D4| Saturday/Sunday, March 14 - 15, 2020 **** THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.
ADVENTURE & TRAVEL
Australia’s most visited city offers temptations beyond its famous beaches and much-photographed harbor.
George Epaminondasoutlines two itineraries, spendy vs. thrifty. And, yes, one includes VegemiteA TALE OF TWO BUDGETS
The Paramount House Hotel FROM LEFT: NIKKI TO; SHARYN CAIRNS; MATTHEW COOK (ILLUSTRATIONS)High: $2,086 a day
It’s easy to make a splash in Sydney, especially if you check into stately digs, charter
seaplanes and collect indigenous art.
Low: $551 a day
Is it possible to enjoy the so-called Emerald City on a cubic zirconia budget? Yes, if you
focus on free galleries, affordable eateries and el-cheapo beach activities.SLEEPING QUARTERSParamount House
Hotel, occupying an old warehouse, might
not be the cheapest place in town but con-
sidering the location—in buzzy Surry Hills—
and the chic décor, it’s a relative steal.
Rooms are arrayed with French linen sheets
and terrazzo bathrooms, and there’s a roof-
top fitness club and an inviting wine bar.
COSTFrom about $195 a night,
paramounthousehotel.comCULTURE FIXThe White Rabbit Gallery is
a quirky repository of contemporary Chi-
nese art flowing over four floors. Owner
Judith Neilson’s collection spans some
2,000 works by roughly 700 artists, pre-
sented in startling biannual exhibitions (it
closes for installations in February and Au-
gust). The gallery’s teahouse serves lychee
ice tea and handmade dumplings.
COSTfree admission, jnprojects.net/white-
rabbit-galleryOUTDOOR EXCURSIONFor a truly immer-
sive experience, enroll in a surfing lesson at
Bondi Beach. Among the top operators is
Brenda Miley’s Lets Go Surfing, which
teaches the basics, from paddling to popping
up on a board, in a two-hour introduction.
BYO sunscreen and a towel.
COSTaround $65 per person, letsgosurf-
ing.com.auMIDDAY MEALThai food is plentiful and
bountiful in Sydney. One of the most re-
spected purveyors is Chat Thai, a red-hot
chain with seven outlets. At the Haymarket
branch the menu numbers around 100
dishes. Take that abundance as your lead to
sample a flurry of them: fish cakes with pick-
led cucumber relish, chargrilled pork neck
withnahm jim jaew(chili sauce), green pa-
paya salad with salted duck egg, and whole
fried barramundi with green mango salad.
COSTAround $55 for two, chatthai.com.auSOUVENIRHaigh’s, a beloved chocolatier
from Adelaide, operates a handful of stores
in Sydney, including one at the Victorian-era
Strand Arcade. The chocolate frogs make for
a crowd-pleasing souvenir.
COST$16 for a pack of 20, haighschoco-
lates.com.auREFRESHMENTIf the Darling Exchange, a
new building by Japanese architect Kengo
Kuma, makes you think of a stack of skinny
pancakes, you’re rather prescient. On its
lower level, you’ll find Saga Lyte, baker
Andy Bowdy’s cafe serving Artificer coffee
along with theatrical mini cakes, fruit tarts
(above) and cheeseymites, a rolled pastry
with cheddar cheese and the polarizing con-
diment Vegemite (made of yeast extract and
distinctly salty, it’s a local favorite).
COST$30 for a coffee and a sweet for
two, sagaenmore.comDINNERCanny restaurateur Maurice Terzini,
the man behind the perennially popular Ice-
bergs, has a new venture, CicciaBella. At this
Italian osteria in Bondi Beach, standout
dishes include puttanesca pizette and fusilli
with blue swimmer crab. The interior is
moody, the crowd is spicy and the drinks list
leans toward natural vino from Italy.
COSTAbout $100 for two, ciccia-
bella.com.auNIGHTCAPEn route back to your hotel,
make a pit stop at Charlie Parker’s, a subter-
ranean bar with a friendly vibe and inven-
tive botanical-infused cocktails. The menu is
designed around tasting notes including
“Leaf & Flower” and “Stem & Branch.” From
the latter category, order a fragrant Tea
Tree, with mango, beeswax rye and pom-
meau (apple brandy).
COST$25 for two cocktails, merivale.comSLEEPING QUARTERSOccupying a land-
mark post office dating to 1874, the Fuller-
ton Hotel Sydney has been polished to the
letter. The 416-room property, formerly the
Westin Sydney, was revamped by the Singa-
porean hotel group of the same name. The
sandstone facade has been spruced up, a
pan-Asian restaurant installed, and guest
quarters updated with an interactive con-
cierge and a menu of pillow options. Execu-
tive Deluxe rooms grant prime city views.
COSTFrom about $308 per night, fuller-
tonhotels.com
CULTURE FIXVisitors are reflexively
drawn to the Sydney Opera House but,
rather than compete with the hordes
thronging around the outside, venture be-
neath its sculptural sails for a guided tour.
Wander through the many theaters, mar-
vel over its shell-like design and discover
why Danish architect Jørn Utzon fled the
project in 1966 before his masterpiece was
completed. You could also buy a separate
ticket to one of the roughly 40 shows each
week, including performances by the Aus-
tralian Ballet.
COSTAbout $110 for two for the “tour and
tasting” option that includes a light snack
at Opera Kitchen, sydneyoperahouse.com
OUTDOOR EXCURSION“Sydney has always
felt like a city of subtropical abundance,” ob-
served a character in David Williamson’s wry
1987 play, “Emerald City.” For a bird’s-eye
view of the leafy metropolis, hop on a sea-
plane. A 20-minute flight from Rose Bay in
the city’s eastern suburbs to Palm Beach on
the north side yields sights of verdant bush-
lands, shimmering beaches and the Sydney
Harbour Bridge. Afterward, trek to the top
of Barrenjoey headland and its lighthouse.
COSTAbout $580 for two for the Palm
Beach Day Trip, sydneybyseaplane.com
MIDDAY MEALAt Botanic House, the re-
tooled restaurant in the Royal Botanic Gar-
dens, acclaimed Vietnamese-Australian chef
Luke Nguyen dishes up excellent Southeast
Asian fare, including crab and scallop dump-
lings, crisp-skin chicken with chili satay
sauce and mango pudding with coconut
sticky rice. Natural light suffuses the eatery
and native greenery garlands the windows.
COSTAbout $125 for a three-course lunch
for two plus a bottle of wine, botanic-
house.com.auSOUVENIRThe output of indigenous Aus-
tralian artists is spiritual, inspirational and
distinctly beautiful. But avoid inauthentic
“Aboriginal-style” trinkets that fill tourist
stores, many of which are manufactured
abroad, and head to a reputable dealer.
Cooee Art Gallery, located on a residential
street at Bondi Beach, houses an array of
collectible artworks from various regions,
including kaleidoscopic paintings, prints
and woven pieces.
COSTAbout $350 for a limited-edition
print, cooeeart.com.auREFRESHMENTAfter a dip in the nearby
ocean, quench your thirst with a passion
fruit caipiroska brim-
ming with pulp and
lime at the Bondi
Beach branch of Bills.
Teetotalers might
prefer a watermelon
and lime frappé, or a
banana, cacao and al-
mond milk smoothie.
COSTAbout $13 for
two drinks,
bills.com.auDINNERAt Quay, overlooking Sydney Har-
bour and the Sydney Opera House, chef Pe-
ter Gilmore shows off his ingenuity with
rare ingredients. Opt for the 10-course
tasting menu to experience dishes includ-
ing hand-harvested seafood with virgin soy
and wild-reared roast duck with burnt
mandarin paste.
COSTAbout $540 for two with a round of
drinks, quay.com.auNIGHTCAPFor a raffish, Rat Pack-inspired
cocktail den, try Maybe Sammy. Indecisive
revelers (with iron stomachs) can order a
flight of five mini-cocktails.
COSTAbout $30 per flight ($60 for two),
maybesammy.comSeize the Day in Sydney
Quay, overlooking Harbour Bridge.