Things To Do In Sydney

Sunscreen blinds can reduce glare for daytime activities, while blockout blinds can create a dark environment for movie watching. Just as there are optimal times to visit attractions, there are ideal times to adjust your home’s cooling. Consider programming your air conditioning or setting up your blinds on a schedule to pre-cool your home before you return from a day out. Engage your mind and escape the heat at the Powerhouse Museum, a haven of interactive exhibits and fascinating artefacts. From all-you-can-eat burgers on Mondays to $10 cocktails on Tuesdays to unlimited bowling & laser tag from Sunday night to Wednesday night, your weeknight entertainment is #sorted.
Harbour beaches are generally the best choice for babies and toddlers, with calm water and no surf. Ocean beaches offer more space and the classic Sydney indoor family activities sydney experience, but conditions vary and it’s important to always swim between the flags at patrolled beaches. One of Sydney’s newer harbourside parks, Barangaroo Reserve has wide sandstone paths, grassy terraces, picnic areas and great harbour views. It’s  a pleasant walk in itself, and kids can swim at Marrinawi Cove on the northern end. There’s a small playground at Clyne Reserve at the top of the hill (better suited to preschoolers), and the whole precinct connects easily to The Rocks and Darling Harbour for a longer foreshore day. Sometimes you want to add a little competitive edge to your rainy day.

Learn the fascinating legends of Cockatoo Island, one of the city’s World Heritage-listed convict sites that sits right in the middle of Sydney Harbour. You’ll have to pay for the ferry ride there but, once you’ve disembarked, you can explore the island's historic jail and dockyard for free. Rouse Hill Estate in Blacktown is one of Australia’s most important historic properties, dating back to 1813. The kid-friendly offering including the ‘Meet the animals’ tour, the schoolhouse and the stunning grounds are all open and accessible every Sunday. If you are looking for things to do in Sydney with kids when it rains, we have you covered, literally, with this list of indoor activities for kids of all ages that the whole family will love.
There are loads of climbing frames, slides, swings and a fun water play area for cooling off in the Summer. For toddlers under 3, look for venues with dedicated soft play zones separated from older children. Many play cafes across  the Inner West and North Shore also cater specifically to the under-3 crowd with age-appropriate toys and safe spaces. Most programs run for full days (typically 9am to 3pm) and cost $60 to $100 per day, with multi-day discounts available.
VisitSydney.com, part of the Hot Getaways Company, acknowledges all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Traditional Owners of Country  and recognises their continuing connection to land, sea, culture and community. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and extend that respect to all First Nations peoples. Experience Sydney Harbour at dusk with a 3-course dinner cruise, breathtaking views, and an unforgettable evening on the water. Indulge in a luxurious 6-course degustation dinner aboard the MV Sydney 2000, featuring stunning Sydney Harbour views and live entertainment for a truly unforgettable evening. Discover Sydney from a whole new perspective with the Taronga Zoo Ferry Express Sydney.

If you want a more personalised experience, private lessons can be easily arranged and for celebrating littlies, the school offers birthday parties. Across four classes running daily, budding young surfers are matched to a correctly sized board and placed in age-appropriate lessons to have them riding the waves with confidence in no time. For example, there’s a special treat for photography enthusiasts – the Oceanic Photography of the Year exhibition.
The Children’s Forest and Eco Garden create engage opportunities to learn, and there’s plenty of open space for kids to run, kick a ball or throw a frisbee. Explore the park by bike through miles of tracks or just wander through the beautiful themed gardens. Trek about the 123 hectares of urban bushland at Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden, following the boardwalks around the gardens. There are picnic areas and playgrounds, as well as organised educational activities for kids of all ages. There’s no shortage of amazing locations to keep the kids entertained in NSW.

The visit turned out to be a history lesson as well, with the kids getting pictures with famous people like Mahatma Gandhi and Barack Obama! Ours were 3 & 7 at the time of the visit, so I can only assume that kids that are slightly older would get more out of it than ours did. I am looking forward to looking through the photos when they are older and talking about who the people were and what they achieved. Ironically this was one of the best things to do in Sydney for kids, our kids at least. There are 200 stairs to the Pylon Lookout and we thought it was doable when doing our planning. What we didn’t take into account was that it was already a steep climb up onto the bridge (from Harbour Level) and we’d been walking all morning.
The family-friendly Novotel Sydney on Darling Harbour is just across the water from SEA LIFE Sydney and is home to some of the best dining in Sydney at The Ternary. Our phones are often busy the best way to check availability or to book a party or general tickets is online. Area 51 in Underwood is the largest Family Entertainment Centre in Australia. Attractions include Climbing Walls, Trampoline Park, High Ropes Course, Ninja Park, multi-storey  softplay, giant inflatables, fun park for under 2’s and more.
Western Sydney is home to Australia’s largest indoor trampoline playground at Flip Out Penrith. Wintertime in the Snowy Mountains of course means that kids can ski, snowboard, snowshoe and build snowmen. There’s still heaps of fun to be had at Alpine Bobsled Thredbo, with its twisting, turning 700-metre track that propels sledders down the mountain. Kids must be nine years and older and at least 130 cm tall for this one.