When you look at postcards of Sydney, the first two icons you will see are the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, but the third one is probably the Sydney Tower. Even if you spend just a few days in Sydney, the Tower is certainly worth a visit.
The Tower has two restaurants, a café and a lookout platform on four different levels. Probably the lookout platform is the most popular, and the sight can be really stunning. You can walk around and spend two minutes upstairs, but you can also take your time and spend two hours, that is what we did.
Because we live in Sydney, we could pick the right time to visit the Tower. You should go when the weather is nice and the sky is bright. We made sure to be in the Tower about half an hour before sunset started. It is a very popular attraction, so especially in the weekend – when it is possibly very crowded - you have to wait some time to get into the lift that brings you up, which actually takes two minutes.
During daylight you have a perfect view on the harbour and all the bays, all the way to the Ocean. Unfortunately the Harbour Bridge and Opera House are half hidden behind the skyscrapers, but with some patience you can find many well known places like Town Hall, Hyde Park, Darling Harbour or even the famous Coca-Cola sign on Kings Cross…
The sunset from the Tower is really stunning and very special as the Sun disappears behind the mountains, while the sky colours red and orange. During the twilight all the city lights are turning on, and you start wondering how long the people in the skyscrapers keep working, as all the office lights are on as well. You can use free binoculars as well –there are many of them – they can zoom in so much that you can possibly see your friends walking on Watsons Bay, close to the ocean.
Sunset goes very fast, so about half an hour later it is completely dark which gives another completely different sight. Sydney by night is a very different Sydney. The harbour and ocean disappear in the dark, but the large buildings and roads become much more obvious because of the large amount of traffic.
In case you want to make pictures, be sure to bring a tripod as you will need long exposure times, but the results can be truly rewarding.
If all this is not enough, you can pop-up your ticket and experience the sky-walk. You get a special suite and a guide will bring you to a different platform. Here you can really feel the wind, hear the sounds of the city and enjoy the view directly, not only from behind a window.
Finally, don’t forget: there is the OzTrek included in your ticket! It is an active audio-visual show that shows you some typical parts of Australia. The highlight is a very `energetic` film, with huge screens around you and moving chairs. We recommend you not to eat just before going inside, it is a quite rough bumpy ride and you will be shaken around a bit.
- http://www.sydneytower.com.au/
- 305 m high
- 2nd highest lookout platform in the Southern Hemisphere
- Opened to the public in August 1981
- Opening hours: Sunday to Friday: 9:00am to 10:30pm, Saturday: 9:00am to 11:30pm
- Single tickets from 15 to 25 AUD (combination tickets including Tower/Aquarium/Wildlife World have discount)
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