Australia Trip (November 2024)
- katherineduker
- Mar 4
- 27 min read
Museums, art, animals, GLOW WORMS, food, opals, sightseeing, and boating in the Land Down Under. This post highlights how we took advantage of my partner’s week-long “work trip”/international exchange to Canberra and Sydney to the fullest (while on a budget)! It’s a compilation of HOURS spent researching to make sure that we did everything we possibly could (considering costs) on such a condensed timeline; so if you’re planning a visit to Canberra and/or Sydney, save yourself some time and check out our itinerary to get inspiration for your own.
We had such a blast throughout the entire week and loved everything we did, but some activities were even more incredible and memorable than others; continue reading to learn about our adventures, places we saw and stayed, recommendations and things we learned, as well as other places in Australia that I would have LOVED to incorporate into our trip (if only it had been possible)!
Navigation
Quick Overview
Before describing our itinerary in depth, I’ll give a brief overview of our trip in as few words as possible. We arrived in Canberra around 11am on Sunday November 10th, then took a bus to Sydney on Wednesday afternoon, and left from Sydney early on Sunday November 18th. Some of our favorite places in Canberra were Questacon, the National Gallery of Australia, the National Sculpture Garden, the National Museum of Australia, the War Memorial, the National Botanic Gardens, and the National Zoo. And the highlights from the Sydney portion of our trip include Spice Alley, our Glow Worm excursion in the Blue Mountains, the Gillie and Marc (and other public) art around the city, nerding out at the Opal Museum, eating oysters at the Opera Bar, our boating adventure on the Sydney Harbour, and the Taronga Zoo.
In the following section, I describe our trip experiences in depth, focusing on the places we saw/went and activities we did – but I also tried to highlight particularly notable meals we had, fun things we learned, etc. As travelers, my partner and I try to find a balance between culture and nature when planning our itinerary; so while we were primarily restricted to more urban settings during this particular trip, we did our best to appreciate the natural beauty Australia had to offer (via zoos, gardens, and our nighttime excursion into the Blue Mountains to see glow worms). We spent so much time researching to plan an itinerary that reflected our priorities; and given the diversity of things we saw and did, I’m hoping this post inspires and helps save readers some time planning their own trip in the future!
Note: if you’re uninterested in the day to day details of our itinerary, you can skip ahead to the reviews and recommendations section.
Itinerary
Canberra | Canberra | Canberra | Canberra/Sydney | Sydney | Sydney | Sydney |
Sebel Hotel Canberra Campbell | Sebel Hotel Canberra Campbell | Sebel Hotel Canberra Campbell | Four Points by Sheraton Sydney Central Park | Four Points by Sheraton Sydney Central Park | Novotel Sydney City Centre | Novotel Sydney City Centre |
Arrive in Canberra ~11am - Lonsdale Street Shopping (Kin Gallery, The Hive, Pop Canberra) - Haig Park Village Market - National Museum of Australia - Australian War Memorial - Dinner at Wilma | Full Day in Canberra Together - Brekkie at The Cupping Room - Questacon - National Gallery of Australia and National Sculpture Garden - Lunch at The Duxton - The Australian National Botanic Gardens - Canberra Museum and Gallery - Dinner at Rebel Rebel | Katie's Full Day in Canberra - The Australian National Zoo and Aquarium (PLUS Tree Kangaroo Encounter) - The National Arboretum | Morning in Canberra then bus to Sydney - "Art walk" and window shopping (Particularly at Canberra Centre) - Lunch at The Pedlar - Chartered bus to Sydney (plus wildlife spotting) - Admiring Gillie and Marc's Tower of Love - Dinner at Spice Alley - Glow Worm Adventure in the Blue Mountains | Katie's Full Day in Sydney - "Art Walk" - Scope out mission: The Opal Museum - Exploring "The Rocks" and Circular Quay - The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, The Wishing Tree, and admiring the Sydney Opera House from afar | Half-ish Day in Sydney Together - The Opal Museum - The Sydney Tower Eye and Bar 83 - "The Rocks" and the Argyle Gallery - Sydney Opera House and oysters at the Opera Bar - The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and The Wishing Tree - The Art Park - Dinner at the Clam Bar | Full Day in Sydney Together - Brekkie at Rose Bay Social - Boating adventure with Explore Sydney Harbour - Taronga Zoo (and lunch) - Ferry back to Circular Quay - Dinner at Mr. Wong |
Transportation and Lodging
Starting in Atlanta, we connected in Dallas before making the long-haul flight to Sydney, where we hopped on a regional flight to Canberra, staying at The Sebel Canberra Campbell for the duration of our time in the city. We were lucky enough that most of our hotels were already booked for us as a part of the international exchange my partner was attending; but we did extend our trip by a day or two at the start and finish: thus we considered whether extending our stays at the same hotels was financially and logistically preferable. While we chose to stay the extra night in Canberra at the same hotel, we chose to save money by switching from the Four Points by Sheraton Sydney Central Park to Novotel Sydney City Centre once the exchange was formally over.
To get from Canberra to Sydney, we took a bus chartered by my partner's exchange coordinators (and got to see a wide range of wildlife: from wallabies to emus, koalas, kangaroos, and cockatoos)! We did not have a rental car on this trip, but we had no trouble using Neuron scooters or Uber to get around both cities.
Detailed Description of Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Canberra
Upon arrival in Canberra around 11am, we dropped our bags off at our hotel before turning around and heading shopping. We wandered Lonsdale Street after seeking out the Kin Gallery, stumbling across some great shops like The Hive and Pop Canberra, before making our way up to Haig Park for the Village Market. The market was a fabulous mix of fresh produce, food trucks, artisanal food and drinks, and locally-made arts & crafts. We were thrilled to walk away with a gorgeous handmade lace top from a local artist as well as some DELICIOUS fruit/herb infused gin and vodka.
Once we wrapped up at the market, we ventured over to the National Museum of Australia, where we were awestruck by the incredible curation of art and artifacts depicting the fascinating history of the country geologically, ecologically, and anthropologically. Each exhibit was so beautifully designed that it was sometimes difficult to remember that it wasn’t “just an art gallery.” We could have spent twice as long there if we had thoroughly read every informational plaque; but as our first major stop, we wanted to make sure we had sufficient time to see/do as much as we possibly could in the short period we had. Yet, despite not giving it the time it deserved to fully appreciate, we both felt that the educational and aesthetic value of the museum made it an absolute MUST DO when in Canberra!
We wrapped up the day’s activities by taking a scooter up the Anzac Parade, stopping to admire the various war monuments along the way to the Australian War Memorial. A spectacular tribute to those who have served, the memorial was architecturally stunning and housed an impressive and educational display of artifacts examining the history of service in Australia. We were so excited to discover that every evening from 4:30-5pm, there is a “Last Post Service,” or a wreath laying ceremony dedicated to a fallen soldier for the public to observe (which they also record and share daily on YouTube). Finally, we closed out our first amazing day in Australia with a delightful dinner at Wilma.
Day 2: Canberra
We knew from our research ahead of time that a LOT of things in Canberra are closed on Mondays, but we still found a VERY full day’s worth of fun activities! Our morning began with an absolutely delicious breakfast at The Cupping Room, where I had the BEST avocado toast I’ve had in a long time.
From there, we made our way to Questacon (as it was the first to open that morning), where we had the best time observing and playing with science displayed in the most fun, interactive, and beautiful ways. While definitely designed for “families”, we thoroughly enjoyed our time as childless 30-somethings (who also happen to be scientists by training) and would recommend the museum to people of all ages and abilities. Even with our science backgrounds, we learned new things and saw things we had learned demonstrated in the most novel ways! We also joked that some of the interactive exhibits would be great training for the show “Survivor.” I can tell how genuinely engaged we both were the entire time by my (relative) lack of photos. While it isn’t free, it was certainly affordable and absolutely worth it – we would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Canberra!
Once tuckered out by Questacon, we slowly meandered our way to the National Gallery of Australia and Sculpture Garden. I couldn’t contain my excitement when I discovered that the National Gallery was known to house work by Yayoi Kusama, one of my all time favorite artists; specifically, one of her famous “infinity rooms” (or so I thought). But unfortunately, I can’t even begin to describe the disappointment I felt when I realized our visit fell between two of Yayoi Kusama’s immersive exhibits*. BUT I am very happy that I wasn’t left “completely empty handed” as I did get to see a silver Yayoi Kusama pumpkin during our visit to the National Gallery.
*This crushing blow was only exacerbated when I discovered that we were going to miss the INCREDIBLE Sculptures by the Sea exhibition in Sydney by about a week, and was compounded by the realization that Sydney Studio and Art Gallery of Gillie and Marc (an artistic duo that also happens to be one of my all-time favorites) was too far away for us to realistically visit – and open by appointment only, as well.
The rest of the gallery certainly was FAR from disappointing, however! In fact, the rest of the massive venue surpassed my expectations so much that my delight far exceeded my level of disappointment. The expansive gallery was so impressively curated with art running the gamut from aboriginal pottery to antique Tiffany lamps to modern fashion; with such diversity, there is something for anyone of any age/background to admire. The gallery has so much to offer, one could truly spend multiple days visiting for several hours in order to fully appreciate everything. The vast array of fantastic exhibits is so diverse that it’s hard for me to describe everything I loved about this gallery succinctly; but in fewer words: it was one of my favorite places we went during our entire trip.
The grounds surrounding the gallery compose the National Sculpture Garden, which also offers a diverse assortment of large-scale sculptures; the assortment contains everything from hyper-realistic stone to symbolic wood to whimsical metal to monumental interactive sculptures. The most impressive installations in the garden were highlighted with water features, including the immersive “Within without” by James Turrell and “Ouroboros” by Lindy Lee. If you’re a very serious art aficionado and want to be SURE you don’t miss any of the incredible art that’s on display in either the gallery or gardens, the National Gallery of Australia’s website has an extremely comprehensive database for the public to search!
Once we were sufficiently overloaded with sensory stimuli, we headed to The Duxton for lunch before checking out the Australian National Botanic Gardens –where we were graced with a glorious show of both flora and fauna! At first we were so captivated by the floral blooms we were lucky enough to see (thanks to the timing of our trip) that we didn’t even notice half of the wildlife that was present: lizards; they were everywhere, and as masters of disguise, there were probably MANY more than we actually spotted. While the timing was fantastic for the floral blooms near the entrance, we were bummed to have missed the blooming of the giant Corpse Flower by only a month or two; although, I think our noses are grateful for that. Unfortunately, our visit had to be cut short due to poor shoe choices and sore feet, but what little we did see was beautiful and absolutely worth spending the time to admire – we would both recommend visiting for any window of time you find available!
We wrapped up our day with a quick visit to the Canberra Museum and Gallery before enjoying dinner at Rebel Rebel. The museum is rather small, but was certainly interesting; and unfortunately the hours aren’t the MOST convenient, but if it happens to be open when you have a small gap in your itinerary, it’s definitely worth checking out!
Day 3: Canberra
Tuesday morning, my partner’s itinerary for his international exchange commenced, so I was mostly on my own for activities for the next few days. Bummed that I wouldn’t be able to share the experiences with my partner but not wanting to squander any opportunities, I did my best to maximize my experience while maintaining a “starving artist’s budget.” That said, I did splurge on one activity that was so extraordinary I would pay to do it again and 1000% recommend it to everyone: an animal encounter at The National Zoo and Aquarium.
I got to the zoo that morning just before opening because I couldn’t contain my excitement for the experience and was hyperfocused on ensuring I was on time. And honestly… hands down one of the coolest things I’ve EVER done (not just on our trip) was meet, pet, and feed an endangered tree kangaroo named Simbu. I learned SO much from his keeper and was nerding out and/or mesmerized the entire time. There are only 2 spots available around 10:30am each day, so be sure to reserve a spot online in advance of your trip – the tree kangaroo encounter was worth every penny and I would 100% recommend it to anyone planning a visit!
While I personally chose the tree kangaroo encounter, there are several other animal encounters to choose from as well (including meerkats, cheetahs, etc.). And while the cost of the experience isn’t cheap (and doesn’t include your ticket to the zoo itself), it feels good to know that your money is going towards critical conservation efforts in which the zoo has invested; in addition to being one of the most memorable experiences you could imagine.
After my time with Simbu ended, I retraced the steps I had taken through the zoo to get to the tree kangaroo enclosure, taking the time to enthusiastically observe and learn about as many of the animals as possible, making several “laps” to make sure I didn’t miss any (and desperately trying to find the red panda). As an artist, I focused a lot of my time on trying to photograph specifically Australian animal species (i.e., koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, Tasmanian devils, wombats, etc.) as potential reference photos for future paintings; but as an animal-loving nerd, I potentially spent even MORE time in the area where you could interact with the kangaroos and wallabies! Having gone early on a random Tuesday morning, the zoo was relatively “dead” in terms of other visitors, and I found myself alone with the kangaroos and wallabies for probably more than an hour, which was such a surreal experience. I was actually quite wary about even approaching them at first, because I didn’t even see a zookeeper for the first half hour. But chilling out within arms reach of such docile and fascinating creatures was also a memory for the record books. While i personally prioritized seeing Australian animals in particular, I still spent over an hour admiring the MANY other species from around the world in their extraordinary exhibits. Regardless of your age or background, I would VERY highly recommend making sure to add the National Zoo and Aquarium to your Canberra itinerary – it’s an unparalleled experience you will never forget or regret!
Once I had my fill of the zoo (after approximately 4.5 hours), I wanted to explore the nearby National Arboretum. However, in an effort to save money, I poorly chose to attempt to walk from the zoo to the arboretum, following a route on Google Maps that APPEARED like a road, but was unequivocally NOT, resulting in an unintentional hike through tall grass riddled with “beware of snakes” signs… Needless to say, I was quite tired from high-knee trail running (to avoid potential snakes) and didn’t spend much time at the arboretum, but what I did see was quite pretty! However, I was also thoroughly disappointed to discover that the “National Rock Garden” (one of my main reasons for visiting) was “under construction” – despite the rocks being there and the walkway looking perfectly fine.
Day 4: Canberra --> Sydney
I began our last morning in Canberra with breakfast at Teddy Pickers followed by a bit of public art admiring and window shopping. I don’t know if this is statistically true or was simply a strong impression I got, but it SEEMS like there’s an unusually high density of public art – particularly sculptures – in Canberra; which made my goal of seeking out public artworks to admire quite easy! During my “art walk”, I couldn’t help but do some window shopping, especially once I came across Canberra Centre. This would likely shock anyone who knows me well (as I’m known for my bizarre sense of style, to put it politely), but I think it was during my research for the trip that I began to appreciate Australian fashion, and this window shopping excursion really solidified my admiration of their ability to aesthetically combine comfort with sustainability.
Once I was able to pry myself away (proudly, but possibly regretfully, without spending anything), I met up with my partner and his cohort for lunch before we took a chartered bus to our new hotel in Sydney. While most people napped, tuned out with headphones, etc., I was actively sitting forward in my seat and laser-focused on the wildlife I could identify from my window. As surprisingly draining as this was for about 3.5 hours, I am SO glad that I spent the time and energy or I would have missed wallabies/kangaroos, an emu, possibly a koala, and a flock of cockatoos! At some point during the drive, one of my partner’s colleagues made the A+ recommendation to check out Spice Alley in Sydney before getting picked up for our epic GLOW WORM ADVENTURE IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS.
As previously alluded, one of the best recommendations we got in Sydney was to check out Spice Alley for a quick bite to eat after checking into our hotel. This was by far the most impressive “food court” either of us had ever seen: the immersive decor and bustling environment truly made us feel like we were eating at an Asian street market. We both got something from different vendors but LOVED the food equally as much as the aesthetic. I was genuinely blown away by what an incredible job their design team did; the only thing that possibly rivaled it was the delicious array of food they also had to offer – there were so many options and everything was SO good, we would honestly recommend it to tourists and locals alike!
Before we ate, we made a quick stop to admire the work of my favorite artistic duo, Gillie and Marc. While the distance from their gallery was one of the contributing factors for why I (sadly) didn’t see it, we completely lucked out in that one of their public sculptures that I was most excited to see, the “Tower of Love”, was less than a block from our hotel! Not only do I adore how the whimsical nature of their designs are contrasted by the heavy bronze medium, but I LOVE the meaning and messages behind them (side note: following their social media has made their mission even more clear and inspiring).
After dinner, we waited to get picked up for our Blue Mountains Hiking Glow Worms Cave Wildlife Spotlighting Night Adventure! For those that are new and don’t know me, I am obsessed with glow worms and cannot rave about them enough; but since I’ve already written an ENTIRE BLOG POST dedicated to them, I’ll try to keep it brief here…
After developing a mutual fascination with glow worms in New Zealand in December 2023, and being fortunate enough to get the opportunity to experience the Dismalites at Dismals Canyon in Alabama in September 2024, we knew we HAD to make sure to see them on our trip to Australia as well. Unsure of exactly what to expect this time, we were thrilled to hear our guide’s guarantee that we 100% would see glow worms and he definitely did not disappoint – we were graced with the most ethereal show of glow worms up-close and personal; they truly looked like stars lighting up the night sky. We loved getting the chance to see them up close in ways we were only able to see them previously via photos. In this environment, our guide was able to show us in detail everything we remembered learning/hearing in NZ but hadn’t been able to see yet for ourselves. The hike to and from the viewing site was much easier (and fun) than anticipated, however, it’s important to note that it was wet and would likely have been somewhat challenging for someone with ambulatory issues.
Day 5: Sydney
The next morning began my first full-day in Sydney and final day of the trip to “entertain myself” while my partner did his professional development activities. After grabbing breakfast at the hotel, I decided to follow George Street in the direction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House; with plans to detour for the Queen Victoria Building and Aboriginal Art Galleries, a Gillie and Marc sculpture, as well as a “scope out mission” of the Opal Museum (to determine whether it was something I thought my partner would enjoy visiting the following day).
I spent the majority of the morning and early afternoon wandering “The Rocks” area of Sydney. It doesn’t take long to see exactly why this area has the nickname it does, as there are signs of the city being literally built into/with the rock everywhere you turn. Not only did I adore the natural aesthetic of the pops of greenery and giant boulders, but the area was riddled with relics of English colonialism (e.g., a stereotypical red British telephone booth and postbox) and public art – sometimes in the most subtle forms, like a water feature down some stairs. I don’t know what stopped me from entering the little museum about this area of the city (I’m not sure if I was worried about “wasting valuable time” or what), but it is one thing I regret as I believe this area is known to have quite an interesting history!
After stopping for a quick drink and bite to eat at Endeavor Tap Rooms, I met up with another spouse who was also tagging along on the international exchange at an “intensely named sculpture” (i.e., “Memory is Creation Without End”) on our way to the Royal Botanic Gardens of Sydney.
In a previous post, I wrote about how I’ve started my own “tradition” of finding obscure trees – particularly ones that have been designated as local “landmarks” – in as many destinations as possible. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it to the “Lyons Blue Tree” in Canberra, as I’d hoped; but I’m still happy I found “The Wishing Tree” in the Royal Botanical Gardens in Sydney!
When it came to the directions on how to interact with the tree, we weren't 100% sure whether “reverse” meant physically walking backwards or simply reversing direction: so we did both at the same time, just to be safe. I can only imagine what thoughts were running through the heads of any onlookers…
We meandered the gardens a bit and were particularly captivated by all the birds – especially this one kookaburra that allowed us to get quite close (while maintaining a respectful distance, of course). We then admired the Sydney Opera House from afar, knowing we both had plans to visit up close the next day with our partners, before we met up with them for pizza at Andiamo Trattoria Chippendale followed by rooftop drinks at the Abercrombie Hotel.
Day 6: Sydney
Unfortunately, my partner had some work he needed to finish up on Friday morning, so we got a delayed start to the day, but we certainly made the most of the time we had. Our first stop was the Opal Museum, which, after being sure to scope it out the day before, I was thrilled to see my partner enjoy even more than I had anticipated! Side note: my obsession with rocks and gems appears to have rubbed off on him – and I am so proud. The name is a tiny bit misleading, as it is primarily a jewelry store, BUT The Opal Museum did have an insanely cool variety of opalized fossil specimens and a few little fun dinosaur model and fossil “exhibits” (that my inner child LOVED but ADHD brain mostly forgot to take pictures of). We learned SO much about opals, including their formation process and mining history in Australia – it was truly fascinating!
After visiting the CN Tower in Toronto and the Sky Tower in Auckland in 2023, we made sure to check out the Sydney Tower Eye, just a few blocks from The Opal Museum, to enjoy a drink at Bar 83 while taking in the beautiful 360° view of the city! Our seats had an incredible bird’s-eye view of the Sydney Harbour, perfectly centered over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. While a lovely place to relax and admire the city, we found it a bit odd that the observation deck and the bar (with essentially the same views) were run by entirely separate companies, even using separate elevators; so don’t immediately buy a ticket if you find one of the elevators assuming that you can go between them from the top!
Afterwards, we retraced my steps from the day before a bit and did some more exploring of “The Rocks” together. While we enjoyed wandering around the shops, especially the Spirit Gallery – Aboriginal Art and Didgeridoos, due to the proximity of “The Rocks” to a major cruise port, we personally found a lot of things in the area were a bit overpriced. But the highlight of this little excursion was finding the Argyle Gallery, where we found the cutest (and affordably priced) bronze cast wombat and platypus, which we got to match the bronze cast kiwis we got in New Zealand.
From there we made the short walk to the Sydney Opera House and took in the view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Another sage piece of advice we received from someone was to try the oysters at the Opera Bar at the Sydney Opera House. As shellfish-lover who grew up in a coastal New England Town, I can attest to the fact that the oysters were quite good!
We were shocked by the basically empty shots we were able to get of each other (as opposed to being overrun with other tourists), but that was likely due to the downpour of rain that occurred while we were enjoying our oysters inside the Opera Bar. So if you’re planning a visit to Sydney and have a rainy day in the forecast, that could be your ideal opportunity to check out the Opera House without all the crowds.
Side note: If you DO check out the Opera Bar and choose to sit outside, make sure to keep your eyes out for the aggressive seagulls (because they WILL steal your food if they can). And dog lovers: look for the seagull patrol dogs; I thought my partner was kidding when he initially told me about them!
Once we were done admiring the Opera House, we decided to venture to The Art Park via the Royal Botanical Gardens (and making another stop at The Wishing Tree along the way). Although we saw several lovely sculptures along the docks that constitute The Art Park, we struggled to find many of the pieces we had seen online and were looking forward to. And unfortunately sore feet struck again, cutting our visit a bit short once more. Finally, we closed out our Friday in Sydney with a delightful dinner at The Clam Bar.
Day 7: Sydney
We got an early start to our last full-day in Australia, heading to Rose Bay for our boat tour of the Sydney Harbour around 7:30am. Before heading out on the water, we stopped to grab a bite to eat at Rose Bay Social. After filling up on some delicious avocado and hummus toast, we made our way over to the dock to meet the guide for our boating adventure with Explore Sydney Harbour!
We couldn’t possibly have had a better time exploring the Sydney Harbour in such a unique way; it was unbelievably fun to drive ourselves around in a 2-seater speedboat and get to see parts of Sydney we otherwise wouldn’t have been able to check out and gawk at the most iconic landmarks in Sydney from perspectives that most people don’t get the chance to see. We even were lucky enough to get to watch a seaplane take off and land!
Our guide, Dirk, was wonderful – even providing us with a “dry bag” for our belongings and capturing some fantastic photos of our adventure. We can’t emphasize enough precisely how much we enjoyed and would recommend this activity – we literally kept repeating the whole time that “this is definitely the BEST way to see Sydney!” If you have a small enough group and can fit it into your itinerary, we both would consider this a MUST DO when visiting Sydney.
No boating license? Not a problem: apparently, you can legally drive a boat around the harbour without a license as long as you stay under a specified speed. I think watching my partner drive our 2-person speedboat around the Harbour is genuinely the happiest I have EVER seen him in the 4.5 years we’ve been together. It was truly an experience of a lifetime and worth every penny!
After wrapping up our boating adventure, we took an Uber to the Taronga Zoo. I’m not sure if it is fair to compare the crowds between the National Zoo and the Taronga Zoo because I have a feeling Tuesday mornings are always calm compared to Saturday afternoons, but there were significantly more people at the Taronga Zoo, sometimes making it difficult to navigate and certainly making the animals that could be interacted with (kangaroos, wallabies, emus, etc.) more timid. So although there were similar enclosures to those at the National Zoo in which the animals were free to mingle amongst the public, unfortunately the crowds them significantly less engaging at the Taronga Zoo. However, like the National Zoo, if you plan ahead, you can purchase a ticket for an animal encounter; and, although I didn’t do my experience at the Taronga Zoo, I would still VERY highly recommend it if you can!
Regardless of the crowds, the entire zoo was quite impressive – even the view of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge when you first enter. Like when I was at the National Zoo, we prioritized finding the animals native to Australia, especially the Tasmanian Devil, but we had such an incredible time observing and learning about as many of the huge number of species at the zoo as possible. The personal highlights for me were seeing a red panda actually being active for the first time, a very active Tasmanian Devil and platypus, and a mama kangaroo with a joey in her pouch! When we were done, we saved money on an Uber by taking the ferry across the Harbour back to Circular Quay – where we took advantage of our last chance to imitate one of our favorite movies (Anyone But You) and “Titanic-ed” in the front of the boat.
Despite having a little bit of free time before our dinner at Mr. Wong, we agreed that between our boating adventure and the zoo we were too wiped out to do anything but take a quick rest at our hotel. We both desperately wanted to maximize our time in Sydney to the fullest and maybe see another museum, but on top of being mentally and emotionally exhausted, both of our feet were killing us so we knew we couldn’t handle walking TO, let alone walking AROUND, another museum. Plus, by cutting off our activities when we did, we made SURE that we ended our trip on a high note!
Reviews/Highlights
Trip Highlights
Although we would consider everything we did and saw worthwhile, and wouldn't recommend against anything, I think it's fair to say that the following list incorporates our favorite and most memorable experiences from our 7-day trip to Canberra and Sydney!
Must Do Activities:
Visit a zoo (and add an animal encounter, if possible!)
Travel to the Blue Mountains to see the glow worms
Boat tour of the Sydney Harbour
Must See:
National Museum of Australia
Australia War Memorial
Questacon
National Gallery of Australia and the National Sculpture Garden
The Sydney Harbour (including the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House)
With so many of the museums, galleries, and gardens free to the public in Canberra and Sydney, it was easy to maintain a budget when planning our itinerary. However, there were three activities that we “splurged” on (to varying degrees) that we would 100% recommend budgeting for and adding to your itinerary: (1) finding glow worms in the Blue Mountains, (2) boat tour of the Sydney Harbour, and (3) an “animal encounter” at one of Australia’s zoos!
Blue Mountains Glow Worm Excursion
Our excursion into the Blue Mountains to see the glow worms was easily one of the greatest experiences of our lives. After developing a mutual fascination with glow worms in New Zealand (December 2023), and being fortunate enough to get the opportunity to experience the Dismalites at Dismals Canyon in Alabama (September 2024), we knew we HAD to make sure to see them on our trip to Australia as well; and the Blue Mountains Hiking Glow worms Cave Wildlife Spotlighting Night Adventure was absolutely perfect. Despite dedicating an entire post detailing all three of our experiences, I genuinely cannot rave about glow worms highly enough – if you are able to work it into your itinerary, I cannot emphasize enough how strongly I recommend a glow worm tour in the Blue Mountains!
Explore Sydney Harbour Boat Tour
If I had to pick the time I’ve ever seen my partner the happiest, it would definitely be during our tour of the Sydney Harbour driving a 2-person speedboat with Explore Sydney Harbour! Viewing some of the most iconic landmarks in Sydney (from unique perspectives) as well as parts of the city we otherwise would have missed in the most fun way possible: if I could only recommend one of our favorite activities in Australia, this would be it. The adventure offers the most epic way to see Sydney and is something we would both consider a MUST DO if visiting the city!
Zoo Experiences
I was fortunate enough to get to see both the National Zoo & Aquarium and the Taronga Zoo during our trip, and while many (but not all) of the same animals could be found, the experiences were quite different but equally amazing in their own way.
1) The National Zoo & Aquarium in Canberra: while I might be a bit biased towards loving this zoo slightly more because of my mindblowing tree kangaroo encounter, both zoos have similar wildlife encounters available to add to your experience! And despite some reviews mentioning that fewer species could be found (relative to the Taronga Zoo), I strongly believe that the smaller crowds at the National Zoo made the animals in the interactive areas (with the kangaroos, wallabies, emus, etc.) significantly more relaxed and inquisitive.
2) The Taronga Zoo: as mentioned above, there was a wider range of animals (including more nocturnal species, such as a platypus) that could be admired compared to the National Zoo and Aquarium; and included several interactive areas to explore (compared to the singular one at the National Zoo)! However, perhaps because I went to the zoo in Canberra on a Tuesday morning, as opposed to a Saturday afternoon in Sydney, there were MUCH larger crowds at the Taronga Zoo – which may have led the animals in the interactive exhibits to be more cautious and timid.
The opportunities to get up close and personal with the animals at the National Zoo and Aquarium in Canberra were (by FAR) one of the coolest things about the zoo; and I’d go as far as saying it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done (particularly because of the Tree Kangaroo Encounter– for which I did pay extra, but went to a good cause and was worth every penny)! If you have the time/opportunity/etc. to add an “animal encounter” to your experience at (either the Taronga Zoo and/or) the Australian National Zoo and Aquarium, I would 100% recommend that you do it – if I didn’t recognize how limited (in terms of numbers of available slots per day, timing, etc.) the opportunity can be, I’d consider it a “must do” activity when visiting Australia! All in all, both experiences were absolutely worth every penny, and I’d recommend either (or both) to anyone visiting Canberra and/or Sydney.
Personal Recommendations
Things We Learned
Like on our trip to New Zealand, we needed to download an app and apply for travel visas – but fortunately we remembered to look that up ahead of arriving at the airport this time! If traveling from the United States, the application process was extremely easy, simply requiring an app download and/or online application as well as a small fee (A$20).
While people use eSIMs via their cellular provider when traveling abroad, this is not always the most economical option. Personally, to communicate when my partner and I travel, we share his mobile hotspot and purchase data plans by the GB.
Different countries, and even different cities within the same country, use different ride-sharing apps; and while there were several other options that were less familiar to us, we found Uber and Neuron to be sufficient for our transportation needs around Canberra and Sydney.
Packing
When considering the following information, it is critical to remember Australia is such a massive country that it qualifies as a continent, and thus the climate varies widely depending on what geographic region you’re visiting (as well as the time of year of your trip). My recommendations are based entirely on my experience visiting Canberra and Sydney for one week in mid-November. What to pack is also highly dependent upon the activities included in your itinerary; for example, my partner needed to bring business clothes for several days of events for his international exchange as well as hiking attire for our glow worm excursion in the Blue Mountains.
Fortunately, I learned my lesson in New Zealand and knew that the end of Spring/start of Summer would likely be chillier than I anticipated, even though I was tempted to pack mostly lighter clothes for warmer weather. Most days, I found myself comfortable wearing jeans, a tank top under a light sweater, a light jacket, slip on sneakers, and sometimes a light scarf. Specifically, for our seven day trip I packed:
Vuori tracksuit (for travel days)
5 tank tops/light tshirts
one turtleneck
3 light sweaters
one pair of jeans
a pair of warm leggings
one dress
an athletic top
one pair of athletic/hiking pants
a pair of slip on sneakers
a pair of Hiking boots and socks (for our glow worm excursion)
a light jacket
a light waterproof jacket
a medium-weight waterproof windbreaker
an infinity scarf and a square neck-scarf
a day bag
Travel checklist
Visa
International data/phone plan
Reservations for important activities and meals
appropriate clothing (including weather/activity suitable accessories, such as raincoats and hiking boots)
International (or AUS-specific) adapter for charging electronics
Portable batteries and chargers for electronics
Toiletries (including sunscreen)
Things I’m Bummed I Didn’t Get To See
These are places either in (a) Canberra/Sydney but couldn’t be worked into our schedule or (b) somewhere else in Australia (and were thus infeasible to visit during our trip). Please note: while I was variably disappointed to miss all that I’ve listed below, I cannot personally recommend how highly they be prioritized if you decide you add them to your own itinerary. However, I still wanted to share in case it inspires someone else; if any of these “speak to you” and you get the chance to check any of these out (or have been before), please report back afterwards and tell me how it went!
The National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne)
An interactive/immersive Yayoi Kusama exhibit
The Sydney Zoo (Eastern Creek)
Explore an exhibit at Carriageworks, the Australian Museum, or the Museum of Contemporary Art (Sydney)
Sculptures by the Sea (Sydney)
Enjoy even more Gillie and Marc sculptures and ESPECIALLY the Gillie and Marc Art Gallery (Sydney)
The Lyons Blue Tree (Canberra)
The Erko Street Tree (Sydney)
Gibraltar Falls (outside Canberra)
Red Hill Lookout (Canberra)
Mount Ainslie (Canberra)
Geoscience Australia (Canberra)
See the murals at Bondi Beach (Sydney)
The Figure 8 Pools (outside Sydney)
Jenolan Caves (outside Sydney)
Painted Cliffs (Tasmania)
MONA (Tasmania)
Learn about local history at the Old Melbourne Gaol (Melbourne)
Pt. Leo Sculpture Park (Melbourne)
The LUME (Melbourne)
ArtVo (Melbourne)
Admire the street art along Hosier Lane (Melbourne)
Bombo Headland Geological Site (Bombo)
The Sea Cliff Bridge (Clifton)
The Japanese Garden (Auburn)
The d'Arenberg Cube (McLaren Vale)
Gawk at the Crystal Castle & Shambhala Gardens (Montecollum)
Explore the Natural Bridge and potential GLOW WORM viewing site (outside the City of Gold Coast)
The Cathedral Fig Tree (Danbulla)
Wander the Cairns Botanic Gardens (Edge Hill)
The Boab Prison Tree (Derby)
Swim in Karijini National Park (Karijini)
Monkey Mia Conservation Park Visitor Centre (Monkey Mia)
Australia is such a massive and environmentally diverse country with an endless list of things to offer; my list is far from comprehensive, HARDLY scratches the surface of what’s out there, and likely doesn’t include some of the best things the country has to offer. However, I wanted to mention a few places (which I passively stumbled across while doing travel research over time) on the chance that someone sees it and is inspired to visit (and ideally report back on how it was – with photos)!
*It is crucial to note that having no personal experience visiting these places and means that I cannot personally "vouch for" or “recommend” them – especially compared to other places/activities in the area.*
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