Posts Tagged ‘what to do in Sydney’

The Hunters Hill Hotel… not really a local as it’s a bit more commercial and frequented by plenty of people who have traveled to this well known sports pub.

Recently renovated, it has a great kitchen that pumps out up-market pub grub all day, and huge screens for the folks who come to watch whatever live sport is on.

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For a hotel to not only survive but to thrive when it’s located in a quiet side street, out of site from the main road, says that this local is doing something right.

The 3 Weeds at Rozelle started its life in 1881 as the Rose, Shamrock & Thistle but it was always known as the 3 Weeds. This local icon has a great selection of beers on tap as well as both fine dining and a bistro offering both contemporary and traditional pub food.

Cathedral ceilings, a sandstone fireplace and traditional pub meals… top spot!

 

 

There’s a number of well known pubs in The Rocks that are the tourist “go to” pubs – The Orient down in the guts of the Rocks on George St, The Glenmore with its beautiful rooftop views of the harbour, The Fortune of War with its gorgeous original overhead bar…

But none of these are anything like a Local.

Harts, on the other hand, is a bit away from the rest of the Rocks.
Settle in and enjoy a Local Brew from the , listen to some great music in a lovely little beer garden… just watch your head as you walk up the back steps… don’t bang your head on the low hanging branch of the tree at the top of the stairs as you walk in from the street!

We went for a walk around the area and deliberately picked streets we’d never walked before. We tripped over some interesting excavations in Windmill St, walked through what you can at the YMCA and returned to the area via the new Wynyard Walk which connects Barangaroo to Wynyard station.

Pretty well done.

The Bald Rock Hotel is an historic pub in the suburb of Rozelle, down near White Bay in the shadow of the Anzac Bridge in the Inner West of Sydney.

Wikipedia says that Bald Rock was originally a suburb within Balmain.

The hotel was built in 1876 and was a lot closer to the harbour when first built; subsequent landfill means it’s now a bit further from the water.

The Bald Rock is sandstone inside and out and is heritage-listed.

It retains much character and is a favourite of locals in an area that used to have a pub on nearly every corner but has in this last generation become more gentrified and where community gardens and parks now flourish.

So, our last weekend in Sydney for the year and, perfect timing (luck, not design) we finished walking all the water west of the Harbour Bridge.

The iconic Bay Run at Drummoyne was the perfect place to finish up, too. A 7 km loop, it’s one of Sydney’s most well known and well used walkin/running/riding/training/fitness loops.

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And so ends the year. Now, on to 2017 and a year of drinking in local hotels! Woohoo!

An early morning ride along the Alexandria Canal from Tempe to Alexandria.

Enjoyed breakfast at The Grounds cafe. 

Not really what could be described as a scenic ride… it is along a canal and beside an airport after all, but still, a bit of blue on the map to fill in, and breaking at an institution such as The Grounds… well, any excuse will do!

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The local councils have done a terrific job building a great bike path along the Cooks River from near Strathfield down to the airport.

We’ve walked and ridden bits of this before, but not some of today’s route, and not this year.

Here and here.

And THIS we saw on the way home. What a fabulous idea!

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A great day… until we broke down driving home 😦

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What a beautiful spring morning for a walk from the bottom of Mowbray Road along the northern shore of the lane Cove River towards Fullers Bridge Road.

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This part of the Great North Walk takes you through the historic Fairyland Pleasure Grounds, made famous by the Swan family in the 1920s. It’s an easy walk in.

The Council has done a good job of identifying what used to be there, quite extraordinary to imagine women with parasols  and man in boater hat’s and blazers picnicking and going on Ferris wheel and merry-go-round.

Plenty of historic pics here

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ANOTHER gorgeous Sydney spring day for a walk along another part of the Parramatta River… we’ve walked through the grounds of the old Gladesville Hospital before, but not this year.
Great to catch up with son Matt, who lives in Gladesville, for a coffee while we were there  🙂

 

Glorious spring day for a walk from Mortlake to Rhodes, through Concord and the grounds of Dame Edith Walker Hospital, Thomas Walker Hospital near Concord Hospital and Yaralla.

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Mortlake Point, Hilly Street, Mortlake

Mortlake Point, Hilly Street, Mortlake

City in the background from the car ferry

City in the background from the car ferry

Car ferry home from Mortlake to Putney

Car ferry home from Mortlake to Putney

Ferrari owners club day at Brays Bay Reserve

Ferrari owners club day at Brays Bay Reserve

In the extensive grounds of Dame Edith Walker Hospital

In the extensive grounds of Dame Edith Walker Hospital

In the extensive grounds of Dame Edith Walker Hospital

In the extensive grounds of Dame Edith Walker Hospital

Ferrari owners club day at Brays Bay Reserve

Ferrari owners club day at Brays Bay Reserve

In the extensive grounds of Dame Edith Walker Hospital

In the extensive grounds of Dame Edith Walker Hospital

We tripped over a fair in Yaralla grounds

We tripped over a fair in Yaralla grounds

Looking back across to Mortlake

Looking back across to Mortlake

In the extensive grounds of Dame Edith Walker Hospital

In the extensive grounds of Dame Edith Walker Hospital

Path near Yaralla, along the mangroves

Path near Yaralla, along the mangroves

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City views from Mortlake Point

City views from Mortlake Point

Mortlake Point, Hilly Street, Mortlake

Mortlake Point, Hilly Street, Mortlake