Last-minute planned trip to Sydney in June 2018! A family of 7 leisure time in early winter. I will share a revised itinerary and the actual one we followed. We realised we made some planning miscalculations so we hope you won't!

As a few of our family members had ailments and couldn't walk too far, we rented a car for 7 days. However, I recommend renting the car only to go to Blue Mountains as the other areas can be accessible by public transport. (Also, the parking fee is very expensive in the city!)

AUD $1 ≈ RM3

Fees

Australian Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) / Visa [$20]

Optus Prepaid Epic Data for 10 days with 12GB data (Purchase at airport) [$20]

Scenic World all-day-pass [$39 (weekday), $43 (weekend)]

Sydney Big Ticket [$99]

Whale-watching Cruise [$89] (If you book online, it can go as low as $55)

Sydney Harbour Hop-on-hop-off Cruise 2-day pass [$49]

Sub Total = $320

Rental car, below $90 per day, 2 days [$180]

Accommodation in Sydney (single-storey bungalow) = $2,800 for 9 nights [$400 per person]

Food [around $200 per person]

Sub Total = $780 (may vary according to choice)

Total = $1100 (≈ RM3300)

Airfare ≈ RM2000 - 3000

Grand total ≈ RM6000 (excluding own expenses)

If I were to re-do the trip again, I will follow the itinerary below

Revised itinerary

Day 1

Depart from home

Day 2

Arrive at Kingsford Smith Airport, Sydney (approximately morning)

Purchase SIM card and pick up rental car

Drive to Blue Mountains (Although there is a train to Katoomba (place to view Three Sisters), I would suggest renting a car for convenience)

Check-in at accommodation (Katoomba/Blackheath/Leura areas)

Scenic World & Echo Point (Bad visibility? Postpone to the next day)

Day 3

If you missed Scenic World the day before, try your luck again! After that, head to Leura to enjoy a lunch with a view (Leura Gourmet Cafe & Deli). Chocolate lovers will like Josophan's Fine Chocolates situated opposite the deli. Shake off some extra calories by trekking to Wentworth Falls. You can park at Wentworth Falls Picnic Area and walk to the falls.

Drive back to Sydney city and check-in to accommodation in Sydney.

Tips: If you have Asian taste-buds and crave for food from home, stay in areas like Burwood (12km from city central) where Asian cuisine are in abundance!

Day 4

Take a drive through Sydney Harbour Bridge before returning rental car. Take a train to Circular Quay where the Sydney Big Bus Tour #Route 1 starts.

Day 5

Take a train to Central Station where Sydney Big Bus Tour Route 2 (Bondi Beach) starts.

Walk to Paddy's Market/Haymarket from the last station of Big Bus Tour. Dinner in Chinatown (area right beside Paddy's Market)

Day 6

Spend the whole day at Darling Harbour area and visit Madame Tussauds + SEALIFE + WILDLIFE which are basically in one big low-rise building. Don't miss the fireworks display on weekend nights during Vivid Sydney festival!

We spent a longer time in this area as we had an 11 year old kid with us.

Day 7

Start with a morning walk in Hyde Park. Head towards Sydney Tower and enjoy the panoramic view. If you like vintage architecture, walk to Queen Victoria Building (Neo-Romanesque) and The Strand Arcade (Victorian) nearby. From The Strand, walk for 5 minutes to Angel Place Birdcages for your daily Insta fix.

Day 8

Get to Circular Quay and hop on a Harbour cruise. Hop off at other destinations such as

- Manly

- Watsons Bay

- Luna Park

- Shark Island

- Barangaroo

- Fort Denison

Return to Circular Quay and see Sydney Opera House up close. End your day with a leisure stroll at the Royal Botanical Gardens.

Day 9

You may choose to go to Taronga Zoo in the morning or other places you might have missed. If you're a non-halal eater, I recommend eating lunch at Munich Brauhaus at The Rocks. Their pork knuckles are out of this world! Head to Cirqular quay to board the ferry for Whale watching (I highly recommend this! However, you should look at the website to monitor comfort levels and choose to go when the waters are calmer)

*Note: Whale-watching season is from May to Oct

or

if whale watching is not your cup of tea, spend a day chilling at Luna Park!

Day 10

This extra day can be spent doing last-minute shopping, fruit-picking or wine-tasting!

Day 11

Home sweet home

Our itinerary