After the Canberra Marathon: Sydney
The Route: Canberra → Sydney Central → Circular Quay → Manly → Sydney Airport Logistics: Intercity coach from Canberra to Sydney Central, about 3.5 hours; or fly Canberra to Sydney, about 50 minutes. Trains, ferries and walking in Sydney. Marathon Month: April Duration: 3 nights
Canberra ──(approx. 3.5 hrs by coach / 50 mins by air)──> Sydney ──(approx. 30 mins ferry)──> Manly
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Sydney Airport (SYD) ◄──(approx. 15 mins train from Central)
The Canberra Marathon finishes in Parkes in mid-April, three hours from the country's largest city. For runners flying home from Sydney, three nights on the harbour make the long trip worthwhile, and Sydney's best sights are on flat ground by the water, reached by ferry.
April in Sydney is autumn, often its most pleasant month: days in the low 20s, mild evenings and the summer humidity gone. The harbour is still warm enough for a brave swim at the beaches. Rain comes in bursts. The Easter holidays fall in March or April, when attractions are busier; check the calendar for the year.
Intercity coaches run between Canberra's Jolimont Centre and Sydney Central several times a day, taking about three and a half hours; book ahead. Flights take about 50 minutes, and trains are slower. From Central, trains run to Circular Quay in a few minutes.
Night One: Circular Quay and the Opera House
Circular Quay, on Sydney Cove, is where the city began in 1788, when the First Fleet landed on Gadigal land. From the ferry wharves, a flat, paved promenade leads around the eastern side of the cove to the Sydney Opera House, about 600 m away. There are steps up to the building itself, but the forecourt and the walk around its base are level.
The Royal Botanic Garden begins behind the Opera House. Its paths are wide and mostly gentle, following the harbour edge around Farm Cove to Mrs Macquarie's Chair, a sandstone ledge carved by convicts in 1810 for the governor's wife, with the view back to the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. The round trip from the Quay is about 4 km, with benches all the way. Entry is free.
Night Two: The Rocks
The Rocks, on the western side of the quay, is the oldest part of the city, a district of sandstone terraces, pubs and laneways built by convicts and sailors in the early 19th century. Many of its streets climb steeply towards the Harbour Bridge, so keep to George Street and the waterfront on tired legs. The Museum of Contemporary Art, on the quay, is free, indoors and level.
Night Three: Manly by Ferry
The ferry from Circular Quay to Manly takes about 30 minutes, across the harbour past the heads, and is the city's best cheap sightseeing. Pay with a contactless card. At Manly, the Corso, a pedestrian street, runs about 300 m from the wharf to the ocean beach, and a flat promenade follows the sand north and south. The path south to Shelly Beach, a small sheltered cove, is about 1 km and level.
Where to stay: The Langham, Sydney, in Millers Point above The Rocks, is a quiet, expensive base within walking distance of the quay. Sydney Harbour YHA, built over an archaeological dig in The Rocks, has private rooms and a rooftop with a view of the Opera House, at a fraction of the price.
Where to eat: Harry's Cafe de Wheels, a pie cart in Woolloomooloo that has fed sailors, taxi drivers and visitors since 1938, serves the city's most famous meat pie, a 20-minute walk through the Botanic Garden. For a sit-down dinner, the restaurants around Circular Quay and The Rocks cover every budget; book on weekends.
Getting to Sydney Airport
Sydney Airport (SYD) is about 15 minutes by train from Central station, with trains every few minutes; the fare includes a station access fee. Allow 30 to 45 minutes by taxi from the quay, depending on traffic.