Is Sydney Australia Smug?

Is Sydney Australia Smug?

"The problem with you Sydneysiders is you've got the harbour and the beaches, so you just sit around feeling good about the fact you've got the harbour and the beaches."

My mate Dan, an impassioned Melburnian, can always be relied on to cut to the chase. And to be fair, his is a commonly held perception about those of us lucky enough to call the world's most famous harbour city home: the sun shines more often than not and as a result we're just a bit too pleased with ourselves.




Aerial View of Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, New South Wales, Australia

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Rather than be an apologist for this state of affairs, I set out to "do" Sydney in all its harbour-and-beaches glory, exactly the way a first-time visitor might if they had the best advice from a savvy local.

Staying harbourside is the first priority, so I check in to Establishment, a boutique hotel within shouting distance of Circular Quay ferry terminal. Establishment is otherwise renowned for having a couple of salubrious cocktail bars and a so-hot-right-now nightclub, which suggests the place should be noisy, but I arrive on a Sunday and my very stylish room is as quiet as a tomb.

I meet my Sydney mate Mike, and we walk around to Campbell's Cove and board the Danish-built tall ship Southern Swan for a two-hour harbour cruise with drinks and a barbecue. There are myriad options for getting out on the water in Sydney, from tours that focus on colonial history to genteel dining cruises and hair-raising jet boats, but for simple elegance, a traditional three-masted tall ship is hard to beat. The moment the skipper cuts the engines and the crew hoists sail, the only noises we hear are creaking timbers and the gentle slosh of waves against the bow.

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