Sort of specific fun in Sydney
April 4, 2011 8:34 AM Subscribe
Sydney (AU) MeFites, I need some specific must-see suggestions.
I've read through the other AU/Sydney-related threads, and am looking for some must see / do suggestions RE: any of the following:
* Used bookshops (more "good paperback selection" than "collectible")
* Urban agriculture / organic gardening
* Swimming + saunas
* DIY / political art (esp. posters + printmaking) + theater
* Puppetry (esp. shadow puppets)
* Quality self-guided tours (history / architecture)
* Vegetarian / vegan food (low-to-middle $ range)
We'll be in Sydney for about a week and a half starting 7/24, and will have a car. Not certain yet where we'll be staying. We'll have our 8 month old son with us, though will be able to leave him with relatives some of the time.
I've read through the other AU/Sydney-related threads, and am looking for some must see / do suggestions RE: any of the following:
* Used bookshops (more "good paperback selection" than "collectible")
* Urban agriculture / organic gardening
* Swimming + saunas
* DIY / political art (esp. posters + printmaking) + theater
* Puppetry (esp. shadow puppets)
* Quality self-guided tours (history / architecture)
* Vegetarian / vegan food (low-to-middle $ range)
We'll be in Sydney for about a week and a half starting 7/24, and will have a car. Not certain yet where we'll be staying. We'll have our 8 month old son with us, though will be able to leave him with relatives some of the time.
The Museum of Sydney is a great place to learn about the history of Sydney, and has some pretty interesting design built into the architecture - it's built on the ruins of the first Governor's house, and the architect has mapped out the original structure in pavers in the forecourt.
posted by robotot at 1:53 PM on April 4, 2011
posted by robotot at 1:53 PM on April 4, 2011
Sydney is pretty pathetic for veg*ns. Some options:
- The iconic Maya vegetarian thali restaurant on Cleveland Street, Surry Hills. Avoid its two mutton-a-tarian sister restaurants.
- Trawl the excellent Lebanese restaurants nearby which are veg friendly.
- For $10 vegan lunch, the many Iku outlets -- try Glebe Point Road Glebe, Oxford Street Darlinghurst or MLC Centre CBD.
- Miss Chu, corner of Bourke and William Street for veg*n rice paper rolls
posted by dontjumplarry at 4:12 PM on April 4, 2011
- The iconic Maya vegetarian thali restaurant on Cleveland Street, Surry Hills. Avoid its two mutton-a-tarian sister restaurants.
- Trawl the excellent Lebanese restaurants nearby which are veg friendly.
- For $10 vegan lunch, the many Iku outlets -- try Glebe Point Road Glebe, Oxford Street Darlinghurst or MLC Centre CBD.
- Miss Chu, corner of Bourke and William Street for veg*n rice paper rolls
posted by dontjumplarry at 4:12 PM on April 4, 2011
For urban agriculture try the sustainable house in Chippendale. I believe it is open for gawking at one Monday mornings between certain times. There are many sites on it.
posted by Trivia Newton John at 4:18 PM on April 4, 2011
posted by Trivia Newton John at 4:18 PM on April 4, 2011
Vegetarian / vegan food (low-to-middle $ range:
Govinda's (Movies and Indian!)
Green Gourmet (Chinese, the yum cha on Saturdays is excellent)
Janani in Homebush (terrific Sinhalese/South Indian cuisine).
Avoid all recommendations for Mother Chu's on Pitt st and Bodhi Vegetarian yum cha on the park. They are both terrible vegetarian and freakishly over-priced to boot.
posted by smoke at 4:24 PM on April 4, 2011
Govinda's (Movies and Indian!)
Green Gourmet (Chinese, the yum cha on Saturdays is excellent)
Janani in Homebush (terrific Sinhalese/South Indian cuisine).
Avoid all recommendations for Mother Chu's on Pitt st and Bodhi Vegetarian yum cha on the park. They are both terrible vegetarian and freakishly over-priced to boot.
posted by smoke at 4:24 PM on April 4, 2011
Used bookstores:
I love books, and I love secondhand bookstores, but realistically -- the Australian publishing industry is very, very small. Almost all of our books come from the US and UK. Unless you're looking for Australia-centric books, you're not going to find anything here you couldn't get at home, and it'll be twice the price to boot.
With those caveats in place, zamboni's list is terrific.
Puppets:
The Rocks is the area of Sydney's original settlement, and there's a couple of puppet shops there. This article has a nice summary, though it may be out of date.
When I was a child, I saw a Balinese shadow puppet show at the Australian Museum. There's a reference that they still do them on their website, but I couldn't find anything specific. You might like to email them and ask.
Urban agriculture:
Li-Sun Exotic Mushrooms grows mushrooms in an old railway tunnel a couple of hours out of Sydney. They're not open to the public, but they do tours a couple of times a year.
Swimming:
If there's one thing Sydney's not hurting for, it's beaches, and if the weather's still mild in July (which it sometimes is) you could definitely go for a dip. The area around Bondi is pretty commercial, but once you get down to the beach itself, all that falls away, and there's rock pools at each end which are good for parents with kids. For a more low key experience, try Bronte in the east or one of the northern beaches.
posted by Georgina at 6:08 PM on April 4, 2011
I love books, and I love secondhand bookstores, but realistically -- the Australian publishing industry is very, very small. Almost all of our books come from the US and UK. Unless you're looking for Australia-centric books, you're not going to find anything here you couldn't get at home, and it'll be twice the price to boot.
With those caveats in place, zamboni's list is terrific.
Puppets:
The Rocks is the area of Sydney's original settlement, and there's a couple of puppet shops there. This article has a nice summary, though it may be out of date.
When I was a child, I saw a Balinese shadow puppet show at the Australian Museum. There's a reference that they still do them on their website, but I couldn't find anything specific. You might like to email them and ask.
Urban agriculture:
Li-Sun Exotic Mushrooms grows mushrooms in an old railway tunnel a couple of hours out of Sydney. They're not open to the public, but they do tours a couple of times a year.
Swimming:
If there's one thing Sydney's not hurting for, it's beaches, and if the weather's still mild in July (which it sometimes is) you could definitely go for a dip. The area around Bondi is pretty commercial, but once you get down to the beach itself, all that falls away, and there's rock pools at each end which are good for parents with kids. For a more low key experience, try Bronte in the east or one of the northern beaches.
posted by Georgina at 6:08 PM on April 4, 2011
Quality self-guided tour with both history and (industrial) architecture:
Cockatoo Island. Hop on a ferry, pack a picnic. You can get audio guides--I never have, but they might be good. There is signage explaining the history of the various buildings. You could do it in an orderly toury way, but I like to just poke around, see which doors are open. Tunnels, old cranes, an old jail, shipyards (the turbine hall is full of massive and very cool old equipment). You can also camp there.
There are often various art exhibits on around the island... check the Sydney Harbour Trust website closer to the time to see if anything's going on. If so, be there before 5pm as exhibits are generally closed at that time.
On the other hand, it's also a beautiful place to watch the sun set.
posted by equivocator at 8:35 PM on April 4, 2011
Cockatoo Island. Hop on a ferry, pack a picnic. You can get audio guides--I never have, but they might be good. There is signage explaining the history of the various buildings. You could do it in an orderly toury way, but I like to just poke around, see which doors are open. Tunnels, old cranes, an old jail, shipyards (the turbine hall is full of massive and very cool old equipment). You can also camp there.
There are often various art exhibits on around the island... check the Sydney Harbour Trust website closer to the time to see if anything's going on. If so, be there before 5pm as exhibits are generally closed at that time.
On the other hand, it's also a beautiful place to watch the sun set.
posted by equivocator at 8:35 PM on April 4, 2011
Best answer: I may be biased because I live there, but Newtown has pretty much everything you'd want. Start at Gould's Books, like Zamboni suggested, and walk up King Street. You'll hit about 7 used bookstores and a bunch of vegetarian and vegan restaurants as well as art galleries, independent theaters, and a knitting cafe.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 10:20 PM on April 4, 2011
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 10:20 PM on April 4, 2011
Best answer: A few people have mentioned Michael Mobbs's Sustainable House. Michael's actually a neighbor and a friend. If you really want to see it and talk to him, let me know and I can maybe arrange something. Michael's recently been given a grant to continue his work in our neighborhood (Chippendale), which has been designated a "model suburb" for sustainability. We've got community composting, rain gardens, street plantings, a veggie co-op, share cars, etc.
posted by web-goddess at 3:57 AM on April 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by web-goddess at 3:57 AM on April 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thank you everyone - lots of great leads here.
posted by ryanshepard at 8:40 AM on April 5, 2011
posted by ryanshepard at 8:40 AM on April 5, 2011
Some great suggestions, I also like Glebe for used books.
I've enjoyed North Sydney Pool (http://www.northsydney.nsw.gov.au/www/html/2148-about-the-olympic-pool.asp) for lap swimming and according to the website there's a sauna there. May be a touch chilly in July though... Enjoy your trip!
posted by WayOutWest at 2:58 PM on April 5, 2011
I've enjoyed North Sydney Pool (http://www.northsydney.nsw.gov.au/www/html/2148-about-the-olympic-pool.asp) for lap swimming and according to the website there's a sauna there. May be a touch chilly in July though... Enjoy your trip!
posted by WayOutWest at 2:58 PM on April 5, 2011
While you visit Michael Mobbs why not pop into Cafe Guilia which is in nearby Abercrombie St.
posted by robotot at 4:51 PM on April 5, 2011
posted by robotot at 4:51 PM on April 5, 2011
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King St:
Proper used bookstores, with the requisite cats and grumpy store owners.
- The epic, if unreliable Goulds Books
- Books on King, 161 King St
- Elizabeths, which is technically a chain.
- Jurabooks - no literary district is complete without an anarchist bookshop.
New- Pentimento - design, cooking & kitschy knick-knacks.
- If it's still there, Magnation - magazines.
- Berkelouw.
Glebe:Used: Sappho
New: Gleebooks
CBD & Surrey Hills
Used: Basement Books
New: Abbeys
Published Art
Urban agriculture: I have no idea, but I bet Michael Mobbs would.
Swimming: Get you to a rock pool.
Art: See if You Are Here are up to.
I think you're going to miss the Stencil Art Prize. Go to Oh Really anyway.
Printmaking: Tin Sheds might have something.
posted by zamboni at 12:08 PM on April 4, 2011 [2 favorites]