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BEYONDTHEOPERAHOUSE
CockatooIsland isanother idyllic
harbor island,withadarkconvict
past.Apenalcolony in theearlydays
of theSydney, thisgorgeous island
thenbecamean industrialportand
shipbuildingyard. Itwas transformed
intoaJapaneseprisoner-of-warcamp
inAngelinaJolie’sfilm
Unbroken
,
butyoucanstayheremuchmore
comfortably
—
it’s theonlySydney
Harbour island thatallowsyou tostay
overnight.Theywillprovide the tents,
oryoucanbringyourown.Glamping
onCockatooIslandcosts fromAU$150
pernight fora tentwith twocampbeds,
linen, towelsanda lantern— thereare
nostreet lightshere! It’salsooneof
themost incrediblevantagepoints for
theSydneyHarbourfireworksonNew
Year’sEve.Nomatterwhat timeof the
year, theIslandBaron theeasternside
ofCockatooIsland is theperfectplace
toenjoyasunsetcocktail. Itshoursare
largelydependentonweather, though.
hitthe coast
BondiBeach isAustralia’smost famous
beach forgoodreason
—
itshalf-moon
curvedbay isbeautiful, and thewater
ispatrolledby those famous lifesavers
in theirredandyellow trunks.Toenjoy
BondiBeachasa localwould, either
layoutyour towelon thegrassyhill
on thenorthernendof thebeach,or
go forawalkalong thecoastal track
betweenBondi toBronte.While locals
tend torunrather thanwalk, you’ll
be too interested in thescenerynot
to take itmoreslowly.While the full
track ismuch longer, thiseasy1.5km
stretch fromSouthBondi toNorth
Bronte takesabout45minutes ifyou
don’tstop to takephotosof thesteep
sandstonecliffs, rollingwaves,multi-
million-dollarhousesandrockpools.
To fullyenjoy theexperience, allow
AtbreathtakingBondi Beach,
you’ll discover new levelsof chill
