Lesser-known places in Sydney
Sydney away from the Opera House steps: a garden made by one woman, an island of shipyards and convicts, a fort on a rock and a sunken reservoir.
7 of 7 places
Wendy's Secret Garden
- Park or garden
- Daytime
A garden built by artist Wendy Whiteley on disused railway land at Lavender Bay, with paths down through fig trees to harbour views.
- Getting there
- Walk from Milsons Point station.
- Best time
- Morning.
- Cost
- Free
- Visit with respect
- Stay on paths; the house above is private.
DirectionsAdd your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Approximate position -33.8470, 151.2100 · Australia
Cockatoo Island
- History
- Daytime
A convict prison and shipyard island with tunnels, workshops and cranes, now open for walking and camping.
- Getting there
- Ferry from Circular Quay.
- Best time
- Daytime.
- Cost
- Free entry; ferry farecheck
- Visit with respect
- Follow signs; some buildings are closed for safety.
DirectionsAdd your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Approximate position -33.8470, 151.1720 · Australia
Bare Island fort
- History
- Daytime
An 1880s fort on a rock joined by a timber bridge at La Perouse, on Kamay (Botany Bay).
- Getting there
- Bus to La Perouse.
- Best time
- Guided tours on set dayscheck.
- Cost
- Tours about A$15–20check
- Visit with respect
- Swell can break over rocks: stay back from the edge.
DirectionsAdd your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Approximate position -33.9920, 151.2310 · Australia
Paddington Reservoir Gardens
- Park or garden
- Daytime
A 19th-century underground reservoir whose roof collapsed, turned into a sunken garden among brick arches.
- Getting there
- Oxford Street, Paddington; bus from the city.
- Best time
- Daytime.
- Cost
- Free
- Visit with respect
- Events sometimes close itcheck.
DirectionsAdd your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Approximate position -33.8840, 151.2270 · Australia
Chau Chak Wing Museum
- Museum
- Daytime
The University of Sydney's museum of antiquities, natural history and art, including one of the region's largest Egyptian collections.
- Getting there
- University of Sydney campus; bus to Parramatta Road.
- Best time
- Weekdayscheck.
- Cost
- Free
- Visit with respect
- It is on a campus; follow signs.
DirectionsAdd your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Approximate position -33.8860, 151.1880 · Australia
Hermitage Foreshore Track
- Walk
- Early morning
- Daytime
A 2 km path through bush and small beaches in Vaucluse, with views across to the Harbour Bridge.
- Getting there
- Bus to Vaucluse, start at Bayview Hill Road.
- Best time
- Morning.
- Cost
- Free
- Visit with respect
- Carry water; some beaches have no facilities.
DirectionsAdd your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Approximate position -33.8580, 151.2750 · Australia
Susannah Place Museum
- History
- Daytime
A row of four 1844 terrace houses in the Rocks showing how working families lived, with a corner shop.
- Getting there
- Gloucester Street, the Rocks.
- Best time
- Guided tours on set dayscheck.
- Cost
- Feecheck
- Visit with respect
- Small rooms; follow the guide.
DirectionsAdd your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Approximate position -33.8600, 151.2080 · Australia
How places get on this list
- Fewer visitors than the city's top sights: no place on the usual first-day list.
- Open to the public: a street, park, market, museum or place of worship anyone can walk into, or a tour anyone can book.
- Legal and safe to visit as described. We leave out private property, closed or fenced sites, abandoned buildings, active rail lines, rooftops and rock pools known for drownings.
- Where access is limited (Hanoi's Train Street, Berlin's Spreepark, Barcelona's bunkers), we say what the rules are and how to see it without breaking them.
- Prices, hours and access rules change: anything marked check was right when written but should be confirmed on the day.
Checked 2026-09. Coordinates are approximate; use the map links to find the entrance.