Fun and Unusual Things to do in Paddington, Sydney

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[{"address":"DAAD Information Centre Sydney","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.1665744193406742,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":-33.88336492989913,"longitude":151.23834667829516},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"Who Created This Tour?"},{"type":"text","content":"Before you get started you might want to know a bit about the person behind this tour.\nMy name is Helen and I'm a travel journalist and blogger living in Sydney. I run a blog called Differentville which aims to find the small, quirky things to do in a destination - I refer to it at Atlas Obscura with more cake!\nAs such, my tours cover little odd shops and sights that you might not find on your own.\nI hope you have fun with them."},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FMjN2UsCFxRWpVSz7L6kp%2Fabadoned%20art%20building%20taichung.JPG?alt=media&token=5e905a17-7183-4c4d-96b6-7e0a688402c2"}]},{"address":"Berlin Wall Sydney","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.14321712068773834,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":-33.883235710664366,"longitude":151.23836020000005},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"Visit a Piece of the Berlin Wall\n\nIt’s not something you’d necessarily expect to find in the middle of Sydney, let alone just sitting there in all it’s graffiti-clad glory in the middle of a tiny park, but it’s there, next to German language school The Goethe Institut.\nThe piece was actually abandoned in a car park until someone realised what it was and brought it to this spot. Right now, the only thing in the park is the piece of wall but they are hoping to add some other exhibits in the future.\n\n"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FMjN2UsCFxRWpVSz7L6kp%2F1.webp?alt=media&token=e87cce70-0b68-47c1-b757-5166c6800ba6"},{"type":"link","title":"","content":"https://goo.gl/maps/ACgMgJKLXaGnx8gL6"}]},{"address":"16 Elizabeth St","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.14321712068773834,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":-33.886652738776974,"longitude":151.23129930367548},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"Visit Bowie"},{"type":"text","content":"I was pretty surprised to find a mural of David Bowie on a wall when I was out walking one lunchtime, but, it makes more sense when you find out that it was a wall that was owned by the Blender Gallery that specialises in rock photography."},{"type":"text","content":"They've changed locations now, but Bowie is (currently) still there."},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FMjN2UsCFxRWpVSz7L6kp%2FIMG_2038.JPG?alt=media&token=f1364ac2-8ea1-4053-90ed-b0590f376187"}]},{"address":"38 William St","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.14321712068773834,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":-33.885446970715336,"longitude":151.22958181275413},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"Paddington Terraces"},{"type":"text","content":"If you spend any time in Paddington you'll see that the houses have a particular style including wrought iron balconies. This is a Paddington Terrace - and the coloured ones here on William Street are some of the cutest."},{"type":"text","content":"You'll also find lots of independent shops around here so you might want to have a wander in and out - but, warning, they can get a bit spendy!"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FMjN2UsCFxRWpVSz7L6kp%2FIMG_3837.JPG?alt=media&token=4b636ecb-0f2a-4c13-bfb5-e5254f0088c8"}]},{"address":"266 Oxford St","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.1665744193406742,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":-33.885085494186214,"longitude":151.22750659055333},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"Quick Street Art Pit Stop"},{"type":"text","content":"Perry Lane is a legal street art spot and while you won't find big overwhelming murals, there are a couple of cute designs."},{"type":"text","content":"I particularly like the three Ibis. If you're not from around here, ibis are known locally as bin chickens as you quite often find them sitting on top of bins ferreting around the rubbish."},{"type":"text","content":"I think they're brilliant!"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FMjN2UsCFxRWpVSz7L6kp%2FIMG_3755.JPG?alt=media&token=a81999a1-4bac-47b5-9336-da5be2d1c6db"}]},{"address":"The Unicorn Hotel","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.14321712068773834,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":-33.883475210664464,"longitude":151.2215508},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"Depending on what time of day it is, determines the reason you might want to stop off at the Unicorn."},{"type":"text","content":"If it's early morning, then check out the fun Unicorn Street art on their garage and the fantastic art deco look for the outside."},{"type":"text","content":"If the pub is open, you might want to pop in for something more liquid or lunchy!"},{"type":"text","content":"Run by the team behind the famous Mary’s burgers in Sydney, the food is good and it’s an independent local with no pokie machines\n\nIf you do want to eat, they claim their Schnitzel is the best in Sydney. You can, not surprisingly, also pick up a Mary’s burger here.\n\n"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FMjN2UsCFxRWpVSz7L6kp%2F17.webp?alt=media&token=ae038334-cd68-4031-8730-e38677399653"},{"type":"link","title":"","content":"https://www.theunicornhotel.com.au/"}]},{"address":"UNSW Galleries","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.14321712068773834,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":-33.883608260664495,"longitude":151.22068345000005},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"Paddington is known for its art galleries – there are a LOT of them – but one of the most accessible to those without large bank accounts is the gallery directly attached to the UNSW Art & Design campus.\n\nIt can get quite quirky in there! I’ve actually stopped in my tracks more than once walking past there.\n\n"},{"type":"text","content":"Note - the map doesn't let me mark this in quite the right place. The entrance is to the right of the Arthouse Kitchen cafe where the blue Galleries splodge is on google maps. You'll see the Cafe on your way to the X - then when you come out, turn left, then left again to get you to Stop H"}]},{"address":"1 Little Napier St","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.1665744193406742,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":-33.883729597728895,"longitude":151.21987149375354},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"Check out the Concrete Washing Machine\nAt the north end of leafy Selwyn Street, you’ll find a small park – with a concrete washing machine plonked in the middle on a plinth. You’ll also notice a skull with LOL carved into it on the wall outside – these are the works of Sydney street artist Will Coles who likes to stick things where they don’t belong!\nThere are quite a few his creations located around this area – also keep your eyes peeled for a concrete balaclava, a purse marked fake in the raised area outside the UNSW Gallery and quite few TV remotes or squashed coke cans.\n\nThere’s also a few of these lurking along the main Oxford Street drag.\n\n"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FMjN2UsCFxRWpVSz7L6kp%2FIMG_3878.JPG?alt=media&token=7c6faebc-02cd-4196-961e-7c7633c55add"}]},{"address":"3 Oxford St","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.1665744193406742,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":-33.88306610317822,"longitude":151.22029488404112},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"More Street Art"},{"type":"text","content":"There's a few cute murals located at the back of what used to be the Rose, Shamrock and Thistle pub (home to Sydney's best nachos - RIP)."},{"type":"text","content":"This is now a chic Mexican restaurant by the team behind the bar Maybe Sammy. It's got a couple of fun touches inside including a 'Push For Tequila' button that I'm yet to try."},{"type":"text","content":"Right, time to reverse route back up Oxford Street on the other side of the road."}]},{"address":"Paddington Reservoir Gardens","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.14321712068773834,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":-33.88516086066513,"longitude":151.22671795},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"Paddington Reservoir"},{"type":"text","content":"This garden wouldn't look out of place in Ancient Greece so it might surprise you to hear it was once covered by a used car lot and gas station."},{"type":"text","content":"As the name might suggest the garden was originally home to the reservoir that supplied this part of Sydney with water back in the 19th Century. When this stopped in 1899 the garden was filled in, and the land above had a few different uses (including the gas station) until it was uncovered and turned into a park in 2009."},{"type":"text","content":"If you're into geocaching, there's apparently one in here although I haven't found it yet."},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FMjN2UsCFxRWpVSz7L6kp%2FIMG_3752.JPG?alt=media&token=cb52e614-5c52-4cfb-9392-0e1cfd41d275"}]},{"address":"Telstra Paddington International Telecommunications Centre","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.14321712068773834,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":-33.88645166066563,"longitude":151.22916325},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"Stand Outside a Piece of Space History\n\nThere are two black plaques on the wall of the Telstra Building at 363 Oxford Street. The first commemorates it as the site of an underwater cable, the second pays homage to Australia’s role in the moon landings.\n\nYes, despite being thousands of kilometres away from mission control in Houston, much of the communication between the Apollo 11 astronauts and mission control – and the TV signals that showed Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon was rooted through this nondescript brick building.\n\nAnd in fact, the team working on the broadcast saw the historic moment 300 milliseconds before anyone else in the world.\nThe building now is the main telecoms exchange for the local area – which means it now, technically, sends my blog Differentville out into the world.\n\nA broadcast of one of the main events in world history and now my random musings about odd things – I can’t really see a difference – can you?\n\n"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FMjN2UsCFxRWpVSz7L6kp%2F6.webp?alt=media&token=d7406833-1b48-4152-9971-ac5a7bb17167"},{"title":"","type":"link","content":"https://goo.gl/maps/GQ4jtHKfNF5naDds9"}]},{"address":"OPUS Design Co","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.14321712068773834,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":-33.88640766066562,"longitude":151.22958040000006},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"Spot the ‘Stolen’ Statue\n\nThe statue Dogman, the paparazzi pupper by artists Gillie and Marc that’s located on the pavement outside the Opus gift shop at 354 Oxford Statue made headlines back in 2017 when it was stolen.\n\nThis was quite some feat as the thing weighs 250kg!\nIt was recovered after about a month and returned to its place on the pavement. The cute husky is not always there!\n\nYou’ll also find Marc and Gillies work in a couple of other places in Paddington – outside (and inside) the Infinity Bakery just past the Intersection and at the junction of Gurner and Cascade Streets\n\n"},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FMjN2UsCFxRWpVSz7L6kp%2F13.webp?alt=media&token=d6e563f0-8590-44da-843e-8c0d9d3daf8f"},{"type":"link","title":"","content":"https://goo.gl/maps/2K6nGouoQnWPDZj28"}]},{"address":"Charlie Parker's","location":{"longitudeDelta":0.14321712068773834,"latitudeDelta":0.09219986310369421,"latitude":-33.886763560665806,"longitude":151.23007355000001},"media":[{"type":"text","content":"Get a Cocktail at Charlie Parkers\n\nI admit I haven’t yet set foot in super trendy basement cocktail bar Charlie Parkers (Mr Differentville prefers his drinks in pint-sized glasses!) or Freds, the farm-to-table restaurant above it, but this underground cocktail bar is famous for its innovative cocktail list based around local Australian products and botanicals.\nIngredients like lemon myrtle, wattleseed and fire paste jump out of the menu – and I admit I could even bring myself to drink a cocktail with Scotch in when the lead ingredient is something called fermented banana.\n\nLike many places in this part of town, it’s not going to be a cheap night out, but it will be a memorable one.\n\nThe fish-focused St Peter a few doors away is also regularly named one of one of Sydney’s best restaurants.\n\n"},{"type":"text","content":"If that's a bit out of your budget, you can't go wrong with any of the pubs around here. Try the rooftop at the Light Brigade, head round the corner to The London, or, watch the great and good pass you buy from one of the window tables at the Paddington Inn."},{"type":"text","content":"If head back to the Unicorn if you didn't get a chance to go inside earlier."},{"type":"img","content":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/freeguides-prod.appspot.com/o/assets%2Ftours%2FMjN2UsCFxRWpVSz7L6kp%2F19.webp?alt=media&token=a92e75f1-e58b-4eff-887e-a014184fb56e"},{"type":"link","title":"","content":"https://merivale.com/venues/charlieparkers/"}]}]