Summer In Sydney

By Ben Stephens.

Sydney in summer – she absolutely loves the occasional rainstorm, but when the sun does come out, the city really turns it on and makes you want to immerse yourself in fun. From drinking, eating, shopping, adventures and drinking, Sydney has you sorted for the upcoming month… but it can be hard to find out the when and where, so we’re going to give you a little direction.

When it comes to shopping in this fine part of the world you can find a Westfield in any direction and with that comes everything you already know about the gigantic shopping hubs. The best shopping in Sydney, from a QT perspective, can be found out of the CBD. Like Paddington, just a ten minutes from QT Sydney, you will find the area known as The Intersection, on the corner of Oxford Street and Glenmore Road, packed full of designer stores from Acne to Zimmermann.

A world away from Paddington, well a couple of ‘burbs to the west and you’ll hit Newtown and more importantly King Street. This adventure is lined with stores like the old Kodak Store, if you need to pick up some Super 8 film or just down the way you’ll find one of kind pieces of fashion at Pretty Dog.

You can always hit up Gould Street in Bondi. The shopping on this kilometre long stretch is full of everything you need, from General Pants Co, to Tuchuzy and even The Saturdays surf shop has just opened up. While you’re there be sure to stop by QT Bondi to say hi to the team, they’ll be able to sort you out with directions. The team also made this handy little directory.

When it comes to pop up bars, the need for a superb location and even better swills is a must. Head down to the Museum of Contemporary Arts and you’ll find the distilling team from Archie Rose and the beer lovers of Young Henrys offering up their best in the Summer Gin Garden, in partnership with the Grayson Perry exhibition. If you want the view from the other side of the Harbour, head over the Bennelong Balcony at the Opera House. Chef Peter Gilmore and his team are opening up the private balcony this summer to share the sought after view. The drink menu here will be referencing the freshness of the season with an array of summer style cocktails. If all this watery pop up bar business is a little too much, make tracks to Hyde Park where you will find the Sydney Festival Hub serving perfectly chilled brews in a city park environment.

Sydney is great for adventures, but the greater Sydney area is even better for a day trip. Grab a set of wheels, some snacks, a killer playlist and a carefully selected crew to set out on an all-time quest. We surveyed a solid bunch of road warriors in the office and we couldn’t agree on where to go… so we went with the best of the north AND south. Start with Kiama, situated on the south coast of NSW, about two hours from Sydney. Kiama is a sleepy beachside town with an ocean blow hole. The food in Kiama is wonderfully quirky and damn delicious; check out The Ritzy Gritz Mexican to fully understand that statement. Also the road from Sydney is priceless, check out the Sea Cliff Bridge on the way – contemporary architecture, we love that kind of thing.

The next destination is Terrigal on the Central Coast, boasting stunning coastline, fish and chips to get overly excited about and beach hikes that will help you feel alive. Terrigal sits about 90 minutes north of Sydney and the drive will take you in the bush land and past the Hawkesbury before taking a swift right turn and making ways to the coast.

Now after all this adventuring around Sydney, you might be a little tired and in need of nap or even a place to call home for a couple of nights. Thankfully QT Sydney has a sweet package for your summer stays that includes cocktails and watermelon beach balls. Intrigued or tempted?

Happy days.