http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34266 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34266 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34244 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34244 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21149
It's not open that late, however only until about 11pm.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21149 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20549
The menu for the rest of the day is pretty good too, but in Bondi breaky is king - after a swim and before a trip to the Sunday markets.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20549 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20438 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20438 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19897 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19897 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18995 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18995 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17586
My husband - a meat eater - tells everyone he meets about the steak that he had there, whilst I - a non meat eater - can say that the meal I had there was the most generous and varied vegetarian meal I have ever tasted.

It consisted of every type of vegetable imaginable, fresh and beautifully cooked. Add to this, the fantastic view overlooking Manly Beach and the ocean and the buzzing atmosphere; yes, I would definitely cross the world to eat there again!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17586 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17477
An equally good option, but one which is little advertised, is the Sydney Pylon Lookout. This involves climbing the interior of the concrete tower of the Harbour Bridge and is the tower nearest the Opera House.

It has three floors of exhibits and a film show but best of all, the view from the open top is only a few feet below the top of the bridge and is equally as stunning.

You can stay as long as you like and take your own photographs. And it is only $9.50 each - under a fiver!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17477 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17383
We arrived there, aboard the Sydney Explorer bus (hop-on, hop-off as many times as you want for the duration of your ticket – 3,5 or 7 days in 7) and were blown away by the view. We walked around Farm Cove on our way to a close-up of the giant sails, the botanical gardens on our left, the water to our right, the Sydney skyline in front. These were moments beyond magic.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17383 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/13309
One of the enduring images and impressions I have of that very warm February evening, was to see the sun set over the harbour looking towards the city far away in the background.

The sun was sinking fast behind the skyscrapers - it was an amazing sight, and at that moment I had the urge to call home. I took the mobile out of my pocket, and rang to speak to my mum and brother. It was early in the morning in the UK (11 hours behind Sydney at that time of year) and I said to them, "Has the sun come up over there yet?". They replied: "Yes, just about. Why?"

My response was: "I just realised this is about the only time of the day we can see the sun at the same time from opposite sides of the world."]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/13309 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/13277
Bring your walking shoes though, it's a good 90 minute walk along the coast so stilettos are not advisable!

Oh, and for accommodation for when you're in Sydney, look no further than www.hostelworld.com. I use it all the time and love it.

Enjoy Sydney.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/13277 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9936 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9936 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9933 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9933 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/8816 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/8816 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7482
Away from the blustery Gap Bluff, back down the hill and west across the head of the land lies Camp Cove. I walk around South Head, past the nudist Lady Bay and Hornby Lighthouse, before returning to Camp Cove and wandering further south to Watsons Bay.

Camp Cove’s west-facing coast is stunning in its elegance. Spiders on silky sheet-like webs hang between trees. They watch. And these yellow orbs aren’t even dangerous. Think daddy long legs with longer, thicker, yellower legs. I keep a distance in case a gust of wind lifts an orb from the comfort of its web onto the slope of my shoulder.

Boats and yachts sail around the glimmering harbour at Sydney’s regatta. The evening's drawing in but that doesn’t stop countless tourists snapping photos or sharing a cold VB in a ‘stubby’ at the hotel. Children feed the squawking gulls as their grandparents sit back and absorb the sea breeze.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7482 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6382
Food is bistro-style, very reasonably priced and of decent standard. Bar staff are friendly and knowledgeable. Cocktails are mixed without pretension but with care. My bloody mary was the best I've had outside my house.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6382 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5966
The ascent right up to the aviation light, at the apex, is surely as good as an exposure treatment for vertigo as it is for the views. I had forgotten, or put out of mind, my fear of heights, and although much of the climb was, for me, dominated by mortal terror, I also could not ignore the vista.

The view from the top gives you a nice sense of the layout of some of the beaches in Sydney as well as how the whole city gradually expanded outwards from the harbour.

The fainthearted might think twice about the climb, although the organisers have obviously made safety a primary concern.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5966 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5936 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5936 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/2966 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/2966