever thankful to Wollongong.
Apart from all the personal stories, Wollongong’s light house is somewhere that all people would definitely love to visit, especially in the moon night. The moon light reflecting ocean is breathtakingly beautiful and romantic. Believe me ;)
Having morning coffee in Kiosk cafe, facing the end-less ocean gives you a pure fresh feeling. So does other many local cafes in Wollongong, too. :)
On the way to Wollongong, you must stop at Stawell Park, which is the one of the greatest coastal sites for hang-gliding. You will see broadest and grandest blue ocean from the look-out point.
And more than above, my best recommendation is the scarborough hotel, the most scenic and beautiful cafe/restaurant in Australia.
If you are still feeling new to Sydney and want to find ‘your place’, I recommend above places. Surrounded by the place that you like can inspires you, comfort you, and unwind you, exactly like what good friend does. I hope these place will lighten your Sydney life! :)
Love,
Yoona
03012019. Yoona Cho
urhere87@gmail.com