Sydney with 8-11 year old kids

[Taytotots]

I will be visiting Sydney and northern beaches area with kids ranging from 8-11 years old. If you have been are there any activities/attractions that you would particularly recommend? Particularly for Sydney itself. We have a month in area but will be spending time with family as well as doing touristy stuff.

We are planning to do a harbour bridge climb. Will probably visit Taronga Zoo and the aquarium too. Any other must dos? Or money saving tips for attractions?

There are a lot of nice coastal bushwalks suitable for that age group, catching the ferry along the harbour is great, the Rocks markets are nice to visit (or the Rocks in general), Botannic Gardens usually have some activities on.
Depends on the time of the year you are visiting?

Thanks @Megs83 we are heading over for Christmas 🎄!

There will be a lot to do over Christmas and I am sure you will make the most of our beautiful Sydney beaches!

Hello
my two children are a couple of years older than yours and I have visited Sydney with them as we have family there.
last year we went to Hyde Park Barracks. They really enjoyed it and you can easily get to the Botanical Gardens from there. if you walk to Mrs Macquaries chair you can get the iconic photo with the harbour bridge and opera house in the background.
on another day we visited The Rocks and we went into a museum there about the history of the Rocks. That was a hit with the children too.
You are probably aware of the Bondi to Coogee walk, we shortened it and just did Bondi to Brontë.
I hope you enjoy the trip.

If you are going to be on the Northern beaches , here are some things you can do for free

The Manly to Spit Walk (or vice versa) is excellent with great Harbour Views, quiet beaches for a dip , aboriginal carvings etc.

Also North Head has great lookouts and walks and is a good place to watch the sun go down with a picnic - reasonable chance of seeing Echidnas or Bandicoots on some of the walks to the Barracks from North Head too.

There are lots of other great walks too, like the Dee Why to Curl Curl coastal walk , or Taronga Zoo to Chowder Bay with beaches and playgrounds galore to stop at.

Snorkelling at Shelly Beach is fantastic, it's a marine reserve with lots of colourful fish and rays, turtles etc. you can see most things in very shallow water
here's an example video

If your children want to see Kangaroos in the wild rather than in the zoo , then Ku-ring-gai National Park at the north end of the Northern Beaches is a good option , guaranteed at the Basin campground or near the visitor centre on Bobbin Head road. If going to the Basin you can combine it with a visit to West Head and Palm Beach with the Home and Away Surf Club building.

A visit to Cockatoo Island in the middle of the Harbour is really interesting too , you can do it on a regular ferry from Circular Quay , it's got tunnels through the island, art installations and it even has a permanent camp-site so if you stay overnight you wake up to the City coming to life.

Literally there are hundreds of things to keep your kids entertained - hope you all enjoy it

Thank-you @miked99 and @Val11 great suggestions! We do like a good hike (well I di and the kids enjoy once they stop moaning 😂). I actually dove at Shelley last time I was there but kids will be old enough to snorkel it now.