48 hours in Sydney in August

[Switchandflake]

We’ll be in Sydney for two days in August, and I wondered if anyone has a good itinerary of must-see things to do with our kids in that short window of time? There are so many things listed on various websites that I am having a hard time sifting through and prioritizing. They’ll be 8 and nearly 11. I know it will be winter, so we’re not planning much in the way of beach activities, but if anyone has recommendations for how to spend a day or two downtown, I’d be all ears. Right now, for one day I’ve got visiting the aquarium and Taronga zoo, as well as walking around by the harbor and/or doing some sort of boat tour. Is this doable and/or advisable? We’re staying right near the museum stop on the metro, if that means anything to anyone.

We spent most of the day at Taronga, so not sure you would fit in the aquarium on the same day. It probably is doable but could be a bit rushed. Maybe you could do Taronga and walk round the harbour on one day, you need to get a ferry to Taronga from Circular Quay anyway so will be around the harbour area.
You could do the aquarium and maybe a ferry trip to Manly the next day? If they like shopping the Westfield shopping centre in Sydney is amazing, and the Queen Victoria Building is well worth a visit. If they like amusement parks Luna Park is open quite late so you could fit that in one evening. Hope you enjoy it!

Taronga would be a definite for me with kids that age, you can buy tickets online that include the ferry over (any ferry trip is good fun). August is unpredictable weather-wise, this year we got quite a few nice sunny days with the kids of big blue sky that you only seem to get in Aus. If you are coming from the UK you probably won’t even think it’s that cold (we didn’t really start dressing for Winter until year 3 or 4. If you get a nice sunny day take the bus from Elizabeth Street (where it sounds like you are staying) to Bondi beach, you will get a bit of a sightseeing trip on the way. You can do a great walk from Bondi along the cliffs, stop at Waverley cemetery which is really cool to wander round. You can go a little way or a long way and pick up a bus back to the city or get off the bus at Bondi Junction - the Westfield shopping centre there is one of the best if you like shopping, then train back to the city. If you are up for walking get off the train at King’s Cross, walk down Victoria Street to Potts Point and around the water past the naval base at Woolloomooloo and head up through the Domain to the Art Gallery of NSW. From there you can go through the BotanicGardens past the Opera House back to Circular Quay. Luna Park would be good fun but has limited opening hours during the week outside of school holidays so check before you go. Sydney is fab, enjoy.

We had a trip there over Xmas with kids similar ages. Taronga is definitely worth a full day. We also liked the maritime museum. The aquarium is great but again at least a half day. You could easily spend a day wandering around the harbour and just getting the ferry around. If you want a good view of the bridge without doing the expensive bridge climb the pylon museum lets you climb up at the end of it and get a good view.

Climb the Harbour bridge and ferry to Manly are my favs. The zoo is fantastic and you also get a ferry ride over to it from the harbour