SYDNEY - THE LOW DOWN

Sydney - we sudoku packed, we came, we saw, we shopped, ate, played darts and bought some jorts.  Sydney is 100% a fabulous winter family holiday destination and here’s why and what we did.

The Capsule Packing Reality Check

First things first, let’s chat my sudoku packing truth bomb.  It’s a great idea for capsule packing. My tip is to choose a colour scheme or tones that will work across multiple outfits.  Accessories and shoes will help you swap from day to night. But be warned, this isn't the 'light packing' option you thought it was. 

The pros:

The sudoku formula is 3-3-3 formula (3 tops / 3 bottoms / 3 layers)

in my opinion, it would work exceptionally well for a 14-day trip, that would be a sweet spot. But for 7 days, I wore everything once.  But in the cons, I’ll share where I tripped up. 

It was so easy and actually fun to get dressed in the morning.  I just looked at my very clean and calm closet and picked out what I was feeling.  The shoes matter on holiday - trainers for comfort are an obvious choice but I also took a loafer for a ‘less walking’ day and a bit of style ‘oomph’. I also packed a kitten heel for evening, which I wore once.  I wouldn't pack again on a family holiday.  Just not heading anywhere that needed it. 

This formula helped me pack in under 10 minutes and it was so bloody pleasing to have only one side of my suitcase packed (but wait, there’s a plot twist).

I will be using this method to pack for every city break holiday. You can adapt for all holidays, but I think for a skiing, sun or active holiday, you'd require different options to pad out your stays.

To adapt into your everyday life, you could save yourself sometime and use the formula in two week cycles and pick out 9 pieces for rotation across two weeks.  Great for those who are short on head space and time and need an easy, but still style-forward solution to dressing in the dark.

The cons

The sudoku formula helped me pack easily, including shoes.  However, I ended up being at the weight capacity for flying as I filled the other half of the bag with bulky things like my Dyson airwrap, straighteners, exercise gear, toiletries and because I was cocky about not having a full suitcase, I chucked in two last minute bulky jackets.  Honestly, I have no idea how people pack like this for 7 days with carry-on only.  Something ain’t mathing.

Verdict

I would pack like this again, without the bravery of thinking I can add a couple more pieces in.  If needed I could ditch the airwrap, but to be fair, no I wouldn’t, as it’s the only thing that makes me feel pulled together somedays. I would take only one change of active wear and only pack them in the first place,  if I was going to the gym or getting sweaty.  I only wore one set, once, so that was a lot of bulk I didn’t need.  So all this to say, it’s a yes from me, with caveats that it’s not THAT carry-on friendly if you’re in winter and have accoutrements you need with you.

Ok, onto shopping.

Shop The ‘burbs

1. Forget the malls and get outside and into boutique places and spaces.  You see more of Sydney, get fresh air and a great experience. This worked really well for my family dynamic too.   My picks for this holiday were:
2. Paddington / Oxford Street - Alpha60, Earls (teen boys/unisex), Academy (older teens/mens), Incu (my new favourite concept store), Glenmore Road for the high-end run (Scanlan & Theodore, Zimmermann, Oroton, St Agni)
3. Surry Hills - The Standard Store, the vibes in that store are high and it’s a gentle 15-20-min stroll back to Oxford St.  The surrounding area is cute, as is the architecture. 
4. Bondi - Do not sleep on Gould Street, it has some great shopping (we went after the walk, as we walked Bronte to Bondi way) Dissh, Sir, VRGirl, some great secondhand finds, Oatberry, then beeline to Tuchuzy on Hall Street.
5. CBD - QVB (Kikki.K, Viviana were two of the stores I wanted to check out. Kikiki K has has a rebrand and are doing clothing now too, some cool stuff but had sold out in my size on a top I wanted), The Strand on Pitt St (Bassike, Akubra, Lego, Dinosaur Designs (check reopening dates), Aje, Rebecca Vallance  (this one for the eye-candy factor)
6. The Galeries - Go for Muji, stay for Ganni & Incu and have lunch or drinks at The Grounds
7. Honourable mention (though sadly we didn’t get there this time) is Mosman, delicious shops and apparently Lovett Store is a must do for fabulous second hand finds.
8. We did Bondi Junction and Pitt Street Mall too, but were underwhelmed.  Brandy Melville is a huge draw for teen girls, but can be found on George Street in the CBD so you can avoid the mall.  But be warned, it’s a hellscape of tight aisles, music and too many people.  Though all the teen girls who we were with on our holiday had a great time in there. 

Eat / Drink / Do

1. Bar Totti on George Street - a fabulous people watching spot, get there early, grab an outside table, watch the after-work crowd head home.
2. Good Luck Eating House - Bridge Street CBD.  Delicious Asian food and excellent decor and vibes. 
3. Banksia Bakehouse for the pastries, cakes, sausage rolls and coffee (weekdays and Saturdays until 1pm) on George Street
4. Oat Berry / Yo Chi, I was a first time caller and had fun, the teens LOVED these places. 
5. Flight Club -  darts + drinks, such a good group/family activity.  On Harrington Street in CBD
6. Wander around Circular Quay, the Rocks, under the bridge and onto the Sydney Opera House and Botanic Gardens.  Great to shake the legs, wander for no reason and see Sydney Harbour.  The Opera House is so majestic, you can get tours in there too.  Have a drink at the Opera Bar below it on a sunny day.  We went when it was raining, so gave it a swerve. 
7. Taronga Zoo - take a ferry ride from the CBD and check out the koalas, lions, gorillas and snakes.  So many snakes. Allow at least a half day.
8. Bondi to Bronte walk - you can bookend it with coffee, brunch and shopping.  We just did one way, but you can do a return. We walked Bronte to Bondi.  We took a train from CBD to Bondi Junction and bused to Bronte (for free).  Too easy. 
9. The Rocks - while touristy, it’s got such a gorgeous vibe.  I’ve mostly stayed in this area or Circular Quay on my trips to Sydney.  It’s perfect to access Circular Quay station for ferries and trains and a fabulous treasure trove of shops and restaurants.  Highly recommend grabbing pizza and pasta at the Sicilian, beers and yummy fries at the oldest pub in Sydney; The Fortune of War and checking out the Museum of Modern Art too.  My eldest even found a 7-a-side footy pitch carved into the Rocks. 
10. Barangaroo Walk - a coastline walk in the centre of the city from the bridge around to Darling Harbour.  Excellent Saturday morning people and dog watching activity.  Ended up in the city at QVB for brekkie and then onto the Galeries for shopping. 

Practical Truths

1. Be prepped to walk and make use of the incredible public transport to get you where you need to go.
2. Capsule packing tip - swap shoes + top to go from day to night, avoid a full outfit change
3. Get up high for the view over the harbour - delightful

This time around, we were extremely lucky to have been staying in a friend’s apartment in the Circular Quay/Barangaroo area.  But I would still recommend staying in Circular Quay area regardless, when travelling with teens.  Just for the vibes, proximity to the big sights and transport hub alone.  It’s perfect as a jumping off point for tourists and great to go grab last minute things if needed. If you're going in summer, perhaps Bondi would be a a great spot for accomodation. Sydney experts, share your fave accomodation spots!

If you have loved this, please save and share it.  If you have any comments on your own Sydney faves, please comment below.  Ask any questions in the comments below too, let’s have a chat!

Check out my Instagram for some of my Sydney fits.

EJ x