7:30am: Arrive at Sydney Airport
Flight timing is based on current available flight between SG and Sydney, via Emirates (operated by Qantas).
Upon arriving at the airport and completing immigrations, you will first want to get your internet sorted out. Recommendation is Optus as they have a really affordable daily prepaid data plan going at just $1 for 1GB of data. Optus store at the airport is located at Terminal 1, level 1.
Recommended accommodation is Paramount House Hotel located near to Central Station, just 4 train stops away from the airport.
10am: Check-in to Paramount House Hotel
Paramount House Hotel sits in the former HQ of Paramount Picture Studios. Its central location makes it easy and convenient to travel to most of the attractions in Sydney. This 29-room hotel is built over a 1930s 3-storey brick warehouse. With the building’s irregular shape and natural aging, every room is unique in its own way.
10:30am: Brunch at Reuben Hills
There is a few nice cafes around the hotel. The first to visit is Reuben Hills. It has an industrial-style design. Give their signature “The Not Reuben” a try - toasted rye sandwiched with A5 wagyu brisket, pickled slaw, manchego cheese and horseradish mayo.
12pm: Hyde Park Barracks Museum
A UNESCO World Heritage-listed site that showcases the life of Sydney from the early days, dating back to the late 18th to early 19th century. The barracks was originally built to house convicts, but has also served as an immigration depot, asylum, law courts and government offices.
1:30pm: Hyde Park
Hyde Park is the oldest public park in Australia, built from 1810 to 1927. In 1810, Governor Lachlan Macquarie reserved this open space as the first public park in Australia. He named it “Hyde Park”, after London’s Hyde Park. It was then used as the venue for Australia's first organised horse race and it was used for races through the 1820s. It was also a popular cricket venue.
2pm: Queen Victoria Building
A late 19th century building that completed in 1898. The building was designed by Scottish architect, George McRae, who migrated to Sydney in 1884. The dominant feature of the building is its central dome with smaller domes of various sizes on the rooftop. In 1897, the Council decided to name it “The Queen Victoria Market Buildings” in commemoration of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. After the markets originally held in the building were relocated in 1910, the name was amended in 1918 to "Queen Victoria Buildings", and again to "Queen Victoria Building" in 1987.
2:30pm: Black Star Pastry (cafe)
If you hadn’t heard of Black Star Pastry, you should have heard of the watermelon cake. Black Star Pastry is the original creator of the watermelon cake that went viral, and it was actually created for a wedding. The dessert consists of two layers of almond dacquoise, rose scented cream and watermelon, topped with strawberries, pistachios and dried rose petals. It is light and refreshing, and had made many cafes around the world copy this creation. The cafe also has many other unique cake flavours like the Dragon Cake (dragonfruit, pineapple, pomegranate) and Japanese Forest Cake (hojicha, choya umeshu, matcha, dark chocolate).
4pm: Museum of Contemporary Art Australia
The MCA is a museum dedicated solely for contemporary art. The museum took over the former Maritime Services Board’s building in 1990.
5:30pm: Forgotten Songs
A permanent public art installation consisting of 180 bird cages, installed at Angel Place in 2011. It commemorates the songs of 50 birds once heard in central Sydney, before they were gradually forced out by European settlement. The installation was initially part of the 2009 Sydney Laneway Temporary art scheme. However due to popularity of the installation, the project was turned into a part of the 9 million dollar permanent laneway installation in 2011.
6:30pm: Sydney Opera House + dinner
The opera house is a multi-venue performing arts centre. Plannings for it started in the 1940s when the Sydney Town Hall became too small for large theatrical productions. The building was completed in 1968 and became one of the most prominent buildings of the 20th century. It has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007.
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