Sydney, Australia
My first visit to Australia! After we met up with our friend Sarah at the airport, we headed into the city. The first section of city that we explored was called The Rocks. Located right next to Sydney Harbour, this area was pretty touristy with street vendors selling knick knacks and food. We did try some kangaroo and baby octopus skewers from a vendor. Tasty! I liked the octopus better than the kangaroo. The Rocks also contains Lord Nelson Hotel Brewery (more on that below).
One of my favorite parts of our visit was taking the ferry ride from Sydney Harbour to Manly Beach where Sarah lives. As you leave the Harbor, the ferry provided amazing views of the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House. Port2Porter Tip: If you take the ‘fast ferry’ to Manly Beach, it takes 16 min and has alcohol for purchase. Drinking a cold brew and watching the harbour fade out of view was amazing. The slow ferry takes around 30 min and has WIFI, but no alcohol. Pick your poison!
The famous beach in Sydney is Bondi Beach and it was beautiful. We took a 3 mile walk from Bondi to Coogee Beach along the rocky coastline. The views are stunning along the way as you encounter gorgeous lookout points, secluded beaches, and even a historical graveyard and lawn bowling courts. We stopped in for food/drinks at the Coggee Pavilion or the ‘Coggee Pav’ as the locals call it, which was a great two-story restaurant that hit the spot after the hike.
Other cool areas to check out in Sydney are Hyde Park and Darling Harbour. Hyde Park is a big park in the middle of the city with a nice fountain in the middle and has some weird military statues throughout it. Darling Harbour is the up and coming area in Sydney with lots of new restaurants/bars, Ferris wheel and carousel.
Interesting observations about Sydney:
1. You don’t tip because few establishments have waiters. You order at the counter/bar and then just bring out your order.
2. Burger King is called ‘Hungry Jacks’.
3. We visited a couple weeks before Christmas, but there didn’t seem to be too many decorations out. A couple trees here and there, but nothing like the U.S.
4. Bocce Ball is called ‘lawn bowling’.
5. You do not ‘rent’ something. You ‘hire’ it. Example: “We would like to hire a camera.”
6. The underground public transit is amazing. Two-level cars that are clean and quiet. On Sundays, once you pay $2.50 on any mode of transit (ferry, bus, or train), the rest of the day is free to encourage people to use public transit on Sundays. Pretty cool!
7. The city is overall clean. The only thing dirty was all the cigarette buds on the ground.
Port2Porter Review: Lord Nelson Hotel Brewery
Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel is an old merchant hotel in The Rocks neighborhood of Australia and was established in 1884. The brewery portion didn’t officially open until 1986 but the bar has always been there. The wooden floors are so worn they are almost slippery and the hotel itself is made from old stone with beautiful archways. The bar is made of old stained wood and the original beer taps are made of ceramic and copper with a nautical theme on them. It has a real authentic ambiance and there are Aussie and other nautical flags hanging in the rafters as well.
Worth visiting this brewery to check out the inside, but unfortunately the beers really aren’t up to par with the craft brew scene in America. 3 Sheets APA and Old Admiral are their best. The beer tastes more like old ales, which may be what they are going for given the atmosphere.
3 sheets IPA– Australian Pale Ale. Mild hops. Tastes similar to IPA. Light in body and color. This is their flagship beer and I saw it at a couple bars around town.
Old admiral– Medium bodied. Similar to porter, but is billed as a ‘strong ale’. This was my favorite. Doesn’t taste great at first then the strong flavor comes through and stays
Nelson’s Blood– Smooth Porter. Nothing special and lacked any bite.
Victory Bitter– Least favorite, British Pale Ale. Not much flavor
Trafalgar Pale Ale– English bitter.
21c– Brown Ale. Not traditional brown. Lighter and a bit watered down.