George Street is home to the venerable and stately Queen Victoria Building, a mall that’s been around for more than a hundred years. At the very top floor is The Tea Room, an elegant dining area that lives up to its name, offering more than several dozen varieties, as well as the most highbrow of British rituals, High Tea. Yes, that High Tea, with the scones, cucumber sandwiches, bubbling Champagne, three-tier trays of pastries served in silverware, and china that has survived two World Wars and disco (and my waistline barely survived that deliciously heavenly ordeal).

Royal Selangor also maintains a presence here, selling pewter goods catering to more geeky tastes, as the Samurai Batman figures, Wolverine busts and Star Wars chess sets can attest. Downstairs in the ground floor, Swarovski manages to grab a sizable chunk of that market with its own cute crystal Winnie the Pooh and Donald Duck collectibles, as well as stunning cut-crystal jewelry. But for adult-children with a fondness for military dioramas and a bit of cash to burn, Peter Nathan Toy Soldiers has warriors from practically every culture and time period—knights, Beefeaters, corsairs, Zulus, schutzstaffel officers, 8th Army Corpsmen, you name it—Peter Nathan will likely have them.

Paddy’s Market in Hay Street is an Asian goods mall with both a four-storey building complex with apparel shops, Chinese restaurants (check out Ice Cube Sweet Café for some yummy pudding, ice and tapioca combinations) and an Asian grocery (Tong Li Supermarket), as well as a basement shopping complex filled with a riotous plethora of goods. During my excursions there, I’ve bought hats made of kangaroo and cow leather, Turkish ceramics, homemade soaps, stainless steel rings with lion and skull emblems and exotic teas, spices and nuts.

Need a break from all the shopping and people? You can find solace in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Farm Cove or Chinese Garden of Friendship in Darling Harbour. Both areas are filled with lush, carefully manicured flora, with wide open spaces and comfortable nooks. Feel free to watch clouds drift by or enjoy a good book under the shade of a cheerfully bountiful tree in either park.

OUTSIDE SYDNEY

Coffs Harbour is about a 10-hour drive (or about an hour’s flight) from Sydney. It’s a quiet, lazy northern town known for the most perfect weather in the entirety of Australia. No matter what time of year you come visit, the place is always as placid. Cottages and guesthouses are in abundance for guests who wish to commune with nature while enjoying the area’s Goldilocks-My-Porridge-Is-Just-Right climate.

Now, if that’s a bit far, try going to The Entrance—it’s also north of the city but only an hour’s drive and this town has some rather fascinating geographical features not seen in most parts of the world. The town itself occupies a body of land bound by water on three sides. A channel running along its northern border is the entrance to Tuggerah Lakes, hence its name. What it looks like is funky, huge stretches of sapphire water on equally shallow but broad expanses of land, with lots of sea birds hanging around. It feels like you’re at the edge of Creation, or maybe just its big blue backside.

Oenophiles flock to Hunter Valley, a lush, sun-kissed region where some of the best winemakers of Australia hail from. Many of these little wineries make no more than a few hundred cases a year, and most only sell them within Hunter Valley itself. Their vineyards line the landscape of the modest valley and their fruit are mostly handpicked and pressed by the growers themselves.

Rolling hills and flat plains make up the terrain of Hunter Valley, which cradles some of New South Wales’ vineyards and wineries.

Chardonnay and Shiraz are fairly common in the region, but the area is also known for Semillon, a thick-skinned golden grape used to make dry and sweet white wines. Semillon has the rare quality of being one of the few white grapes whose wines can be properly aged, as most whites usually don’t retain their body and flavor for longer than a few years. Be sure to stop by Adina Vineyard for their Parte Angelica Muscat NV, a tantalizing sweet and piquant, yet balanced red wine.

If you’re a rock climber or just fond of mountains, Katoomba is just the place for you. Deep within the Blue Mountains west of Sydney lies this sleepy but charming little town brimming with fresh mountain air, luscious scenery, homey food and high-quality cottage industry goods. It is known for a series of peaks called The Three Sisters, which are a popular attraction among locals and international visitors alike. I was happy enough to just get a nice look at them as the clouds rolled past like sheets of surf in a reversed ocean, their shadows looming over the valley and the Sisters like an alien galactic invasion force.