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Formerly almost ubiquitous, the practice is becoming less common - some say even dying out - no doubt to the pleasure of many Sydney restaurateurs.

It makes dining far more affordable than when you have to include the restaurant's alcohol mark-up, which is usually greater than on anything else you consume.

It also means you can occasionally splash out on a very nice bottle - of Hunter Valley Semillon, say - to accompany a spread of Sydney seafood without worrying about your starving bank account.

BYO is more common at medium range and casual restaurants.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5967 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/5965
A supervised dive at the Oceanworld aquarium in Manly might prove an antidote to such an aversion. The big sharks here, the Grey Nurses, are, like the rest of the swimming displays - among them enormous, velvety black rays and constantly curious little Dog Sharks - too well fed to consider nibbling on you. But even were that not the case, the jaws of the Grey Nurses are, despite their fearsome appearance, quite the wrong shape to make lunch of one of your body parts.

Sharks should probably fear humans at least as much as the reverse: many of them, such as the Grey Nurses, have become endangered due to fishing and other human activities. You can also simply view the aquarium animals through the glass.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5965 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5964
Spring Espresso perhaps has the edge with the intricate, leaf-like pattern its barristas skillfully etch on the cappuccinos they serve up. Both cafes do delicious eggs benedict, that Sydney breakfast institution.

Diners are mainly residents of the wealthy surrounding suburb of Potts Point; they are interesting enough to observe in themselves, but the main draws are the food, the coffee and the location. Potts Point is only a leafy, five-minute stroll away from Woolloomooloo Bay, on the harbour.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5964 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5963
Sydney is, perhaps pre-eminently, a maritime city, as the museum quite convincingly proves. There are displays on the history of surfing, swimming apparel and shipping: the story of the wreck of the Batavia in the 17th century (although actually off the western Australian coast) is particularly gripping, not to say chilling. A whole section is devoted to the enduring Aboriginal relationship with the water.

The museum design is pleasingly open and spacious; indeed, the building is meant to resemble a ship.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5963