Savouring Sydney on a budget: How to save money and enjoy an Oz-some trip for less

Sydney Opera House with Harbour Bridge at night (Getty Images)

SYDNEY truly is a world-class place.

With its spectacular harbour, laid-back beach lifestyle and a superb arts, food and shopping scene, it’s arguably the most attractive city in the Southern Hemisphere.

That’s all the good stuff, but these days, it’s sadly not cheap. Listed as the fifth most expensive city in the world, in addition to telling you where to go and what to see, perhaps the most useful thing I can do is tell you how to save money and enjoy it for less.

Making the most of Sydney’s many free attractions is always a good starting point. There are some stunning walks to enjoy, such as the Coogee to Bondi coastal route, where you can stop off for a swim at beaches along the way.

In the city centre a favourite hangout of mine is the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Royal National Park, where you can enjoy miles of rainforest, quiet beaches and dramatic cliffs.

The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia offers free daily tours and, should your visit coincide with the annual Sydney Festival in January, you can enjoy dozens of free music and dance performances.

It may cost about £75 to scale the heights of Sydney Harbour Bridge (and having done it once, I wouldn’t rush to do it again!), but you can walk across it for nothing.

Circular Quay, Sydney (Craig & Caroline Hind/Hind Photo)

Why not walk around the Sydney Opera House – designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, this is one of the most iconic buildings in the world.

Circular Quay meanwhile is Sydney’s transport hub and scenic heart. It’s also the city’s birthplace, where the First Fleet settlers landed on Australian soil in 1788.

The historic laneways, quirky shops, old traditional pubs and stylish restaurants of The Rocks precinct is always a delight to stroll around.

Hopping on a ferry in Circular Quay and going over to laid-back Manly is a great afternoon’s jaunt.

I found three very different – but great value – restaurants on my recent trip.

The first is Alegrias in trendy Balmain. This fabulous Spanish tapas restaurant serves delicious food and wine – the waiting staff are all Spanish and it’s excellent value with a dinner of several tasty tapas costing about £20 a head (visit alegrias.com.au).

The next little star is The Riverview Hotel in Balmain. A real institution with fabulous food and a great atmosphere, it serves gourmet pub grub with delicious mains at around £12. Book ahead (visit theriverviewhotel.com.au).

Lastly, offering great value, is the Moroccan restaurant Kazbah at Darling Harbour – a great part of the city with a lovely harbour-side location. It offers delicious spicy food including tajines for about £10 (visit darlingharbour.kazbah.com.au)

Circular Quay is a must visit for every tourist (Leah-Anne Thompson)

Also at Darling Harbour, you’ll find some fun attractions such as the aquarium and the Wild Life Sydney Zoo.

Other attractions include the world’s largest cinema screen at IMAX, ten-pin bowling, Madame Tussauds and here you can depart on a harbour cruise.

I loved discovering Sydney’s markets this last trip. Whether it’s the fabulous produce markets where you can buy some of the biggest, freshest fruit and vegetables you’ll ever see, or it’s one of the vintage fashion markets, it’s all great fun and a good way to get a bargain.

The Rocks Markets are held on Saturdays and Sundays. They tend to be a bit touristy, so not many bargains there, but they’re good for snacks and souvenirs.

Your best chance of bargains will be at Paddy’s Markets, near Chinatown. From Wednesday to Sunday, you can buy fruit and vegetables, take-aways, clothing, accessories, small electronics and toys.

On Saturdays, Paddington Markets on Oxford Street are always lively and good for fashion, but my favourite markets are at Rozelle in Sydney’s inner west. Open on Saturdays and Sundays in the grounds of Rozelle Public School, you’ll find more than 100 stalls – great for vintage fashion and good quality second-hand clothing.

Asian food in Australia is as popular as it is excellent. Chinatown and Haymarket in Sydney are the two key districts to home in on for everything from Cantonese to Vietnamese, Malaysian to Thai and Japanese cuisine at its best. Unpretentious little eateries rub shoulders with hole-in-the-wall stalls, but equally, if you want an up-market banquet, that’s all there too. It’s not just food. These areas are also great for clothes and decorative Asian wares.

Equally, if you want some nightlife, Chinatown’s a good bet. There’s cinema, theatre and countless karaoke bars. Basically, all life is here!

There are numerous great excursions from Sydney but two that you shouldn’t miss are to the world’s second-oldest national park, the Royal National Park, which is located to the south of the city, and to the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, a 90-minute drive west of the city.

Both are great destinations for a whole range of outdoor activities, from bush-walking and hiking to abseiling, mountain biking and canyoning.

The fauna and flora of Australia are so different to back home that it’s one of the great joys to discover it.

You can expect to discover eucalypt woodlands, bushland, lush rainforests, wetlands, and sandstone gorges.