After the Newcastle Marathon: Sydney

The Route: Newcastle Interchange → Sydney Central → Circular Quay → Manly → Sydney Airport Logistics: Direct train from Newcastle Interchange to Sydney Central in just under three hours. Check the timetable at transportnsw.info and book seat reservations if the service offers them. Marathon Month: April Duration: 3 nights

Newcastle Interchange ──(just under 3 hrs, direct train)──> Sydney Central ──(short walk or train)──> Circular Quay
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Sydney Airport (SYD) <──(about 15 to 20 mins by train from Central)────────────────────────────────────┘

The Henderson Newcastle Marathon is on a Sunday in mid April. Sydney is the practical extension for anyone flying home from the international airport, and the train makes it simple, with no car and no transfer between the marathon and the city.

April in Sydney: autumn. Daytime temperatures are usually in the low twenties, and the water is still warm enough for a swim at the beaches. Rain is common in April. It is shoulder season, so prices are lower than in summer and the harbour is less crowded. Vivid Sydney, the winter light festival, does not start until later in the year, so do not plan around it.

Nights One to Three: Sydney

Start with the water. The ferry from Circular Quay to Manly takes about 30 minutes, gives a view of the harbour and the Opera House and requires no walking. Walk the level streets of The Rocks and the Circular Quay foreshore afterwards, and keep the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk for the third day, once the legs have recovered. It has many steps.

Museums are the easiest use of tired legs. The Museum of Contemporary Art at Circular Quay is free for general entry, and the Australian National Maritime Museum at Darling Harbour has both indoor and outdoor exhibits. Check opening times and prices.

For a bed, Park Hyatt Sydney sits by the Opera House in The Rocks, and The Russell Hotel is a smaller heritage hotel nearby. Both are at the higher end, and prices vary by season.

For a meal, the Sydney Fish Market at Pyrmont is a working market where you can eat seafood on the day it is landed. Check opening hours and any relocation, because the market has been rebuilt on the Blackwattle Bay site.

Day Two: The Botanic Garden and the Opera House

The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney is free to enter and has wide, paved paths that are mostly level. It runs along the harbour edge from the Opera House to Mrs Macquarie's Chair, and the loop out to the chair and back is about 3 kilometres, with benches where it can be cut short. The Sydney Opera House offers guided tours of about an hour, mostly seated or slow walking with some stairs, and tickets should be booked ahead. Check current prices.

Day Three: A Longer Walk, If the Legs Allow

By the third day most runners can manage more. Two options work. The Harbour Bridge pedestrian walkway on the eastern side is free but involves stairs at the southern end and is exposed to wind, and the Pylon Lookout adds about 200 steps and a small fee, so skip it if the quads are still sore. The Bondi to Coogee coastal walk is about 6 kilometres, hilly and with many steps, and it is better in the morning before the crowds. If you doubt the legs, do the shorter Bondi to Bronte section, or take a ferry to Watsons Bay, where a flat foreshore path leads to the South Head lookout. Check the ferry timetable for the day.

Getting Home

Sydney Airport (SYD) is about 15 to 20 minutes from Central by train, and the airport line runs frequently. Allow extra time at the terminal for international departures. If you are heading to the ferry terminals from the airport, take the train to Circular Quay on the City Circle.