Travel: Singing the praises of spectacular Sydney on a whistle-stop visit

No tacky souvenir was required to remind us of our whistle-stop visit to Sydney.

No, my partner and I like to do things differently, so we have the lingering flashbacks of a near-death experience instead.

It had been going so well, too.

Despite fearing we would miss visiting many of the city’s attractions due to our brief 48-hour stay, we were pleasantly surprised at the amount we managed to squeeze in.

But the brakes were well and truly put on our holiday fun as we lost control of our hire car as we made our descent from the stunning Blue Mountains, an hour’s drive from the city.

Coming round a bend at the top of a hill, the steering wheel went one way and the car the other as we headed straight for a crash barrier and a sheer drop below.

With inches to spare, my partner turned us 180 degrees and instead of going over the edge we slammed into the cliff face on the opposite side of the road.

Miraculously, both of us and the car – once it had been winched out by some helpful locals – escaped without so much as a scratch.

Thankfully, that wasn’t the only memory we brought home from New South Wales’ capital city.

As is so often the case with short city breaks, we found the hop-on hop-off tourist buses an ideal way of seeing the sights.

Sydney has two bus routes – one that goes round the main city attractions and another that heads out to the legendary Bondi Beach.

We did both, but Bondi, despite the beautiful view over the South Pacific Ocean, was a little bit of a let-down.

It’s surprisingly small and the promenade of Campbell Parade has seen better days.

Back in the city, we made a beeline for Sydney’s two world-famous landmarks – the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.

There was no let-down here.

It’s strange to stand in the shadow of the iconic concert hall, having seen it so many times in pictures and on TV.

It was swarming with tourists, as you would expect, so we found the best view was from the water.

We took one of the frequent ferries from Darling Harbour and approached the Opera House from the south-west, sailing under the imposing Harbour Bridge.

It’s an incredible sight as those majesties of structural engineering come in to view.

We didn’t go inside the Opera House as I was reliably informed (by my better half, a musician, who once performed on the famous stage, the show-off) that the exterior is far more impressive.

We did, however, go inside the bridge.

We were keen on doing one of the bridge climbs, but they are so time-consuming and expensive that we opted for the pylon lookout instead.

The pylons are the name given to the concrete structures at either end of the bridge, and as well as acting as a museum to its construction, the climb to the top offers incredible views not only over the steel arch, but the rest of the city. At $15, it’s a bargain.

Talking of views, we then headed into the heart of the city to the Sydney Eye Tower.

Opened in 1981, it remains Sydney’s tallest building, with the top of the spire reaching 309 metres (1,014ft).

One of the many areas to be viewed from the tower is Darling Harbour, our favourite part of the city and a less busy alternative to Sydney Opera House’s Circular Quay.

With bars, restaurants, shops and a fun Ferris wheel all nestled into Cockle Bay – and just a stone’s throw from The Star, a massive casino – it’s the place to visit in the evening.

An afternoon trip to Scenic World, with its railway, skyway, cableway and walkway, is a great way to see the nearby Blue Mountains, although we don’t recommend our aforementioned death-defying method of descent.

There is so much more to be seen and experienced in Sydney, of course, but it gives us the perfect excuse to return for a longer visit – maybe without the hire car.