The Atlas Obscura Guide To Sydney

35 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Sydney, Australia

Updated July 1, 2024

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Unusual Attractions in Sydney

Wendy's Secret Garden.

Sydney, Australia

Wendy's Secret Garden

Built over an abandoned train yard, this hidden gem is full of winding paths and offers gorgeous views of Sydney Harbour.

Stack of reading materials from Gould's Book Arcade. (Wikimedia Commons)

Sydney, Australia

Gould's Book Arcade

One of Australia's largest secondhand bookstores.

Installation by artist Michael Thomas Hill and research scientist Dr. Richard Major.

Sydney, Australia

'Forgotten Songs' Sound Sculpture

A collaboration of art and ornithology mourns the calls of Sydney's lost birds.

Sydney, Australia

Museum of Human Disease

Australian museum dedicated to human health and lack thereof.

Royal Botanic Gardens

Sydney, Australia

Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney

Come for the flowers, stay for the bats!

View from the other side of the mezzanine.

Sydney, Australia

Purikura Photoland

People can't get enough of these adorable Japanese photobooths.

The Lex and Ruby Graham Gardens

Sydney, Australia

The Lex and Ruby Graham Gardens

This secret Australian garden was built on love after a man planted a random bulb he found in the ocean.

Badu Mangroves.

Sydney, Australia

Badu Mangroves

A boardwalk winds through this sliver of coastal nature hidden within Sydney.

See All 35 Things To Do in Sydney

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Sydney

Marrickville, Australia

Wildflower Brewery

Inventive brewers use NSW ingredients to dream up flavorful beers made with local honey, native raspberries, and Mariposa plums.

Sydney, Australia

Midden

In the shadow of the Sydney Opera House, Indigenous ingredients shine.

Sydney, Australia

The Lillipad Cafe

An indigenous ethnobotanist runs this brunch spot celebrating Australia’s native flavors.

Sydney, Australia

Yerrabingin Farm

The world's first indigenous rooftop farm boasts 2,000 plants from more than 35 different native Australian species.

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Animals 7

Gardens 5

Plants 5

History & Culture 5

Statues 4

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Stories About Sydney

Malaysian and Australian influences combine in Ho Jiak Town Hall's Vegemite-braised pork ribs.

A Gastro Obscura Guide to Sydney

Wattleseed pudding, Vegemite-braised ribs, and more freewheeling fusion in the harbor city.

by Lee Tran Lam

Podcast: Introducing Sound Detectives from LeVar Burton

Would you recognize what can only be heard but not seen?

by The Podcast Team

Podcast: The 'Forgotten Songs' Sound Sculpture

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

by The Podcast Team

November 15, 2021

Tracking the small spiders involves quick, careful work.

The Fiddly Business of Tracking Australia's Most Venomous Spider

To study the Sydney funnel web spider, one researcher tags along from a distance with the help of tags the size of a grain of rice.

by Hannah Thomasy

The Suella, an egg-and-bacon breakfast plate with a sour Davidson plum drizzle.

In Sydney, a Cafe Serving Aboriginal Food Brings Comfort and Challenges

Nyoka Hrabinsky, an Aboriginal ethnobotanist, is turning “bush tucker” into brunch.

by Reina Gattuso

November 19, 2020

Laborers cluster around an accident at the quarry.

In Sydney, Intricate New Models Depict Australia’s Brutal Colonial Era

A redesigned museum hopes to grapple with the thorny legacy of the “convict period.”

by Sabrina Imbler

February 7, 2020

A group of fish loitering around the discharge of the Sydney Desalination Plant.

Fish Flock to the Super-Salty Wastewater of the Sydney Desalination Plant

Sydney's technological solution for drought is having unexpected effects on marine life.

by Sabrina Imbler

January 2, 2020

A mated pair of seahorses researchers have named Dusk and Dawn.

A Chain of Seahorse Hotels Is Coming Soon to Sydney Harbour

"If you build it, they will come."

by Sabrina Imbler

December 13, 2019

Lists Featuring Sydney

'Memory Is Creation Without End'

Justice and Police Museum

Mrs. Macquarie's Chair In Sydney Botanic Garden

The 10 Best Places to Visit Near the Sydney Opera House for Curious Travelers

Including 'Memory Is Creation Without End', Justice and Police Museum, and Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair

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