Things to do in Sydney with Kids – Top 10 Darling Harbour Adventures

 Darling Harbour Apartment Accommodation

Darling Harbour is one of Sydney's most popular tourist attractions, but have you taken your kids there recently? There is so much to see and do that one day is not enough to explore everything Darling Harbour has to offer.

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Even if you live in Sydney, why not make it a weekend or school holiday adventure. Book a room in one of the many hotels located in Sydney CBD and you won't have to fight peak hour traffic at the end of the day.

Some of the places your kids will love visiting include:

Darling Quarter Playground
One of Sydney's best playgrounds, offering kids of all ages plenty of fun. From toddlers to teenagers, children will be occupied with the playground's water games, climbing ropes, swings, slides, flying foxes and so much more.

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Sydney Aquarium
Sydney Aquarium is a home to many sea creatures and some of the most popular exhibits include:
The tropical bay of rays – featuring the most colourful combination of Australian stingrays
Saws and Claws – a new joint creature feature of smalltooth sawfish and huge Japanese spider crabs,
Southern rivers includes freshwater fish such as the Murray cod, platypus, yabbies, turtles,
Northern Rivers – see barramundi and lungfish – the only fish species that can breathe air
Southern Oceans – check out Sea Dragons and Pineapple Fish, octopus, moray eels and little penguins
Dugongs at Mermaid Lagoon – Pig and Wuru are the only captive dugongs in Australia

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Wild Life Sydney
Get up close to sleepy koalas and energetic kangaroos, see Rex, one of the world's largest crocodiles, and walk through nine habitat zones, where you see over 100 species of Australian animals. Sydney Wildlife World offers many keeper talks and animal feeds each day, so you are guaranteed to keep the children amused for hours. Some of the most popular exhibits include Butterfly Tropics, Gum Tree Valley, Wallaby Cliffs, Daintree Forest, The Outback, Kakadu Gorge and Bugs Garden.

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Madame Tussauds
Madame Tussauds wax museum is one of Darling Harbour's newest attractions. See over 70 incredible life-like figurines and take pictures of your kids with their favourite movie star or sporting heroes. Allow a couple of hours to explore this fantastic venue. Click here for more information

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Imax Theatre
For an incredible movie experience, catch one of Imax Theatre's movies. With crystal clear images, ten times larger than the traditional cinema format the IMAX film experience draws you in with pictures so real you want to touch them. The theatre screens films in 2D and 3D, so check out their website and see what is showing right now.

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Powerhouse Museum
Sydney's Powerhouse Museum is a science and design museum and is suitable for children of all ages. Their exhibits change regularly, so there is always something new to see and explore. The museum offers children many workshops throughout the year and specifically during school holidays, so check out their website for the latest information.

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Maritime Museum
The Australian National Martitime Museum features fascinating artefacts, lively exhibitions, fun activities and even the chance to board ships and experience life on the water. The museum is child friendly and offers great activities for kids from 2 years and youth workshops for older children.

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Kingpin Bowling Lounge
This bowling venue offers 20 state of the art bowling lanes, amazing harbour views, the latest music, disco UV lighting and LED lit pool tables. It is suitable for kids of all ages – it can get busy at times, so book in before you head out to ensure you don't miss out.

M9 Laser Skirmish
This is an adrenaline pumping, all action pain free laser experience for kids and adults. You can have up to 36 guests per battle, so why not get a few friends together for a fun adventure. M9 Laser Skirmish is suitable for children 8 years

Chinese Garden of Friendship
Discover beautiful landscape featuring waterfalls, exotic plans and hidden pathways of these beautiful gardens. Children will be entertained and educated with school holiday activities including origami, kung fu workshops, lion dancing, Chinese paper fan making and more.

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Power House Museum Darling Harbour Sydney

Darling Harbour Apartments FREE upgrade 

	Wallace & Gromit's World of Invention opens 15 December   Ages 5+  Step into the home of Wallace and Gromit and interact with their incredible inventions. Concoct smoothie recipes with the Blend-o-matic or discover the mechanics behind the Tellyscope II. See smashing ideas from Aussie inventors, plus find ways to create your own brilliant ideas and how to protect them. Book in advance, tickets selling fast! Send to a friend Powerhouse Museum 15 December until 26 May 2013 $45 family, $17 adult, $12 child, $14 concession Free for Powerhouse members Become a member today: $99 until May 2014

Holiday inventions fun    Ages 6+  From Vegemite to box kites, discover some of Australia's greatest inventions! Take part in the daily quiz show to test your knowledge. Pick up a Great Aussie Inventions Trail at the admission desk to help you find amazing inventions throughout the Museum. Plus visit the Australian Inventions display to see a marvellous contraption for making mouse traps and other inspirational tales of Australian ingenuity. Send to a friend Powerhouse Museum Display and Trail: daily from 15 December Quiz show: daily 7–28 January, 11am, 1pm, 3pm Included with Museum admission: $30 family, $12 adult, $6 child, $8 concession Free for Powerhouse members

 

Workshops: stop motion animation, video making and game design    Ages 7+ Book for one or two day workshops in Thinkspace, the Museum’s digital learning precinct. Learn animators' secrets and create a stop motion animation film. Star in your own movie, using our green screen and special FX. Create a video game using storyboards, game-play logic and art direction. Send to a friend Powerhouse Museum One day workshops: $100, $80 members Stop motion animation: 10 or 11 January Two day workshops: $190, $170 members Stop motion animation: 23–24 January Star in your own movie: 8–9, 15–16, 22–23 January Design a video game: 7–8 January (ages 9–14), 21–22 January (ages 8–12)

Workshops: Minecraft, Scratch and electronics   Ages 7+ Bookings essential for these popular workshops! Make a Pacman game with Scratch software and use LEGO WeDo and Pico boards to control your project. Build complex and functional constructions with Minecraft in individual and group projects. Use electronics to create an 8 bit music player and learn about sensors, switches and motors. Send to a friend Powerhouse Museum One day workshops: $100, $80 members Minecraft: 2,3,4,7,9,10,11,14,16,18,21,23,25 January (Girls' only 17 January) Scratch and LEGO: 2,3,4,9 January (Girls' only 25 January) One day workshop: $140, $126 members Practical electronics: 11 January (Girls' only 10 January) Two day workshop: $250, $225 members Practical electronics: 14–15, 17–18 January Stargazing for the whole family     Ages 4+ Learn how to tell the time using the Southern Cross as your guide. Explore the galaxy with 3-D films and telescope viewing tours every day and night. Book a workshop and become a hands-on archaeologist in Australia’s oldest fort. Plus book early for popular pizza and stargazing nights, perfect for families.   Send to a friend Sydney Observatory 1–28 January For details and to book visit sydneyobservatory.com   Talk: Apollo 17 the grand finale   Ages 12+ Join Curator of Space Technology, Kerrie Dougherty, as she tells the story of Apollo 17, which completed the last Apollo Moon mission in 1972. Learn about the 'Friendship Rock' that was shared after the mission with nations around the world, including Australia, and what the future might hold for a return to the Moon by human explorers. Send to a friend Powerhouse Museum Sunday 9 December, 2pm – 3pm Included with Museum admission: $30 family, $12 adult, $6 child, $8 concession Free for Powerhouse members   'I survived the end of the world' party   Ages 18+ Join us for an evening celebration of astronomical science to debunk the myth that, according to the long-count Mayan calendar, the world will end on 21 December. Watch the setting Sun, view the gibbous Moon through telescopes (weather permitting), enjoy drinks, food and music while you hear scientific talks on how we will survive (this particular) end of the world. Send to a friend Sydney Observatory Friday 21 December, 7.30pm – 10.30pm $45 adult, $40 member

Christmas lights Sydney

                              

                       Discover Sydney/Darling Harbour Apartment

                               So much Christmas stuff to see, so don't wear your heels

Lights dancing on buildings

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This Christmas, Sydney CBD will be brightened by a dazzling array of colourful banners, lights and decorations. Streets and urban space will serve as the canvas for these artistic colours and shapes

Erskineville Road, Crown Street, Redfern Street, Darlinghurst Road and Glebe Point Road will play resident to Christmas decorations all along the streets, leaving a seasonal impression for any person who observes the displays. Lights will dance upon objects and walls at Surry Hills, Turruwul Park – Rosebery, Redfern Park.and the Macquarie lights at Hyde Park, leaving a complex mixture of colourful patterns and shades which evoke the Christmas senses.

Macquarie Lights at Hyde Park

Martin Place will be covered in thousands of fairy lights, decorations and ribbons, topped off with the huge golden star that shimmers and shines atop the giant Christmas tree, adorned with hundreds of festive decorations.

But this isn't the only place to see a public Christmas tree. Other Customs House Square, St Mary's Cathedral Forecourt, Taylor Square, Hyde Park North, Kings Cross, Pitt Street Mall and Sydney Square will play host to many smaller christmas trees this season.

This month, every evening in the CBD will celebrate the true joy of Christmas, so if there is a night free, come along and tour the city.

Alexander the Great Exhibition Australia Museum Sydney

 

Discover why Alexander was so great

Australian Museum, 6 College St. See australianmuseum.net.au, ph 9320 6000. Alexander the Great: 2000 Years of Treasures runs until April. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster. See ticketmaster.com.au, ph 136 100.

 

                     Alexander the Great Accommodation  

 

The Alexander the Great Exhibition reveals the great man's conquests.

 

ALEXANDER'S life story is the stuff of legends, full of gods and heroes, love and war, murder and betrayal, adventure and conquest. 

The Great man's exploits are revealed at a new exhibition in Sydney.
Battle commander at 16 and king at 20, Alexander began his conquests aged 23 and carved out an empire stretching from Greece to India.
When he died in 323BC at just 32, he was already a legend: physically beautiful, highly intelligent, a military genius and perhaps a megalomaniac.
Alexander the Great's cultural legacy remains across Greece, the Middle East and Asia, his tactics are still taught in military academies, and Hollywood moviemakers keep his legend alive.
Google has recorded 432 million searches for Alexander the Great, an ancient who continues to intrigue the modern world.
There are many reasons, then, to see Alexander the Great: 2000 Years of Treasures at the Australian Museum.

It showcases 400 works of art spanning more than two millennia, on loan from the State Hermitage in St Petersburg.
The first thing you see  -  a series of 17th-century French engravings depicting Alexander's life  - sets the bar for the high quality of every item.
A section devoted to Alexander's times is truly jaw-dropping. It features helmets, marble statues, arrow cases etched in gold and delicate jewellery  - all a miracle to have survived nearly 2500 years.
Then an outline of Alexander's campaigns follows. The remarkable journey of 45,000km across inhospitable landscapes is well explained in videos and on touch screens.
Byzantine, Persian and Islamic treasures from conquered lands show how prosperity spread, and Eastern and Western cultures blended, during this period.
The second half of the exhibition charts Alexander the Great's rise as one of the most painted, sculpted, written-about and admired figures in history.
Displays range from Roman times to the 19th century, from enormous tapestries and paintings to tiny cameos and Persian miniatures.
A glorious bronze mantel clock topped by a figure of Alexander in a helmet is among the highlights.
Really, the only dissatisfying part of the exhibition is the final room, which takes a perfunctory look at modern depictions of Alexander in movies, books and video games.
It seems unnecessary and, after the superlative quality of what came before, finishes on a tawdry note.
Never mind. It's rare to have the chance to see such fabulous objects, and nobody will leave disappointed.
Indeed, you'll probably be inspired and, if so, there's no reason your Alexander experience has to finish at the museum.
Walk across Hyde Park to the well-regarded Greek restaurant Xanthi and you can enjoy a special Tastes of Alexander meal.
Owner David Tsirekas has researched ingredients and flavours available in Alexander's day to bring his era alive.
It's a meat-heavy meal for summer but a fascinating culinary journey into history among Byzantine-inspired surrounds of glass lamps, billowing gold curtains and kilims.
The five-course meals starts with a delicious entree of walnuts, dates and Greek cheeses, wrapped in a cloth package as if you're about to head off on campaign.
It's accompanied by warm flatbread and olives and, in a nice touch, a map of Alexander's journeys.
This is simple food of the early Macedonians, but the meal becomes richer as Alexander's army encounters the spices and complexities of Persian fare.
Novelties introduced to Greece at the time included peppercorns, rice and sweet Asian apples from which modern apples descend.
The second course is a Persian stew of spicy lamb, lentils and pomegranate, accompanied by mead recreated from ancient recipes.
Chicken stuffed with quail, apples and pistachios follows, then braised beef stuffed with prunes, accompanied by a citrus pilaf. Each is matched with Greek wines.
The final course celebrates the death of Alexander and might just about finish you off, too -  in a good way.The orange syrup cake is decorated with pistachios coated in gold dust, while a preserved orange segment symbolises Alexander's shield.
You could say it's a meal fit for a king -  or a conqueror.



Australian Museum, 6 College St. See australianmuseum.net.au, ph 9320 6000. Alexander the Great: 2000 Years of Treasures runs until April. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster. See ticketmaster.com.au, ph 136 100.
Eating there
Xanthi Restaurant is at Level 6, Westfield Sydney, cnr Pitt and Market streets. The Alexander menu costs $85, including matching drinks. Bookings are required. See xanthi.com.au, ph 9232 8535.