World Traveller 73 
The Adelaide Hills wine region is located immediately outside of Adelaide, South Australia. Its a lessor known region in Australias worldwide wine production that’s often over shadowed by the Barossa, McLaren Vale or the Hunter Valley . Being in coastal mountains, The Adelaide Hills are known for cooler temperatures. They are known for producing Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. The wines here can be of exceptional quality and are exported internationally to countries around the world.
This post is one chapter in our trip to Australia on Air Canada & Qantas Business Class and United Airlines. This trip was booked using British Airways Executive Club Avios and Starwood Preferred Guest (Marriott Bonvoy) points. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Hitching a Ride to Australia via Air Canada & Qantas Business Class and United Airlines,
- Plaza Premium Lounge International – Vancouver International Airport
- Air Canada Business Class: Vancouver – Sydney
- Four Points by Sheraton Sydney Darling Harbour, Australia
- The Historic Landmarks of Sydney, Australia
- A Harbour Front Walk Past the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House
- A Day at Shelley Beach, Sydney, Australia
- Bondi Beach and the Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk, Sydney, Australia
- A Day at Camp’s Bay by Watson Cove, Sydney, Australia
- Calling on the Koala Bears at Taronga Zoo, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas Business Lounge, Sydney Kingsford Smith Domestic, Australia
- Qantas Business Class: Sydney – Adelaide
- Sipping the Wines of McLaren Vale Region, Adelaide, Australia
- Restaurant Review: The Star of Greece, Port Willunga, Australia
- Exploring the Wines of The Adelaide Hills, Adelaide, Australia
- Tasting an Australian Icon “Penfolds Grange” Wine
- Qantas Club Adelaide, Australia
- Qantas Business Class: Adelaide – Sydney
- Trying to Fly Standby out of Australia’s Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport
- United Airlines: Sydney – San Francisco
- American Express Centurion Lounge: San Francisco International Airport
- Air Canada Rouge: San Francisco – Vancouver
Region Visit: Exploring Wines of Adelaide Hills, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
Our second day of wine tasting was a bit closer to home. We spent a day wine tasting in nearby Adelaide Hills. It is a cooler area thanks to elevated mountains going up to a maximum elevation of 710 meters at the peak of Mount Lofty. The wine varietals were much cooler than the hot McLaren Vale Shirazs’ and consisted of mostly white varietals like Sauvignon blanc, Rieslings and lighter chardonnays.
Visiting Anderson Hill Winery:
Most of the approaches to the cellar doors were along twisty roads through hillsides and gum trees well off the beaten path. Our first stop today was at Anderson Hill. In addition to being a winery, the area was also a trail head for nearby mountain biking trail descents.
We enjoyed a tasting of 5 varietals, including a sparkling, Sauvingon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvingon. Andersons Hill is situated on top of the Adelaide Hills and is a popular spot for mountain biking descents and weddings, not necessarily in that order.
We enjoyed the Pinot Noir so much we decided to split a bottle and have a share amongst our group of five, on the picnic tables outside.
Tasting at Pike and Joyce Winery:
We later moved on to Pike and Joyce, which was a large scale winery. On our visit today, they were in the middle of hosting a large lunch party.
We had another great tasting with charming staff. We had a solid white wine tasting. Rose sparkling, Sauvingon Blanc, Grunter Veller, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet. I was still amazed at yet another complimentary stand up tasting with another fabulous view across the valley.
The flagship of Adelaide Hills: Shaw and Smith:
We finished up the day with our first paid tasting of the experience at Shaw and Smith. It was an easy $15 for 5 wines with cheese in a formal premium sit down format. Overall, the environment is contemporary and upscale in a small guest experience format.
Shaw and Smith are known for their flagship Shaw and Smith Sauvingon Blanc, Shaw and Smith Riesling, M3 Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz. We enjoyed a sample of these paired with ashed goats chevre, triple cream brie, and mature clothed cheddar. It was another fabulous setting again and terrific values completely absent of any other tourists.
Shaw and Smith was easily the most luxurious tasting of the group. Although slightly more upscale that the other wineries and cellar doors that we visited on this trip, we were well taken care of and had a really enjoyable experience.
Our day Sipping in the Adelaide Hills:
Overall, I was quite impressed at the quality of food and wine available in this region. It was a terrific food and wine day with great examples of food at Star of Greece. Both areas were must visits if you happened to be in the area.
If you have visited the charming Adelaide Hills wine region, which wineries did you find your best tastings at?
While it’s fairly typical to experience above average food in wine country, it’s exceptionally unusual to find one with a spectacular view of the ocean and overlooking sandy beaches and a rugged coast line. The Star of Greece Restaurant at Port Willunga is located just fifteen minutes from the cellar doors of McLaren Vale, South Australia. It makes for an excellent diversion from wine tasting and touring and should be on your must visit if travelling through McLaren Vale, South Australia.
This post is one chapter in our trip to Australia on Air Canada & Qantas Business Class and United Airlines. This trip was booked using British Airways Executive Club Avios and Starwood Preferred Guest (Marriott Bonvoy) points. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Hitching a Ride to Australia via Air Canada & Qantas Business Class and United Airlines,
- Plaza Premium Lounge International – Vancouver International Airport
- Air Canada Business Class: Vancouver – Sydney
- Four Points by Sheraton Sydney Darling Harbour, Australia
- The Historic Landmarks of Sydney, Australia
- A Harbour Front Walk Past the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House
- A Day at Shelley Beach, Sydney, Australia
- Bondi Beach and the Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk, Sydney, Australia
- A Day at Camp’s Bay by Watson Cove, Sydney, Australia
- Calling on the Koala Bears at Taronga Zoo, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas Business Lounge, Sydney Kingsford Smith Domestic, Australia
- Qantas Business Class: Sydney – Adelaide
- Sipping the Wines of McLaren Vale Region, Adelaide, Australia
- Restaurant Review: The Star of Greece, Port Willunga, Australia
- Exploring the Wines of The Adelaide Hills, Adelaide, Australia
- Tasting an Australian Icon “Penfolds Grange” Wine
- Qantas Club Adelaide, Australia
- Qantas Business Class: Adelaide – Sydney
- Trying to Fly Standby out of Australia’s Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport
- United Airlines: Sydney – San Francisco
- American Express Centurion Lounge: San Francisco International Airport
- Air Canada Rouge: San Francisco – Vancouver
Restaurant Review: The Star of Greece, Port Willunga, SA, Australia.
After about 10 or so tastings, it was time for brunch. We were getting pretty snacky by this point. Our wonderful friends took us to what would be the highlight of dining on this trip. Of course, thanks to the addition of copious amounts of wonderful McLaren Vale wines, the Australian accent simulations started by this point as we tried to pronounce the signs on the way.
Getting to the Star of Greece:
1 Esplanade, Port Willunga SA 5173, Australia
We set off from McLaren Vale toward Port Willunga. The Star of Greece Restaurant is located right on the Coast of the Gulf of St Vincent off the shores of Australia.
We rolled into the sea side parking lot at our lunch restaurant: Star of Greece. It is situated on the coast in Port Willunga near McLaren Vale. We were pretty much blown away with the view. It turned out to be a real gem with views of the Gulf of St Vincent that you wouldn’t easily forget. We’ve been to a few wine regions around the world, but none with a coastal view quite like this one.
Inside the Star of Greece:
Once we got past that, we headed inside to a quaint little restaurant. We were among the first guests for today’s lunch service.
The Star of Greece has nothing to do with Greek food. Rather the restaurant is named after a ship that sank locally in the surrounding area. The restaurant focuses on fresh food that is locally sourced from the nearby region. While it does have a Mediterranean feel, it’s not a location that you’d expect to see souvlaki or roast lamb on the menu.
The Meal: A Two Course Lunch
We started with an Amuse Bouche
This was accompanied with fresh house made bread, balsamic, and braised Port Willunga olives.
Our first course consisted of Local Oysters on Salt, both fresh and breaded. While oysters are usually presented in a massive ice bucket, I enjoyed the presentation of these oysters.
We had the local specialty of nearby Kangaroo Island “Whiting Fish and Chips. It was prepared nicely. I had the battered version whereas MrsWT73 had the poached version.
It was paired today with a light and delicately crisp Sauvignon Blanc Wine from Eden Claire Valley.
We had a really enjoyable lunch experience. It was such a spectacular view point, we opted for a group photo to commemorate the day.
Our meal at The Star of Greece:
All in all it was a fantastic meal and a memorable dining experience on a beautiful day. It was easily the highlight of our restaurant dining during this holiday and had a view that matched the food. I’d definitely make this place a must visit if you happened to be in Adelaide. Its a mere 40 minutes from the Adelaide Central Business District. The fact that you can visit world class wineries on the way too and from is a certain bonus as well. I am looking forward to our return trip here the next time we find ourselves in Adelaide.
If you’ve dined at the Star of Greece, were you as impressed with the location and the meal as I was?
About 25 years ago, in another life, I used to be a ski instructor at Blackcomb Mountain, Whistler, BC, Canada. During that time, I had several Australian flat mates and had some interesting times growing up in my twenties. Through Facebook, I was able to re-connect with some of them, which, in part, prompted this visit to Adelaide. For the next 4 days, we had a home stay with our friends as they showed us around some fantastic South Australia vineyards.
This post is one chapter in our trip to Australia on Air Canada & Qantas Business Class and United Airlines. This trip was booked using British Airways Executive Club Avios and Starwood Preferred Guest (Marriott Bonvoy) points. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Hitching a Ride to Australia via Air Canada & Qantas Business Class and United Airlines,
- Plaza Premium Lounge International – Vancouver International Airport
- Air Canada Business Class: Vancouver – Sydney
- Four Points by Sheraton Sydney Darling Harbour, Australia
- The Historic Landmarks of Sydney, Australia
- A Harbour Front Walk Past the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House
- A Day at Shelley Beach, Sydney, Australia
- Bondi Beach and the Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk, Sydney, Australia
- A Day at Camp’s Bay by Watson Cove, Sydney, Australia
- Calling on the Koala Bears at Taronga Zoo, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas Business Lounge, Sydney Kingsford Smith Domestic, Australia
- Qantas Business Class: Sydney – Adelaide
- Sipping the Wines of McLaren Vale Region, Adelaide, Australia
- Restaurant Review: The Star of Greece, Port Willunga, Australia
- Exploring the Wines of The Adelaide Hills, Adelaide, Australia
- Tasting an Australian Icon “Penfolds Grange” Wine
- Qantas Club Adelaide, Australia
- Qantas Business Class: Adelaide – Sydney
- Trying to Fly Standby out of Australia’s Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport
- United Airlines: Sydney – San Francisco
- American Express Centurion Lounge: San Francisco International Airport
- Air Canada Rouge: San Francisco – Vancouver
Region Visit: Sipping The Wines of McLaren Vale Region, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
We visited several wineries around the Adelaide area thanks to our wonderful hosts. For those are not familiar with the wine regions near Adealide, they are: McLaren Vale, Barossa and Adelaide Hills.
An early morning departure and we are off on the wrong side of the road.
Getting to McLaren Vale:
The McLaren Vale town is located a short drive away from our nearby stay in Adelaide, South Australia. It is located very close to the nearby waters of the ocean and inlets that make up the surrounding regions of Adelaide.
Visiting Hugh Hamilton Wines:
We started our first days wine tasting in McLaren Vale at Hugh Hamilton. We experienced some beautiful elevated views surrounding the valley floor of McLaren Vale.
Hugh Hamilton has an attractive round tasting room in middle of vines surrounded by prevalent sheep branding.
It was a pleasant environment surrounded by the vines. With Hugh Hamilton’s Cellar Door being just on top of the rise, there were views stretching over the McLaren Vale hills as far as the rolling hills would allow.
Entering into the Tasting Room, it was immediately obvious from our first tasting experience that we were well off the regular wine tourist trail. There were a complete lack of outside tourists. We enjoyed a tasting with a Portland couple who were spending two months down between Australia and New Zealand. There were the only non Australian tourists we saw all day. I also found it different that almost all the wine tastings (15 out of 17 over several days) were completely complimentary with no attempt to charge for pricing or anything like that.
We enjoyed a great tasting here and kick off to our visit to the wineries of the McLaren Vale region.
Wines of The Battle of Bosworth:
After a few samples, we went onto Battle of Bosworth, an organic winery well off the beaten path. It was so far off the beaten path, I think we were in the smallest tasting room ever. It was all part of the charm as we enjoyed a private tasting there with some really tasty unoaked chardonnay. Their wine labels were reminiscent of seed sachets that your parents used.
The seed sachet labels that reminded me of visiting Buckerfields with my parents when I was young.
We continued on to the Star of Greece restaurant which is beautifully situated on the coast for lunch. We’ve covered that experience in our separate restaurant review.
A tour of funky Alpha Box Dice winery:
After lunch, we headed up to the electric and funky Alpha Box Dice. While I had never heard of it before today, it’s actually available on the shelf back come in Canada.
Inside the taste in decor was pretty eclectic and farmhouse traditional to say the least. It was the first time that I’ve seen pinball machines in the Cellar Door.
Their wine labels were equally as noisy. There’s something about branding, and you certainly won’t forget these labels anywhere you go.
We enjoyed an outdoor tasting under the warm early summer sun. They were some reasonable boutiques wines from the area. I was more surprised to see their labels back home in Vancouver, Canada at my local boutique wine store.
Tasting at d’Arenberg:
Our last stop of the day was at the global medium scale giant d’Arenberg. D’Arenerg is known for it’s wine “The Black Chook”, a globally famous version of their Shiraz Voigner. They have been producing wine since the 1800’s and are w world renowned label.
D’Arenberg also had another small format tasting room. It seems that because Australia is so far from everywhere, there aren’t many international tourists that are travelling all the way to taste here. As a result, all the wine tasting room are quite small by comparison.
We had an opportunity to taste their flagship reds. I had tried “The Dead Arm” before but their wine The Galvo Garage was new for me. Both had won several gold medals in the Australian Wine Competitions and were proudly displaying them across the bottles.
D’Arenberg was situated in a quiet, almost rural like setting without much fan fare or commercialness to the whole matter. It made for another peaceful existence in the farm lands and hills of McLaren Vale.
It’s always a treat to be able to enjoy quality and speciality wines with the knowledge that you can get some mainstream wines back home.
Our day Sipping at McLaren Vale:
Our day at McLaren Vale was a terrific and low key tasting experience. The cellar doors were easy to access and wonderfully hospitable. The beauty and setting of McLaren Vale, South Australia was also picturesque and made for a pleasant setting for a day of wine touring. If you happen to get the opportunity to visit Adelaide, make sure you care out some time in your schedule for a day to explore the wineries of McLaren Vale, South Australia.
If you’ve had the opportunity to wine taste in McLaren Vale, how did you find it compared to other tasting regions of the world?
Our flights within Australia were courtesy of Qantas Airlines. With only two major carriers in Australia, Qantas (along with it’s Jetstar low cost subsidiary) and Virgin Australia, we settled for Qantas which was redeemed through the British Airways Executive Club Avios program. Travel within Australia domestically is generally quite expensive, making a points redemption a very easy and worthwhile opportunity.
This post is one chapter in our trip to Australia on Air Canada & Qantas Business Class and United Airlines. This trip was booked using British Airways Executive Club Avios and Starwood Preferred Guest (Marriott Bonvoy) points. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Hitching a Ride to Australia via Air Canada & Qantas Business Class and United Airlines,
- Plaza Premium Lounge International – Vancouver International Airport
- Air Canada Business Class: Vancouver – Sydney
- Four Points by Sheraton Sydney Darling Harbour, Australia
- The Historic Landmarks of Sydney, Australia
- A Harbour Front Walk Past the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House
- A Day at Shelley Beach, Sydney, Australia
- Bondi Beach and the Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk, Sydney, Australia
- A Day at Camp’s Bay by Watson Cove, Sydney, Australia
- Calling on the Koala Bears at Taronga Zoo, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas Business Lounge, Sydney Kingsford Smith Domestic, Australia
- Qantas Business Class: Sydney – Adelaide
- Sipping the Wines of McLaren Vale Region, Adelaide, Australia
- Restaurant Review: The Star of Greece, Port Willunga, Australia
- Exploring the Wines of The Adelaide Hills, Adelaide, Australia
- Tasting an Australian Icon “Penfolds Grange” Wine
- Qantas Club Adelaide, Australia
- Qantas Business Class: Adelaide – Sydney
- Trying to Fly Standby out of Australia’s Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport
- United Airlines: Sydney – San Francisco
- American Express Centurion Lounge: San Francisco International Airport
- Air Canada Rouge: San Francisco – Vancouver
Review: Qantas Business Class B737-8, Sydney Kingford Smith – Adelaide, Australia.
At about T-35, we wandered down from the Qantas Business Lounge Sydney to Gate 1A. The Sydney Kingsford Smith Terminal Three Domestic concourse is a pleasant and utilitarian space.
There was a large line of about 40 people had developed, running down the length of the concourse. There appeared to be no priority boarding, although there was a priority lane that didn’t appear to be enforced.
Rightly or wrongly, we wandered up to the front and ended up using the empty economy lane to “self-priority board”. Surprisingly, the only ID check was at check in during our travels. There was no identification check at security or on boarding of the aircraft which felt like traveling in an era well past.
Soon enough, it came time to board and we were underway.
Qantas
Business Class
SYD-ADL (Sydney Kingford Smith Domestic Terminal 3 – Adelaide International)
QF741 – Business Class (I)
6:40 PM – 8:15 PM
Thursday December 4, 2014
Booked: Boeing 737-800
Flown: Boeing 737-800
On Board Qantas Short Haul Business Class:
Once on board, we settled into older style recliner seats that had been gracefully aged a bit. It was a somewhat drab and muted cabin that was without flair but completely functional.
MrsWT73 commented that the equipment had aged quite considerably for a newer generation Boeing 737-800. I’d have to agree with her given that the 737-8 is the among the more current generations of the B737 series.
There was a recline feature for the seats, but no in seat power.
In terms of storage, our regular sized carry on’s wouldn’t fit in the overhead bin. We had a very mild reminder consisting of a raised eye brow and a wink and a nod from the flight attendant that the carry on weight limit was 7 kg (15 lbs). Who travels with a bag that is that light weight these days? And why does Qantas have such a ridiculously light carry on limit? We ended up thinning down our bags a bit to make them fit by removing some items. As it turns out, the sizing for Australian carry on’s are much smaller than the standard and familiar North American or European sizes. You’d only expect to take enough for an overnight trip, instead of squeezing everything into a carry on for a 10 day trip.
Entertainment on Board:
Our cabin didn’t have any individual video monitors. Entertainment was given from the main screen entertainment and additional drop down monitors. This meant we had to settle for the woman telling us all about the Qantas Sydney First Class Lounge.
The Qantas in flight magazine was sturdy and had was an interesting read unlike some of the Asian in flight magazines which are more a collection of cosmetic advertising articles.
Pre-Departure Services:
A pre-departure beverage of orange juice or water was offered from a tray in a proper glass.
We had a late departure of about 35 minutes, setting off with a long taxi to 34 L runway and a departure track straight over downtown Sydney. We passed by with more hangar views on the way out of town.
It was a bumpy climb out due to thundershowers. Before we knew it, we were above clear skies headed westward towards Adelaide.
Meal Service: A Full Dinner served from the Trolley
The in-flight service today offered a full dinner service, served direct from the trolley. There was a choice of chicken leg, green beans and roast potatoes or a lamb and pasta salad. I had the chicken paired with Wirra Wirra Riesling from Adelaide hills. The chicken was topped with fresh sauce, scooped straight from the cart immediately before it was served, along with fresh cracked pepper from the mill. It was a classy touch that I haven’t seen anywhere else. It reminded me of those vintage photographs of Pan Am when your ritzy parent’s friends dressed up to dine on board.
Dinner service concluded with a tea and coffee service.
Overall, the Qantas service on board was excellent. The manager, Sophia addressed us by surname on every contact, with warm eye contact and was exceptionally pleasant to deal with.
The flight ended quite quickly after about 2 hours. We landed at the new Adelaide airport. We were met gateside by our good Australian friends who were able to clear security to meet us directly at the gate.
My thoughts on Qantas Short Haul Business Class:
Overall, Qantas was a very pleasant way to get around Australia. Despite the somewhat plain interior of the aircraft, the lounges, food, beverage and service was a substantial step up than North American carriers. The Qantas flights are a great value redemption on British Airways Avios, given the generally high cost of flying business class around a single market airline of Australia.
Is Qantas Business Class your preferred way to get around Australia?
The countries of Australia and New Zealand have an ability to take the lounge experience to the next level. They consistently offer a terrific lounge product, typically with above average food and beverage and spacious places to relax and rest before any flight. The Qantas Business Lounges are no exception to that rule. We were able to visit the terrific Qantas Business Lounge Sydney Kingford Smith Terminal Three before our onward journey.
This post is one chapter in our trip to Australia on Air Canada & Qantas Business Class and United Airlines. This trip was booked using British Airways Executive Club Avios and Starwood Preferred Guest (Marriott Bonvoy) points. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Hitching a Ride to Australia via Air Canada & Qantas Business Class and United Airlines,
- Plaza Premium Lounge International – Vancouver International Airport
- Air Canada Business Class: Vancouver – Sydney
- Four Points by Sheraton Sydney Darling Harbour, Australia
- The Historic Landmarks of Sydney, Australia
- A Harbour Front Walk Past the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House
- A Day at Shelley Beach, Sydney, Australia
- Bondi Beach and the Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk, Sydney, Australia
- A Day at Camp’s Bay by Watson Cove, Sydney, Australia
- Calling on the Koala Bears at Taronga Zoo, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas Business Lounge, Sydney Kingsford Smith Domestic, Australia
- Qantas Business Class: Sydney – Adelaide
- Sipping the Wines of McLaren Vale Region, Adelaide, Australia
- Restaurant Review: The Star of Greece, Port Willunga, Australia
- Exploring the Wines of The Adelaide Hills, Adelaide, Australia
- Tasting an Australian Icon “Penfolds Grange” Wine
- Qantas Club Adelaide, Australia
- Qantas Business Class: Adelaide – Sydney
- Trying to Fly Standby out of Australia’s Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport
- United Airlines: Sydney – San Francisco
- American Express Centurion Lounge: San Francisco International Airport
- Air Canada Rouge: San Francisco – Vancouver
Review: Qantas Business Lounge, Sydney Kingsford Smith Terminal 3 Domestic, Sydney, Australia.
This lounge is about the Qantas Business Lounge at Sydney Kingsford Smith Domestic Terminal. For another lounge at the Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport, please see our review of the Qantas First Class Lounge Sydney International Terminal.
I had booked our domestic Australian flights courtesy of British Airways Avios. The British Airways Executive Club Avios points started life as Royal Bank of Canada Avion Visa credit card points. I had converted 40,000 Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) Avion Visa points to BA Avios points during their usual fall 50% bonus conversion promotion. Thanks to the British Airways “distance based” reward chart, we were able to get each flight segment in business class for 15,000 points per segment for a total of 60,000 points for two and an easy $75 in taxes and fees for the two of us. This was a great deal for a flight that was retailing for around $900 USD per person in high cost airfare environment of Australia. There was ample reward space available and I found that, at the time of this report, Qantas was making all available seats on the SYD-ADL route except for 1 available for reward redemptions.
My sister joined us in Adelaide courtesy of an industry ID90 “Z” fare on Qantas, booked the day before travel on the same flight.
Checking Into Qantas Business Class:
The check in for today’s flight was in a bright and airy hall at Sydney’s Kingford Smith Domestic Terminal Three. Qantas has moved to the largest kiosk check in area that I’ve seen, probably in part due to the high labor costs in Australia.
We located the business class check in at the far left end of the hall. Our check in host “Marc” verbally invited us to the “nice buffet” in the Qantas business class lounge.
Priority Screening Lanes:
We used the priority screening lane to get to secure side. Australia still isn’t limiting traveling “passengers only” to the secure side of the terminal, meaning that anyone going to the airport can get screened and wave goodbye at the gate. As a result, there was no check of the boarding pass for passengers traveling, or not traveling, at the security check point.
Locating the Qantas Business Lounge:
We cleared security and located the Qantas Business Lounge precinct. The lounge is located immediately after security just to the left of the security check point.
The Map is Courtesy of Sydney Airport.com
We went up escalators with a switch to business lounge to left or Qantas Club Lounge (credit card holders) to right. We went for the more upper crust business lounge. The access to the hidden Qantas Chairmans’ lounge (by invitation only for Qantas’ most special fliers) was also in this hallway.
Accessing the Qantas Business Lounge:
Access to the Qantas Business Lounge is allowed for travellers that are travelling on a departing flight in Qantas, Emirates, Jetstar or One World Business Class. Two guests are allowed and do not have to be travelling in order to access the lounge. Access is also afforded to Platinum One or Platinum Qantas Frequent Fliers. Eligible One World travelers that have Sapphire or higher level status (eg: Emerald Status) are also afforded access.
I was able to invite my sister in as a guest (at the time: one guest, traveling or not, was included with each business class fare) without any corresponding check of her boarding pass.
If for some reason you don’t meet the requirements, and are desperate to visit, you can still purchase annual access to the Qantas Club. There is an initiation fee and an annual fee that is in the range of $500 AUD per year. You may also be offered a day invitation for fee, dependent on lounge capacity.
Inside the Qantas Business Lounge Sydney:
The Qantas Business Lounge Sydney is a massive space. The lounge is made up of distinct lounge seating areas which are intimate on their own, but compartmentalize a rectangular lounge space into intimate spaces. The lounge is bathed in large daylight glass windows that over look the Qantas Domestic apron. Like in other Qantas Lounges, the furniture is contemporary and upscale.
On our visit, it was only about 40% occupied, making for a relaxed lounge experience.
We settled in by the glass and stocked up on snacks. You get the picture here, the space and area just goes on and on.
Flex Space Seating:
In addition to lounge chairs, there were also seating for flex space. There were also work computers and other work productivity equipment suitable for business travellers. There were also several work station areas toward the back of the lounge if windows weren’t your thing.
Overall, it is a terrific experience. No wonder this company is having financial difficulties. According to the in flight magazine, the Qantas Group reported an underlying loss before tax of $646 million dollars and a statutory loss after tax of $2.8 billion for the period ending July 31, 2014.
Having said that, the Qantas lounge is probably the nicest domestic lounge I’ve ever been in. It easily topped the old Air New Zealand Koru Club in Los Angeles Terminal 2, and was a close call with the American Express Centurion Lounge Las Vegas and later in San Francisco.
Food and Beverage:
The Qantas Lounges always excel in food and beverage options. The Qantas Business Lounge Sydney was no exception to this rule. While some lounges scrimp on food and snacks between meal periods, the Qantas Lounge offered a full all day dining menu of mulligatawny soup, toasted sandwiches, raw root vegetable salad, pasta with pesto salad, dry coleslaw, mixed leaf salad, hummus with accompaniments and pecan and cinnamon flan for desert. Best of all, there was a full sandwich buffet spread on offer, with approximately 6 wines on self pour. What’s not to like about all that?
The buffet was complimented by a full bar service. The bar service featured many Australian Wines that were available through a self pour station. Unlike European Lounges, the Qantas Lounges did not offer alcohol service until after 11 AM.
If these Australian wines weren’t good enough, Qantas offered more upscale selections through the Qantas epiQure program. These premium wines were offered through the Qantas Frequent Flier program where you could obtain an elevated wine experience by exchanging Qantas Frequent Flier points for air controlled wine poured from air controlled wine cylinders. The option for epicurean wines included Penfold’s Grange included from within the program from an automated dispensing machine with payment with your Qantas Frequent Flier points.
Dining Area:
The lounge also offered an extensive dining area. While some lounges make a distinct dining area, the Qantas business Lounge in Sydney blended the spaces nicely without an obvious distinct tables and chair area.
Views from the Lounge:
The lounge had plenty of plane spotting opportunities, along with the Qantas maintenance hangars 131, 191, 245 and 271.
We managed to spot the sole Boeing 737 in the vintage 1970’s retro livery that Qantas has recently converted.
The lounge also promoted Qantas’ latest advertising campaign, “Welcome Home”, similar to the opening scenes of the movie Love Actually. I found that it actually made the lounge a bit more of a personable space.
My thoughts on the Qantas Business Lounge Sydney Terminal 3 Kingsford Smith:
During our visit, staff brought around Apricot Brandy drinks and nuts on a trolley cart. It was a nice touch that I haven’t seen in many other lounges worldwide except for the occasional full service first class lounge.
We had a comfortable time here before we headed to the gate for our domestic flight. The Qantas Business Lounge was easily worth a visit and we would aim to spend some time here again if we passed through again.
Do you find the Qantas Business Lounge in Sydney, Australia a solid effort for a domestic lounge?
The city of Sydney, Australia ranks among the great cities of the globe with a world class zoo within close proximity to its downtown core. While a zoo isn’t normally on my “must see” attractions list, it is certainly higher up on the list in a country that has some of the most unique animals in the world. Kangaroos’, koala bears and wallabies make up Australia’s intriguing animals. A visit to the Taronga Zoo is the quickest and easiest way to get some exposure to these animals and should be on your travel list if you have a short time visiting Australia.
This post is one chapter in our trip to Australia on Air Canada & Qantas Business Class and United Airlines. This trip was booked using British Airways Executive Club Avios and Starwood Preferred Guest (Marriott Bonvoy) points. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Hitching a Ride to Australia via Air Canada & Qantas Business Class and United Airlines,
- Plaza Premium Lounge International – Vancouver International Airport
- Air Canada Business Class: Vancouver – Sydney
- Four Points by Sheraton Sydney Darling Harbour, Australia
- The Historic Landmarks of Sydney, Australia
- A Harbour Front Walk Past the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House
- A Day at Shelley Beach, Sydney, Australia
- Bondi Beach and the Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk, Sydney, Australia
- A Day at Camp’s Bay by Watson Cove, Sydney, Australia
- Calling on the Koala Bears at Taronga Zoo, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas Business Lounge, Sydney Kingsford Smith Domestic, Australia
- Qantas Business Class: Sydney – Adelaide
- Sipping the Wines of McLaren Vale Region, Adelaide, Australia
- Restaurant Review: The Star of Greece, Port Willunga, Australia
- Exploring the Wines of The Adelaide Hills, Adelaide, Australia
- Tasting an Australian Icon “Penfolds Grange” Wine
- Qantas Club Adelaide, Australia
- Qantas Business Class: Adelaide – Sydney
- Trying to Fly Standby out of Australia’s Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport
- United Airlines: Sydney – San Francisco
- American Express Centurion Lounge: San Francisco International Airport
- Air Canada Rouge: San Francisco – Vancouver
Calling on The Koala Bears at the Taronga Zoo, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
This post is about the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. For other attractions in Sydney, please see our visit to Historic Landmarks of the Central Business District, the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Front walk, or our visit to Bondi Beach, Sydney.
Getting to The Taronga Zoo:
Our last morning in Sydney was at the Taronga Zoo. We were able to get there with a quick ferry ride over to the zoo from the convenient Circular Quay near the central business district of Sydney.
Accessing the Zoo:
The Taronga Zoo is easily accessible and you don’t typically need a reservation to visit. It is typically open seven days a week in daylight hours between 9:30 AM to 5 PM. I’d recommend allowing 2 – 3 hours for a visit, depending on how much time you want to look at the various attractions.
Visiting the Zoo:
The Taronga Zoo is a perfect place to visit if you are passing through Sydney and don’t have the time or the opportunity to get into the Australian Outback in order to see the awesome wildlife that Austrlia has to offer. A visit to the Taronga Zoo offers visitors the opportunity to see Koala Bears, Gorillas, Kangaroos and other forms of Australian wildlife.
Australia’s Kangaroos:
You don’t have to go too far driving around the rural areas of Australia without having to see the various kangaroo yellow warning signs around the country. Kangaroos are much better as seen in the wild, but it’s still a treat to be able to see them in Australia, even if they are in a zoo setting. There is nothing like their large bent legs, and the ability to be able to watch them jump from place to place.
Gorillas in Sydney:
The Taronga Zoo also had a gorilla exhibit. It was also unique to be able to get up close (reasonably close) to gorillas. They were surprisingly human like. . .
The zoo was packed with school groups, but it was a great visit in order to see some Australian wildlife. Despite the concept of zoo’s and animals not being in a natural setting, I still think that zoo’s are great way to get close to animals and learn a little bit about them.
Koala’s Bears at Taronga Zoo:
There is nothing like seeing your first Koala Bears. The Taronga Zoo has some neat features that allow you to get close to Koala Bears. While they don’t offer a “hold a Koala bear” feature, they do offer times where you can pay a little extra to get up and close to get your photographs. It’s worth noting that if you’re lucky enough to see or locate Koala Bears in the wild, you’ll likely be seeing them from further away than you can at a zoo. On our trip down the Great Ocean Road near Melbourne, our koala sightings were quite far off with distant sightings in the gum trees.
We managed to get up and close to the Koala Bears and Kangaroos. It was a little touristy, nothing like at all like our last safari experience in the Maasai Mara, Kenya where we last saw animals. At the same time, it was a fun outing.
I’d feel a lot better if I were able to relax as easily as these folks.
Giraffes with a Million Dollar View:
One of the last unusual features of The Taronga Zoo is the giraffe enclosure. The giraffes happen to have a million dollar view of the Sydney Opera House that’s located immediately across the Sydney Harbour. It’s interesting to think that these beautiful animals are likely oblivious to their million dollar real estate but perhaps that makes them just that much more appealing.
These giraffes existence at this spot is a funny way to take in the iconic views of some of the most famous views of Sydney’s landmarks
Our experience at The Taronga Zoo:
The Taronga Zoo is an easy attraction that is located very close to the Central Business District of Sydney, Australia. The zoo features many of Australia’s favourite animals, including Kangaroo’s and those terrific Koala Bears that look innocent in almost any pose that they exist in. The Taronga Zoo is easily accessed by ferry from the Circular Quay Sydney passenger ferry terminal. The Taronga Zoo is easily worth a visit if you’re an animal lover or are pressed for time and won’t be making it into the greater Australian Outback.
If you’ve had the opportunity to visit the Taronga Zoo in Sydney Australia, how does it rank compared to other zoo’s that you’ve visited?
Our last visit to Sydney’s Beaches was to Camp’s Cove at Watson Bay. While less popular than one of the other more famous beaches in the Sydney area, it still offered a quiet beach experience with grainy sand and water sports amid calm waters. While a less popular spot than many of the other beaches around the Sydney area, this secret beach was a spot for people looking to get away from the crowds and other beach goers in the Sydney area.
This post is one chapter in our trip to Australia on Air Canada & Qantas Business Class and United Airlines. This trip was booked using British Airways Executive Club Avios and Starwood Preferred Guest (Marriott Bonvoy) points. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Hitching a Ride to Australia via Air Canada & Qantas Business Class and United Airlines,
- Plaza Premium Lounge International – Vancouver International Airport
- Air Canada Business Class: Vancouver – Sydney
- Four Points by Sheraton Sydney Darling Harbour, Australia
- The Historic Landmarks of Sydney, Australia
- A Harbour Front Walk Past the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House
- A Day at Shelley Beach, Sydney, Australia
- Bondi Beach and the Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk, Sydney, Australia
- A Day at Camp’s Bay by Watson Cove, Sydney, Australia
- Calling on the Koala Bears at Taronga Zoo, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas Business Lounge, Sydney Kingsford Smith Domestic, Australia
- Qantas Business Class: Sydney – Adelaide
- Sipping the Wines of McLaren Vale Region, Adelaide, Australia
- Restaurant Review: The Star of Greece, Port Willunga, Australia
- Exploring the Wines of The Adelaide Hills, Adelaide, Australia
- Tasting an Australian Icon “Penfolds Grange” Wine
- Qantas Club Adelaide, Australia
- Qantas Business Class: Adelaide – Sydney
- Trying to Fly Standby out of Australia’s Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport
- United Airlines: Sydney – San Francisco
- American Express Centurion Lounge: San Francisco International Airport
- Air Canada Rouge: San Francisco – Vancouver
Region Visit: A Day at Camp’s Cove Beach by Watson’s Bay, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
This post is about our day trip to Watson’s Bay, Sydney, Australia. For other attractions in Sydney, please see our visit to Historic Landmarks of the Central Business District, the Sydney Opera House Harbour Front walk, or our visit to Bondi Beach, Sydney.
Getting to Camp’s Cove Beach:
The last day of beaches in Sydney took us to Watson Bay. We hopped on board the ferry from Darling Harbour to Circular Quay, then connected onwards to Watson Bay. We managed to get by on the same ticket as we changed ferries on the same platform but it was supposed to be two separate tickets at $6 AUD each.
The trip out to Camps Cove took us out from Circular Quay, past the Sydney Opera House, and straight along the harbour waterways.
Before we knew it, we were arriving to the quieter waters of Watson’ Bay. The calmer waters were home to lots of para-sailers who were taking the day out on the water.
Watson’s Bay Promenade:
Our arrival from the ferry to Watson’s Bay led us to the small town of Watson’s Bay. It was a quiet, out of the way place, with a very short promenade pockmarked with small row bows on the shoreline.
The Day at the Beach at Camp’s Cove:
We had about 3 hours of beach time at Camp Cove with lunch at the small sandwich stand there for snacks. Again, it was another great beach spot, without the fanfare of Shelly Beach or Bondi Beach.
Walking towards Lady Bay:
Getting our usually daily exercise, we did another loop walk past nudist Lady Bay with naked men (it’s a clothing optional location), then over to the South Head Heritage Trail and a view of the Pacific Ocean. There was more fabulous coastline with the candy striped Hornby Lighthouse and sandstone light keepers cottages with a view that led toward the Tasman Sea and eventually the Pacific Ocean.
My Thoughts on Camps Bay and Sydney Beaches:
Overall, I was quite impressed with Sydney’s beaches. It’s not often that you get a major urban center that has access to nice sandy spots within a 30 minute ferry. Camps Bay at Cape Town South Africa and the beaches of Miami are the closest that come to mind. Either way, it’s a great idea to have in the back pocket when you need a break from the concrete and sandstone buildings of downtown Sydney.
If you’ve visited Camp Cove or Lady Bay Beaches in Sydney, Australia, did you find it as appealing as Sydney’s other city beaches?
Today’s objective was to visit the world famous Bondi Beach located in the suburbs of Sydney. The Bondi Beach has a large sandy area with terrific surf and access to a special coastal walkway from Bondi to Bronte Beach that ranks among the best coastal walkways in the world. Our day started on the beach taking in the sun, then transitioning over to a coastal walk once the sun had re-treated for the day.
This post is one chapter in our trip to Australia on Air Canada & Qantas Business Class and United Airlines. This trip was booked using British Airways Executive Club Avios and Starwood Preferred Guest (Marriott Bonvoy) points. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Hitching a Ride to Australia via Air Canada & Qantas Business Class and United Airlines,
- Plaza Premium Lounge International – Vancouver International Airport
- Air Canada Business Class: Vancouver – Sydney
- Four Points by Sheraton Sydney Darling Harbour, Australia
- The Historic Landmarks of Sydney, Australia
- A Harbour Front Walk Past the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House
- A Day at Shelley Beach, Sydney, Australia
- Bondi Beach and the Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk, Sydney, Australia
- A Day at Camp’s Bay by Watson Cove, Sydney, Australia
- Calling on the Koala Bears at Taronga Zoo, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas Business Lounge, Sydney Kingsford Smith Domestic, Australia
- Qantas Business Class: Sydney – Adelaide
- Sipping the Wines of McLaren Vale Region, Adelaide, Australia
- Restaurant Review: The Star of Greece, Port Willunga, Australia
- Exploring the Wines of The Adelaide Hills, Adelaide, Australia
- Tasting an Australian Icon “Penfolds Grange” Wine
- Qantas Club Adelaide, Australia
- Qantas Business Class: Adelaide – Sydney
- Trying to Fly Standby out of Australia’s Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport
- United Airlines: Sydney – San Francisco
- American Express Centurion Lounge: San Francisco International Airport
- Air Canada Rouge: San Francisco – Vancouver
Region Visit: Bondi Beach and the Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
This post is about our visit to Bondi Beach and the Bondi Bronte Coastal Walk. For other attractions in Sydney, please see our visit to Historic Landmarks of the Central Business District , the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House or our visit to Shelly Beach, Sydney.
Getting to Bondi Beach:
Our next beach day took us to Bondi Beach. We took Bus 330 from Hyde Park in downtown to Bondi Beach. This took about an hour to get there along city streets that were completely absent of the usual marketed franchise businesses that are more familiar around the world.
The Day at Bondi Beach:
Bondi Beach is among the more famous Sydney beaches and was indeed more popular than Shelly Beach in size and the amount of visitors. Bondi Beach sits in a beautiful bay with wide strip of sand for beach-ing. On arrival, MrsWT73 highly approved.
We located ourselves a spot directly on the beach and spent a few hours enjoying the beach and the sounds of the surf crashing ashore.
As a popular surfing beach, there were many locals that were trying out the local surf craft.
The Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk
It started out as nice sunny beach day but it gradually clouded over. After we had the most of the sun, we set out on the trail walk to Coogee and Bronte Beach. This Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk path is a beautiful cliff lined walk through the coves down towards the neighbouring Coogee Beach. The walk is located immediately next to Bondi Beach and is easily accessible from the southern side of the beach.
Those venturing out on this walk will be treated to spectacular coast views on a walk of varying elevation.
One of the first attractions on the walk is the Bondi’s Iceberg Club; a locally famous outdoor pool that is cut into the side of the rocks of the nearby hillside and coastline.
I could easily spend hours walking or running here with trail views like this. There were lots to see along the shore and the walk itself with a very scenic setting; even under clouds.
We didn’t make it all the way to Coogee or Bronte, but it’s a spot I’d love to come back to. It would make an especially scenic running trail as we shared the path with many runners. With a reverse view, there were equally as engaging photographs.
My Thoughts on our Visit to Bondi and the Coastal Walkway:
Our visit to Bondi Beach was an especially interesting experience. Bondi Beach is a world famous beach that offers some great surfing real estate. The Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk also features some interesting coastal scenery amid a special walkways that clings to the cliffside. The coastline is pretty spectacular considering it’s proximity to the city of Sydney itself. The area is a must visit for those that are on an extended stay in the Sydney area or those looking for a little outdoor athletic activity.
If you’ve visited the Bronte Coastal Walk, did you find it a world class coastal walk as we did?
Local residents of Sydney, despite living in beauty, don’t always spend every waking moment at tourist attractions. Similar to local habitants of this wonderful city, we took in some of Sydney’s wonderful city beaches as we got to know the city and its surroundings. Today’s outing was to nearby Shelly Beach, located just a short walk from the more popular Manly Beach.
This post is one chapter in our trip to Australia on Air Canada & Qantas Business Class and United Airlines. This trip was booked using British Airways Executive Club Avios and Starwood Preferred Guest (Marriott Bonvoy) points. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Hitching a Ride to Australia via Air Canada & Qantas Business Class and United Airlines,
- Plaza Premium Lounge International – Vancouver International Airport
- Air Canada Business Class: Vancouver – Sydney
- Four Points by Sheraton Sydney Darling Harbour, Australia
- The Historic Landmarks of Sydney, Australia
- A Harbour Front Walk Past the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House
- A Day at Shelley Beach, Sydney, Australia
- Bondi Beach and the Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk, Sydney, Australia
- A Day at Camp’s Bay by Watson Cove, Sydney, Australia
- Calling on the Koala Bears at Taronga Zoo, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas Business Lounge, Sydney Kingsford Smith Domestic, Australia
- Qantas Business Class: Sydney – Adelaide
- Sipping the Wines of McLaren Vale Region, Adelaide, Australia
- Restaurant Review: The Star of Greece, Port Willunga, Australia
- Exploring the Wines of The Adelaide Hills, Adelaide, Australia
- Tasting an Australian Icon “Penfolds Grange” Wine
- Qantas Club Adelaide, Australia
- Qantas Business Class: Adelaide – Sydney
- Trying to Fly Standby out of Australia’s Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport
- United Airlines: Sydney – San Francisco
- American Express Centurion Lounge: San Francisco International Airport
- Air Canada Rouge: San Francisco – Vancouver
Region Visit: A Day at Shelly Beach, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
This post is about a day at Shelley Beach. For other attractions in Sydney, please see our visit to Historic Landmarks of the Central Business District, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House, or our visit to Bondi Beach, Sydney.
Getting to Shelly Beach:
On our stay in Sydney, we also spent 3 days on various beaches around Sydney. I know that some people will ask why we bothered, considering that there are better beaches around the country of Australia. For this particular trip, we took the approach of focusing on food and wine and left the beaches to the surfers. In addition, we didn’t have enough time on this particular trip to head up to the Great Barrier Reef or the other legendary beaches such as Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia. The Sydney beaches proved to be a nice diversion and welcomed break from the city.
Shelley Beach is located a little ways from the Central Business District of Sydney. While it is accessible by ferry (via Manly) from Circular Quay, today we were picked up by one of my sister’s friends in his slick Range Rover and we drove over to Shelly Beach via Split Bridge. The drive took about 25 minutes.
Shelly Beach was a nice protected area with a beautiful walk in from Manly. We packed up our beach stuff for the day and walked in on a coastal sea wall walkway.
Shelly Beach: A packed local wonder
Shelly Beach was a busy spot but everything you needed from a youthful beach. With everyone squeezed together, we ended up finding a spot of local real estate to call our own and settled in for the day.
The beach had everything we needed, with the exception of food. We ended up having to walk 10 minutes back to Manly for lunch since the local restaurant was having a full refurbishment renovation.
Spectating a local wedding:
We even managed to crash or otherwise spectate a wedding. It was a neat experience to be a part of, made even more unusual with the whole beach clapping at the end of it when the couple were pronounced man and wife.
Our experience at Shelly Beach:
Shelly Beach isn’t a beach that normally makes the write ups of anyone’s international tourist visit to Sydney. Despite this, it was the perfect discovery of a get away for travellers looking to spend time relaxing with some younger Sydney residents. It was well tucked away, making for an opportunity city beach get away discovery for those looking for a little adventure.
If you visit or live in Sydney, Australia what is your favourite beach?
There are some cities in the world that are just photogenic by nature. Sydney, Australia is one of those cities with sights and structures to delight in. One of the easiest ways to take in the cities beauty is to take in a walk around the cities harbour. We started our walk from Darling Harbour through Dawes Point, under the Sydney Harbour Bridge over to the Sydney Opera House for a day full of sights that was beautiful, picturesque and memorable.
This post is one chapter in our trip to Australia on Air Canada & Qantas Business Class and United Airlines. This trip was booked using British Airways Executive Club Avios and Starwood Preferred Guest (Marriott Bonvoy) points. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Hitching a Ride to Australia via Air Canada & Qantas Business Class and United Airlines,
- Plaza Premium Lounge International – Vancouver International Airport
- Air Canada Business Class: Vancouver – Sydney
- Four Points by Sheraton Sydney Darling Harbour, Australia
- The Historic Landmarks of Sydney, Australia
- A Harbour Front Walk Past the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House
- A Day at Shelley Beach, Sydney, Australia
- Bondi Beach and the Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk, Sydney, Australia
- A Day at Camp’s Bay by Watson Cove, Sydney, Australia
- Calling on the Koala Bears at Taronga Zoo, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas Business Lounge, Sydney Kingsford Smith Domestic, Australia
- Qantas Business Class: Sydney – Adelaide
- Sipping the Wines of McLaren Vale Region, Adelaide, Australia
- Restaurant Review: The Star of Greece, Port Willunga, Australia
- Exploring the Wines of The Adelaide Hills, Adelaide, Australia
- Tasting an Australian Icon “Penfolds Grange” Wine
- Qantas Club Adelaide, Australia
- Qantas Business Class: Adelaide – Sydney
- Trying to Fly Standby out of Australia’s Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport
- United Airlines: Sydney – San Francisco
- American Express Centurion Lounge: San Francisco International Airport
- Air Canada Rouge: San Francisco – Vancouver
City Visit: A Harbourfront Walk Past the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
This post is about the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. . For other attractions in Sydney, please see our visit to Historic Landmarks of the Central Business District or our visit to Bondi Beach, Sydney.
Walking the Coast Line from Darling Harbour to the Sydney Opera House:
Sydney is a great city for walking, if you happen to be situated and staying at a hotel downtown. We took in a day of harbour walking and set out from the Four Points at Darling Harbour Sydney for a walk along the waterfront walkways, all the way under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, past the Pier One Sydney Harbour by Autograph Collection hotel, over to the Sydney Opera House. It was quite a picturesque and scenic walk, which I’d easily recommend for anyone with a good pair of walking shoes and an appetite for exploration.
One of our days took us on a walk past Lord Nelson Pub which was supposed to be Sydney’s Oldest Pub.
The walk from Darling Harbour continued on through Dawes Point and Pier 2-9. These are fairly new property developments a little off the busy beaten path featuring some awesome real estate with your own boat tie ups.
We would also walk by the Pier One Sydney Harbour by Autograph Collection hotel in the shadows of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, that we’d end up coming back to stay at a a few years later.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge was constructed between 1923 and was finished an inaugurated in 1932. It was designed for both vehicle, rail and passenger traffic. Due to its design, it remains an iconic image of Sydney and Australia. It is an absolutely spectacular lardmark bridge that is unique in the world.
We walked through Dawes Point Park and view of the Opera House by the nearby Park Hyatt Sydney. It is fantastic to be able to see such global iconic landmarks and to add them to live’s bucket list of travel attractions.
Views of The Sydney Opera House from the First Tower of the Sydney Harbour Bridge:
We climbed the Sydney Harbor Bridge for a view from the first Tower. We had considered the Bridge Climb but since the weather was a bit suspect, with thundershowers throughout out stay, we never ended up committing to a date. There were great views from the First Tower of the whole of Circular Quay (the main water transportation hub) and even views of some cruise ships calling in on Sydney.
Walking through The Rocks historic neighbourhood:
We ended up at the Rocks district and neighborhood. MrsWT73 did some damage at the shops here in the Rocks, the historic area of Sydney.
The Sydney Opera House:
After shopping, we walked over towards the Sydney Opera House passing Circular Quay.
We headed over to the Opera House Bar for some dim sum and a tall caprihina. I love the Asian influence in that dim sum is available as a snack all over town. It’s even more readily available than in Vancouver. It was a hot one out today and you only live once so I had two caprihina’s. Total indulgence.
No matter how you cut it, the Sydney Opera House is still a beautiful building, after all these years. The unique shell like shares are like nothing else. Once you’ve seen it once, it never leaves your mind.
Our time at the Sydney Opera House bar was highlighted by some great photo opportunities, along with your own cruise ship in the harbour. I took a walk around the opera house while the girls had another drink.
We finished our walking day by making our way over to the downtown shopping district where MrsWT73 and sister did some more damage with Uniqlo. Not being able to resist dim sum, I had a Shrimp and Pork Jiao Ze steamed dumpling snack at the Westfield Dai Ti Fan (5th floor) food fair outet, which was a much nicer environment than the Dai Ti Fan in the Star Casino near Darling Harbor where I had a snack earlier in the trip. Both of these restaurants are of the food fair variety, so if you were looking for a traditional sit down restaurant service with Dim sum from the cart, you’d need to look toward Taiwan where the original restaurants are located.
My feelings about the Sydney Opera House:
Spending time walking through the harbour of the city of Sydney is something that you’ll never forget. The mostly flat walkways and the location of Sydney as a harbour city make for some very picturesque sights. The Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House are world renowned landmarks that are worth being on every travellers bucket list of attractions.
If you’ve visited Sydney, Australia, do you make a point of visiting the Sydney Opera House on each visit?
The City of Sydney, Australia has been inhabited for almost 30,000 years, and was discovered by western travellers in the 1770’s when the British when Lieutenant James Cook landed at Botany Bay on the Kurnell Peninsula. With settlers according after that the city has grown up with substantial colonial history at it’s cross roads. When you explore the cities streets, buildings and landmarks, it’s history and legacy are almost everywhere.
This post is one chapter in our trip to Australia on Air Canada & Qantas Business Class and United Airlines. This trip was booked using British Airways Executive Club Avios and Starwood Preferred Guest (Marriott Bonvoy) points. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Hitching a Ride to Australia via Air Canada & Qantas Business Class and United Airlines,
- Plaza Premium Lounge International – Vancouver International Airport
- Air Canada Business Class: Vancouver – Sydney
- Four Points by Sheraton Sydney Darling Harbour, Australia
- The Historic Landmarks of Sydney, Australia
- A Harbour Front Walk Past the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House
- A Day at Shelley Beach, Sydney, Australia
- Bondi Beach and the Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk, Sydney, Australia
- A Day at Camp’s Bay by Watson Cove, Sydney, Australia
- Calling on the Koala Bears at Taronga Zoo, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas Business Lounge, Sydney Kingsford Smith Domestic, Australia
- Qantas Business Class: Sydney – Adelaide
- Sipping the Wines of McLaren Vale Region, Adelaide, Australia
- Restaurant Review: The Star of Greece, Port Willunga, Australia
- Exploring the Wines of The Adelaide Hills, Adelaide, Australia
- Tasting an Australian Icon “Penfolds Grange” Wine
- Qantas Club Adelaide, Australia
- Qantas Business Class: Adelaide – Sydney
- Trying to Fly Standby out of Australia’s Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport
- United Airlines: Sydney – San Francisco
- American Express Centurion Lounge: San Francisco International Airport
- Air Canada Rouge: San Francisco – Vancouver
City Visit: The Historic Landmarks of the Central Business District of Sydney, NSW, Australia.
This post is about the historic landmarks of the Central Business District of Sydney, Australia. For other attractions in Sydney, please see our visit to the Sydney Opera House along the Sydney Harbour Walk, or our visit to Bondi Beach, Sydney.
My Last Visit to Sydney, Australia:
It had been over 16 years since my last visit to Sydney. I was aged twenty four at the time, and the city seemed to be one of the most international places I’d ever visited. When I was twenty four, I was staying in grungy hostels in Kings Cross and backpacking my way from Sydney to Cairns. Now, at the age of 41, and another 45 countries under my travelling belt, the city was still pleasantly exotic. However, I couldn’t help but feel that the city had lost just a little bit of its worldly luster.
We had a great 5 days in the city, touring around some of the usual sights. During our visit in November, the city was in full preparation for Christmas holidays. The sandstone buildings were especially unique and memorable from my last visit.
I was a bit surprised at what a shopping city Sydney has become. I suppose it makes sense, since it’s so far away from everything. These were some of the highlights of our time in Sydney, Australia.
The Queen Victoria Building:
One of the greatest buildings in the central business district of Sydney, Australia is the Queen Victoria Building. The Queen Victoria Building, now affectionately known as the QVB, was built in 1898 and designed by 28 year old architect George McRae. It replaced the original Sydney markets on the site. Built as a monument to the long reigning monarch, construction took place in dire times, whilst Sydney was in a severe recession.
Originally, a concert hall, coffee shops, offices, showrooms, warehouses and a wide variety of tradespeople, such as tailors, mercers, hairdressers and florists, were accommodated.
Over many decades, change saw the concert hall become the city library alongside additional tenants including piano tuners, palmists and clairvoyants.
The Queen Victoria Building is surrounded by modern era towers making for a striking contrast between old and new.
The Westfield Tower
There are other impressive structures around the Central Business District. The commercial giant Westfield also has a giant tower. It is the tallest structure in Sydney and the second highest observation deck in the Southern Hemishpere.
The Archibald Memorial Fountain at Hyde Park:
One of Sydney’s nicest features is the fact that beautiful Hyde Park is aligned with the entire eastern flank of the Central Business District. The park contains many wonderful features in it, including the Archibald Memorial Fountain.
The Archibald Memorial Fountain was designed and installed in the year 1932. The Archibald Fountain is located in Hyde Park North on the eastern side of the Central Business District, and at the intersection of the main avenues crossing Hyde Park. The fountain, by French sculptor Francois Sicard, commemorates the association between Australia and France in World War I. It draws its themes from Greek antiquity and is an example in Sydney of the classical revivalist sculpture of the 1920’s and 1930’s, also known as Art Deco.
The Bottom Line: The landmarks of Sydney, Australia
The city of Sydney, Australia has world famous landmarks that attract tourists from around the world to the city. Walking through the central business district is a great opportunity to see some history, with roots that stretch back several hundred years. As one of the world’s cosmopolitan cities, there is enough here to keep you entertained for several days.
If you’ve visited Sydney, Australia, what is your favourite attraction within the city?
With a large selection of hotel rooms, there are lots of places to stay while in Sydney, Australia. On this visit, we ended up in Sydney’s Darling Harbour, a location that is a just little way’s away from the downtown Central Business District of Sydney. While we don’t normally stay in this area of Sydney, it was pretty handy to meet our needs for our 4 day stay in Sydney.
This post is one chapter in our trip to Australia on Air Canada & Qantas Business Class and United Airlines. This trip was booked using British Airways Executive Club Avios and Starwood Preferred Guest (Marriott Bonvoy) points. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
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Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Hitching a Ride to Australia via Air Canada & Qantas Business Class and United Airlines,
- Plaza Premium Lounge International – Vancouver International Airport
- Air Canada Business Class: Vancouver – Sydney
- Four Points by Sheraton Sydney Darling Harbour, Australia
- The Historic Landmarks of Sydney, Australia
- A Harbour Front Walk Past the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House
- A Day at Shelley Beach, Sydney, Australia
- Bondi Beach and the Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk, Sydney, Australia
- A Day at Camp’s Bay by Watson Cove, Sydney, Australia
- Calling on the Koala Bears at Taronga Zoo, Sydney, Australia
- Qantas Business Lounge, Sydney Kingsford Smith Domestic, Australia
- Qantas Business Class: Sydney – Adelaide
- Sipping the Wines of McLaren Vale Region, Adelaide, Australia
- Restaurant Review: The Star of Greece, Port Willunga, Australia
- Exploring the Wines of The Adelaide Hills, Adelaide, Australia
- Tasting an Australian Icon “Penfolds Grange” Wine
- Qantas Club Adelaide, Australia
- Qantas Business Class: Adelaide – Sydney
- Trying to Fly Standby out of Australia’s Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport
- United Airlines: Sydney – San Francisco
- American Express Centurion Lounge: San Francisco International Airport
- Air Canada Rouge: San Francisco – Vancouver
Review: Four Points by Sheraton Sydney Darling Harbour, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Booking and Getting There:
We ended up at this particular property as I had a free weekend night certificates gained from meeting a minimum annual spend on the Canadian Starwood Preferred Guest (now Marriott Bonvoy) American Express Card. Being a Starwood Category 4, it was the only hotel in Sydney where we could use up the expiring certificates, which are issued annually and given a one year usage duration.
Arriving to the Four Points by Sheraton Sydney:
We took the Airport Link train from the airport into the city. We walked to the hotel from the Town Hall Station with our rollie suitcases. It took a few blocks to get there (5-8 minutes) over mostly flat sidewalks with a slight downhill grade. We sure noticed this grade going the other way when we headed back to the airport. We arrived to the hotel entrance on Sussex Street. The main entrance is actually at the rear city side of the property.
Overall, the hotel is somewhat of a strange location. The hotel sits beautifully on Darling Harbour with half of the rooms having a terrific water view. What the brochures don’t show is that the hotel sits on top of a freeway interchange, and that there is no direct access from the hotel to the water without walking around a city block and a freeway to get there. There was a direct walkway, however it was closed for refurbishment on our visit. The back side of the hotel overlooks a quiet 2 lane city street. The hotel is the white building structure here interlaced amongst the freeways. Unfortunately, there’s no way to take a great photograph of this building. It lacks the beauty, of say, the Burj Al Arab.
The hotel exterior is undergoing a large scale upgrade and the hotel has a few cranes on the roof, which takes away from the idyllic décor somewhat.
You can see the freeway running underneath the hotel in this shot. Thankfully, we never noticed any strong vehicle noise or vibration from the freeway.
Checking into the Four Points by Sheraton Sydney Darling Harbour:
On check in, points were offered as a Starwood Preferred Guest Gold Amenity, along with free wifi in the lobby. Since I was staying on several back to back reservations, the hotel was kind enough to apply the points bonus for each reservation, despite only one check in and check out.
The service of the concierge was very proactive in dealing with matters. When I approached the front desk, I was remembered by name each and every time. It was a bit of an unusually high service level for a Four Points.
After our Air Canada Business Class Vancouver – Sydney flight which arrived at 8 AM, our room was not immediately available on our arrival to the hotel at 12 PM. We ended up going for lunch down the road, which I’ll expand on in a bit. I had read that many people were upgraded to the water side views when staying here. Regretfully, today, no room upgrades were available – unfortunately the hotel was totally full. On check in, a Starwood Preferred Guest Gold late 4 PM checkout on a weekday was offered without any negotiation or complications.
There was also complimentary wifi in the lobby of the hotel. It required a sign in on each visit.
The Room: A Premium City Side – Two Doubles
Returning to the room after lunch, our room was assigned. The room was functional, if not a little compact. The room was well equipped with minimal scuffing or wear and tear. Surprisingly, the usual complimentary water for SPG floor guests was missing. I didn’t notice it the first day, but after the second day, it became something that was a bit lacking about the property compared to other Starwood hotels.
There was a small mini bar fridge with enough space to store some of your own bottles (duty free) and ample plug ins to allow for charging of devices. There was also an Ipod alarm clock and in room safe and instant coffee dispensing service
A Compact Bathroom:
The washroom was fairly tiny. It featured a stand up shower and and single vanity. It was perfectly utilitarian and met our needs.
Around the Property:
Hotel Gym:
There was a full service, unattended gym located on the property. The gym offered windows to the outside and had daylight, unlike many city hotels that relegate gyms to the basement.
Roof Top Patio Bar:
The hotel also offered a rooftop patio bar, which was very sunny on our visit. The highlight was the views.
There was also a Starbucks coffee shop located within 5-7 minutes walk from the hotel on the waterfront with complimentary wifi with purchase.
Around the Hotel:
Darling Harbour:
Darling Harbour itself is an interesting venue. It’s a bit of a Las Vegas’y style set up of Darling Harbour. It reminded me of a poorly designed and disowned cousin of the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town. Darling Harbour appeared to have planning in various phases without any overall synergies that bands the area all together. The hotels of the area don’t really appear to connect to the harbour without running through various access points. There appeared to be a monorail running through the area at one point, which was now in the process of being decommissioned. The tracks are all gone, but the stations remain all boarded up.
On one hand, despite the odd nature of this place, you can’t beat the convenience of having lots of restaurants available at your doorstep. My sister found the area to be a bit over the top touristy, but I certainly appreciated the availability of any restaurant under the sun. During our stay, we went for lunch and a Victoria Bitter beer at the nearby Cargo Bar which was a great spot that we would visit several times on our stay while we waited for the room to become available. Darling Harbour itself, is an interesting collection of patios and restaurants.
On the other hand, it’s a bit of a touristy experience of older couples and families out for a night out on the town, complete with a Hard Rock Café and a Margeritaville bar with the “it’s five o’clock somewhere bar” in bright signage. Despite the entertainment venue concept, we got stuck one evening with all the kitchens closing on a week night at 9 PM.
Did I mention that Darling Harbour was complete with 20 floating Santas, proclaiming Ho Ho Ho and a tipped over South Pole? It’s either your idea of paradise or an eternal kitschy nightmare.
My thoughts the Four Points by Sheraton Sydney Darling Harbour:
The Four Points Darling Harbour provided good accommodation for our visit. While not the nicest place to stay in Sydney, it was fairly well situated and appeared to be among the newer properties compared to the legacy buildings of the Shangri-La, Four Seasons and the Sheraton on the Park. Redeeming points here would have been good value with an upgrade. Unfortunately, we weren’t as lucky this time around. I’d consider visiting again if I wasn’t able to get in at the Westin Sydney or other properties closer to the city centre.
Editors Note:
The Four Points by Sheraton Sydney Darling Harbour was de-flagged as a Marriott Property in 2016, and is now operating as the Hyatt Regency Sydney.
World Traveller 73 
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