Please Review and Comment Sydney Itinerary
 

Hi: I am planning on spending 5 nights in Sydney in late November (11/23 to 11/29). I will be staying in the Rocks area. So far, this is what I have planned. Please comment on it and also if you feel that I should re-arrange my itinerary a bit, please let me know.

DAY 1 - (Sunday 11/23) - Arrive at 9:00 AM on a Qantas flight. Check-in and go to Circular Quay, get a view of Harbour, stroll to Opera House and walk around the Rocks area.

DAY 2 - (Monday 11/24) - Ride to top of Sydney tower to view all of Sydney Landmarks in the morning. in the afternoon go to Taronga Zoo. Squeeze in a sunset Bridge Climb. Walk across the bridge before climbing.

DAY 3 - (Tuesday 11/25) - Day trip to the Blue Mountains. Is it better to explore the Blue Mtns on our own or definitely take a tour guide?

DAY 4 - (Wednesday 11/26) - Take Bondi Explorer Bus from Circular Quay and go to Bondi. Spend morning at the beach. In the afternoon, do the scenic cliff-top walk to Bronte Beach.

DAY 5- (Thursday 11/27). Wide open. Nothing planned. This is where I might need your help. I believe it is Thanksgiving Day in America but that doesn't matter there I assume. Is it better to do sight seeing that day. I also would like to check out the Queen Victoria Bldg and stuff.

Please review and comment on my itinerary. Also some sight seeing suggestions are welcome...Many Thanks!

This looks sensible and doable. Don't worry we don't celebrate American Thanksgiving everything will be open on 27 November!

Queen Victoria Building is just a shopping centre so I don't think it would take up much time to see, unles you are keen on shopping.

Other possible things to do: the Art Gallery of NSW (particularly the Aboriginal Art collection), a Ferry tour round the harbour (they have morning and afternoon tea ones as well as lunch, dinner etc.), the Aquarium, Museum of Sydney, Powerhouse Museum (the exhibition on Australian Modernism will be open then, which will be well worth seeing, Botanical Gardens.

What about taking a ride on the Hawkesbury River as a passenger on the Postal boat. Its a magnificent day out and the river is beautiful.

Westsider. We will be in Sydney 11/24 - 11/30 - also staying in the Rocks area, so I'm very interested to see all the responses. I was hoping to have a fairly traditional Thanksgiving dinner - does anyone know of a restaurant that would serve one? We will have a kitchen, so we could cook a turkey. I assume they are readily available?

On a general level..wait till you see an extended weather forecast when you arrive...and be flexible..
design an 'indoor' day of aquarium/wildlife world/qvb/art gallery etc to cover any inclement weather.

imho it is unwise to book day trips to the BM and the bridgclimb beforehand.

Don't recollect many turkeys in the shops at any time of year. You might have to settle for roast lamb or a barbeque.

But there could be some enterprising restauranteur somewhere who does something. If there isn't I guess they are missing out on a money spinner!

press on past bronte and go on to clovelly then up through the streets to coogee beach
you can always catch buses or cab back to bondi
the cliff top walk to bronte is very easy
a flight or two of stairs is all you will encounter

centre point tower is nice to visit at dusk...you get the daylight and then you see the whole city light up..now that is a nice view indeed

blue mountains you can do by yourself..just read a few brochures

go to palm beach and walk up to the lighthouse there...you will have to google barenjoey to see if the lighthouse is open but nonetheless the view is unbelievable...one of the best anywhere

consider doing the spit to manly walk too

kiama...get yourself down there...im sure you can catch a coach or a tour
the scenery is worthwhile...green hills rolling down right to the coast and a great blowhole...fantastic lunch of fish and chips down by the water where the fishermen clean their fish ( theyre not right in your face= dont worry)

if you want to shop go to the factory outlets either at birkenhead pt near drummoyne or out to homebush where the olympic site is
check out centennial park..one of our oldest...in the eastern suburbs

I don't think I've ever seen anything about Thanksgiving dinner here, Halloween is starting to be taken up in a minor way (I guess that's All Hallows Eve, so it's not limited to North America).

I think your best bet would be the American Club in Sydney, an American friend said that they have done Thanksgiving buffets:

http://www.amclub.com.au/html/s12_co...lt.asp?tnid=11

Thanks for the suggestions and the link to the American Club. I'll email them and see if they offer a Thanksgiving buffet this year. The walk from Spit to Manly sounds very nice.