Afterwards, you’re bound to be hungry, so I would suggest strolling along the promenade to Porch & Parlour, one of our favourite Bondi lunch spots, where the dish to die for is smash ‘n’ hash (potato rosti with a poached egg, hollandaise, yucatan onion, house relish sautéed greens and bacon, salmon or haloumi). Then walk to Gelato Messina Bondi, which serves quite possibly the best ice cream in Australia! If you’re an art or photography enthusiast, a fun stop-off here is the nearby gallery, Aquabumps, where you can browse fabulous aerial beach photographs, before jumping back into the car to head north to Watsons Bay for a refreshing drink as the sun sinks into the ocean.
Back in Sydney that evening, we recommend dining at one of the city’s many fantastic restaurants. One of my favourites is Firedoor, which is located in the suburb of Surry Hills. The chef, Lennox Hastie, has recently been named Citi Chef of the Year in Australia’s Good Food Guide Awards.
Day 2
On your second morning, your guide will take you e-biking along the Sydney Harbour foreshore and to the historic Rocks in the inner-city neighbourhood, Barangaroo, where you can stop for a delicious coffee at Micro by Coffee Alchemy. From there, it is an easy ride up to Observatory Hill and over Sydney Harbour Bridge to the lower north shore. Here, younger children might enjoy a ride at Luna Park, where you can also discover Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Garden.
Wendy’s husband was the late Brett Whiteley, a renowned artist. They lived here in Lavender Bay for two decades and Brett painted many of his iconic Sydney Harbour pictures in their home. Following his death in 1992, his grief-stricken widow began to clean up the land-filled valley at the foot of her house. Once she had cleared the site, she began to create a garden like a giant painting. Rather than being horticulturally inspired, Wendy’s gardening is driven by aesthetics, colour, form, beauty and whimsy.