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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Sydney

30 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Sydney, Australia

Updated June 1, 2023

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Podcast: The 'Forgotten Songs' Sound Sculpture

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team
Tracking the small spiders involves quick, careful work.

The Fiddly Business of Tracking Australia's Most Venomous Spider

To study the Sydney funnel web spider, one researcher tags along from a distance with the help of tags the size of a grain of rice.
by Hannah Thomasy
The Suella, an egg-and-bacon breakfast plate with a sour Davidson plum drizzle.

In Sydney, a Cafe Serving Aboriginal Food Brings Comfort and Challenges

Nyoka Hrabinsky, an Aboriginal ethnobotanist, is turning “bush tucker” into brunch.
by Reina Gattuso
Laborers cluster around an accident at the quarry.

In Sydney, Intricate New Models Depict Australia’s Brutal Colonial Era

A redesigned museum hopes to grapple with the thorny legacy of the “convict period.”
by Sabrina Imbler
A group of fish loitering around the discharge of the Sydney Desalination Plant.

Fish Flock to the Super-Salty Wastewater of the Sydney Desalination Plant

Sydney's technological solution for drought is having unexpected effects on marine life.
by Sabrina Imbler
A mated pair of seahorses researchers have named Dusk and Dawn.

A Chain of Seahorse Hotels Is Coming Soon to Sydney Harbour

"If you build it, they will come."
by Sabrina Imbler
Parts of the tunnels are flooded.

A New Purpose for Sydney's Unfinished Train Tunnels

They will be transformed into an underground entertainment space.
by Sarah Laskow
An Australian Olympic team swimsuit from the 1992 Barcelona Olympic games.

The World's Largest Speedo Collection Almost Oozed Away

In 2012, Australia's Powerhouse Museum discovered that something strange was happening with some of their swimsuits.
by Abigail Cain

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