I love a sunburnt country of bronzed aussies, surfers, cafes, beaches and delectable food.

Sydney - is alive. Its what I would call the gateway to Australia. The iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House, nestled in Sydney Harbour. It is a city that welcomes all and is busy and active and fun.

It depends on what level of accommodation you are looking for, but there is a vast array of places to stay, from the most luxurious holiday apartments overlooking Circular Quay, to backpackers on Bondi or Manly.

If price is a consideration, you might begin with one of the discount hotel sites on the web like wotif.com, lastminute.com.au or quickbeds.com.au which can be googled easily. Which give a range of locations and price ranges.

If you are looking at the backpacker market. The best place to start is hostelworld.com. They have most backpackers listed and are pretty good with up to date pictures and pricing. The YHA is also a good place to start, if you are a little unsure of anything and you can move to other locations from there.

There are some fantastic boutique hotels all over the inner City region, from the Altamont where its said Mick Jagger stayed, to the more constrained and top end hotels like Medusa, another boutique hotel, just down the road, yet more exclusive. The Stanford Hotel is located just near Circular Quay, one of my favorite places in Sydney. It is exclusive, luxurious, with traditional decor and artwork worth over 21 million in its front bar alone.

A day trip in Sydney would have to include a trip on the Manly ferry, a walk to Shell beach and a stroll back to the ferry. Saturdays include the Manly market. From Circular Quay, you can jump on a local bus or the tourist bus that stops at a great number of great locations around the city and out to Bondi Beach.

One of my favorite day trips is to pop on a local bus which goes up to Rose Bay and South Head - where the Harbour meets the Ocean, then around the coast to Bondi for a swim and if you really have the energy, you can do the Bondi sea walk that goes from Bondi to Coogee.

There are similar walks all around Sydney harbour and this makes it fun and wonderful.

After one of these great beach filled days, you can walk across the Harbour Bridge to Luna Park in North Sydney. There is also a great olympic sized swimming pool right on the Harbour and you can catch a water taxi back across the harbour to make it in time for the theatre at the Opera House. Then go for a late meal at one of the fantastic restaurants in the Rocks or anywhere in Sydney or the Wharf in Woollamalloo.

Day 2 would be a wander up to the New South Wales Art Gallery. A wander through to the cafe, pick up a newspaper on the way and have a yummy breakfast.

Id then wander the Domain gardens and back to the Andrew Boy Charlton pool which sits looking out from the Domain across the Woollomoolloo wharf and harbour. I might then poddle around to Paddington for a bit of clothes shopping. A snack at the Paddington Market and wander through the great stalls there. A quick nap and then maybe a trip to the Cinema.

Thats a glimpse at my Sydney. There is just so much to do and see in this magical city.

places to go include

luna park

boy charlton pool

the NSW art gallery

a walk around Circular Quay and the Rocks

climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge

a ferry ride to Manly

a ferry ride on the harbour

a visit to fox studios

a visit to paddington markets

a trip to the football or rugby

a day at Bondi Beach

going to one of the great small theatres dotted around Sydney

do the bondi to coogee walk

the manly walk

go to the zoo

or the walk from taronga ferry stop