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From Wikitravel

Immediately to the east of the City Centre is an area of laneways, nightlife, cafes, pubs, bars and entertainment. It is an area where many choose to stay, and many more visit. Kings Cross is the city's red light district, busy all hours of the day and night. Oxford Street and Taylor Square is the centre of Sydney's world famous gay scene, and everyone will enjoy a daytime stroll through the area, with great coffee and boutique shopping. Moore Park is for sports, and the entertainment quarter - football, cricket, movies, shopping, markets, circus and restaurants. Surry Hills is terraces and quaint parks, and an ideal place to fraternise with the locals in the many down-to-earth pubs, and the Crown St area has some of Sydney's best Middle Eastern and Indian food, great for a night out. Woolloomooloo is on the harbour, and a rough naval areas is now gentrified, with finger wharf apartments and modern Australian bars and restaurants in an historical setting.

[edit] Get in

Trains and a maze of bus routes run through the area. From the city, its often possible to walk to where you want to be. Parking is nearly all time restricted any day of the week, although cruising around the back streets is an option if the parking fairy is smiling upon you.

To get to King Cross, you can get the train to Kings Cross Station, which is on Darlinghurst Road. That puts you right in the middle of things there. The 323, 324, 325, and 326 buses also run from Circular Quay, up Elizabeth Street and along William Street. You can also walk from the City Centre to Darlinghurst Road in around 20-30 minutes.

To get to Oxford Street strip, Darlinghurst, Paddington and Taylor Square, you can use the train station at Museum. This station is just near the start of Oxford Street, and you can walk the length of it in 45 minutes or so. If you want to get directly to your destination, you can catch one of the stream of buses that go up Oxford Street. Routes 333, 392, 397, 373, 394, 399, 377 run from Circular Quay and Elizabeth Street and down Oxford St at least as far as Taylor Square.

Surry Hills is adjacent to Central station. Walk east from the station.

To get to Woolloomooloo you can walk across the Domain or across the Royal Botanic Gardens, and walk down the stairs of Art Gallery Road down to the finger wharves. The walk will take around 20 minutes from the city or Martin Place or St James Station. The walk is slightly shorter from Kings Cross Station, but a little less scenic, just follow Victoria Street from the station north to the water. Alternatively the 311 bus links Woolloomooloo, Kings Cross, Darlinghurst Road, Oxford Street and Railway Square every 15 minutes or so. If you are driving, you can park in The Domain car park [1], which is only a short walk away, or cruise around the back streets if you are feeling lucky.

Moore Park has a frequent bus service from the city. Consider the Metrobus 10, which leaves Town Hall every 10 minutes or so. The 392, 394, 396 all continue from Oxford Street along Moore Park. You can buy a combined train/bus ticket from any station to Moore Park. During events extra buses run to Moore Park from Central Station. These buses leave from near the Chalmers St exit. These buses do not accept daytripper and travelpass tickets, but do except combined train/bus tickets to Moore Park. During events you may want to consider just walking from Central - you will see many people doing the same, the walk will take around 30 minutes. There is a multi-storey parking lot at Fox Studios (The Entertainment Quarter) which sometimes offers free parking for 3 hours, but charges a flat fee during events. Traffic around the area can be congested during events.

[edit] Get around

Expect to see lots of other pedestrians around Oxford St, William St and Darlinghurst Road most times of the day and night.

Kings Cross can be a jam for cars both in peak hours on weekdays, and late at night.

Expect to pay for parking if you drive. Moore Park has three hours free parking, except during sporting or large entertainment events, when you can expect to pay a larger flat fee.

[edit][add listing] See

[edit] Kings Cross

• El Alamein Fountain, Fitzroy Gardens entrance (at the top of Darlinghurst Road). Designed by Robert Woodward and erected in 1961 as a memorial to the Ninth Division during World War II. The fountain is somewhat iconic in Sydney, a "dandelion head" sphere of mist at the top of a tall stem and has been imitated globally on many occasions. A favourite meeting place for many travellers and locals alike  edit

[edit] Oxford Street

• Paddington Reservoir Gardens. Newly opened, interestingly designed gardens built in the old reservoir.

[edit] Events

• Gay and Lesbian Mardi-Gras. Oxford street is the focus for the annual march, but many other related activities take place in the festival before the parade.

[edit][add listing] Do

• Oxford St Rock and Roll Walk of Fame, Oxford St, Darlinghurst & Paddington, [2]. Download the podcast from the City Of Sydney website and do a walking tour of past and present landmarks from the Sydney rock'n'roll scene.  edit

[edit] Movies and Theatre

• Cinema Paris, Lang Road, Moore Park, [3].  edit

• Chauvel, Oxford Street, Paddington, [4]. Two cinemas in the old Paddington Town Hall. Focus on alternative and arthouse.  edit

• Palace Verona and Palace Academy Twin, 3a & 17 Oxford Street, Paddington, [5]. Two cinemas on Oxford st focussing on arthouse and foreign films.  edit

Fox Studios contains an open air shopping strip, bars and cafes, weekend markets, cinemas, and a number of live television events. There is not access to the actual studioes themselves, and no charge to access the site. Ample parking in multi-story carpark.

• Have a spa and sauna at the Ginseng Bathhouse, The Crest Hotel, Level One, 111 Darlinghurst Road. tel 02 9356 6680, fax 02 9356 2348 [6]. The Ginseng Bathhouse has separate men's and women's facilities, each with a hot bath, a cold bath, a ginseng spa, a wet sauna and a dry sauna. You can also get Korean treatments, massages and beauty therapy. Children from 5 years old are welcome. Open 9:30AM to 9:30PM weekdays and 9AM to 9:30PM weekends. Entry to the baths is $25, entry combined with treatments from $53.

[edit][add listing] Buy

[edit] Oxford Street

Home to a huge range of boutique shopping, fashion, quirky gift stores and everything in between. Great for an afternoon's window shopping and casual discovery. Max out your credit card at one of the many higher end clothing and accessory shops running down Oxford Street. Featuring some of Australia's most popular brands and designers - Sass and Bide, Lisa Ho, Morrissey, Scanlan and Theodore and Kitten. Be sure to explore the side streets such as William St for the newer, funkier labels such as Ginger and Smart and the ever present Collette Dinnigan.

• Paddington Fresh, 242 Oxford St (Just across the road from the Church in Paddington), ☎ +61 2 9380 9988. Fresh produce markets.  edit

• Paddington Markets, 395 Oxford Street [7]. Every Saturday 10AM-5PM. Held in the grounds of Paddington Uniting Church, just off Oxford Street, Paddington Markets has been in operation since 1973 and is a stylish stall venue for designers, jewellers and craftsmen. Not many true bargains to be had, but perfect for unusual gifts and clothing, as well as some mainstream items. Fantastic for people-watching, a couple of dollars to get in.

• The Bookshop [8], 207 Oxford Street, +61 2 9331 1103, open Mo–We 10AM–10PM, Th 10AM–11PM, Fr–Sa 10AM–midnight, Su and public holidays 11AM–11PM — Trading for over 20 years, the Bookshop is one of Sydney's premier retailers of gay and lesbian books, magazines, calendars and DVDs. Great for a browse.

[edit][add listing] Eat

[edit] Woolloomooloo

• Harry's Cafe de Wheels, [9]. A piece of Sydney history, right on the water at Woolloomooloo. Stand up against the van, and grab a pie, peas and mash. There are another couple of franchises open now, in Capitol Square and at the airport. Ignore them, this is the original, and it isn't about the pies. Go early, late, or both.  edit

[edit] Kings Cross

It's also worth having a wander further down William St towards Five Ways, a Parisian inspired collection of cafes and restaurants nestled among five corners which meet at one roundabout. Coffee at Heeley's is highly recommended.

[edit] Oxford Street

• The Pink Peppercorn, 122 Oxford Street, (02) 9360 9922. Away from Oxford Street's carnival carry-on, Pink Peppercorn is all calm understated class. Chocolate-box pinks and creams match the mahogany furniture. Monks robed in orange smile down from the walls and hot-pink napkins color tables. Its informal and minimalist, letting the food do the talking. Anouvong Kaseum's beautifully presented dishes fuse Lao flavors (think Thai with less kick) and Western influence.

• Betty's Soup Kitchen, 84 Oxford Street, (02) 9360 9698. If soup is your thing, then Betty's is the place to have it.

• Balkan Seafood Restaurant, at 217 Oxford Street, +61 2 9331 7670, fax +61 2 9331 7279, [10]. Open 6 days - closed Monday. Croatian cuisine at its finest. Serves both seafood (mediterranean) & continental dishes. Famous for its generous portions and menu of the grill.

• Perry Lane CafeArtStudio, Rear 264 Oxford St via Perry Lane Paddington NSW 2021 (Down Perry lane Behind the Oxford Store), ☎ 02 8354 1222 (atperrylane@live.com.au). From 8AM till Eve. cked away only 20m from Oxford St. Great for a group lunch in this 3 level courtyard cafe or even a quick business meeting with WiFi also to hand. Or come and check out what artist or designer is showing in the ArtStudio which is rotated fortnightly. largely caters for vegetarians Max Price is around $15.  edit

[edit] Surry Hills

There are a huge number of restaurants on Crown St between Oxford and Cleveland Sts and down some of the side/parallel streets like Foveaux St and Bourke St. Quality tends to be pretty good as rents are high and bad/unpopular places tend to close down quickly.

There are also a number cheap but tasty South Indian restaurants on Cleveland St between Bourke and Crown Sts.

• Maya Sweet House, 468-472 Cleveland St, Surry Hills (just east of the intersection with Crown St), ☎ (02) 9699 8663, [11]. Delicious and cheap South Indian vegetarian restaurant that specialises in thalis, dosas, idlis and other treats. Also has a good range of Indian sweets such as gulab jamun and a range of burfis. There is a tandoori (ie. non-vegetarian) restaurant upstairs. Mains $8-15.  edit
• Marque, 355 Crown St. Fine dining on Crown St. Degustation menu $145pp + wine.  edit
• Bills, 359 Crown St, Surry Hills (just south of Foveaux St), ☎ (02) 9360 4762, [12]. 7am-10pm 7 days. Famous cafe renowned for its scrambled eggs, sweet corn fritters and ricotta hotcakes. A Sydney favourite when it comes to brunches. Also has branches in Darlinghurst (433 Liverpool St) and Woollahra (Queens Court, 118 Queen St) Expect to pay $40-50 for two with coffees and juices.  edit
• Billy Kwong, 3/355 Crown St, Surry Hills, ☎ (02) 9332 3300, [13]. Mo-Su dinner from 6pm. The signature restaurant from TV chef Kylie Kwong, this is definitely a cut above most other Chinese restaurants. Produce is seasonal and mostly organic. No bookings, so get there at 5.45pm to line up or leave your mobile number and have a drink or two at the Dolphin across the road. Entrees $14-32, mains $26-49.  edit
• Bird Cow Fish, 500 Crown St, Surry Hills (between Foveaux and Devonshire), ☎ (02) 9380 4090, [14]. B Sa-Su, L 7 days, D Mo-Sa. Great Modern Australian food in a bistro setting. The chef here is very creative but his flavour combinations can't be faulted. Entrees around $18, mains $32-38.  edit

[edit] Moore Park

[edit][add listing] Drink

Beware of the 2AM-5AM lockout policy, which affects pretty much every gay venue on Oxford St apart from The Colombian and The Midnight Shift, and many of the Kings Cross bars and clubs. You are okay to stay in the one venue between 2AM and 5AM, but if you leave before 5AM make sure you have somewhere in mind to go, if you are not ready to go home.

[edit] Kings Cross

Kings Cross is the red-light district, but don't let that put you off it that is not your scene. There are many pubs and nightclubs here, but it is still strip clubs that are the most prominent. There are brothels and some street prostitution as well. The strip clubs aren't the sort of place you would go for a drink and regard the entertainment is a sideshow. Due to the licensing laws the drinks on sale are limited and expensive, and the entertainment on stage is very much the focus. They also tend to be a bit dingy, where the nightclubs and pubs in the area generally are bright, with a vibe. Weave your way past the touts at the doors of the strip clubs and you'll find a slice of eclectic Sydney in the many bars and hangouts.

• Bourbon and Beefsteak, (At the top of Darlinghurst Rd, opposite the fountain). 24/7. An icon of the Cross - been there forever. Catered to the American troops during the war, and continues to cater for all comers today.  edit

• Soho Bar and Lounge, 171 Victoria Street, Potts Point, tel 02 9358 6511 [15]. Open until 6AM, no cover charge. The lounge bar of choice for celebrities, trend setters and those-who-aspire since the 1980s. The Soho Bar is spread over two levels just off the main drag down from Kings Cross, combining dance and cocktails in a consistently stylish, up-to-date manner. Great for star spotting: Tom Cruise, Prince Harry, various sports people - reportedly the place where Kylie met Michael all those years ago.

• Goldfish Bowl.  edit

• Melt, [16].  edit

As the sun begins to think about rising, about 4-5AM many of the nightclubs start to close It could be time to move on to one of the day clubs, which have their crowds arriving around 5am and continue until the afternoon. Try Spice for an international party crowd. Move back to the pub in the afternoon to round off 24-hours in the Cross.

[edit] Oxford Street Nightclubs

[edit] Nightclubs

• ARQ [17], 16 Flinders Street — One of the premier gay night clubs in town. Upstairs features trance and hard house on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, while downstairs has funkier music and shows on Thursday and Sunday nights. The venue often has short live performances in the middle of the night. Usually open from 10PM until dawn - often still going at 10AM. The last Friday of every month Arq hosts on of Sydney's biggest lesbian nights, named Moist.

• Nevermind, 163 Oxford St - a newly gay venue featuring drag shows and special performers on Friday nights (Disgraceland) and Saturday nights (Saturday F*cking Nights).

• The Midnight Shift, [18] 85 Oxford Street - A gay venue that has a newly refurbished leather bar upstairs, and a bar downstairs. The downstairs bar is open daily and hosts popular drag shows on Wednesdays through to Sundays. Upstairs has a cover charge and downstairs is free.

• Spectrum, [19] 34 Oxford St - An intimate live music venue, with a capacity of 250 people, catering to the the rock and indie crowd. A good place to see up and coming local talent. After the band are over DJs play pop, rock and indie hits till the early hours.

• The Stonewall Hotel, 175 Oxford Street (between Crown St and Taylor Square), [20]. Drag shows, dancing and cocktails. Spread across three floors - the bottom floor tends to play the camp 80s/90s hits and hosts the drag shows, whereas the top two floors play dancier music. Attracts a young and beautiful gay / mixed crowd most nights.  edit

• Q Bar, 44 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, [21]. Long running Sydney institution Q Bar has been running for over 20 years. These days it plays host to DJ nights, live music and burlesque performances attracting a mixed crowd ranging from the glamourous to the trashy.  edit

[edit] Oxford Street Bars and Pubs

• The Columbian Hotel at 117 Oxford Street (on the corner of Crown Street - One of the most popular gay bars in the area. The beautiful people sit at the open table facing the street to be seen.

• The Oxford Hotel On the corner of Oxford and Burke St is a great place to visit. The basement contains Gilligan's, home to the famous Oxford Smash cocktail.

• Palms 124 Oxford Street — bar/dancing area located underground. Attracts a mixed, generally unpretentious crowd. Very small, so expect long queues.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

The area hosts some of Sydney's most prestigious hotels, and some of the less desirable places!. The Sydney landmark, the Boulevard Hotel is near the Cross, on William Street. This area is the MECCA for Backpackers in Sydney - Hostel joints are everywhere and bring a wonderful influx of young independent travellers to the area which really add to the vibrance. There are also a few mid-range hotels scattered around.

• Jolly Swagman Backpackers Sydney Hostel (Backpackers Sydney Hostels), 27 Orwell Street, ☎ 1800 805 870, [22]. The best located hostel in Sydney, Jolly Swagman Backpackers Sydney is famous for providing safe, clean, cheap accommodation with free breakfast, pick up, 24 hour internet access, social life and a Sydney backpacker experience not to be missed. Close to Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, all of Sydney's tourist attractions and events are on your doorstep. Meet our friendly staff (and check our website www.jollyswagman.com.au) for online accommodation room bookings, help with work, Sydney day tours and travel including bus passes, east coast packages and more.  edit

[edit] Kings Cross

• Funkhouse Backpackers in Sydney [23] is a unique, upbeat hostel famous for it's friendly social atmosphere and funky murals.
• Lido Suites, 2 Roslyn Street, ☎ 1800 060 954, [24]. checkin: 14:00; checkout: 10:00. Lido Suites is right amongst all the action of King Cross’ famous nightspots, clubs, restaurants and cafes. Studio rooms with basic kitchenettes give guests choice flexibility. From $99. (-33.87365805753277,151.22440338134766) edit

[edit] Oxford Street

• Sullivans Hotel, 21 Oxford Street, +61 2 9361 0211, fax: +61 2 9360 3735, mailto:sydney@sullivans.com.au [25]. Standard rooms from $135 a night - Great value hotel situated on the main drag between Paddington and Darlinghurst. Visitors suggest trying to get a courtyard facing room, as those facing Oxford Street can be noisy.

[edit] Surry Hills

• Cambridge Sydney Hotel 212 Riley Street, +61 2 9212 1111 (fax 02 9215 5111, email reservations@cambridgeinn.com.au) [26]. Economy hotel in Surry Hills with easy access to Oxford Street and the Sydney CBD. Rooms cost approx $110 - $190 per night.

[edit] Cope

[edit] Fitness

• City Gym Sydney, 107–113 Crown Street [27]. Heading north out of Darlinghurst is one of the premier gyms in east Sydney.

• Golds Gym Sydney, 23 Pelican St [28]. Part of the international chain of gyms, located in Darlinghurst, just off Oxford St near police station. Popular with locals & International guests. Involved with the local gay and lesbian community.

[edit] Stay safe

Kings Cross has druggies, prostitutes and drunks. The area is lively, well lit and always full of travellers and residents going about their business all days and nights of the week. Most people there don't have a problem. Ignore the touts, and stay out of fights. Don't become a easy target in a quiet laneway for a addict needing a few bucks for their next fix. Women dressed to party may expect a few leers or whistles from passing bucks.

Be a little careful on Friday and Saturday nights along Oxford Street, particularly the stretch from arond Taylor Square to Liverpool Street/College St. There are a lot of late-night venues here and the area is very popular for bucks' parties and the like. If you keep to yourself and avoid large groups of males, it's very unlikely that you'll find trouble.

Surry Hills gets its share of drunks as well at night, so be aware of alcohol-fueled violence. During the day it is a has a light, residential feel, and you should have no problems. At night there are quiet laneways, and overall the area is quiet. Stay on main roads and visible.

Problems are unusual at Moore Park. Sporting events and concerts in Sydney tend to be convivial, with any rivalries limited purely to banter.

Kings Cross Police Station is located close to the El Alamein Fountain in Fitzroy Gardens.