Italy or Rose Bay? Travel influencers swear these 5 Sydney locations could be in Europe
With the cost of living skyrocketing and the well-known and wealthy filling up our newsfeeds with envy-inspiring snaps of their annual winter escapes — these are the places where you can be boujee on a budget.
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“POV: You find a slice of Europe in Sydney.”
Travel and food vloggers are racking up tens of thousands of likes sharing little known corners of the Harbour City that at first glance, don’t look like Sydney at all.
Well, at least not the tourism postcard version.
Destination NSW is even getting in on the action, compiling a list of the five most-shared Europe-esque streetscapes into a short TikTok video for it’s Sydney account that’s amassed 13,500 likes.
Most of the videos are hashtagged or titled as “hidden gems” and include itineraries on “How to recreate European summer in Sydney” in an afternoon.
With the cost of living skyrocketing and the well-known and wealthy filling up our newsfeeds with envy-inspiring snaps of their annual winter escapes — these are the places where you can be boujee on a budget.
Italy
Collins Laneway from New South Head Rd, Rose Bay
“If you ever want to pretend that you actually went to Positano, Italy but you actually didn’t,” one TikToker Veronica B begins, “then you need to visit this street.”
“This street is Collins Lane and it’s in Rose Bay, the rich area of Sydney,” she continued.
“When you’re done taking all your photos and being a bit depressed because you’re not actually overseas, then there is a beautiful beach across the road.”
The once dull and easy-to-miss laneway has undergone dramatic transformation by Woollahra Council. It’s now home to colourful walls and murals, patterned tile floors, outdoor seating and festive lights dangling between the two buildings.
Greece
Bower Lane, Manly
“If you told me this was Europe, I’d believe you,” one travel blogger captioned this little known corner of Manley that has “al fresco dining, cute shutters, little boutique shops, and people jumping off the rocks into the sea …”
Head to The Bower cafe, next to the Fairy Bower beach and rockpool in the affluent suburb on a sunny day. To the right of the cafe, you’ll find the much-photographed white and blue building that conjures up a visual of Santorini.
“Who needs a European holiday when Sydney winters look like this?” one blogger captioned their video.
Built by local residents in 1929, Fairy Bower rockpool is one of a number of historic pools cut and blasted along the New South Wales coast as saltwater bathing became popular.
If it’s not warm enough for a dip, take the 15-minute coastal walk from Manly to Shelley beach that begins at the Manly Surf Club.
Amsterdam
Holland House, Smithfield
Nestled among the industrial backdrop of Smithfield, stands The Holland House.
The large gabled Dutch building is part supermarket, part delicatessen, part souvenir store and part café.
The Dutch Shop has been a stalwart of Smithfield for 39 years. The eclectic store, founded in 1985 at 85 Market street, sells groceries, novelty items, clothing, music, art and furniture imported from Holland.
“It was very funny. (Shoppers) are buying a piece of cheese at the front and walking out with a lounge suite,” co-owner Anita Van-Altena said.
She started the business with her husband John. The Van-Altenas came to Australia from Holland in 1964 after being married for eight weeks. He was 23 and she was 21.
They bought the warehouse at Smithfield in 1985 and happened upon a common acquaintance who had a container filled with imported items to sell. It gave them an idea.
“We loaded everything up … and we took it to (the Dutch festival in) Fairfield, and we did roaring trade, we did really good,” Mrs Van-Altena said.
A gabled facade was added years later to make the property seem more like a store and not a warehouse — which it is.
Scandinavia
Waterview Wharf Workshops, Nicholson St, Balmain.
“The Waterview Workshops in Balmain East remind us of the colours of Copenhagen,” Sydney mum blogger @AnniesBucketlist wrote.
The heritage-listed former shipping company workshops at 37 Nicholson Street are
maritime industrial buildings on the foreshore of Waterview Bay, Balmain.
It buildings once housed the principal employers of labour in early 20th century Balmain, and now are leased by a collective of creative businesses including filmmakers and interior designers.
“With the decline in shipping during the1960s operations ceased and Waterview was passed through the hands of a number of developers for a variety of uses and creative activities that have continued until this day,” the website reads.
London
State Library of NSW, CBD
The grand old dame of libraries, the State Library is the oldest in the country has been compared to London by Destination NSW on TikTok.
The first floor houses rotating exhibitions, including ‘Shakespeare in Print’. Below street level lies the reference collection and partitioned study rooms. The studious, and those seeking respite from the bustle of the outside world, can ensconce themselves in the high-domed, light-filled Mitchell Reading Room.
Library Bar “an open-air drinks spot with unique views of the Harbour and Sydney skyline” has proved a hit online.
Where do you “staycation” in Sydney? Tell us in the comments.
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