Five Activites for Tourists in Sydney, Australia

As the largest city in Australia, Sydney has its fair share of major sights to see, such as the iconic, sail-themed and much photographed Sydney Opera House. Yet Sydney is a vibrant, active place and much more than just the sum of its museums and famous buildings. Getting out and being active should therefore figure prominently in any trip to Sydney, and here are five activities sure to satisfy anyone thirsty for outdoor adventure or hungry for sports.

Biking in the Park
One way to explore Centennial Park, a one-square mile green space that dominates Sydney's eastern suburbs, is by bike. The park's scenery includes expansive grass fields, pine and scrub forests, wetlands and ornamental ponds. The Sydney Marathon course (which was also used for the Olympic Marathon in 2000) crosses the park, and Australia's Federation Monument is located there. Rental bikes are available for a modest fee from Centennial Park Cycles, which is located about 200 yards from the Musgrave Avenue entrance.

Canoeing and Kayaking
Visitors to Sydney can combine sightseeing with a little outdoor adventure by renting a canoe or kayak to explore Sydney Harbor and/or the city's waterways, such as the Hawksbury River. Operators such as Sydney Harbour Kayaks and Bushports Sydney Canoeing offer both rentals and guided tours, as well as team-building exercises and special activities. Sydney Harbour Kayaks, for example, has a problem-solving kayak your in Sydney Harbour centered on locating the wreck of the World War Two submarine Tadashi.

Scuba Diving
Sydney might not be off the Great Barrier Reef, but the city still has plenty to offer traveling divers. The Sydney area has at least ten different shipwrecks and plenty of shore dives, reefs, walls and sea caves. Visitors to Sydney who are not already trained divers can achieve Open Water (OW) certification in as little as two days through the e-learning program of the Professional Association of Scuba Divers (PADI). Through this program, a student does all his classroom study at home over the Internet, and then completes the course on-site with two intensive days of hands-on training.

Surfing
Australia is famous for its surfing, and one of the most famous surfing beaches in the world, Bondi Beach, is on the south side of the city harbor. Bondi Beach operators like Lets Go Surfing offers surf board rentals, as well as lessons for those who might like to learn how to surf while in Sydney. For those who already know how to surf, but want to take their game up to the next level, Bondi Beach surf schools offer intermediate and advanced courses.

Take in a Game
Americans visiting Sydney will find the local spectator sports scene to be squarely focused on two sports sure to baffle them: cricket and rugby. Summer brings pro games to the Sydney Cricket Ground, while winter sees the return of the National Rugby League with several Sydney-based teams. Sydney also has a soccer team, the Sydney FC, and an Australian Rules football team, the Sydney Swans. Between all of these sports, a visitor would need to be very unlucky indeed to not be in Sydney while a home game is going on.