trike ride Sydney experience – Jan + Kurt 19.04.25

The trike ride Sydney experience was a good one for our passengers. From the USA, they wanted to see as much as they could while they are here. They booked a 2.5 hours tour and loved it. Our rider picked them up from Wildlife Retreat at Taronga.

Wildlife Retreat at Taronga Zoo

From their website; “A boutique Sydney hotel experience where you can wake up with a Koala outside your window…

Taronga Zoo, officially opened in October 1916, began as a project of the NSW Zoological Society in 1881, eventually moving to its current location on Mosman in Sydney Harbour. The zoo’s history extends back to 1884 when the first public zoo in Sydney was established at Billy Goat Swamp in Moore Park.

Taronga has an absolute commitment to the conservation of wildlife in Australia and around the world.

We are committed to the conservation of native species, with active involvement in breed and release programs, habitat recovery and the rehabilitation and release of injured or orphaned wildlife.”
Taronga is a not-for-profit. Every dollar you spend saves wildlife.

Bradleys Head

Firstly, they rode down the hill to Bradleys Head. It has wonderful views across Sydney Harbour to the Sydney Opera House, Harbour Bridge and the CBD. It’s in the suburb of Mosman and is one of Sydney Harbour’s most prominent natural features. First Fleet officers observed and named it, almost every ship entering Sydney Harbour has sailed past it. It possesses Aboriginal, military and naval associations, and it has for many years been the location of various recreational activities.

Kirribilli

From there, the rider took them through the back streets of Mosman, Cremorne, Neutral Bay, and into Kirribilli, to the Prime Minister‘s residence and Admiralty House. Kirribilli House is the secondary official residence of the Prime Minister of Australia.

Next door is Admiralty House. It is the Sydney residence of the Governor-General and one of the most historic and important residences on Sydney Harbour. The house – originally called ‘Wotonga’ – was built in the mid 1800’s.

After that, they rode around the corner to Jeffrey Street Wharf. From here, the views across Sydney Harbour towards the Sydney Opera House and the CBD are magnificent. In addition, it also has an up-close view of the side and underneath of the bridge. What a great view of the Sydney Opera House!

The Kirribilli Loop – Harbour Bridge north side

They rode under the north side of the bridge and continued on their tour. The underside of the northern end of the SHB – Sydney Harbour Bridge – is very interesting. The Kirribilli Loop was finished by riding past Luna Park and the North Sydney Olympic Pool. As usual, the trike ride Sydney experience, was showing some beautiful sights and icons of Sydney.

Opera House

Then, they rode on the Cahill Expressway and past the iconic Sydney Opera House. We can’t ride close but you can see it from a different angle to the usual. The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre. Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, but completed by an Australian architectural team headed by Peter Hall, the building was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 20 October 1973.

Macquarie Street

Next, they rode up Macquarie St. This street, is the location of the main governmental institutions of NSW: Parliament House, Government House, and the Law Courts Building (which houses the Supreme Court of New South Wales). There is so much history behind Macquarie St. and the buildings that front it.

In the years since its founding in 1788, Sydney had developed organically, and by the early 1800s was lacking in major public buildings, and had a complex network of narrow streets. The supply of drinking water and waste management was also becoming an issue. Governor Macquarie initiated the construction of Sydney’s first public buildings of any real permanence and set the boundaries of Sydney’s grid of streets, laying out the street in 1810.

St Mary’s Cathedral

Further on, they rode through the city and past St Mary’s Cathedral which is very impressive, even when riding past. It’s a Gothic Revival architectural building which opened in 1928. It took from 1866 to 1928 to build and has a height of 75m. It didn’t take long for the trike ride Sydney experience to show our passengers major sights and have some fun as well!

Woolloomooloo, Harry’s and Garden Island

Then, they rode into the inner eastern suburb of Woolloomoolloo. It has the famous Harry Cafe De Wheels. Harry’s Café de Wheels has been serving customers for over 80 years. They make delicious pies, hotdogs and more. Lots of interesting photos are on the walls, mostly of famous celebrities who have visited over the years.

Also there is Garden Island. Garden Island is the location of a major Royal Australian Navy (RAN) base.

Kings Cross

Riding through the infamous Kings Cross is always interesting. It has calmed down a lot since it’s heyday – it’s home to the famous and huge Coca Cola sign. Kings Cross is also home to nightclubs and ladies of the night though it is not nearly as raunchy as it was in the 1970s (apparently). Already, the Sydney trike tour adventure was fun and interesting!

Coca-Cola billboard

Look up to see the famous “Coke Sign”. It is an advertising billboard erected in 1974 by the Coca-Cola Company. More often regarded as an iconic landmark than as an advertisement. The new Coca-Cola sign was officially turned on, on 15 September 2024, and uses a lot less power. It is the single largest controllable LED sign in the Southern Hemisphere and can change colour.

Eastern suburbs

Continuing on, they headed west through the posh suburbs of the eastern suburbs of Sydney, including the Bays: Rose Bay, Double Bay and Rushcutters Bay. The passengers have seen so many beautiful places.

Bondi Beach

Heading east, they drove past the world famous Bondi Beach, both the north and south side. This is the beach where Bondi Lifeguards of the Bondi Rescue TV series is filmed. When in Sydney it is one of the places you should visit. The beach is seriously nice (but not our favourite) but it’s good to say you have seen it – even in the rain 😊. Bondi Beach is one of the most visited tourist sites in Australia. Bondi Beach is recorded by the Australian Museum that Bondi means place where a fight using boondi sticks (nullas nullas or fighting sticks) took place.

They stopped near the Lifeguard Tower to have a look and take photos. They also stopped at the famous Bondi Icebergs and swimming pool. The waves were very high and rough, no one was surfing which is highly unusual.

Tamarama

Riding south, along more beautiful, though possibly less well known, beaches. The suburb of Tamarama has a small ocean beach about 1 km south of Bondi Beach and a couple of hundred metres north of Bronte Beach. It is an extremely narrow beach and deceptive for its size. Tamarama Beach is often referred to as Glamarama (or Glamourama), owing to the alleged abundance of glamorous people who sunbathe (often topless), on what must be one of the smallest strips of sand in the state (Wikipedia).

Bronte

Then, they rode further south to Bronte Beach. Bronte Beach sits on Nelson Bay, surrounded by Bronte Park. Bronte offers scenic cliff-top walking paths south to Coogee via the Waverley Cemetery and north to Tamarama and Bondi Beach. The friend’s day out tour on the trike has shown some interesting places and some beautiful beaches.

Clovelly Beach

Further south to Clovelly Beach. Clovelly Beach is a small and tranquil beach, located the mouth of a narrow bay between two rocky ridges. The trike ride Sydney experience is still surprising our passengers!

Queens Park

Next, the trike rider turned west and past Queens Park. It is a 26-hectare urban park, set in a natural amphitheatre at the foot of dramatic sandstone cliffs, with panoramic views of the Sydney region. It’s right next to the famous Centennial Park so they rode through the gates and into Centennial Park.

Centennial Park

It is interesting riding through the huge Centennial Park is a lovely experience. 120 fields and venues, and 35+ different sports played in the Centennial Parklands. It is the largest community sports precinct in Australia! The history is also interesting: “Originally a swamp and then set aside as land for the water source for Sydney. Centennial Park was reconstructed as a public park and opened in 1888. Sir Henry Parkes’ vision was to create a ‘People’s Park’ in which the citizens of Sydney could ‘take in the air’ away from the Sydney town centre.”

Ocean Street

However, the time was almost up. It was along a main thoroughfare of Woollahra in the Eastern Suburbs. The first European settlement in Woollahra occurred two years after the arrival of the First Fleet when a flagstaff was erected at South Head (near the site of the Signal Station) in 1790 to serve as a landmark for ships arriving at the Heads.

The traditional Aboriginal owners of much of the Woollahra district were the Cadigal clan, while the harbour area around Watsons Bay and South Head was inhabited by the Birrabirragal clan. Both the Cadigal and Birrabirrigal clans belonged to the coastal Dharawal language group.

Then, it was back over the SHB. The rider stopped so the passengers could pick up some supplies. Then he rode back through the inner northern suburbs and dropped them back to the Wildlife Retreat at Taronga.

In conclusion, the trike ride Sydney experience was a fun and unique experience. Our passengers are so happy they did it. A unique adventure, something different to do in Sydney.

Feel the Freedom!

Check out a description of the tour here. Don’t forget every tour is unique so may not be exactly as stated but you will always see the icons.

or just email trevor@trolltours.com.au and tell us what you would like to do.